League of Legends patch 12.16 is the first of several patches that will favor pro play balancing over solo queue.
Riot Games will be taking a more conservative approach by fine tuning the current meta, so don’t expect big changes to occur over the next two months leading up to Worlds 2022.
That said, even small changes can lead to bigger shifts in power. Seven champions were buffed this patch, including Tristana, the Yordle Gunner, who has been largely out of the meta in Season 12. Within the four major regions, she has only been picked eight times at bot.
With this buff, the game developers hope that “she’ll be a more appealing pick in the bot (and possibly mid) lane,” they wrote in the patch notes.
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Buffs to Tristana in LoL patch 12.16 favor her in mid lane and top lane
Q – Rapid Fire
- Bonus attack speed increased from 50/65/80/95/110% to 65/80/95/110/125%
First of all, getting additional 15% attack speed at all ranks is huge. For comparison, purchasing a Dagger for 300 gold gives champions additional 12% attack speed. Buffed Tristana receives that and a little bonus for free.
Tristana has a surprising amount of burst damage in the early game. Players can put two points in Explosive Charge and one point into Rocket Jump, or a point in Rapid Fire to set off Explosive Charge at level three, depending on the matchup.
Last year in Season 11, she was picked 32 times in the mid lane in major regions and tournaments, with a 46.9% win rate, and top three times, all of which resulted in victory.
At the highest level of play, she’s likely to become a viable pick again, opening up options for teams to draft AP junglers. What’s more, she’s one of the few ranged AD carries with reliable wave clear thanks to Explosive Charge, which is highly valuable in mid, so expect to see her resurface at Worlds 2022 and in your ranked games.
Read the full LoL patch 12.16 notes here.
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