League Updates: Darius Patch

The obvious change to League of Legends comes after seeing Doctor Mundo's recently discovered powers in the jungle. While it won't stop him from being a great pick, his mid to late game will still be affected. I don't think it's going to really hurt him; it'll just mean some minor setbacks.

A slight buff to Hecarim helps out with his jungling speed. I think the horseman is still quite underrated as a jungle pick, but he is outdone by quite a number of champions and is required to snowball in order to perform in the mid to late game. Hopefully, these changes might improve his early game to help with that snowball. I still think they could do a lot more to make Hecarim feel like a better champion.

After tons of nerfs on Soraka from previous patches, it looks like it's not slowing down. Although this doesn't really affect her supporting capabilities, playing the pure mage AP mid-style isn't going to cut it as much anymore. You're better off with Soraka in the middle lane. Some of the other changes in the game are Morgana's passive Soul Siphon getting a reduction from 10 percent/20 percent/30 percent to 10 percent/15 percent/20 percent. Sure, it reduces her lane sustain, but my prediction is that she'll still be a largely banned champ in ranked games--because of Black Shield and Soul Shackles.

The new champion, Darius, the Hand of Noxus, looks pretty badass. From the looks of the numbers, he has a very high damage output, which is not easily matched up to. His lack of sustain is a huge issue, though, which might not make him a favourable pick, compared to other champions who play the top lane. He's definitely a pretty impressive snowball champion. Early ganks and some defensive sustain items might allow him to become a nightmare in the mid-game.

Last but not least, the new addition of the item Athene's Unholy Grail is going to be a much-welcomed item. Despite the many changes it has undergone since its appearance in the Test Realms, its stats still look great for most mana-using casters. Good base AP and bonus magic resistance make this a great alternative to Rod of Ages, if you want to stay in the middle lane. Also, this might reduce reliance on the blue buff. Only time will tell. My verdict: this item is going to get quite a lot of attention.

Well, that's all for this patch analysis. Tune in next time for more League Updates!