Patch Preview
Champion buffs, nerfs, adjustments, and system changes
Patch 26.6 preview just dropped and the full numbers are here. Riot says the game is "pretty healthy" right now, and this patch reflects that — it's a tuning pass, not a meta nuke. Oh, and the Shyvana VGU rework drops with this patch too — completely new kit, new visuals, the works.
Five buffs, four nerfs, three system changes. The Azir buff is interesting because Phreak specifically called out wanting to give him scaling power back into regular play. Lissandra is getting her Season 9 Q cooldown reverted, which is kind of wild. And the ranked matchmaking update is quietly one of the biggest changes — autofill vs autofill went from 25% to 75% in Vietnam.
The Xerath line in the preview graphic is Phreak trolling, by the way. "Xerath, the rightful ruler of Shurima" with 150% AP ratio on Q — yeah, no. That's not real.
Champion Buffs
Five champions getting power this patch. The Azir and Lissandra changes stand out — Riot's clearly trying to bring more mage diversity into mid lane.
- Q AP ratio: 35% >>> 55%
- W damage: 50-110 + 0-45 + 32.5-62.5% AP >>> 50-110 + 0-72 + 35-65% AP
- Q cooldown: 8/7/6/5/4 >>> 7/6/5/4/3
- Armor growth: 4.9 >>> 4.2
- Base AS: .694 >>> .72
- Q slow: 25-45% for 1.5 to 2.5s >>> 30-50% for 1 to 3s
- E damage to self: 30% of damage dealt >>> 40% of damage dealt
- Q cost: 45 >>> 30
- Q target max health damage: 9% >>> 11%
- AS ratio: .694 >>> .725
- Level 1 AS: .67 >>> Unchanged
Champion Nerfs
Four nerfs this cycle. Ahri's Q is getting hit on both base damage and max damage, Pyke loses armor, and Zaahen is getting toned down across the board.
- Q base damage per hit: 40-140 >>> 35-135
- Maximum Q base damage: 80-280 >>> 70-270
- Armor: 43 >>> 37
- Q monster damage cap: 120-200 >>> 100-200
- W2 damage: 40-120 + 50% bonus AD >>> 30-110 + 30% bonus AD
- W full damage: 80-240 + 100% bonus AD >>> 70-230 + 80% bonus AD
- E monster bonus damage: 75 >>> 50
System Changes
Three system changes this patch. Chempunk Chainsword is getting cheaper, Sunfire Aegis build path is less painful, and the support item minion penalty is getting loosened up.
Chempunk Chainsword
Total cost reduced from 3100g to 3000g. A straight 100g discount makes the Grievous Wounds buy-in less punishing.
Sunfire Aegis
Ruby Crystal added to the build path. Total cost unchanged. Riot acknowledged the 1000g combine cost has been "a pretty painful experience" — this smooths out the build without making the item cheaper overall.
Support Item Penalty
Pre-5 minute allowed kills increased from 7 to 24. Post-5 minute allowed kills per minute increased from 4 to 6. This is a significant loosening of the CS penalty — supports can now farm waves more freely when roaming or covering lanes without getting punished.
Ranked Updates
Riot dropped some ranked data alongside the champion changes, and the numbers are actually impressive.
The autofill vs autofill matchmaking that went live recently is working. In Vietnam, where autofill rates are high, autofill-vs-autofill games went from about 25% to 75%. In EUW, regular play was already solid at 90%, but high MMR jumped from 30% to 85%. They're rolling it out to more regions over the coming patches.
The Apex LP fix is also holding. Over 98% of players are now seeing LP gains between +19 and +21, calibrating in small amounts like +19/-21 or +21/-19 or the clean +20/-20. There's one more small consistency fix coming in 26.6 to tighten it further.
What This Means for the Meta
This is a tuning patch, not a meta-shaker. The biggest gameplay impact is probably the Lissandra Q cooldown revert — getting her Season 9 waveclear back could genuinely bring her back into the mid lane rotation. That's a 1-second reduction at every rank, which is massive for a spammable ability.
The Azir buffs are scaling-focused (Q AP ratio from 35% to 55% is huge late game), so he won't suddenly dominate lane, but his teamfight damage in the mid-to-late game goes up noticeably.
Zaahen players should feel the nerfs. Losing 20% bonus AD ratio on W full damage plus the E monster damage reduction means his jungle clear and all-in both take a hit. He'll still be playable but not the "pick in any role and win" champion he's been.
The Sunfire Aegis build path change is one of those quality-of-life things that matters more than it looks. Having a Ruby Crystal in the path instead of sitting on 1000g for the combine cost means tanks can actually build components on their backs.
Once 26.6 goes live, check our tier list — it updates with live winrate, pickrate, and banrate data every patch cycle so you can see exactly who moved.
New patch, fresh start
Test the 26.6 changes on a smurf before risking LP on your main.
Browse LoL SmurfsFAQ
When does LoL Patch 26.6 go live?
Patch 26.6 is expected to release on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 based on Riot's two-week patch cycle. OCE and Asian servers typically get the patch first.
Which champions are getting buffed in Patch 26.6?
Five champions are receiving buffs: Azir (Q AP ratio 35% to 55%, W damage up), Lissandra (Q cooldown reverted to Season 9 values), Olaf (base AS up, Q slow buffed), Skarner (Q cost down, max health damage up), and Tryndamere (AS ratio increased).
Which champions are getting nerfed in Patch 26.6?
Four champions are receiving nerfs: Ahri (Q base damage reduced), Pyke (armor 43 to 37), Shen (Q monster damage cap lowered), and Zaahen (W damage and bonus AD ratios down, E monster damage reduced).
Is the Lissandra Q cooldown change a revert?
Yes. Lissandra's Q cooldown was nerfed from 7/6/5/4/3 to 8/7/6/5/4 back in Season 9. Patch 26.6 reverts it to the original 7/6/5/4/3 values. Riot says times have changed and they want to see if she can sustain having perma-priority waveclear again.
What's changing with Sunfire Aegis?
Ruby Crystal is being added to Sunfire Aegis's build path. The total cost stays the same, but the painful 1000g combine cost is reduced. This makes the item much smoother to build for tanks.
How is the autofill matchmaking update working?
Riot reports strong results after a week and a half. In Vietnam, autofill-vs-autofill games went from 25% to 75%. In EUW high MMR, it jumped from 30% to 85%. They plan to roll it out to more regions in upcoming patches.
