Patch 7.5 ADC changes: Varus nerfs, Lucian buffs and other changes

Over the last several patches Riot has said they were going to be aiming for Patch 7.5 to implement several Marksmen changes. Now that the patch is here, we finally have a chance to see exactly what they meant — although more are coming in future patches, according to the balance team.

Patch 7.5 contains changes for two of the game’s strongest and most popular Marksmen champions: Varus and Miss Fortune. These changes shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, both champions enjoyed play rates over 10% in patch 7.4 and win rates well over 50%, as well as being picked frequently in the competitive scene.

Miss Fortune

Q - Double Up

BOUNCE BASE DAMAGE :: 40/70/100/130/160 >>> 20/35/50/65/80 (matching the first hit)

BOUNCE TOTAL AD RATIO :: 100% >>> 85% (matching the first hit)

BOUNCE AP RATIO :: 50% >>> 35% (matching the first hit)

[REMOVED] MINI CRIT :: Bounces no longer deals 50% increased damage when the first hit kills a target

[NEW] REAL CRIT :: Bounces can now critically strike, and always critically strike when the first hit kills a target. Damage is affected by crit multipliers (ex. Infinity Edge).

Varus

Q - Piercing Arrow

RATIO :: 100 - 165% total attack damage, scaling with charge duration >>> 100 - 150% total attack damage, scaling with charge duration

COOLDOWN :: 16/14/12/10/8 seconds >>> 20/18/16/14/12 seconds

[NEW] BLIGHT BURSTING :: Piercing Arrow’s cooldown is now reduced by 4 seconds (reduced by cooldown reduction) if it detonates Blight stacks on a champion

While these changes are nerfs for both champions, they also add a new interactive element to their kits. For Varus, this change will help him to get out more consistent damage in team fights thanks to the reduced cooldown on Piercing Arrow while reducing some of the power of its poke.

In Miss Fortune’s case this change is going to make her easier to lane against and her damage pattern more predictable, while rewarding players for building her with Critical Strike damage in mind.

On the other end of the Marksmen spectrum, Lucian received a few buffs that should make his play style a little more smooth, which, along with the changes to more poke heavy champions, may help him dash back into the bottom lane:

Lucian

Q - Piercing Light

CAST TIME :: 0.35 seconds >>> 0.4 - 0.25 seconds (at levels 1-18)

HAIR TRIGGER :: Lucian more reliably responds to commands issued immediately after Piercing Light’s cast time

W - Ardent Blaze

CAST TIME :: 0.3 seconds >>> 0.25 seconds

HAIR TRIGGER :: Lucian more reliably responds to commands issued immediately after Ardent Blaze’s cast time

Along with changes to some of the outliers in the Marksmen champion pool, patch 7.5 is also making some changes to the Masteries they use frequently as well.

Deathfire Touch

BONUS AD RATIO :: 60% >>> 45%

Warlord’s Bloodlust

[REMOVED] MINION BATTERY :: Basic attacks no longer gain up to 15% lifesteal based on your missing health. 50% effective against minions for melee champions (25% for ranged champions)

[NEW] TAKE MY ENERGY :: Moving or attacking will make an attack Energized. Your energized attacks have lifesteal and grant 30% movement speed for 0.75 seconds.

LIFESTEAL AT LEVEL 1 :: 1%

LIFESTEAL AT LEVEL 18 :: 50%

It’s likely that these two changes could signal a fairly substantial shift in the kinds of Marksmen we see played. This includes a possible return to form for the Lifesteal stat, which was given a buff in the new and improved version of Blade of the Ruined King.

Blade of the Ruined King

COMBINE COST :: 900 gold (total cost: 3400 gold) >>> 800 gold (total cost: 3300 gold)

ATTACK DAMAGE :: 25 >>> 40

ATTACK SPEED :: 40% >>> 25%

LIFE STEAL :: 10% >>> 15%

ACTIVE DAMAGE :: 10% of target’s max health as physical damage >>> 100 magic damage

[REMOVED] ACTIVE HEAL :: Damage dealt by the active is no longer converted to a heal

BUFF-FIX :: Blade of the Ruined King’s passive on-hit damage now has a minimum of ||| 10 >>> 15 (matching Recurve Bow’s on-hit damage)