Patch 9.8 is live and brings a few changes, also focusing on the Mid-Season Invitational. Most of the tweaks are to either nerf or buff a few champions, with bigger changes to be introduced probably after MSI so that it won’t interfere with the international competition.
You can check out the full list of changes in Patch 9.8 on the official League of Legends website. Today we will talk about ARAM and the return of Howling Abyss.
Goodbye to Butcher’s Bridge, Hello to a New Howling Abyss
The ARAM mode keeps on getting balanced, and now that the Butcher’s Bridge is over, the Howling Abyss is back again with several improvements. Here’s what will be new in ARAM:
NO MORE BANS: The most important and hot topic where everyone is arguing at this point is that bans in ARAM have been removed in this Patch. In a long Nexus article, the Principal Game Designer on League of Legends – Riot Mort, explains why bans in ARAM were removed. In a TL;DR version, it’s all about playing a random game and having access to the entire pool of champions. However, before you freak out about the OP champions in ARAM, some have received nerfs to be easy to play against them in ARAM.
RUNE ADJUSTMENTS: Rune adjustments from 9.7 will continue as a permanent feature in ARAM
POKE POKE: Built-in poke reduction range increased from 900 ⇒ to 1000 in all ARAM games.
An interesting feature added to ARAM will make this mode faster, as it was originally intended. A fast-paced, fun mode:
END IT MY DUDES: After 15 minutes in all ARAM games, minion waves’ spawn rates will increase, minions will gain more movement speed, and champions will deal more damage to structures
- At 15:00, they start gaining movement speed every minute until 20:00 ⇒ 25:00 when they’ll have 425 movement speed.
- From game start to 15:00, champions deal 10% ⇒ 0% more damage to structures.
- At 15:00, that value increases linearly until 25:00 when they’ll deal 30% ⇒ 15% bonus damage to structures.
Champions will also get tweaked in this mode, some of them getting nerfed and other getting buffed, Riot adding that these changes will be added every few months:
New Nerfs in 9.8 ARAM
Alistar +5% damage taken / Galio +5% damage taken / Illaoi -5% damage dealt / Kai’Sa -3% damage dealt / Nautilus +5% damage taken / Sion -8% damage dealt / Yorick -5% damage dealt
New Buffs to 9.8 ARAM
Elise +5% damage dealt / Fiddlesticks +1% damage dealt & -6% damage taken / Fizz +5% damage dealt / Karthus +2% damage dealt / Lucian +5% damage dealt / Maokai +2% damage dealt & -2% damage taken / Nunu & Willump -5% damage taken / Pantheon +5% damage dealt / Riven +5% damage dealt / Vi +5% damage dealt / Xin Zhao -5% damage taken / Zed +5% damage dealt.
Sonia Theo has been writing for more than 15 years, first starting with fantasy stories. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and German, and one in Arts and Design. In the past years, her interests in gaming and tech news grew, so she started writing articles, guides and reviews for players. In her spare time, you’ll see Sonia playing WoW, crafting decorations and jewelry, or walking her dog. For Digital Overload, Sonia Theo will cover all things tech and gaming, delivering fresh updates on your favorite games.