Yasuo and Yone buffs power up LoL’s mid lane menaces

League of Legends’ upcoming Patch 12.2 introduces significant power adjustments to several controversial champions, with Yasuo and Yone receiving notable buffs that will reshape solo lane dynamics. These changes arrive amidst ongoing community debates about champion balance and the appropriate power levels for high-mobility carries.

Riot Games designers revealed the patch preview through social media platforms, highlighting balance updates scheduled for next week’s deployment. The most discussed modifications involve strengthening both Yasuo and Yone, champions Riot claims have underperformed recently. However, many players express concerns about enhancing these already potent melee carries who can dominate games when ahead.

Patch 12.2 gives Yasuo and Yone more Q damage

The comprehensive patch details were shared by Riot Phlox on Twitter, outlining Riot’s strategic vision for game balance in Patch 12.2. Both wind-themed brothers gain a 5% attack damage ratio enhancement, elevating their Q ability ratios to 105% total AD. This modification means their Steel Tempest (Yasuo) and Mortal Steel (Yone) will now outdamage standard auto-attacks by a measurable margin.

While this adjustment might appear minor at first glance, the frequency of Q usage throughout matches creates substantial cumulative damage increases. Yasuo and Yone typically cast their Q abilities dozens of times per game, making this seemingly small buff significantly impactful over extended engagements.

Advanced Strategy Tip: Master the Q-AA-Q combo timing to maximize damage output. Yasuo players should aim to weave auto-attacks between Q casts, while Yone mains can utilize his spirit form for unexpected engages. Common mistake: Overestimating your burst potential post-buff and taking unfavorable trades.

The damage increase becomes particularly noticeable during critical power spikes at levels 6, 9, and 13 when ability ranks increase. Expect approximately 8-12% total damage increase in extended trades during laning phase, scaling higher with item completion.

Multiple other champions receive meaningful adjustments in this balance update. Volibear and Nocturne benefit from stat enhancements designed to accelerate their jungle clear speeds, addressing early game weaknesses that have limited their competitive viability.

Tristana, Senna, and Samira all receive performance boosts to strengthen their presence in the current meta. Among these changes, Senna’s modification stands out as particularly strategic – her Piercing Darkness (Q) now applies a scaling slow effect. This change directly compensates for the preseason removal of the Glacial Augment keystone rune, which previously provided crucial crowd control for the support marksman.

Optimization Insight: Senna players should now prioritize ability haste to maximize Q uptime and slow application. The slow scales with Senna’s bonus attack damage and ability power, making hybrid builds more viable. Time estimate: Mastering the new slow timing takes approximately 5-7 games to adjust muscle memory.

Jungle path optimization becomes crucial for Volibear and Nocturne players. Clear speed improvements should reduce first full clear times by 3-5 seconds, creating earlier gank opportunities and better objective control.

Patch 12.2 nerfs Lethal Tempo

Several champions face power reductions, including Shen and Qiyana receiving targeted nerfs to balance their dominance in specific roles. However, the most substantial modifications involve systemic adjustments to runes and neutral objectives.

Lethal Tempo undergoes significant recalibration – providing reduced attack speed during early levels but enhanced scaling into late game phases. Champions utilizing this keystone will experience smoother power progression as they level up, rewarding sustained combat participation and item completion.

Simultaneously, Hextech Drake’s dragon soul receives power enhancements, making it more desirable for teams seeking utility and cooldown reduction. Meanwhile, the contentious Chemtech Drake sees both its soul effect and terrain modifications made less punishing for teams facing disadvantageous situations.

Mechanics Deep Dive: Lethal Tempo’s early game attack speed reduction ranges from 15-25% depending on champion base stats, while late game scaling provides 5-10% additional attack speed compared to previous values. This shift encourages more strategic rune selection based on team composition and game length expectations.

The Chemtech terrain changes specifically reduce vision denial duration and increase counterplay opportunities, addressing community feedback about frustrating gameplay experiences in the chemtech zones.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » Yasuo and Yone buffs power up LoL’s mid lane menaces League of Legends Patch 12.2 brings Yasuo and Yone buffs, Lethal Tempo adjustments, and dragon soul changes