Patch Preview
Locke nerfed, bot lane toned down, T1 Worlds skins arrive
Locke's been out for exactly one patch and he's already eating nerfs. That's the headline for 26.14. He came in hot with a 60% ban rate on release and Riot isn't letting it ride into a second cycle.
Beyond the new guy, this patch is mostly a bot lane and mid lane correction. Azir and Seraphine have been running the solo queue meta, Senna keeps scaling into something unreasonable, and Jayce made a statement at MSI that Riot clearly noticed. They all take hits here.
On the flip side, Nami gets some love after basically vanishing from support priority. Yunara and Corki pick up buffs to push them back into the ADC conversation.
And the reason a lot of players actually care about this patch: the T1 Worlds 2025 "Ascended Warriors" skins drop July 15. Six skins, including a Prestige Miss Fortune for Gumayusi (Finals MVP). If you've been waiting for those, this is the patch.
updateExisting: true and will be refreshed once final numbers are confirmed.Champion Buffs
- [W] Ebb and Flow: heal/damage values increased
- [E] Tidecaller's Blessing: empowered attack duration increased
- Buffed to push him back into the ADC pool post-MSI meta
- Exact values not yet confirmed
- Buffed alongside Corki to widen the ADC options in the current meta
- Exact values not yet confirmed
Champion Nerfs
- Nerfed one patch after release following a 60% ban rate on live servers
- Soul Nail stacks and burst combo outputs targeted
- Exact values not yet confirmed
- Nerfed after consistent overperformance in mid lane through the post-MSI meta
- Exact values not yet confirmed
- Nerfed off the back of his high-elo and pro presence through MSI
- Exact values not yet confirmed
- Nerfed again - scaling has been an ongoing balance target this season
- Exact values not yet confirmed
- Nerfed after dominating the enchanter support pool throughout the MSI patch
- Exact values not yet confirmed
System Changes
Hextech Rocketbelt
Item nerf targeting the dominant AP assassin rush path that Locke, Ekko, and several other mid laners have been abusing.
- Active damage or AP stats reduced (exact values not yet confirmed)
T1 Worlds 2025 "Ascended Warriors" Skins
This is the big cosmetic drop for 26.14. T1 won Worlds 2025 and the championship skins are finally here. The line is built around a red-and-gold "Ascended Warriors" theme.
T1 Worlds 2025 - Ascended Warriors (July 15)
- T1 Ambessa (1350 RP)
- T1 Galio (1350 RP)
- T1 Xin Zhao (1350 RP)
- T1 Seraphine (1350 RP)
- T1 Yunara (1350 RP)
- MVP T1 Miss Fortune - Prestige (1820 RP) - Gumayusi Finals MVP
The Prestige Miss Fortune is the standout here. Gumayusi took the Finals MVP award and gets a Mythic-tier skin to match. The rest of the lineup covers the champions T1 played on that Worlds run.
How This Plays Out
The post-MSI meta was defined by a small pool of dominant picks and this patch is clearly trying to crack that open. Locke eating nerfs this fast is almost unusual, but the 60% ban rate left Riot with no real choice. Azir, Jayce, Senna, and Seraphine have all been overtuned or overplayed for several patches in a row, so these nerfs aren't a surprise.
The more interesting story is on the buff side. Nami disappeared from the support meta almost entirely once enchanter items settled after 26.9. If the buffs are meaningful, she comes back as a real option alongside the post-nerf Seraphine landscape. Yunara and Corki getting attention is also a signal that Riot wants the ADC pool wider than whatever has been first-picked for the last month.
Once 26.14 goes live, check the tier list for live winrate and pickrate data. For a full breakdown of everything that changed earlier this season, the patch notes archive has all of them.
Fresh patch, clean slate
Test the 26.14 meta on a smurf instead of tanking LP on your main while the meta settles.
Browse LoL SmurfsFAQ
When does LoL Patch 26.14 come out?
Patch 26.14 goes live on July 15, 2026. This is the first patch after the extended 26.13 cycle, which ran longer than usual due to Riot's annual summer break.
Why is Locke being nerfed so fast?
Locke hit a 60% ban rate within his first two weeks on live servers. That's enough for Riot to step in immediately. He's a high-burst AP assassin mid with strong setup requirements, and at full strength the combo was too reliable for how low his counterplay window was.
Which champions are getting buffed in Patch 26.14?
Nami (support), Corki (bot/mid), and Yunara (bot ADC) are confirmed for buffs in Patch 26.14. Nami in particular has dropped off the support priority list significantly since the Season 2 item changes.
Which champions are getting nerfed in Patch 26.14?
Locke, Azir, Jayce, Senna, and Seraphine are all confirmed for nerfs. Hextech Rocketbelt is also getting an item nerf targeting the dominant AP assassin build path.
When do the T1 Worlds 2025 skins come out?
The T1 "Ascended Warriors" skins release on July 15, 2026 with Patch 26.14. The lineup covers Ambessa, Galio, Xin Zhao, Seraphine, Yunara, and a Prestige Miss Fortune for Finals MVP Gumayusi.
