When did LoL Patch 26.10 go live?

Patch 26.10 went live on May 13, 2026 across all regions.

Is Lee Sin better or worse after the 26.10 rework?

Slightly better. He's S-tier at 51.6% WR, up 0.8% from Patch 26.9. The W self-shield on ward hops rewards aggressive plays, and the standardized 7s duration is more consistent.

What is the best ADC in Patch 26.10?

Ashe (51.8% WR), Brand (53.5%), Caitlyn (50.0%), Yasuo (52.8%), and Jinx are S-tier ADCs in Patch 26.10. Brand ADC is statistically the strongest but has a lower pick rate.

Did the Zeri buffs in 26.10 help?

Barely. Zeri is still 49.7% WR and C-tier. The R duration bugfix gives more ult uptime but she's struggling to compete with Ashe, Caitlyn, and other S-tier ADCs in this meta.

League of Legends Patch 26.10 Lee Sin mini-rework

Season 2 -- Act 1

Patch 26.10: Lee Sin Rework, Cyclosword Abusers Nerfed

Q: Is Zed still good after the 26.10 nerfs?

Yes. Zed is still S-tier mid at 50.4% winrate in Emerald+. The E and passive nerfs reduced his burst by roughly 30-50 damage per combo, but Cyclosword builds remain the strongest assassin option.

Live May 13, 2026. A focused balance patch targeting the champions who ran away with the Season 2 opener. Lee Sin gets a mini-rework, Zed and Naafiri catch the nerf hammer after Cyclosword abuse, and Ambessa gets pushed back toward top lane. Plus minion aggro changes that have high-Elo players losing their minds.

After the absolute chaos of Patch 26.9 -- which dropped Deathfire Touch, Stormraider's Surge, three new items, and a full rune overhaul on the same day -- Patch 26.10 is the cleanup crew. Riot watched the first two weeks of Season 2, identified the outliers, and is pulling them back to earth.

The headline is the Lee Sin mini-rework, but honestly? The nerfs matter more for your ranked games. Naafiri and Zed have been terrorizing mid lane with Cyclosword builds, and both are getting meaningful damage reductions. Shyvana's rework landed too strong. Ashe is quietly the best ADC in the game and nobody's talking about it.

Quick take: This is a "bring the top down" patch, not a "lift the bottom up" patch. The buffs to Ambessa, Galio, Wukong, and Zeri are real but modest. The nerfs to Zed, Naafiri, Shyvana, and Ashe are the changes that will actually shift your ranked games. Lee Sin's rework is power-neutral but changes how he plays. If you're a Zed/Naafiri abuser, your free LP window is closing.

How the Changes Actually Landed (Winrate Data)

We scraped Emerald+ data 4 days into the patch. Here's what the numbers say:

Winners So Far

Lee Sin -- 51.6% WR in jungle (S-tier, +0.8% from 26.9). The rework is a net buff despite the E nerf. Standardized W duration and self-shield on ward hops makes him more consistent.
Shyvana -- 52.1% WR jungle (A-tier, +1.65%). Still strong despite the HP and W nerfs. The 26.9 rework gave her too much and this patch didn't take enough back.
Quinn -- 51.9% WR top (B-tier, +1.0%). The monster damage buffs are working. Quinn jungle is emerging as a real pick in high-Elo.
Naafiri -- 51.5% mid, 51.0% jungle (S-tier both). Still S-tier despite the nerfs. The W mana cost increase hurts early but doesn't kill her.

Losers So Far

Zeri -- 49.7% WR (C-tier, +0.4%). The buffs barely moved the needle. She's still struggling to find her identity after the 26.9 ratio shifts.
Ambessa -- 50.0% WR top (C-tier, +0.8%). Buffed but still mediocre. The monster damage nerf killed jungle Ambessa, and top lane Ambessa needs more than Q damage to compete.
Galio -- 50.4% WR mid (D-tier, +0.5%). The buffs are nice on paper but Galio's problem isn't numbers -- it's that the meta doesn't want a melee tank mid right now.

Check our updated tier list for the full 26.10 rankings across all roles.

Champion Nerfs

The big ones. Zed and Naafiri have been the two best mid laners since Season 2 started, and Riot is finally pulling them back. Shyvana's rework overshot. Ashe is quietly broken.

Nerfed

Zed

Zed50.4% WR → S-tier mid

E damage: 70-170 (+80% bAD) → 70-160 (+70% bAD)
Passive max HP damage: 6/8/10% → 5/7.5/10%

Both E and passive hit softer. The E ratio dropping from 80% to 70% bonus AD is roughly -30 damage at 300 bonus AD. Passive losing 1% max HP at levels 1-10 means his early all-ins are weaker against tanky targets. He's still S-tier at 50.4% -- the nerfs slowed him down but didn't kill him. Cyclosword Zed is still the best assassin build in the game.

Naafiri

Naafiri51.5% WR mid / 51.0% jungle

Passive monster modifier: 155% → 145%
W mana cost: 60 flat → 85/80/75/70/65

The W mana cost going from 60 to 85 at rank 1 is brutal for early laning. That's 25 extra mana per W cast -- you'll run out of mana after 3-4 W's in lane instead of 5-6. The jungle nerf is smaller but meaningful: 10% less monster damage means slower first clear. Despite both nerfs, she's still S-tier in both roles. Riot might need to come back for more in 26.11.

Shyvana

Shyvana52.1% WR → A-tier jungle

HP per level: 100 → 95
W cooldown: 13-9s → 13-10s

-5 HP per level is -90 HP at 18. The W cooldown going from 9s to 10s at max rank means less W uptime in extended fights. But she's still 52.1% and A-tier -- the 26.9 rework gave her too much base power and these are love taps. Expect more nerfs in 26.11 if she stays above 52%.

Ashe

Ashe51.8% WR → S-tier ADC

Q AD ratio: 110-140% → 110-130%

Ashe has been quietly the best ADC since Season 2 started. The Q ratio nerf at max rank (-10% AD) targets her late-game DPS specifically. At 350 AD, that's -35 damage per Q auto. She's still S-tier at 51.8% -- this is a warning shot, not a kill shot. If you're climbing on Ashe, keep going.

Anivia

Anivia51.2% WR → C-tier mid

Base armor: 21 → 19
Armor growth: 4.5 → 4.1

Anivia was overperforming with Deathfire Touch -- the DoT keystone synergizes perfectly with her R tick damage. Riot is making her more vulnerable to AD assassins (Zed, Naafiri, Talon) by cutting armor. -2 base armor + -0.4 growth means ~30 less armor at level 18. She's dropped to C-tier already. If you're an Anivia main, you'll feel this against Zed specifically.

Champion Buffs

Targeted buffs for champions that didn't benefit from the Season 2 changes. Ambessa is being pushed out of jungle and back into top lane. Zeri's ult finally works properly.

Buffed

Ambessa

Ambessa50.0% WR → C-tier top

Q1/Q2 max HP damage: 2-6% → 4-6%
Q monster damage: 125 → 75
R healing: 10-15% → 15-20%
R monster healing: 40% → 25%

Classic "push out of jungle, buff in lane" treatment. Q max HP damage doubling at early ranks is a real top lane buff -- that's +2% max HP per Q at level 1, which is 20+ extra damage against most top laners. But the monster damage going from 125 to 75 and R monster healing from 40% to 25% kills jungle Ambessa. She's still only 50% WR in top though -- might need more help.

Galio

Galio50.4% WR → D-tier mid

Q mana cost: 70-90 → 60-80
E damage: 90-250 (+90% AP) → 100-240 (+100% AP)
R: now scales with 100% bonus MR

Three buffs and he's still D-tier. The Q mana reduction helps his laning sustain, E gets +10% AP ratio which matters for AP builds, and R scaling with bonus MR is interesting for tank Galio. The problem is the meta -- Deathfire Touch mages and Cyclosword assassins both eat Galio alive. He needs the meta to shift, not just number buffs.

Wukong

Wukong52.5% WR → B-tier top / A-tier jungle

W clone damage: 30-50 → 40-60
W clone duration: 3.25s → 4s
E attack speed: 35-55% → 40-60%

Wukong is the biggest winner of this patch by the numbers. Clone lasting 0.75s longer means more confusion in teamfights and more time for the clone to deal damage. E attack speed going up by 5% at all ranks makes his extended trades and jungle clear noticeably faster. He's already A-tier in jungle at 52.5% -- these buffs might push him into S-tier territory by next patch.

Zeri

Zeri49.7% WR → C-tier ADC

Q base damage: 21-33 → 22-38
Excess AS to AD conversion: 50% → 60%
R duration extension bugfix: 1.5s → 2.5s per attack

The R bugfix is the real story here. Attacks during ult were supposed to extend duration by 2.5s but were only giving 1.5s due to a bug. That's a full extra second of ult per auto attack -- in a 10-auto fight, that's 10 extra seconds of ult uptime. The Q base damage and AS conversion buffs are nice but small. She's still sub-50% though. Zeri might just be fundamentally weak in this meta.

Champion Adjustments

Adjusted

Lee Sin

Lee Sin51.6% WR → S-tier jungle

W shield: 70-250 → 60-240
W duration: 12s (non-champ) / 6s (champ) → 7s flat
W: Lee now gets shield when jumping to minion/ward (target doesn't)
E AD ratio: +100% → +90%
R: body still sent flying when killed

This is the mini-rework everyone's been talking about. The W change is the headline: Lee Sin now gets his own shield when ward-hopping or jumping to minions, but the target doesn't get one. Duration standardized to 7s regardless of target. This makes ward-hop plays more rewarding (you get a shield for the engage) while nerfing his ally-save plays slightly (shorter shield on champions). E losing 10% AD ratio is a small damage nerf. Net result: S-tier at 51.6%, slightly more aggressive playstyle rewarded.

Quinn

Quinn51.9% WR → B-tier top

Passive: +50 monster damage
Q: +50% monster damage
R mana cost: 100/50/0 → 50/25/0

Quinn jungle is being deliberately enabled. +50 monster damage on passive and +50% on Q means her clear speed goes from "painfully slow" to "actually functional." R mana cost halved means she can roam between camps without going OOM. She's already up 1% WR in top from the R mana change alone. Whether Quinn jungle becomes a real pick depends on whether her ganks are good enough to justify the pick over Lee Sin or Naafiri.

System Changes

Minion Aggro Rework

System

The big system change this patch. Minion aggro rules have been updated -- minions now respond faster to champion-on-champion damage and hold aggro slightly longer. This is a nerf to aggressive laners who relied on trading inside the wave without punishment.

High-Elo players and pro teams are already vocal about this. The change makes early lane trades riskier because minions punish you harder for hitting the enemy champion. Champions who trade in short bursts (Renekton, Irelia, Camille) are less affected than champions who do extended trades inside the wave (Darius, Garen, Mordekaiser).

Doran's Bow and Doran's Helm Buffed

Both new starting items from 26.9 were underperforming. Doran's Bow gets +3 AD and Doran's Helm gets +30 HP. Small but meaningful -- Doran's Bow is now a legitimate alternative to Doran's Blade for attack speed ADCs, and Doran's Helm is viable into mixed-damage lanes.

Gluttonous Greaves Nerfed

The omnivamp boots were too efficient. Omnivamp per stack reduced. They're still good on drain-tank champions (Aatrox, Briar, Warwick) but no longer the default boot choice for every bruiser in the game.

Lichbane Buffed

AP ratio increased. This specifically helps burst mages who weave autos between abilities -- Fizz, Ekko, Diana, Twisted Fate. Fizz is already S-tier so this might push him over the edge.

Stormraider's Surge Buffed

The 25% HP threshold was too restrictive for some intended users. Threshold reduced slightly and the movespeed duration extended. This helps champions like Viktor and Cassiopeia who deal sustained damage but couldn't reliably proc the old threshold in one combo.

Deathfire Touch Nerfed

Base damage reduced at early levels. DFT was overperforming on poke mages (Xerath, Vel'Koz) who could apply it from max range with zero risk. The nerf targets early-game poke patterns while keeping the late-game burn damage intact for the DoT mages it was designed for.

Arena: Trios Mode

Arena now supports teams of three. This is a separate queue from the standard 2v2v2v2 format. Same augment system, same items, just bigger teams. Good for friend groups that couldn't fit into duos.

Season 2 Ranked is Live

New season, fresh MMR. Check where you stand after placements.

Check Your MMR

Who Should You Be Playing Right Now?

Based on the 26.10 data after 4 days:

Top lane: Malphite, Teemo, and Garen are the safe picks. Irelia is S-tier but high skill floor. Wukong is rising fast after the buffs.

Jungle: Lee Sin and Naafiri are the clear S-tier picks. Nocturne is sleeper strong at 53% WR. Warwick remains the best low-Elo jungler.

Mid lane: Naafiri and Zed are still S-tier despite nerfs. Fizz is the biggest winner with Lichbane buffs. Xerath is quietly 52.7% with the new Comet.

ADC: Ashe and Caitlyn are the safe S-tier picks. Brand ADC is 53.5% and nobody's banning it. Yasuo bot is real at 52.8%.

Support: Seraphine, Thresh, Senna, Pyke, Nami. The support meta is stable -- these five have been S-tier for two patches straight.

For the full breakdown with every champion ranked, check our Patch 26.10 Tier List.

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FAQ

When did Patch 26.10 go live?

Patch 26.10 went live on May 13, 2026 across all regions.

What are the biggest changes in Patch 26.10?

Lee Sin mini-rework (W now shields Lee on ward hops), Zed and Naafiri nerfed (Cyclosword abuse), Shyvana and Ashe nerfed, Ambessa pushed out of jungle, minion aggro reworked, Arena trios added.

Is Zed still good after the 26.10 nerfs?

Yes. Zed is still S-tier mid at 50.4% winrate. The E and passive nerfs reduced his burst by roughly 30-50 damage per combo, but Cyclosword builds are still the strongest assassin option.

Is Lee Sin better or worse after the rework?

Slightly better overall. He's S-tier at 51.6% WR (+0.8% from 26.9). The W self-shield on ward hops rewards aggressive plays, and the standardized 7s duration is more consistent. E lost 10% AD ratio but it's a small trade-off.

What's the best ADC in Patch 26.10?

Ashe (51.8%), Brand (53.5%), Caitlyn (50.0%), Yasuo (52.8%), and Jinx round out the S-tier. Brand ADC is statistically the strongest but has a lower pick rate.

Did the Zeri buffs help?

Barely. Zeri is still 49.7% WR and C-tier. The R bugfix gives her more ult uptime but she's struggling to compete with Ashe, Caitlyn, and the other S-tier ADCs in this meta.

LoL Patch 26.10 Notes: All Buffs, Nerfs & System Changes (May 2026)