Teamfight Tactics patch 9.16 preview: Demon rework, new Hextech origin, more

Patch 9.16 comes to Teamfight Tactics next Wednesday, and it will bring quite a few changes. Read on for our full breakdown of balance tweaks and new content headed to the game!

It’s Hextech, baby!

Naturally, the centerpiece of this patch is the release of the Hextech origin. Champions Vi, Jinx, Jayce, and Camille are coming to the game to screw with item hoarders. If you aren’t familiar with what Hextech is all about, hop on the PBE and give them a try. Aside from essentially countering enemy luck, they also introduce new repositioning and retargeting mechanics.

The Hush item and Demon synergy are being reworked. We don’t know what Hush will be like, but it seems Demons’ mana-burn will now generate mana instead of dealing damage. Wild will also see some changes, in the form of a straight buff.

Additionally, Riot will buff some individual champions in patch 9.16. Ahri, Katarina, Miss Fortune, and Zed are all individually fairly popular and functional, but the studio clearly has bigger plans for them.

The bigger you are…

In case you haven’t caught on yet, falling in love with a strong champion is a mistake. The Teamfight Tactics meta is volatile, and every time a champion begins to outperform their design, Riot smacks it down. This time it’s Braum, Cho’Gath, Karthus, and Kha’Zix on the block.

These four have undeniably dominated the meta over the past week. Everything they are designed to do – tanking, in Braum’s case, for example – they do too well. We don’t know how and by how much, but Riot intends to nerf them.

In item news, Redemption, Infinity Edge, and Locket of Iron Solari will be buffed. Locket’s current state is pretty stable, but players don’t enjoy the shield’s timer and Riot will likely do something to address it. On the other hand, fan favorites Statikk Shiv and Ionic Spark will receive nerfs. The Shiv’s recent bug fix clearly wasn’t enough to make it less of an auto-pick for attack speed champions.

Patch 9.16 arrives Aug 14. As usual, the changes previewed are tentative and not necessarily what the final form of the patch will look like. Until then, stay tuned to Daily Esports for more Teamfight Tactics news and content!