LoL Patch 14.9 patch notes | All buffs, nerfs, and changes in League Patch 14.9

With the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational metagame totally locked in, Riot Games is now unleashing the balance change floodgates in League of Legends Patch 14.9 with a hefty 29 planned buffs, nerfs, and adjustments.

Riot has been hard at work prepping the League landscape for MSI 2024⁠—which just recently took shape team-wise—with changes mainly focused around pro play and the competitive metagame. With the shackles off, balance boss Riot Phroxzon and his squad can turn their attention solely to the Rift’s other issues.

These planned 14.9 changes include a long-awaited hitbox update led by Phreak, a fourth-straight balance checklist for Skarner, and a well-calculated strategy to “pull power out of the champions” who have been shining brightest in season 14.

Here’s everything about League’s Patch 14.9 update.

When will League Patch 14.9 go live?

League Patch 14.9 will be hitting the live servers on Wednesday, May 1, according to the official Riot Games schedule. Everything except the new League skins will be added during the downtime patching.

Here are all the key patching times:

• 3pm CT (NA)
• 5am GMT (EU West)
• 3am CET (EU North East)
• 8am KR (Korea)

Here’s a countdown to the NA League release.

Expect several hours of server downtime once patching begins. Matchmaking will be disabled across all League queues three hours before the update is set live.

What’s in League Patch 14.9?

Changes galore as MSI plans slide into rearview mirror

League Patch 14.9 includes nearly 30 changes across two dozen chosen champions and six items, including Janna, Bel’Veth, Seraphine, Master Yi, and Pyke. 

In particular, Riot’s balance team is targeting Draven because he’s “pretty frustrating” and will be tapping down several clear meta powerhouses like Akshan and Twitch. Any champion currently recording a win rate over 50 percent that has a “known high mastery” is on the chopping block.

Fourth time finally the charm for Skarner?

Riot just keeps whacking the reworked brackern with nerfs, though the devs have a decent enough reason: As League players continue to figure out his new ability kit and item builds, his win rate keeps spiking. These Patch 14.9 nerfs mark the fourth straight time Skarner has been changed since his rework.

New Empyrean skins to celebrate MSI

Riot is going back to the well for this year’s MSI-themed skins, with six champions set to get new Empyrean cosmetics. The skin line was originated by Lil Nas X with his custom-made Prestige Empyrean K’Sante and was paired with the pop star’s “Fire to the Fuse” performance at the 2022 World Championship.

This time, Nocturne, Varus, Brand, Malzahar, Akali, and Kayle are getting the celestial upgrades, and Kayle players get a little extra gravy with a Prestige skin too.

Here are all the new Empyrean skins coming in this patch:

• Empyrean Akali (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Brand (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Kayle (1,350 RP)
• Prestige Empyrean Kayle (2,000 MSI Tokens)
• Empyrean Malzahar (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Nocturne (1,350 RP)
• Empyrean Varus (1,820 RP)

These skins will go live during the Patch 14.9 cycle.

League Patch 14.9 patch notes

Most of these changes should make it to the live servers after a run on the League PBE testing realm but do keep in mind everything is tentative. Any planned buffs, nerfs, and changes can be pulled at any time.

Champions

Ahri

• W damage reduced by five.
• R cooldown increased from 130-80 to 130 to 100.

Akshan

• Q movement speed changed from 20-40 percent to 20 percent flat.
• Q non-champion damage decreased from 40-90 percent to 40-80 percent.
• Minimum R damage increased from 20-30 plus 10 percent total AD to 25-45 plus 15 percent total AD.
• Maximum R damage increased from 80-120 plus 40 percent total AD to 75-135 plus 45 percent total AD.

Amumu

• Base AD increased by four.
• Base armor increased by three.

Aurelion Sol

• E AP ratio decreased from 100 percent to 80 percent.

Bel’Veth

• Passive attack speed decreased from 0.28-1 percent from level 1-13 to 0.28-1 percent from level 1-17.
• Q damage decreased from 10-30 plus 110 percent total AD to 10-30 plus 100 percent total AD.
• Q monster modifier changed from 140 percent total damage to plus 45-85 flat damage.

Blitzcrank

• Passive shield duration decreased from 10 seconds to four seconds.
• W movement speed reduced from 70-90 percent decaying to 60-80 percent decaying.

Evelynn

• W slow decreased from 65 percent to 45 percent.
• R AP ratio decreased from 75 percent to 65 percent.

Janna

• W damage changed from 55-195 plus 30 percent bonus movement speed and 60 percent AP to 55-175 plus 30 percent bonus movement speed plus 50 percent AP.
• E shield increased from 80-220 to 80-240.

Jinx

• R cooldown increased from 70-40 to 85-45.

Karma

• Q slow increased from 35 percent to 40 percent.
• R+E AoE shield increased from 90 to 100 percent.
• R+E AoE bonus Haste increased from 12 percent to 15 percent.

Kassadin

• E AP ratio decreased from 80 percent to 70 percent.

Malzahar

• Q mana cost changed from 80 flat to 60-80.
• E cooldown decreased from 15-7 to 11-7.

Master Yi

Nilah

• Q active damage total AD reduced by 10 percent at max rank with 10 percent less crit chance.
• Q active attack speed increased from 10-50 percent by level to 10-60 percent by level.

Olaf

• Q damage reduced by five.
• Q monster modifier increased by 5-25.
• R passive resists decreased from 10-30 to 10-20.

Pyke

• W cost increased from 50-65.
• W cooldown increased by two.

Sejuani

• Passive resists increased from 10 plus 50 percent bonus to 10 plus 75 percent bonus.
• W damage adjusted from 30-210 plus eight percent max HP to 10-130 plus 12 percent max HP.

Seraphine

• Q AP ratio increased from 50 percent to 60 percent.

Skarner

• Mana regeneration growth increased from 0.6 to 0.75.
• Q damage decreased from 10-70 to 10-50.
• W slow 20-40 percent to 20 percent flat.
• W shield decreased from nine percent max HP to eight percent max HP.

Taliyah

• Q mana increased by 10.
• Q bonus monster damage AP ratio reduced from 10 percent to five percent.

Twitch

• HP decreased from 682 plus 100 to 630 plus 104.
• R bonus AD reduced from 40-70 to 30-60.
• W slow AP ratio decreased from six percent AP to five percent AP.

Urgot

• Armor growth reduced from 5.45 to five.

Items

Death’s Dance

• AD increased from 55 to 60.
• Heal on kill increased from 50 percent bonus AD to 75 percent bonus AD.
• Build path now requires a Pickaxe.

Eclipse

• Melee max HP damage decreased from eight percent to six percent.

Hexdrinker

• Magic resist decreased from 35 to 30.
• New build path requires second Long Sword.

Maw of Malmortius

• Extra 15 Haste added.
• AD increased from 65 to 70.
• Magic resist decreased from 50 to 40.
• Price increased by 300 gold.
• Lifeline effect changed from 12 percent life steal to 10 percent Omnivamp.
• Lifeline shield 2.5 seconds to three second.

Sundered Sky

• Cooldown increased from six seconds to eight seconds.
• Heal based off of base AD decreased from 140 percent base AD to 120 base AD.

Sterak’s Gage

• Price increased from 3000 to 3200.
• Lifeline cooldown increased from 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

Runes

• No changes in this update.

General

Bugfixes

Skins

Empyrean Akali

Empyrean Brand

Empyrean Kayle

Prestige Empyrean Kayle

Empyrean Malzahar

Empyrean Nocturne

Empyrean Varus

This article is being updated through the League patch cycle.