LoL Patch 26.11 Hits AP Xin Zhao and Reshapes Support Meta

League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of the LoL patch 26.11 notes on X on May 19, 2026.

Riot Games is rolling out a new wave of balance changes focused on reshaping the Support meta and improving diversity between melee and ranged champions.

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Additionally, AP Xin Zhao is a build that has quickly gained attention for its high sustain and unconventional playstyle.

LoL AP champion Diana official splashart — Credit: Riot Games

However, the developer noted that Xin Zhao’s current healing output has exceeded intended limits — at times surpassing champions specifically designed around sustain. Patch 26.11 aims to tone that down while preserving the identity that made the build popular in the first place.

LoL patch 26.11 notes

Champion buffs

LOL PATCH 26.11 CHAMPION BUFFS

Diana

Ekko

Heimerdinger

Kassadin

Quinn

LoL AP champion Ekko official splashart — Credit: Riot Games

The patch includes jungle-focused adjustments for Diana and Ekko, who Riot Phroxzon says have fallen slightly behind in the role despite remaining mostly stable in mid lane.

Champion nerfs

LOL PATCH 26.11 CHAMPION NERFS

Teemo

Champion adjustments

Xin Zhao splashart official wallpaper — Credit: Riot Games

LOL PATCH 26.11 CHAMPION ADJUSTMENTS

Xin Zhao (AP)

Reasons behind patch 26.11 system changes

Ranged supports have climbed to the top largely because they synergize extremely well with the current ADC pool, Riot Phroxzon explained, while also benefiting the most from the Role Quest system introduced this season.

The developer noted that roaming currently comes with a much higher systemic cost, as leaving lane not only slows a support’s own quest progress, but also limits how quickly their ADC can stack rewards.

LoL support champion Lulu official splashart — Credit: Riot Games

Riot believes this has generally been a positive shift for the game, especially after roaming-heavy support metas throughout 2025 often disrupted the “real laning phase” many bot lane players preferred.

At the same time, the game devs want to restore some roaming opportunities once the early lane phase ends. As such, Void Grubs are receiving slight reward buffs to make rotations around grub timings more worthwhile.

Beyond support changes, patch 26.11 will also include a broader pass on itemization. Riot says the goal is to improve the appeal of several underbought items while “more finely tune the purpose of various items in the ecosystem.”

LoL marksman champion Vayne base splashart official wallpaper — Credit: Riot Games

Experimental Hexplate is one of the key focuses this patch, with adjustments designed to make the item stronger and more balanced across both melee and ranged users.

Right now, champions such as Nocturne, Olaf, Vayne and Varus are among the item’s strongest users.

Riot believes there is room to better balance its effectiveness across a wider range of champions, while also making the durability-versus-damage tradeoff more meaningful for picks like Vayne and Varus, particularly in top lane.