Riot bringing nerfs to Kai’Sa and Moonstone Renewer in patch 11.4

The upcoming League of Legends update brings targeted adjustments to dominant forces while revitalizing underutilized champions. Patch 11.4 specifically addresses Kai’Sa’s overwhelming presence and Moonstone Renewer’s healing supremacy.

Season 11 continues its evolution toward competitive equilibrium, though certain outliers demand immediate attention. Recent competitive data reveals Kai’Sa’s dominance across both professional circuits and ranked ladder play, necessitating corrective measures. Simultaneously, Moonstone Renewer has established itself as an indispensable item for support champions, creating imbalance in strategic diversity. To counter this, developers are enhancing several niche picks including Talon and Veigar to diversify viable champion pools.

11.4 Preview with full changes.

Nearly final but a few things may still change.pic.twitter.com/RvelKoau9E

— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) February 9, 2021

Kai’Sa Receives Damage Nerf on Patch 11.4

• Q – Icathian Rain, base damage per missile 45-110 >> 40-100
• Q – Icathian Rain, max single-target damage 101.25-247.5 >> 90-225
• Q – Icathian Rain, evolved max single-target damage 168-412.5 >> 150-375

Kai’Sa has maintained exceptional priority during the current competitive cycle for compelling strategic reasons. The hybrid assassin-marksman delivers substantial burst damage while maintaining positional safety through her E evolution and Galeforce active combination.

The champion’s current power level significantly disadvantages alternative marksmen selections in the evolving meta landscape. Developers specifically target Icathian Rain, her primary damage source, to recalibrate her dominance. Reducing missile damage directly impacts her burst potential, forcing greater reliance on basic attacks and sustained combat patterns.

While Kai’Sa retains her exceptional mobility toolkit, the reduced burst damage extends engagement windows for opponents. This adjustment creates more counterplay opportunities without eliminating her from competitive viability. Expect her to transition from dominant force to balanced contender following these changes.

Advanced players should note that these nerfs particularly affect her level 6-9 power spike, where the Q evolution typically provides overwhelming lane dominance. Proper ability sequencing becomes more critical—focus on landing isolated Q missiles rather than spreading damage across multiple targets. Consider pairing with Lethal Tempo to compensate for the reduced burst through sustained damage output.

Moonstone Renewer Gets Adjusted on Patch 11.4

• Base heal 70-100 >> 50-100 (by champion level)

Moonstone Renewer has established itself as an essential component for numerous top-tier champions. The item excels on utility-focused supports and enchanters, providing substantial sustained healing throughout extended engagements. Seraphine particularly benefits from this itemization, currently maintaining exceptional win rates across all ranked tiers.

The anticipated healing reduction addresses the item’s current dominance in support meta compositions. By lowering the baseline healing output, Moonstone Renewer should see reduced priority without becoming obsolete. The current adjustment appears measured—insufficient to remove it from viable build paths but potentially requiring follow-up modifications in subsequent updates.

Common mistake: Players often overvalue Moonstone on champions with poor ability haste scaling. Instead, consider alternative mythics like Shurelya’s Battlesong for engage-heavy compositions. Optimal usage requires understanding the item’s scaling with champion level and coordinating with your team’s combat patterns to maximize healing uptime.

Talon, Veigar, and Others Buffed for Patch 11.4

Riot aims to reintroduce several overlooked champions into the competitive meta landscape. Among the most significant enhancements are those allocated to Talon and Veigar, both currently experiencing limited presence across ranked and professional environments.

These champions represent distinct strategic archetypes that could develop into viable selections post-patch. Additionally, developers are implementing improvements for Tryndamere, Jinx, Braum, and additional roster members.

Talon

• W – Rake, cooldown 9 >> 9-7 seconds
• W – Rake, outgoing bonus attack damage ratio 0.4 >> 0.55

Talon offers exciting mobility and assassination potential but struggles with consistent mid-lane viability due to damage limitations. His kit provides ideal engagement tools for eliminating priority targets, though current damage output requires significant gold advantage to achieve effectiveness.

The enhanced damage ratio on Rake significantly improves Talon’s burst capability against priority targets. The scaling cooldown reduction enhances his wave control capabilities and late-game harassment potential.

Veigar

• Q – Baleful Strike, mana cost 40-60 >> 30-60
• R – Primordial Burst, cooldown 120-80 >> 120-60 seconds

The diminutive mage may reemerge as a meta consideration following mana efficiency improvements. The substantial ultimate cooldown reduction in late-game scenarios positions Veigar as a terrifying scaling threat with enhanced teamfight presence.

With significantly reduced cooldown on his ultimate ability, Veigar can employ Primordial Burst more liberally for zoning and pressure application. A 60-second cooldown becomes negligible when combined with standard ability haste itemization.

Optimization tip: Veigar players should now prioritize ability haste in their secondary runes and item builds to maximize the value from his reduced ultimate cooldown. This transforms his late-game teamfight pattern from conservative ultimate preservation to aggressive cooldown cycling.

When is LoL Patch 11.4 Being Released?

League of Legends patch 11.4 deployment is scheduled for February 18 on live servers. Preceding the official release, the update undergoes extensive testing on the Public Beta Environment (PBE), allowing developers to implement final adjustments based on community feedback.

Strategic preparation: Begin testing alternative marksmen in preparation for Kai’Sa’s reduced dominance. Support players should experiment with both Moonstone and alternative mythic items to adapt to the healing adjustments. Mid-lane enthusiasts have approximately one week to familiarize themselves with Talon’s updated damage patterns and Veigar’s enhanced scaling capabilities.

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