Patch 15.19 for League of Legends continues Riot’s ongoing refinement of competitive balance by injecting fresh diversity into stagnant portions of the meta. With notable upgrades aimed at underperforming picks in jungle, bot, and mid lane, the update also supports a broader approach to role identity and champion class design. These adjustments accompany subtle system nerfs that will shift item and rune prioritization. The following details reflect the 15.19 preview version and are subject to change prior to the live release.

Patch Objectives: Champion Diversity and Role Definition

Opening Up the Jungle Meta

  • Jungle-centric updates aim to bring power parity between champions who dominate their primary roles and those better suited to jungle routes.
  • Brand and Diana receive monster interaction buffs, raising their jungle clear potential.
  • Lee Sin undergoes a power-neutral adjustment, enhancing early skirmish capability at the expense of mid-to-late game durability.

Spellcaster ADCs to Gain Ground

  • Riot is nudging the meta away from the heavy dominance of Yunara and Sivir, making room for ability-driven ADCs to rise in viability.
  • Draven and Jinx, lagging slightly behind benchmarks for their skill curves and win rates, receive targeted pro-level buffs.
  • Draven receives a stronger early all-in potential, while Jinx benefits from level 1 efficiency and better synergy with allied crowd control setups.

Mid Lane Split: Glass Cannons vs. Battle Mages

  • Adjustments continue toward positional clarity in mid lane, where burst-oriented and durable scaling champions have often overlapped in strength profiles.
  • Riot is targeting burst mages with small increases in fragility (or power) while requiring tanky RoA-style picks to sacrifice some offensive capacity.
  • This developing framework is expected to evolve in future patches but sees foundational adjustments beginning with 15.19.

Significant Champion Buffs

  • Ahri: R base damage increased (60/90/120 → 75/125/175)
  • Brand: Passive monster mod increased (2.6× → 2.65×), W AP ratio (60% → 70%), R AP ratio (25% → 30%)
  • Caitlyn: Base attack damage increased (60 → 62)
  • Diana: Passive monster mod increased (2.6× → 3×)
  • Draven: W attack speed (20–40% → 30–50%), R base damage (175/275/375 → 200/300/400)
  • Jax: R armor on first hit (25/50/75 → 50/65/80), MR gain (15/30/45 → 30/39/48)
  • Jinx: Q rocket bonus range (80–200 → 100–200), E base damage (70–270 → 90–290)
  • LeBlanc: W AP ratio (70% → 80%), WR AP ratio (75% → 80%)
  • Lillia: R base damage and scaling improved (100/150/200 + 40% → 150/200/250 + 45%), R cooldown shortened (150/130/110 → 140/120/100)
  • Mel: Passive damage per spell (24–75 + 3% → 24–99 + 9%), max damage (72–225 + 9% → 72–297 + 27%)
  • Seraphine: HP growth (90 → 95), MP growth (25 → 40), Q now affects monsters, W2 heal changed to fixed percent of missing HP (3–5% per hit → 8–16%)

Champion Nerfs Targeting Key Outliers

  • Corki: Q base damage and AP ratio reduced (70–250 + 130% → 60–240 + 125%)
  • Pantheon: Q jungle mod (0.9× → 0.75×), W minion/monster damage cap (200 → 120)
  • Poppy: Q percent HP cap (75–195 → 50–170), R interruption cooldown extended (15 s → 30 s)
  • Sivir: Q bonus AD ratio lowered (100% → 85%)

Champion Adjustments for Skirmish and Synergy

Lee Sin

  • Armor growth reduced (4.9 → 4.5)
  • Q base and scaling damage tuned up (55–155 + 115% → 60–180 + 95%)

Syndra

  • HP growth lowered (104 → 100), armor growth decreased (4.6 → 4)
  • Q damage enhanced (75–215 + 65% → 80–220 + 70%), E cooldown reduced (17 s → 15 s)

System Nerfs Adjust Item and Rune Power Curves

  • Celestial Opposition: No longer applies slow if the user is dead – indirectly nerfs Neeko’s W
  • Redemption: Healing reduced by 50
  • Unsealed Spellbook: Initial cooldown increased (4 min → 4.5 min), minimum cooldown increased (1.5 min → 2 min)

Meta Impact and Strategic Takeaways

Riot’s continued efforts to refine champion class roles and revive underutilized picks reflect a long-term investment in gameplay diversity and balance. Spellcasting ADCs, buffed jungle paths for AP options like Brand and Diana, and distinct risk-reward mechanics between mid lane archetypes provide meaningful opportunities for players to evolve their strategies. Competitive and casual players alike should expect a broader viable champion pool and shifts in team compositions that reward forward-thinking adaptation and role expertise.

Additional Resources and Patch Preview Access

You can also read the patch preview on Riot Phroxzon’s X profile:

For official release details and upcoming adjustments: