5 things to know from League of Legends Patch 6.17

Improved turret AI, nerfs to Rek’Sai, Gragas, Ashe and Jhin, and more!

By Pete Volk@Pete_Volk Aug 23, 2016, 2:16pm EDT

With just one more patch to go before Worlds, there are mostly small changes coming to League of Legends in Patch 6.17. Most of the changes are focused on tweaking champions that are deemed over- or underperforming, but that’s not all: there are new skins, bug fixes and some interesting tower changes that’ll definitely change how you play the game.

Worlds will be played on Patch 6.18, so these changes are more focused on the highest levels of play than usual, specifically looking to work on champions the team feels are getting too much or too little play.

There’s no other section below where this really fits, so I’ll say it here: Gangplank got nerfed pretty significantly as well, especially in the early game. He’s been a staple in the top lane in pro play, especially in Korea.

You can read the full patch notes here, but let’s break down the five things you need to know.

Turrets are getting smarter

You can read more about that here, but there are two changes you need to be aware of. When turrets switch from targeting non-champions to targeting champions (like at the end of a minion wave), the champion chosen used to be completely random. Now, turrets will automatically target the champion closest to the turret in these situations.

Additionally, you used to be able to be inside an enemy turret’s attack range and attack an enemy outside of that range without drawing the turret’s attention. That is no longer the case — if you’re attacking an enemy and you’re in range of an enemy turret, you’re going to be attacked by it.

2. Rek’Sai and Gragas nerfs

These two have been by far the most popular junglers in the competitive scene. In 42 games across the five premier regions last week, Rek’Sai was played in 31 (with 10 bans) while Gragas was played in 28 (with seven bans).

As explained in the patch notes:

These champs have a stranglehold on the professional jungle scene due to how early their shared gameplay of ‘durable mobile ganker’ comes online. Specifically, the cooldown of their mobility tools (which double as their initiation tools) is too low at early ranks. Body Slam and Tunnel should present meaningful choices to Gragas and Rek’Sai: “Do I use E to duck past an enemy ward, or do I save it to make a play?” Currently, the answer is “I can do both.” This is fine later on once enemies have access to their own mobility tools, but plays out oppressively in the early game.

Both are getting hit with the nerf hammer, although Gragas appears to be getting hit harder -- his ultimate now has a fixed cast time, rather than dependent on how far he throws it (which previously provided zero reaction time if he was throwing it a short distance). Remarkably, this is the eighth straight nerf for Rek’Sai since she was released on Patch 4.21.

Gragas:

E - Body Slam

COOLDOWN :: 12 seconds >>> 16/15/14/13/12 seconds

R - Explosive Cask

TRAVEL TIME :: 0 - 0.58 seconds (based on distance) >>> 0.55 seconds

Rek’Sai:

E - Tunnel

COOLDOWN :: 20/19.5/19/18.5/18 seconds >>> 26/24/22/20/18 seconds

R - Void Rush

COOLDOWN :: 150/110/70 seconds >>> 180/140/100 seconds

3. Utility ADC nerfs

Like in the jungle, AD Carry has been a relatively stagnant position in the pro meta, with teams heavily valuing utility-based champions like Ashe, Jhin and Sivir that can help the team start fights.

All three are getting nerfed, with a buff included for Ezreal’s passive. Ashe’s damage output is being reduced, shortening the amount of time her Q lasts for a full second and lowering the early damage on her ultimate.

Jhin’s damage output has also been reduced, both on his W and his ultimate. Notably, canceling his ultimate early no longer refunds a portion of the cooldown. Sivir had a pair of ratios reduced -- the bonus attack damage on her W and the passive attack speed on her R.

Ashe:

Q - Ranger's Focus

DURATION :: 5 seconds >>> 4 seconds

R - Enchanted Crystal Arrow

DAMAGE :: 250/425/600 >>> 200/400/600

Jhin:

W - Deadly Flourish

RATIO :: 0.7 bonus attack damage >>> 0.5 bonus attack damage

DAMAGE VS MINIONS AND MONSTERS :: 65% >>> 75%

R - Curtain Call

MISSING HEALTH DAMAGE :: 2% for every 1% of target’s missing health >>> 2.5% for every 1% of target’s missing health

MINIMUM DAMAGE PER SHOT :: 50/125/200 + 0.25 bonus attack damage >>> 40/100/160 + 0.2 bonus attack damage

MAXIMUM DAMAGE PER SHOT :: 150/375/600 + 0.75 bonus attack damage >>> 140/350/560 + 0.7 bonus attack damage

[REM] CURTAIN CLOSED :: Curtain Call no longer receives a 10% cooldown refund for unused shots

[NEW] CURTAIN CLARITY :: Enemies now have an indicator for the max range of Curtain Call

Sivir:

W - Ricochet

BOUNCE DAMAGE RATIO :: 0.6/0.65/0.7/0.75/0.8 bonus attack damage >>> 0.5/0.55/0.6/0.65/0.7 bonus attack damage

R - On the Hunt

PASSIVE ATTACK SPEED :: 40/60/80% while using Ricochet >>> 30/45/60% while using Ricochet

4. Buffs to Vi and Jayce!

Vi is really never played at the competitive level currently, because her clear speed is too slow and if she gets behind she’s basically useless. Thankfully, buffs are coming that are directly targeted at her clear speed, helping her damage output in the early game against monsters or other champions.

Jayce has also not been in a great place for pro play, despite the efforts of ROCCAT top laner Parang. Now he’ll have an easier time being useful in team fights instead of just being a poke machine, as the mana cost on his E has been significantly reduced and the ratio on his ultimate has been changed from magic damage to attack damage (a much more common Jayce build).