It has finally happened. For every League of Legends fan that has had to face off against Akali, your prayers have been answered. Patch 9.3 will be sending multiple nerfs to the Rogue Assassin. Additionally, Riot Games will be making big changes to Aatrox, Irelia, and Camille. This patch was long-awaited, as many people have been calling for a nerf on one of the strongest assassin champions in the game.
Akali (finally) gets nerfed
One of the biggest reasons why Akali was so strong was due to her incredible kit. However, two of her abilities were too strong for many to play against. As a result, she has received some nerfs to two of her key components. First, she will be losing her ability to heal off of her Q, Five Point Strike. In its stead, Akali’s health regeneration will be increased from 3.5 to six. This ability allowed Akali to sustain infinitely in the lane, making her strong in matchups that she should otherwise lose. Secondly, her shroud no longer hides her from turrets. No longer will Akali be able to turret dive without taking in some of the consequences. This was a horrible mechanic that was the bane of many League players’ existence in the mid lane.
Ultimately, this forces anyone who plays Akali to play a lot smarter and safer. You cannot constantly skirmish with your lane opponent, as you cannot regen your health with Q. Additionally, you cannot mindlessly dive players under turret and use the shroud to avoid turret fire. Players must now be a lot more careful with their engages and dives, as they will be punished a lot more severely.
Aatrox, Irelia and Camille changes
Besides Akali, there will also be some changes to some other strong picks across the Rift. For starters, Aatrox will be losing his ability to heal off non-champions. Instead, Riot will be increasing his health regeneration from five to eight. This forces Aatrox players to be a bit more careful when fighting their opponents, as they cannot rely on farming to heal afterward. Also, they have changed his E, Umbral Dash, so that it does not store charges of the ability. Instead, the ability will cool down faster than it recharged.
They are making a follow-up patch for Irelia, where her base health and armor growth is increased. Her passive, Ionian Fervor, has been adjusted to “reduce the burstiness of her initiation combos and give enemies a wider window before her damage is fully online”. Bladesurge has been changed and will now deal more bonus damage to minions. Her W has also been changed, and now reduces enemy physical damage by 10% more, while not reducing any AP damage at all.
Finally, Camille will be receiving a big change that will affect her status in the jungle. Her Hookshot will no longer stun any minions or monsters. According to Riot, they are “making the call to prioritize Camille top going forward”. This will probably force the champion out of the jungle completely, now that her clear will be horrible moving forward.
What are your thoughts on the changes in League of Legends‘ Patch 9.3? Does this make Akali significantly weaker? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more League of Legends coverage, check us out here!
Published: Feb 5, 2019 05:29 pm