Patch 11.24b is the last patch of the year

As 2021 concludes, Riot Games delivers one last preseason balance adjustment with Patch 11.24b. This final update for the year specifically targets balance discrepancies that developers consider too significant to carry over into the new competitive season. The timing is strategic, allowing players to adapt to final changes before ranked play resumes in 2022.

Seasoned players understand that these year-end patches often set the tone for early-season metas. Addressing champion performance gaps now prevents potential balance issues from dominating the start of the competitive year. This approach demonstrates Riot’s commitment to maintaining competitive integrity across all skill levels.

Pyke, Gwen, Olaf finally get love in patch 11.24b

Riot’s analysis reveals several champions struggling in the current preseason environment, particularly those designed to counter Viego. The development team, through previews shared by Riot Phlox on social media, has identified specific characters needing immediate attention before the season begins.

In the bottom lane, Kai’Sa, Varus, and Pyke all receive targeted improvements. These champions have consistently underperformed against the dominant meta of tanky engage supports who can easily disrupt Pyke’s aggressive playstyle or neutralize the damage output of both marksmen. The buffs aim to restore their viability in a landscape dominated by heavy crowd control and durability.

Strategic Insight: Players should anticipate Pyke becoming more effective against squishy compositions but still struggling into heavy CC teams. For Kai’Sa and Varus, the changes may enable better trading patterns in lane against tank supports.

Talon’s jungle domination stops over Christmas

Despite previous adjustments, several champions continue to overperform according to Riot’s balance framework. These nerfs target characters whose power levels exceed acceptable thresholds for healthy gameplay.

The community will welcome Vayne adjustments after she transformed into a powerhouse during preseason with the updated Lethal Tempo rune. In mid lane, both Lux and Kassadin have become excessively strong primarily due to the introduction of Crown of the Shattered Queen. This mythic item’s damage reduction effect has proven particularly synergistic with their kits.

Talon’s jungle efficiency remains problematic despite earlier tweaks, while Dr. Mundo continues to demonstrate similar dominance in top lane. These champions have consistently maintained win rates and ban rates above balanced levels across multiple elo brackets.

Common Mistake: Many players continue to build Crown of the Shattered Queen on Kassadin even into heavy CC compositions where the item’s passive is easily broken. A better approach involves adapting itemization based on enemy team composition.

The core system modifications from the original patch have generally performed well, with only two runes requiring additional fine-tuning. Glacial Augment receives compensatory buffs after being over-nerfed in patch 11.24, restoring some of its utility for champions who rely on crowd control to create opportunities.

First Strike undergoes deserved adjustments following its dominance across multiple roles. Innovative strategies featuring unexpected champions like Karthus and Shaco have emerged, exploiting the rune’s gold generation capabilities to accelerate item power spikes beyond intended rates.

Optimization Tip: Advanced players should consider Glacial Augment on supports with reliable CC against mobile compositions, while reserving First Strike for champions who can consistently trigger it without significant risk.

Patch 11.24b releases on Wednesday, with Riot Phlox’s Twitter remaining the primary information source until official notes publish. Players have approximately 48 hours to prepare for these changes before they impact live servers.

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