Patch 26.21 preview: Lee Sin, Qiyana, Yasuo and Yone nerfed, Bastionbreaker and Greaves cut
Riot's lead gameplay designer Phroxzon has previewed patch 26.21, the first patch after the Worlds patch, due on 21 October: the goal is a stable ranked environment for end-of-season climbs, with breathing room for pro-suppressed champions such as Azir, Orianna and Ryze. Eleven champions are buffed and eleven nerfed (Lee Sin, Qiyana, Yasuo, Yone, Caitlyn and Jinx among them); Bastionbreaker, Gluttonous Greaves and ranged Hubris are cut, Dawncore is buffed. Numbers follow in the full preview. If your LP comes from Lee Sin, Qiyana or Shieldbow Yasuo/Yone, bank it on 26.20 this week.
- Patch 26.21 is scheduled for Wednesday 21 October (Riot's patch schedule); Phroxzon posted the preview on 13 October at 04:19 UTC and promised the detailed changes a day later. Worlds keeps playing on 26.20.
- Champion buffs: Azir, Darius, Miss Fortune, Nunu & Willump, Orianna, Ryze, Sion, Taliyah, Vel'Koz, Xin Zhao and Zyra. Azir, Orianna and Ryze get room because pro play had kept their solo-queue win rates down.
- Champion nerfs: Caitlyn, Jinx, Lee Sin, Nidalee, Qiyana, Rammus, Tristana, Viktor, Wukong, Yasuo and Yone. Lee Sin and Qiyana have been two of the strongest junglers at high MMR; Yasuo and Yone lose some of their Shieldbow-first lane strength.
- Adjustments: Locke (mana costs), Renekton, Varus (listed as an adjustment; the 26.20 rundown had pushed his top-lane change to 26.21 or later) and Zaahen, plus quality of life for Taric (Q and R work on untargetable allies again) and Twisted Fate (ult reveals untargetable units).
- Items: Gluttonous Greaves nerfed (too strong on marksmen), Hubris nerfed for ranged users and buffed for melee, Bastionbreaker trades lethality for its anti-structure passive, Dawncore buffed so enchanters actually buy their capstone.
- Rank impact: a stabilisation patch for the end-of-season climb. Expect the Lee Sin and Qiyana jungle to cool off and control mages such as Azir, Orianna, Ryze and Taliyah to come back. The season end stays an estimate (early January 2027) until Riot names a date.
The first patch after the Worlds patch
Matt "Phroxzon" Leung-Harrison, League's lead gameplay designer, posted the 26.21 preview on 13 October. Patch 26.20 is the patch Worlds is played on; 26.21 is the one that follows it on live servers on Wednesday 21 October, while the tournament stays on 26.20. Riot's stated aim is a stable ranked environment for end-of-season climbs, with "a bit of breathing room" for champions whose solo-queue win rates have been held down by pro play.
Who goes up, who goes down
- Buffs: Azir, Darius, Miss Fortune, Nunu & Willump, Orianna, Ryze, Sion, Taliyah, Vel'Koz, Xin Zhao, Zyra.
- Nerfs: Caitlyn, Jinx, Lee Sin, Nidalee, Qiyana, Rammus, Tristana, Viktor, Wukong, Yasuo, Yone.
- Adjustments: Locke, Renekton, Varus, Zaahen; quality of life for Taric and Twisted Fate.
Lee Sin and Qiyana are singled out as two of the strongest junglers, especially at high levels of play and in some regions. Riot says it is being careful not to double-nerf Qiyana, because the Bastionbreaker nerf lands in the same patch. Yasuo and Yone have been buying Shieldbow first a lot more; Riot is fine with the passive coming online early but wants their lane phase before the first item to be weaker, so the early-lifesteal route is where the cut lands.
Items: Greaves, Hubris, Bastionbreaker, Dawncore
- Gluttonous Greaves has proven too strong, especially on marksmen, and is tapped down.
- Hubris is nerfed for ranged champions (think Jhin and Miss Fortune) and buffed for melee ones.
- Bastionbreaker loses some lethality; that power moves into its anti-structure and objective passive.
- Dawncore is buffed so that enchanters have a capstone item worth buying.
Quality of life
Taric's Q and R apply to untargetable allies again, and Twisted Fate's ultimate now reveals untargetable units such as an attached Yuumi, a Master Yi mid-Q or a champion travelling through a Hexgate. Varus is on the adjustment list (the 26.20 rundown had pushed his top-lane change to 26.21 or later), and Locke's mana costs are being made properly costly.
What it means for your climb
The numbers are not out yet: Phroxzon promised the full preview a day later, and the final notes arrive with the patch on 21 October. That leaves one more week on 26.20. If your LP comes from Lee Sin, Qiyana or a Shieldbow-first Yasuo or Yone, play those games now; if you main Azir, Orianna, Ryze, Taliyah or Vel'Koz, 26.21 is the patch to pick them back up. The ranked season end is still only an estimate (early January 2027) until Riot announces a date, so there is time, but the post-Worlds patches are where the meta settles for the final climb.
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