Updated on August 17, 11:41 a.m. (GMT+8): Riot Phroxzon posted new updates to the patch, cutting Vladimir, adding Zyra. Additional details posted by Spideraxe on Twitter have also been included.
According to Summoner’s Rift Lead Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, League of Legends patch 12.16 onward will be geared toward balancing the meta for the upcoming 2022 World Championship starting in September.
However, since some teams will still be competing in the playoffs on patch 12.16, expect more major changes to be implemented in the following patch 12.17 instead.
Riot Phroxzon posted the LoL patch 12.16 preview on Twitter, and explained that the balance team is “looking to tap down a few outliers” this patch. Specifically, they’re looking to nerf Diana’s tank build while buffing her AP build path.
Tristana
Zoe
Irelia
Caitlyn
Kai’Sa
Jayce
Malphite
Zyra
Zeri
Yuumi
Draven
Poppy
Diana
Evenshroud
On patch 12.15, Zeri is currently the most picked AD carry across major regions with an 81% presence in Season 12, according to Games of Legends’ database at the time of writing.
She’s so strong that she’s been banned much more than picked — 408 times compared to 195. Many pros have also gotten pentakills on this champion in Spring and Summer, including Gen.G’s Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk and Evil Geniuses’ Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki.
Yuumi is another champion that has been banned twice as much as she’s been picked, with a 43% presence. Pros have averaged a positive 57% win rate on this champion, which is commendable considering that you only need one hand to play her.
While Draven hasn’t had the same impact in pro play, he currently holds a positive 51.39% win rate in solo queue at Platinum rank and above, according to U.GG. This is comparable to reworked Sivir’s positive 51.87% win rate. Alongside Twitch, they’ve been the top-tier AD carries thriving in the current meta.
Riot Phroxon’s patch preview Tweet can be viewed here.
