AD carries in League of Legends have been struggling for the entirety of the 2017 season, and despite Riot Games paying lip service to them in Patch 7.4, they haven’t been getting much help in recent months.

One would think that Patch 7.5 would rectify that problem. As it turns out, not so much. Rather than figure out a way to buff lesser-played AD carries to make them more viable, Riot is nerfing three of the most powerful ADs in the current meta: Varus, Miss Fortune, and Jhin.

For Miss Fortune and Varus, the nerfs are direct. Miss Fortune’s Double Up is taking a hit, with both bounces now getting the same AD ratio, rather than the second one getting more damage. The second bounce doesn’t deal more damage if the first kills a minion, either. To make up for it, the second bounce can now critically strike, and is guaranteed to crit if the first kills a minion. Overall, it’s a damage decrease.

For Varus, the nerfs are even more crippling. His Piercing Arrow doesn’t do as much damage when fully charged and has a longer cooldown at all ranks. However, if it procs his passive on a champion, the cooldown is reduced to its pre-nerf state.

Jhin is hit the hardest by something that affects all three of these picks. Deathfire Touch damage now benefits less from bonus AD ratios, a change that will hurt caster AD carries hard, but Jhin the most.

Worry not, Jhin laners – Warlord’s Bloodlust is also taking a hit. Instead of always providing a small amount of lifesteal based on missing health, Warlord’s is now on an Energize system, which grants the user lifesteal for brief periods after movement or attacks.

As for other nerfs, LeBlanc’s assassination potential is getting hit with damage reductions to her W (though her Q’s wave clear ability is being buffed), Rengar’s base armor is getting hit and his W’s gray health recovery isn’t quite so strong, and Ryze is seeing his W duration and E cooldown get nerfs.

Champion buffs aren’t as prevalent this patch, but Lucian sees one. Both his Q and his W cast times are being sped up, making his combos smoother to execute. Other buffs include Fizz (damage being shifted from his ult to his regular abilities to make him more useful more often) and Kindred (Marks are now easier to get in the early game).

The infamous right-clicker Aatrox is getting a small rework. Now, the health costs aren’t as ridiculous on his abilities and his spike in power comes after he fills his Blood Well by way of using his abilities. The changes are somewhat complex, but they do seem to be a solid band-aid for the struggling champion’s issues. You hear that, Simon “fredy122” Payne? Might be time for a comeback.

Finally, items. Thankfully, Edge of Night’s shield duration is being reduced to five seconds from its previously ridiculous ten. Meanwhile, Blade of the Ruined King costs slightly less, has more AD and lifesteal, less attack speed, and is now guaranteed to deal 15 extra damage per attack.

Check out the 7.5 Patch notes for the full details, and make sure to keep it right here on the Yahoo Esports League of Legends hub for how the changes affect the competitive scene.





Taylor Cocke is begging for help for his bot lane buddies. Follow him on Twitter @taylorcocke.