ARAM, Jungle, and Ranked changes on patch 13.5

We already went over most of the changes patch 13.5 brought. The Yuumi rework has been terrorizing Summoners Rift. Plated Steelcaps just received a major influx of power with the recent change. But these ARAM, Jungle and Ranked changes should be felt by everyone playing on patch 13.5.

Jungle changes

The jungle role has been in a state of flux ever since preseason 13 rolled around. The addition of the new pets changed the game. In an attempt to make the role more enticing to new players, Riot created a problem. Many notable members of the community have spoken out against the changes. They lowered the skill floor and made jungling easier. But that led to the current meta that isn’t enjoyable for anyone.

Counter jungling changes reversed

On patch 13,1  Riot Games made junglers do 20% more damage to their camps. Not only did this prompt a tank meta, but it also prevented counter jungling. They claim they did it to help newer players. Putting incentives in place to keep junglers on their side of the map. This goes against any form of skill expression the jungle role had. Everyone blames the jungler because they have the most impact on the map. And Riot removed it. That’s why now they are reversing the change. Jungler will do the same amount of damage to all camps. While this might not bring back farming junglers in the meta, it should help. Punishing opponents who just camp one lane is now possible. Expect to see more Kayn picks if lethality items get fixed in the near future.

Jungle camp gold buffed

With the jungle companions giving so much gold, changes needed to be done. But Riot Games overdid it. That’s why we see more and more low economy junglers that gank a lot. This is another change to incentivize farming junglers more. These are the new values jungle camps will give:

Blue Sentinel: 80 ⇒ 90 gold

Gromp: 70 ⇒ 80 gold

Krugs (Medium): 5 ⇒ 10 gold

Krugs (Small): 13 ⇒ 14 gold

Greater Murk Wolf: 50 ⇒ 55 gold

Crimson Raptor (Large): 30 ⇒ 35 gold

Raptors (Small): 7 ⇒ 8 gold

Red Brambleback: 80 ⇒ 90 gold

Jungle experience and vision

With so many ganks and so little farming, junglers relied on other mechanics to stay in the game. Comeback experience was one of them. Imagine being up 5 kills and 50 cs on your opponent. If you are playing jungle, you are probably at the same level. If you are playing top lane, your opponent is 3 levels down and can’t play the game. The reason for this is soaking experience from minions in lanes after ganks. And Riot is nerfing it. Going from 75% of total experience to 40-75% (scaling from 0-14 minutes).

Another major change that will severely impact professional play is the Sweeping Lens nerf. In an organized environment, every single detail matters. Vision is one of the main aspects of the game that separates good from bad players. With so much pressure being exerted in the early game, Sweeping Lens played a big role in denying vision. That’s why Riot is nerfing it, going from 90-60 seconds to 120-60 seconds (based on average level). 

ARAM changes

The ARAM game mode has been in a weird spot this season. The new Frostgates and tower debris completely changed the Howling Abyss. Riot already adjusted the death timers which were problematic. We covered that in our article detailing their Dev Diary. Our complete season 13 ARAM guide should also help you understand how the game plays out in this mode. But part from removing tower debris, these are the new changes being implemented to ARAM with patch 13,5. 

While increasing the damage turrets do is a good move, it doesn’t solve all issues. Turrets in League of Legends have been negligible for quite some time. The same holds true for ARAM. While most champions will feel these changes, the problem here is the tank meta. Picking a tank champion on ARAM immediately increases your odds of winning by a large margin. With health stacking being so prevalent, this increased damage does little to persuade a Sion or  Sett just running you down after 2 items. 

The newly added defenses and turret fortifications should be a nice bounce back from previous changes. With death timers reduced and this change, opponents can no longer end the game by winning one fight. Having a Tristana or Jinx meant that their towers would fall no matter what. 

Ranked changes

Patch 13,4 saw LP (League Points) gains increased by 50%. Players went from getting +15 for a win on average, to +22. If your MMR is way higher than your current rank, those numbers are even higher. It’s not uncommon for players to gain 35LP out of a single ranked win. And while this might sound like elo inflation, it probably is. With no promotional series to gate keep players and slow down the grind, players get to rank up. But this makes ranking up to your MMR rank a lot faster. Winning 20 instead of 50 games to reach the rank you deserve according to your MMR is not bad. To compensate for this, LP losses when dodging are also increased. They go from -3 LP to  -5 LP for the first dodge and -10LP to -15 LP for subsequent dodges.

Champion pricing update

It took a Reddit post for Riot Games to realize that they haven’t updated the champion pricing method in half a decade. But now that we are here, they are making even more changes on patch 13,5. New champions will still be released at 7800 BE (Blue Essence) and 975 RP (Riot Points). After a week they’ll be dropped to 6300 BE and 975 RP, and after seeing 2 seasons of play they will be dropped into one of the corresponding price tiers: 

• 450 BE / 260 RP: Champions that are awesome for new players. These should help new players understand the basics of the game. How champions function and how the game flows, without spending time on learning combos or matchups.
• Amumu, Annie, Ashe, Brand, Caitlyn, Darius, Diana, Dr. Mundo, Garen, Leona, Lux, Malphite, Master Yi, Miss Fortune, Nunu & Willump, Poppy, Sejuani, Sivir, Sona, Soraka, Teemo, Warwick, and Yuumi.

• 1350 BE / 585 RP: Champions that are a bit more complex than the lower tier, but still approachable for interested folks. These champions are a bit more complex but are usually very popular. So it’s a good thing they are making them more accessible.

• Alistar, Blitzcrank, Cho’Gath, Evelynn, Ezreal, Fiddlesticks, Fizz, Janna, Jax, Kai’sa, Lee Sin, Lucian, Mordekaiser, Morgana, Nasus, Pantheon, Rammus, Sett, Sion, Taric, Tristana, Tryndamere, Udyr, Veigar, Vi, Volibear, Xerath, Xin Zhao, Yasuo, Zed, and Zilean.

Expensive champions in League of Legends

• 3150 BE / 790 RP: Champions that have a larger degree of difficulty or specialization in their play. These will often have steeper learning curves to climb before the player sees success. Many niche champions are included in this tier.

• Ahri, Akali, Anivia, Braum, Corki, Ekko, Galio, Gangplank, Gragas, Heimerdinger, Illaoi, Irelia, Jarvan IV, Jinx, Karma, Karthus, Kassadin, Katarina, Kayn, LeBlanc, Nami, Nidalee, Nocturne, Olaf, Pyke, Samira, Senna, Seraphine, Shaco, Shen, Shyvana, Swain, Sylas, Syndra, Talon, Thresh, Trundle, Twitch, Urgot, Vayne, Vex, Viktor, Vladimir, Wukong, Yone, Yorick, and Zyra.

4444 BE / 880 RP: Jhin

• 4800 BE / 880 RP: The majority of the roster of champions in League of Legends  are priced according to this tier. 
• Aatrox, Akshan, Aphelios, Aurelion Sol, Azir, Bard, Camille, Cassiopeia, Draven, Elise, Fiora, Gnar, Graves, Gwen, Hecarim, Ivern, Jayce, Kalista, Kayle, Kennen, Kha’Zix, Kindred, Kled, Kog’Maw, Lillia, Lissandra, Lulu, Malzahar, Maokai, Nautilus, Neeko, Orianna, Ornn, Qiyana, Quinn, Rakan, Rek’sai, Rell, Renekton, Rengar, Riven, Rumble, Ryze, Singed, Skarner, Tahm Kench, Taliyah, Twisted Fate, Varus, Vel’Koz, Viego, Xayah, Zac, Ziggs, and Zoe

• 6300 BE / 975 RP: Champions that have come out in the past two seasons, after which they will move to the tier above after the next season starts.
• Bel’veth, K’sante, Nilah, Renata Glasc, and Zeri.

• 7800 BE / 975 RP: Champions that have come out in the past week. Million is coming out on patch 13,6 so expect him to be placed in this tier.