Patch 26.13 will be the one played at MSI 2026, which makes 26.12 the last stop before teams head to the international stage — and Riot is using it to make some real moves. This is no light touch-up: heavy buffs are opening up fresh priorities in the solo lanes, while a string of pointed nerfs takes aim at the picks that have been dominating drafts and ban priorities.
Top lane: Aatrox, Gwen and Jax to widen the pool
Riot is upfront about it: the top lane should regain a few fringe and counterpick options. Aatrox, judged a touch too weak at higher levels of play, gets his Q sweetspot bonus damage bumped (70% to 75%) — a change aimed at rewarding him in matchups he already favors when he lands those reliable sweet spots.
Gwen is getting some of her early laning strength back, after it was walked back significantly in an earlier patch. With K'Sante climbing in priority (helped by the Dead Man's Plate buff and other meta shifts), Riot is positioning Gwen as a clean answer into the tanky Sion and K'Sante style picks.
Jax, meanwhile, gets more throughput in early trades — both in standard matchups and in those that favor short trades, like ranged lanes. Expect a top meta with a handful more counterpick avenues open by tournament time.
Mid lane: Hwei headlines, Syndra and Sylas return
The biggest single change of the patch might well be Hwei. Some of the slow-stacking changes hit him harder negatively than his buffs helped, so Riot is "pouring power back into his utility — letting him be a genuine jack-of-all-trades rather than a master of none". The QQ, QW, QE and E adjustments stack up to a substantial package, and don't be surprised to see him climb sharply in priority.
