I was three games into my afternoon session when an Annie one-shot turned a clean win into a scramble. The chat went quiet — you could feel the pick rates shift mid-match like a ticking fuse. I pulled the patch notes and thought: this one rewrites more than numbers.
I write this as someone who tracks Riot patch threads on Reddit, watches analysis on YouTube, and tests odd builds in the practice tool so you don’t have to. You and I both know a single number change can flip queue psychology; here are the plays you need to understand fast.
I noticed the jungle timers were suddenly friendlier to certain clears — All League of Legends patch 26.4 champion buffs
Short version: some champions get cleaner clears, some lanes breathe easier, and a few kits feel sharper in fights. Below are the full buffs Riot listed; scan for your main. I’ll highlight the ones that matter in ranked and flex queue.
| Champion | Buffs |
|---|---|
| Annie | Q – DisintegrateBase Damage: 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 ⇒ 80 / 125 / 170 / 215 / 260E – Molten ShieldCooldown: 12 / 11.5 / 11 / 10.5 / 10 seconds ⇒ 10 seconds |
| Brand | Passive – BlazeAblaze Monster Damage: 265% ⇒ 270%Non-Epic Monster Damage Cap: 40 ⇒ 50 |
| Camille | E – HookshotAlways On Point: Attack speed is now gained when Camille dashes off a wall, regardless of whether or not she hits an enemy champion. |
| Darius | Passive – HemorrhageMonster Damage: 2x ⇒ 2.5x |
| Fizz | W – Seastone TridentBonus Monster Damage: 60 ⇒ 90 |
| Graves | E – QuickdrawArmor per Stack: 4 / 7 / 10 / 13 / 16 ⇒ 7 / 10 / 13 / 16 / 19MR per Stack: 2 / 3.5 / 5 / 6.5 / 8 ⇒ 3.5 / 5 / 6.5 / 8 / 9.5 |
| Hwei | WW – Pool of ReflectionMaximum Shield Value: 100 / 125 / 150 / 175 / 200 ⇒ 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 / 260Ally Shield Mod: 75% ⇒ 85%R – Spiraling DespairCooldown: 140 / 115 / 80 ⇒ 120 / 100 / 80 |
| Illaoi | Passive – Prophet of an Elder GodTentacle Base Damage: 9-180 (based on level) ⇒ 9-200 (based on level) |
| Lux | Base StatsBase Mana: 480 ⇒ 440Starting Mana Regen: 7 ⇒ 9Q – Light BindingCooldown: 11 / 10.5 / 10 / 9.5 / 9 ⇒ 10W – Prismatic BarrierCooldown: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 ⇒ 12 / 11.5 / 11 / 10.5 / 10 |
| Maokai | Q – Bramble SmashBonus Monster Damage: 120 / 130 / 140 / 150 / 160 ⇒ 140 / 150 / 160 / 170 / 180 |
| Samira | Q – FlairLife Steal Effectiveness: 80% ⇒ 100%R – Inferno TriggerLife Steal Effectiveness: 80% ⇒ 100% |
| Teemo | E – Toxic ShotMonster Damage: 145% ⇒ 160% |
| Udyr | Q – Wilding ClawBase Bonus Damage On-Hit: 5 / 11 / 17 / 23 / 29 / 35 ⇒ 5 / 13 / 21 /29 / 37 / 45W – Iron MantleBase Shield Strength: 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 / 105 / 120 ⇒ 45 / 65 / 85 / 105 / 125 / 145 |
| Xayah | Q – Double DaggersMana Cost: 50 ⇒ 35W – Deadly PlumageCooldown: 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 ⇒ 18 / 17 / 16 / 15 / 14 secondsE – BladecallerMana Cost: 30 ⇒ 20 |
Quick reads for players: Annie and Lux get cleaner lane and roaming power; Udyr, Maokai, and Graves gain jungle robustness. If you play Teemo or Samira, expect slightly stronger matchups and more persistent pressure.
What changed in League of Legends patch 26.4?
Patch 26.4 reshuffles early clear and durability for several champions, tightens some cooldowns, and hands life-steal improvements to a few duelists. Riot baked the Lunar New Year event into this patch, so expect the shop cycles, event missions, and cosmetics chatter on Twitter/X and Reddit to spike.
I saw three different players rage-quit when a botched ultimate failed — All League of Legends patch 26.4 champion nerfs
Observation: competitive tension rose in solo queue as a couple of frontliners and carries lost key numbers. Below are the nerfs Riot pushed; take note if you main any of these champions.
| Ambessa | Q – Cunning SweepSundering SlamBonus Damage to Monsters: 150 ⇒ 125 |
| Aphelios | Passive – The Hitman and the SeerBonus AD: 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 ⇒ 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20 / 24 |
| Braum | R – Glacial FissureBase Damage: 150 / 300 / 450 ⇒ 150 / 250 / 350Cooldown: 120 / 100 / 80 ⇒ 130 / 115 / 100 seconds |
| Gwen | Q – Snip Snip!Base Damage per Snip: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 ⇒ 10 / 13.5 / 17 / 20.5 / 24Minion Damage Modifier: 0.75x ⇒ 0.8xR – NeedleworkBase Damage per Needle: 35 / 65 / 95 ⇒ 30 / 50 / 70 |
| Jinx | Base StatsArmor Growth: 4.7 ⇒ 4.2 |
| Kassadin | Base StatsHealth Growth: 119 ⇒ 113E – Force PulseSlow: 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90% ⇒ 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70% |
| Kayle | Q – Radiant BlastBase Damage: 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 ⇒ 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 |
| Kennen | R – Slicing MaelstromCooldown: 120 / 100 / 80 ⇒ 120 |
| Naafiri | Base StatsBase Health Regen: 7.5 ⇒ 6Health Regen Growth: 0.7 ⇒ 0.6Q – Darkin DaggersMana Cost: 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 ⇒ 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90E – EviscerateMana Cost: 35 ⇒ 40 |
| Qiyana | Base StatsHealth Growth: 121 ⇒ 115 |
| Rengar | Q – SavageryDamage: 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 (+ 100 / 103.75 / 107.5 / 111.25 / 115% total AD) ⇒ 20 / 55 / 90 / 125 / 160 (+ 105% total AD)Ferocity Damage: 30 – 235 (based on level) (+130% total AD) ⇒ 35 – 240 (based on level) (+120% total AD) |
| Rumble | Base StatsBase Health: 655 ⇒ 640R – The EqualizerMaximum Damage: 700 / 1050 / 1400 ⇒ 600 / 1000 / 1400 |
| Swain | W – Vision of EmpireSlow: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70% ⇒ 50% at all ranksR – Demonic AscensionDamage per Second Scaling: 5% AP ⇒ 4% APDemonflare Damage Scaling: 50% AP ⇒ 40% APDemonflare Slow: 75% ⇒ 50% |
| Syndra | W – Force of WillBase Damage: 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 ⇒ 70 / 100 / 130 / 160 / 190R – Unleashed PowerBase Damage: 90 / 130 / 170 ⇒ 80 / 120 / 160 |
| Twitch | Base StatsHealth Growth: 104 ⇒ 98Armor Growth: 4.2 ⇒ 4 |
| Zac | Q – Stretching StrikesDamage per Hit: 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 (+ 30% AP) (+ 3% of Zac’s maximum health) ⇒ 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+ 30% AP) (+ 3% of Zac’s bonus health)R – Let’s Bounce!Initial Base Damage: 140 / 210 / 280 ⇒ 120 / 190 / 260Maximum Base Damage: 350 / 525 / 700 ⇒ 300 / 475 / 650 |
Takeaways: frontline ultimates and some burst casters took the largest hits — Braum, Gwen, Syndra, and Swain stand out. If you climb by relying on a big ultimate to swing teamfights, expect more games that force micro-play instead of one-button wins.
Which champions were buffed or nerfed in patch 26.4?
Scan the tables above: the buffs favor durability and jungle clear (Udyr, Maokai, Fizz), while nerfs shave power from some high-impact ultimates and scaling carries (Braum, Syndra, Rengar). Patch threads on OP.GG and Mobalytics will show immediate pick-rate shifts if you want data visuals.
At a local tournament I heard players argue over W — All Champion adjustments in League of Legends patch 26.4
Small changes here alter play patterns more than their numbers suggest. Read these and test in a custom—your match sense will tell you what a spreadsheet won’t.
Lee Sin
W-Iron Will
- Spell Vamp No More: Lee Sin W2 grants Life Steal and Spell Vamp.
- Lee Sin is unable to heal with W2 and Smite on either minions, jungle monsters, or Champions ⇒ Lee Sin W2 grants Omnivamp, which will apply to minions, monsters, and Champions.
Ryze
R-Realm Warp
- All Aboard: No longer refuses to grab a champion if they’re currently pathing out of the circle while near the edge.
Senna
Q-Piercing Darkness
- Damage: 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 (+ 40% bonus AD) ⇒ 30 / 55 / 80 / 105 / 130 (+ 60% bonus AD)
W-Last Embrace
- Damage: 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+ 70% bonus AD) ⇒ 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+ 90% bonus AD)
A few system changes have also been included that you can find here. Expect the event tab, missions, and shard rotations to push chatter across Reddit, Twitter/X, and YouTube creators.
I want you to test two things this week: champion select drift (are people swapping to Udyr or Graves?) and whether late-game carries feel choked by the nerfs. The meta is a weather vane — small nudges point the whole board a different way. How will you adapt your queue strategy to stay ahead of the change?