Patch 13.14 is finally here, and with it, we have the much-awaited release of Naafiri and some attention to some meta-defining items.

Naafiri’s Release

So, let’s talk about the new champ since that’s probably what we’re all the most excited for.

Riot’s goal for Naafiri was to make a more accessible assassin without making her completely mindless to play. The idea is that instead of being mechanically hard, like most other assassins, she’s going to be all about decision-making.

As far as how good she is, her kit is interesting, and if her numbers are high enough, she has the type of kit that can hard carry games, even in 5v5s, which most assassins steer away from.

Many people complain that assassins are awful right now, but when you play and build them right, they’re fine. Going Ravenous first item on the AD ones makes lane phase a lot more playable, and allows you to roam and get fed, so that’s likely what we’ll be seeing with Naafiri.

She’ll likely have a bumpy launch, with a win rate somewhere in the low to mid-40s like many other new releases, but once people get the hang of her, she’ll likely be at least an A-tier pick, especially in the Gold to Diamond ELO range.

Balance Changes

Now, the balance changes.

Patch 13.13 was made to be a 3-week cycle, and without a B patch to break that up, that extra week felt more like a month. That said, the patch hasn’t felt all that bad at all.

There are ALWAYS going to be outliers in League; that one mid laner that just can’t be beaten, or the jungler that takes over the map with no counterplay – that’s why we have bans. The game will never have every single champ in perfect balance.

What Riot should strive for is class balance, and right now, we’re at a point where they’re probably as close as they’ve ever been. Looking across all roles, there is a healthy mix of things being done well.

System Changes

The only major blanket issues we’ve had in the meta lately are items; namely, Statikk Shiv and Trinity Force are seeing a bit too much play. Many players were excited for Statikk Shiv returning, but it’s turned lanes into absolutely zero interaction snooze fests once a champ finishes it.

Being able to nuke down a full wave in just a couple of seconds not only makes lanes boring, it also makes certain champs absolutely busted. The best example is Leblanc. Her only real limiting factor in the past was her lack of wave clear; now that she can mow down waves, she’s roaming and impacting the map, getting fed in the process, and just taking over games like it’s nothing.

While Shiv is getting a decent nerf, it’s definitely still going to have its place. This change more so impacts champs like Vayne that don’t build AP after getting the item, causing its wave clear to fall off harder as the game progresses. It will still be great for Kai’sa and Leblanc, if only a bit weaker.

Shiv’s issue is unlocking a few specific champs. Trinity Force, on the other hand, has been built on way too big of a spread of champs across multiple classes. Tri Force is a bruiser item; Riot is fine with items leaking over into other classes here and there, but right now, it’s the best Mythic on several ADCs and other high DPS champs like Master Yi and Bel’Veth, that typically should want Guinsoo’s.

The issue here is that Trinity Force gives way, way too much bang for its buck. It offers damage comparable to other Mythics, but also grants movement speed and HP, so it’s great for survivability.

Unlike Shiv, Trinity Force isn’t getting a blatant nerf – it’s losing 2% attack speed, which isn’t all that much in the context of it having 35%.

The Threefold Strikes passive is changing from 4% per stack, stacking 5 times, to 6% per stack, stacking 3 times. This is a buff for the first 10 attacks but falls off afterward. So, champs that have high attack speed will be affected more, but champs that are using the big block of stats and spellblade passive well will still definitely like this item.

It’s also worth noting that Infinity Edge is getting a nice adjustment, making it slightly weaker early but better as the game progresses. That, along with the Trinity Force changes, means that hyper carries that build I.E. should be pumping out much more damage than Tri Force wielding ADC’s.

The Axiom Arc and Prowler’s Claw changes are really nice for the champs that use it. It’s probably no coincidence that we’re seeing these changes simultaneously with Naafiri’s launch.

Most of the other item and system changes are pretty meh; don’t get me wrong, they are nice, but nothing meta breaking here.

Champ Changes

As with any patch, all of the champ changes are mainly focused on the outliers on both ends. As far as nerfs go, nothing here seems to be that impactful. Rek’sai is doing so insanely well as a jungler in Plat+ that she will likely still be quite strong, especially since other top picks like Kindred and Rengar are also getting hit.

Of the buffs, I will say one, in particular, stands out: Shaco is already pretty strong when you go AP, but with the Prowler’s buff and the direct buffs he’s getting, AD Shaco might become a bit of a problem. He’s still feast or famine as ever, but if you hate snowbally one-shotting machines, this may be your new ban.

The most important thing with this patch is not what’s in the patch notes but what’s NOT in them. Riot has done a good job addressing many key issues, but it’s a bit concerning not to see any changes at all for Ivern and Kai’sa.

Ivern is one of the absolute best picks in the game right now, and with an extremely low-skill floor, he can dominate games with no effort. Kai’sa, on the other hand, is just way too dominant of a pick – yes, the Shiv nerfs are an indirect nerf to her, but that isn’t enough to make what’s arguably the best champ in the role much weaker.

Aside from Riot missing a couple of big picks, this is a nice patch as far as balancing some things out. The meta is in a good spot, with the weakest role, AD assassins, getting a bit of a nudge up to find more carrying power when ahead, and every other class already being both popular and strong.