Winners and Losers - Patch 12.5

Now that the changes from the latest patch have settled, let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers.

Master Yi

Master Yi was hit with several nerfs targeted at his frustrating Duskblade/lethality build, which allowed Yi to become permanently invisible between his Q and the Duskblade passive. These nerfs were debilitating for Yi who was struggling to reach a 42% win rate at one point in the patch, but the recent mid-patch update which reverted some of the nerfs has stabilised his win rate to around 48% in Platinum ranks and above. Yi’s win rate is much higher in lower elos (such as a 53% win rate in Iron games) so can still be a viable pick based on your rank.

Gwen

Gwen has been a consistently good pick ever since her debut last year, and has found success in the top and jungle positions. However, she received some pretty harsh nerfs to her E attack range and passive damage against monsters, meaning she now has a 43% win rate in the jungle and a 45% win rate in the top lane in Platinum ranks and above. Consequently, she is not a good pick at the moment and will need some buffs in future patches before she can be considered a viable pick again.

Samira

Samira’s always had the potential to become an S+ ADC pick with a devastating ult, but has struggled in recent patches to keep up with stronger ADCs like Jinx, Aphelios and Caitlyn. However, patch 12.5 increased her health growth, armour growth, and reduced the cooldown on her ultimate making her more durable in the late game when combined with items like Immortal Shieldbow and Plated Steelcaps. Overall, these changes have increased her win rate from 47.3% to 50.3% in Platinum ranks and above.

-Rilea