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Riot Games dropped the midseason patch notes for League of Legends on Tuesday and this is a big one. Patch 11.9 introduces the DAMWON Gaming World Championship skins, Conqueror Jax Prestige Edition and the start of the second ranked split. As always, the patch also includes a host of nerfs and buffs for problem champions. The list of affected champions includes Hecarim, Diana, Morgana and many more. Keep reading for a more detailed breakdown.

The official League of Legends Patch 11.9 breakdown and summary
Nerfs to Diana, Hecarim and Morgana lead a host of changes in Patch 11.9. Patch summary provided by Riot Games.

Perhaps the most prominent and called-for change in patch 11.9 is a slate of adjustments to Hecarim’s abilities. The changes attempt to nerf a champion who has dominated solo queue for an extended period of time. Check out our dedicated post that goes over the Hecarim changes separately.

The rise of Diana and Morgana in the jungle

This patch also looks to address several champions that have recently risen to prominence in the meta. The biggest jumps have come with Morgana and Diana.

While Hecarim is the most banned champion in the game at Platinum and above at 55.9% according to U.GG, expanding the criteria to include all ranks drops Hecarim to a 33.7% ban rate while shooting Morgana to the top of that list at 45.9%. The reason for that is a sky-high win rate at 54.53% for Morgana in the jungle. A champion/role combination that is present in 7.5% of all ranked games with a win rate that high? Flat-out busted. There’s no other way to put it.

Furthermore, Morgana is a problem even outside of the jungle. The Fallen has an 11.1% pick rate as a support with a 51.2% win rate and a further 0.9% pick rate as a mid laner with a 52.1% win rate. Across the three roles, Morgana is picked in 19.5% of all ranked games. This accounts for more than a third of the instances where she isn’t banned.

A similar pattern has emerged with Diana, who is just as unbeatable as Morgana and may be even more dangerous. With a combined 16.5% win rate, Diana is giving opponents fits in two different roles. Jungle Diana carries a 10.2% pick rate with a 53.88% win rate, making her the second most dominant jungler in the game behind only Morgana. Mid lane Diana is even better. At a 6.3% pick rate, Diana players in the mid lane win 54.42% of the time.

Splash art for Battle Queen Diana Prestige Edition. Diana was nerfed in Patch 11.9 along with Morgana and Hecarim.
Battle Queen Diana Prestige Edition came out with the Battle Queens battle pass at the end of 2020. Art provided by Riot Games.

Patch 11.9 nerfs for Diana and Morgana

Considering the sheer power level of Diana and Morgana in patch 11.8, the nerfs here are quite tame compared to the Hecarim changes.

With patch 11.9, Morgana received a single nerf targeted at her clear speed. The change reduces damage to monsters from her W ability, Tormented Shadow, from 200% to 185%. On the surface, this doesn’t feel that substantial. We’ll have to wait and see if slightly weaker pools in the jungle affect Morgana’s overall power level at all. What we do know is that this change will carry no impact on her high win rates in the support and mid lane roles.

Diana’s nerfs also target her clear speed, as well as her early durability. The Scorn of the Moon has had her armor growth reduced from 3.6 to 3.1 and her health regen has been dropped from 7.5 to 6.5. There’s also been a nerf to Diana’s passive, Moonsilver Blade. Instead of her bonus attack speed scaling from 20% to 40%, it now scales from 15% to 20%. Considering she still reaches 40% bonus attack speed eventually, this is strictly an early game buff.

There are also nerfs coming to Dr. Mundo, Garen, Gragas, Heimerdinger, Jinx, Rumble and Vladimir, as well as buffs coming to Kayn, Kindred, Kog’Maw, Lulu, Sett, Shen, Taric, Trundle and Xerath. For the full breakdown and patch notes, check out the official Riot Games dev blog.

DWG skins for Jhin, Nidalee, Kennen, Leona and Twisted Fate will release with League of Legends patch 11.9
DWG skins for Jhin, Nidalee, Kennen, Leona and Twisted Fate will release on April 29. Art provided by Riot Games.

DWG Worlds skins and Prestige Jax

Every significant League of Legends patch tends to come with new cosmetics and patch 11.9 has some major reveals. The patch notes on Tuesday gave us our first look at the Conqeuror Jax skin as well as the accompanying Conqueror Jax Prestige Edition. The latter version comes with the classic Prestige Edition gold and silver aesthetic paired with snazzy green accents. According to a recent update from Riot Games, the skin will not be attached to a battle pass. Instead, it will be obtainable for 100 Prestige Tokens.

Riot also revealed the splash art for the long-awaited DAMWON Gaming World Championship celebration skins. The art shows Jhin, Nidalee, Kennen, Leona and Twisted Fate all adorned in white and various shades of blue. The DWG skins release and become available for purchase on April 29.

DAMWON, now known as DWG KIA, is once again a major contender in international League of Legends play.