BeastMode Gaming

I know the patch is a number of days old, and most players have already tested it - but I still feel like there are some things that have gone unnoticed. Furthermore, the explanations and commentaries coming from other teams, sources, and forums are geared towards the 2k+ players. Sadly, as per Riot, rougly 97% of players are NOT in that category. So, for us "regular folks," here's my analysis of the recent patch :

Riven, the Exile
She's a tad fragile, has a decent jungle, but builds are still being debated. Some like to build her as a tanky DPS, while others prefer the assassin style similar to Talon or Yi. In my opinion, we have to wait to see how this girl plays out. My experience of her so far is that most folks don't do their research before they buy champions.
Brand

• Conflagration range reduced to 625 from 675
• Pillar of Flame damage reduced to 75/120/165/210/255 from 80/125/170/215/260

Brand is one of the stronger AP carries right now, particularly with his laning presence. This take the edge off of his early game, making him a little bit less of a threat in the early levels. For most, this change isn't particularly noticeable. This change seems geared towards the higher levels of play.
Garen

• Decisive Strike attack damage ratio decreased to 1.4 from 1.5
• Judgment
  • Damage per second reduced to 50/90/130/170/210 from 60/100/140/180/220
  • Bonus attack damage ratio increased to 1.4 from 1.2

Thank god. People have had a habit of underestimating Garen in ELO hell, and he has carried a number of games thanks to that fact. This isn't an insane nerf, but it certainly makes him a less common ban for those that hated him before.
Kassadin

• Void Stone magic damage reduction increased to 15% from 10%
• Null Sphere missile speed increased to 1400 from 1150
• Nether Blade base damage increased to 30/45/60/75/90 from 20/30/40/50/60

A very interesting buff. Kass is one of those champions that can easily put a game away if played correctly, but he is rare in the higher levels of play. These buffs won't likely change that fact, but will likely make him more common in the low to mid tiers. He's an alright champion, but because he wasn't a top pick in tournaments - many players have tended to ignore him.
Mordekaiser

• Iron Man
  • Shield regeneration adjusted to 30% at all levels from 25/27.5/30%
  • Shield regeneration is now half effective versus minions
• Mace of Spades bonus damage reduced to 65% from 75%
• Siphon of destruction no longer adds additional shield for each unit hit

Oh, Mordekaiser. This change mostly affects his early game power, hopefully making him less of a lane dominating force. This will make him a less common ban, but those who really enjoyed him and played him well prior to this patch will continue to do so.
Nidalee

• Pounce cooldown reduced to 3.5 seconds from 4 seconds
• Aspect of the Cougar armor and magic resistance increased to 10/20/30 from 10/15/20

It's funny, because I watched HotshotGG's stream the moment it went live after the previous Nidalee changes. Both of these things were his primary complaints. In any case, Nidalee has always been a niche champion. Many who play her consider the spearchucking lady their main, while others choose to avoid her. More than likely, this change will be regarded as a minor patch.
Nocturne

• Unspeakable Horror leash range reduced to 525 from 550

25 Range isn't a lot, but at a high level of play, it can mean the difference between a successful gank and one that isn't. In short, it will be unnoticed by most players, particularly at the lower levels of ranked play.
Olaf

• Base armor increased to 20 from 17
• Reckless Swing Mana cost reduced to 0 from 50 (Health cost remains)

This "buff" makes Olaf a slightly stronger jungler, while making up for his often terrible early game. In theory. In reality, Olaf has never been that popular, and this won't change a lot. Perhaps some players will discover (or rediscover) his potential as a late-game wrecker, but again, this change will have little impact on the majority of games.
Orianna

• Basic attack range reduced to 500 from 550
• Command: Attack
  • Cast range reduced to 800 from 900
  • Mana cost increased to 50/55/60/65/70 from 40/45/50/55/60

Orianna has been a "must ban" as of late, and this change is essentially a direct response to that. Her skillset literally zones enemy champions, and her laning presence as an AP carry was almost unrivaled. This will take a slight edge off of her early power, reducing the amount of times she casts and how far she does so.
Rammus

• Damage per level increased to 3.5 from 2.75
• Rammus can now immediately switch between Defensive Ball Curl and Powerball
• Defensive Ball Curl
  • Magic damage return adjusted to 20/30/40/50/60 from 22/26/32/38/46
  • Cast time removed
  • Now correctly displays the armor amount in the tooltip when defensive ball curl is active

This is more of a bug fix, but the damage/level is a legitimate buff. Again, since Rammus is rather uncommon, few will likely see the impact of these changes. However, this should strengthen his mid to late-game, especially in the jungle.
Shen

• General
  • Base damage increased to 57.875 from 56.875
  • Damage per level increased to 3.375 from 3.075
  • Base armor increased to 23 from 22
• Vorpal Blade
  • Base damage increased to 70/115/140/175/210 from 50/90/130/170/210
  • Heal increased to 18/26/34/42/50 from 10/20/30/40/50 (over 3 seconds)
  • Damage ability power ratio increased to 0.75 from 0.65
  • Heal amount no longer increases with ability power
• Feint ability power ratio increased to 0.75 from 0.6
• Shadow Dash taunt duration increased to 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds from 0.8/1.1/1.4/1.7/2 seconds
• Stand United
  • Ability power ratio increased to 1.5 from 1.0
  • Energy cost reduced to 0 from 50

Shen. Sigh. Anyways, he can now reach level 4 in the jungle at 16 minutes, rather than 18. Just kidding. In all reality, these are fairly massive buffs. However, these force players to play Shen as an AP tank, whilst he still puts out little to no damage. In my opinion, he's still irrelevant as a tank. For me, he will remain a tanky babysitter for the team, while some of his fans will see this as an opportunity to resurrect the ninja tank.
Singed

• Attack range increased to 125 from 100
• Fling range increased to 125 from 100

For those that like 3's, this is either the best thing to happen or the worst. Depending on whether or not you play Singed. He's a tank to be reckoned with, and this minor 25 range will add to that ever so slightly. For most players, it will be another ignorable and minor change. For the Singed fans and haters, this will be debated for patches to come.
Sion

• General
  • Base Mana increased to 240 from 200
  • Mana per level increased to 40 from 25
  • Base Attack Speed increased to .625 from .591
  • Base Movement Speed increased to 320 from 315
  • Now gains 1.25 Magic Resist per level
• Fixed a bug where Enrage’s Health cost was being subtracted at the wrong time, causing health drain from things like Sunfire Cape

This is a very strong buff to AP Sion, and makes the combo of Taric and Sion an even more deadly one. Being one of the less common picks in the 1200 ELO range, this change might make him a bit more viable. However, I don't imagine he'll become flavor of the month anytime soon.
Skarner

• Crystal Slash
  • Physical Damage increased to 25/40/55/70/85 from 20/35/50/65/80
  • Magic Damage increased to 24/36/48/60/72 from 20/32/44/56/68
• Fracture
  • Missile Speed increased to 1800 from 1600

What's a Skarner? Anyways, this is an attempt to buff one of the most underplayed champs I know of. Next to Karma, of course. In short... He's still pretty lame.
Sona

• Aria of Perseverance heal amount adjusted to 40/60/80/100/120 from 25/50/75/100/125

For Sona players, this is a wonderful little buff. Following the massive nerfs to healers, this will hopefully give the laning sustain back to Sona and her lane-mates. Let's be honest, 25 health on that sad cooldown is completely useless.
Taric

• Imbue
  • Cast range increased to 750 from 625
• Shatter
  • Armor aura range increased to 1000 from 600
  • Taric now loses the passive armor bonus instead of the armor aura upon activation
  • Cooldown reduced to 10 seconds from 16 seconds
  • Damage reduced to 60/105/150/195/240 (+0.4 ability power) from 100/150/200/250/300 (+0.5 ability power)
• Dazzle
  • Stun duration is now always 1.5 seconds from 1-2 seconds
  • Cast range reduced to 625 from 650
  • Missile speed increased to 1400 from 1050
  • Minimum damage increased to 40/70/100/130/160 (+0.4 ability power) from 20/40/60/80/100 (+0.2 ability power)
  • Maximum damage reduced to 80/140/200/260/320 (+0.8 ability power) from 80/160/240/320/400 (+1.0 ability power)
• Radiance (Remake)
  • Taric slams the ground dealing 150/250/350 (+0.6 ability power) magic damage to nearby enemies. For the next 10 seconds, Taric gains 30/50/70 Attack Damage and Ability Power and grants nearby allies half the bonuses. 100/90/80 second cooldown.

Well, here's the new flavor of the month. In the few ranked games I got in before the shut down, Taric has been incredibly popular. These changes make him one of, if not the, most powerful supports in the game. He was a glorified stun-bot previously, and this gives him a great deal more power in lane and in team fights.



I ignored the more minor changes and bug fixes, as there's little to say on those. All in all, a small but much needed patch. Some of the fixes, such as Shaco's Jack in the Boxes, were desperately begged for. The rest, are fairly minor and only relevant at very high levels of play.

What do you guys think? Anything stand out to you? I don't religiously play many of the champs changed, so maybe I'm just blowing smoke, but let me know.