League of Legends’ preseason support item changes, explained

Support items are always tough to get right in League of Legends. Make them too strong, and suddenly everybody in the game buys them, too weak and supports will struggle to be useful. In the latest preseason, Riot took another shot at the support item lines to see if it could get them just right.

To help you make sense of the dozens of changes that came along with this year’s preseason patch, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about League of Legends new support items.

Items upgrade differently now

Instead of purchasing upgrades for your support items, like you would have in the past, support items now upgrade on their own. Each of the items still has three tiers and will have to upgrade to each one. The first tier of the items will all cost 400 gold. Tier 2 will include three wards and give a slight upgrade to the unique gold-generating passive. Tier 3 will include four wards, and the unique passive will go away.

Why wouldn’t everyone buy this?

To stop solo laners from poaching the new support items, Riot has instituted its strictest rule ever. If you have a support item and get more than 20 CS per five minutes, the gold you get from killing minions will be reduced by 50%. If you get 50 minions in five minutes you’ll get a reduction of 80%. This makes taking these items a pretty terrible deal for a solo laner or even and ADC, no matter how strong the items themselves are.

New Support items

Spellthief’s Edge Line

Spellthief’s Edge

• Cost: 400 gold
• Ability Power: 10 ⇒ 8
• (NEW) Health: 10
• (Removed) Mana Regen: No longer grants +25% mana regen
• Gold Per 10: 2 (unchanged)
• Unique Passive Tribute: Damaging spells and attacks against champions or buildings grant 15 gold. This can occur up to 3 times every 30 seconds.
• Quest: Earning 500 total gold through Tribute upgrades this item to Frostfang.

Frostfang

• Ability Power: 20 ⇒ 15
• (New) Health: 70
• (Removed) Mana Regen: No longer grants +50% mana regen
• (Removed) Cooldown Reduction: No longer grants 10% cooldown reduction
• Gold Per 10: 2 ⇒ 3
• Unique Passive Tribute: Damaging spells and attacks against champions or buildings grant 15 gold. This can occur up to 3 times every 30 seconds.
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 3 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.
• QUEST: Earning 1000 total gold through Tribute upgrades this item to Shard of True Ice.

Shard of True Ice

• Ability Power: 20 ⇒ 15
• (New) Health: 200 ⇒ 150
• (Removed) Mana Regen: No longer grants +50% mana regen
• (Removed) Cooldown Reduction: No longer grants 10% cooldown reduction
• Gold Per 10: 2 ⇒ 3
• (Removed) Unique Passive Tribute: Damaging spells and attacks against champions or buildings no longer deal 18 bonus magic damage and, if an ally is nearby, grant 22 gold up to 3 times every 30 seconds.
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

(New) Spectral Sickle Line

Spectral Sickle

• Cost: 400 gold
• Attack Damage: 5
• Health: 10
• Gold Per 10: 2
• Unique Passive Tribute: Damaging spells and attacks against champions or buildings grant 15 gold. This can occur up to 3 times every 30 seconds.
• Quest: Earning 500 total gold through Tribute upgrades this item to Harrowing Crescent

(New) Harrowing Crescent

• Attack Damage: 10
• Health: 70
• Gold Per 10: 3
• Unique Passive Tribute: Damaging spells and attacks against champions or buildings grant 15 gold. This can occur up to 3 times every 30 seconds.
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 3 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.
• Quest: Earning 1000 total gold through Tribute upgrades this item to Black Mist Scythe

(New) Black Mist Scythe

• Attack Damage: 35
• Health: 150
• Gold Per 10: 3
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

Relic Shield Line

Relic Shield

• Cost: 400 gold
• (New) Ability Power: 5
• Health: 30
• Gold Per 10: 2
• Unique Passive Spoils of War: While nearby an ally, basic attacks execute minions below 50% of their max Health (30% for ranged) and grant your ally kill gold. (These effects recharge every 45 seconds. Max 3 charges.)
• Quest: Earning 500 total gold through Spoils of War upgrades this item to Targon’s Buckler.

Targon’s Buckler

• (New) Ability Power: 10
• Health: 100
• (Removed) Health Regen: No longer grants 50% health regen
• Gold Per 10: 3
• Unique Passive Spoils of War: While nearby an ally, basic attacks execute minions below 50% of their max Health (no penalty for ranged!) and grant your ally kill gold. (These effects recharge every 45 seconds. Max 3 charges.)
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 3 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.
• Quest: Earning 1000 total gold through Spoils of War upgrades this item to Bulwark of the Mountain

Bulward of the Mountain

• (New) Ability Power: 40
• Health: 300
• (Removed) Cooldown Reduction: No longer grants 10% cooldown reduction
• (Removed) Health Regen: No longer grants 200% health regen
• Gold Per 10: 3
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

Steel Shoulderguards Line

Steel Shoulderguards

• Cost: 400 gold
• Attack Damage: 3
• Health: 30
• Gold Per 10: 2
• Unique Passive Spoils of War: While nearby an ally, basic attacks execute minions below 50% of their max Health (30% for ranged) and grant your ally kill gold. (These effects recharge every 45 seconds. Max 3 charges.)
• Quest: Earning 500 total gold through Spoils of War upgrades this item to Runesteel Spaulders.

Runesteel Spaulders

• Attack Damage: 6
• Health: 100
• Gold Per 10: 3
• Unique Passive Spoils of War: While nearby an ally, basic attacks execute minions below 50% of their max Health (no penalty for ranged!) and grant your ally kill gold. (These effects recharge every 45 seconds. Max 3 charges.)
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 3 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.
• Quest: Earning 1000 total gold through Spoils of War upgrades this item to Pauldrons of Whiterock.

Pauldrons of Whiterock

• Attack Damage: 24
• Health: 300
• Gold Per 10: 3
• Unique Active: Warding: Place a Stealth Ward. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

(Removed) Ancient Coin Line