The new Teamfight Tactics patch just dropped, and as always, it brings a ton of crucial changes. Prepare to say goodbye to the Noble meta and hello to new champion Pantheon. Big changes are also coming to the healing and Grievous Wounds mechanics. Read on for our full breakdown of patch 9.17!
Attack speed and economy changes
One of the biggest changes introduced in today’s patch concerns attack speed. Riot is doubling the cap to 5, from the previous maximum of 2.5. This is potentially an enormous buff to some items and champions, like Guinsoo’s Rageblade and Jayce. The coming week will show exactly how big of a change this is, but it’s safe to say it will lead to some entertaining matches.
As Riot had previously promised, the starting carousel will now feature 2-gold units only. This change evens the playing field somewhat and will be helpful for players who favor losing streak strategies. Now if you don’t get any item drops from the first wave of minions, you can more consistently go for an open fort opening.
The Unbreakable Spear
League of Legends champion Pantheon is done lobby-stomping in the PBE. Today the Dragon Guardian champion officially joins Teamfight Tactics. Pantheon is a powerful 5-gold unit with great durability and a powerful spell. His ultimate deals high percentile damage to enemy champions while also inflicting Grievous Wounds to them, similar to items like Morellonomicon.
Speaking of Grievous Wounds, this patch also heralds a major change to the mechanic. While it previously shut down healing completely, it will now reduce it to 80 percent. To make up for the power change, a number of healing abilities and items are adjusted as well. Bloodthirster and Hextech Gunblade healing is down to 40 and 25 percent, from 50 and 33, respectively. Redemption now only heals 1,200 health, down from 1,500. Champion Swain, who is a powerhouse in the current meta, is also affected. He loses about 20 percent of the lifedrain of his ability.
Synergy changes
Teamfight Tactics patch 9.17 is also bringing some big synergy changes. Assassins are trading away some of their burst power for consistency. Their critical damage bonus is reduced, but they get an increased chance of landing crits. Meanwhile, by popular demand, Nobles are just getting a flat nerf. Their armor and resistance are down from 60 to 50, and their on-hit healing had dropped from 35 to 25.
Hextech champions are receiving a small nerf: the pulse bomb effect now wears off after 7 seconds, down from 8. On the other hand, Rangers are getting a small buff for the first time since they dominated the early days of Teamfight Tactics two months ago. Their passive attack speed buff now has a 30 and 70 percent chance to trigger at the partial and full synergy respectively, up from 25 and 65.
To round out patch 9.17’s list of changes, Yordles and Shapeshifters are getting some nice buffs. The Yordle passive evasion is increased to 35 at partial synergy and 60 at full, up from 30 and 55. Shapeshifter champions are getting different individual buffs aimed at helping them transform more consistently. Most of the buffs come in the form of lower mana costs. It’s a good day to be a Gnar.
For a full list of changes, you can check out Riot’s official patch 9.17 patch notes. And make sure to stay tuned to Daily Esports for more Teamfight Tactics news and content!
