Answer:
In the recent League of Legends (LoL) micropatch 12.12b, Riot Games made some adjustments to the meta by buffing two champions, Katarina and Caitlyn. Let’s take a closer look at these changes.
**Katarina:**
- Passive – Bouncing Blades (bonus attack damage): Increased from 12% to 14%.
- Q – Shunpo: Cooldown reduction per takedown increased from 5 seconds to 6 seconds.
The purpose of these changes is to make Katarina more effective in the mid and late game, where her mobility and burst potential can be a significant advantage. By increasing her bonus attack damage and cooldown reduction on takedowns, she will be able to deal more damage and have a quicker response time in team fights.
**Caitlyn:**
- Q – Piltover Peacemaker (cast range): Increased from 850 to 925.
* **R – Hextech Cannon Barrage:**
The number of projectiles has been increased from 16 to 18.
These changes are aimed at giving Caitlyn more versatility and damage output in different situations. By extending the range on her Q ability, she will have an easier time harassing enemies from a safer distance. Additionally, increasing the number of projectiles in her ultimate ability means she can deal more damage to larger groups or targets.
Query: Why were Bel’Veth and Zeri nerfed again in micropatch 12.12b?
Answer:
Micropatch 12.12b also brought some adjustments for champions that were considered too strong in the current meta, namely Bel’Veth and Zeri. Let’s examine why these changes were made.
**Bel’Veth:**
- Base attack damage reduced from 60 to 57.
- Passive – Hive Trait (hiveling spawn rate): Reduced from every 2 minutes to every 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
- R – Magnetic Rift: Cooldown increased from 90 seconds to 110 seconds.
Bel’Veth was causing some imbalance in the current meta due to her high damage output, sustainability, and ability to control vision around the map with her hives. The attack damage reduction, slower hive spawn rate, and longer cooldown on her ultimate ability are designed to bring her in line with other champions in terms of power and make the game more enjoyable for both Bel’Veth players and their opponents.
**Zeri:**
-
**W – Meteor Shower:**
Base damage per stack reduced from 8 to 6, and maximum stacks reduced from 12 to 10.
- R – Tempest: Cooldown increased from 120 seconds to 140 seconds.
Zeri was another champion who was dominating the meta with her high mobility, crowd control, and burst potential. The damage reduction on her W ability and longer cooldown on her ultimate ability are intended to make it harder for Zeri to secure kills and contribute to team fights as effectively. This should create more opportunities for other champions to shine and keep the game more balanced.