League of Legends lead gameplay designer Mark “Scruffy” Yetter outlined all the changes coming to Patch 10.20 in today’s preview.
Karthus, Kled, Kassadin, and Katarina are each receiving nerfs in an attempt to find a fine balance in solo queue.
The champions, in one way or another, have been overperforming and have bitten off more than they can chew. They’re certainly not the strongest bunch on the Rift and they rarely make an appearance in pro play, but they’re still clearly in need of some adjustments.
Riot is targeting Karthus’ base armor and HP regen in Patch 10.20, reducing his armor from 20.88 to 18 and his HP regen from 6.5 to six. Karthus, while predominantly a jungler, has recently become a niche pick in the bot lane. These nerfs should make Karthus easier to deal with in the laning phase, while scarcely impacting his role in the jungle.
Kled is in a similar position to Karthus, making strides in an off-role and gaining momentum in high Elo. He’s typically a top lane champion, but up against squishy mages in the mid lane, he’s proven to be a powerful counter pick. To stop him from getting out of control, Riot has reduced his base magic resist from 31.1 to 29. It’s a small change, but it should make a difference.
Kassadin is receiving a minor nerf to his Null Sphere (Q) shield in Patch 10.20, impacting his sustain in the laning phase. His shield is being reduced from 60 to 160 to 40 to 160. This could force Kassadin players to put two points into Q before maxing Force Pulse (E) against AP matchups—in turn reducing wave clear.
Katarina nerfs have been a long time coming. In Patch 10.20, Riot is reducing the bonus AD ratio on her passive ability from 100 to 75 percent. This means the Conqueror keystone and a Long Sword start will have less impact in the early stages of the game, reducing her kill potential in the laning phase.
Scruffy’s Patch 10.20 preview is tentative and liable to change before the update hits the live servers on Wednesday, Sept. 30.