The League of Legends Patch 13.4 preview has been released, with more than twenty champions receiving changes, making it one of the season's most extensive patches. According to Riot Phroxon, the planned changes should help balance ranged vs. melee support in the bot lane.
Other balance adjustments will focus on jungle champions and their pathing. Additional adjustments are planned that will focus on snowballing and champion healing.
Veigar, Cho'Gath, Alistar, Malphite, Kennen, Viego, Aphelios, Senna, Riven, and Orianna are among the eleven jungle champions who will be buffed.
Aurelion Sol, the newly reworked champion, has been left out of Patch 13.4 for the time being, according to Phroxzon, who said Riot is waiting for professional play to make any decisions on him.
In the next patch, essential support items such as Relic Shield and Steel Shoulderguards will also be received buffs, which should help Riot achieve its ranged vs. melee support objectives. In conjunction with the fact that Alistar is receiving a buff, we may see more of the Minotaur on the Rift in the next few weeks.
Read: League devs are focusing on a ranged support meta with 13.4 nerfs.
Another Riot developer, Axes, suggested that making changes in the bot lane be the key to making the other lanes, like the top lane, more enjoyable to play, and that they were looking for ways to avoid early-game snowballing, both of which have now been locked in for this update.
When the League patch schedule is released on February 23, it will be interesting to see how these changes will affect pick and ban rates and early-game strategies.