League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of the LoL patch 26.13 notes on X on June 16, 2026.
As this is the patch MSI will be played on, LoL patch 26.13 primarily focuses on champion balance changes.
Riot Phroxzon also shared a brief update on the upcoming release of Locke. The team is excited for his debut, noting that both internal playtests and community reactions have generated plenty of enthusiasm so far.
“Currently, we’re trying to lock down a few tunings and timings on some of his abilities as well as where we want his power budget and maxes to be, a process called fine tuning,” Riot Phroxzon wrote.
“A lot is changing day by day, in particular, the amount of power budget in his W has been something we’re trying to fine tune as well as how Normal versus Elite skewed he is,” he added.
LoL patch 26.13 notes
Rather than introducing major meta shifts, this patch focuses on improving a few underused champions, making them more appealing as situational picks that teams can turn to as the MSI tournament reaches its final rounds.
Champion buffs
| LOL PATCH 26.13 CHAMPION BUFFS |
| Aphelios |
| Draven |
| Kai’Sa |
| Kindred |
| LeBlanc |
| Olaf |
| Poppy |
| Qiyana |
| Vex |
| Zaahen |
Champion nerfs
| LOL PATCH 26.13 CHAMPION NERFS |
| Bard |
| Brand |
| Cassiopeia |
| K’Sante |
| Rek’Sai |
| Rumble |
| Senna |
| Sion |
System buffs
- Imperial Mandate
For system changes, Riot is making another round of adjustments to Imperial Mandate. While previous updates have expanded its user base, the item has seen more adoption from champions such as Galio, Twisted Fate, and Lissandra than from the support champions it was originally designed for.
With this patch, the goal is to push Imperial Mandate closer to its intended support-focused identity while also increasing its overall power.
Riot noted that, despite having strong synergy with many support kits, the item currently isn’t considered the best choice on most of its intended users, something the team believes should change if the item is tuned appropriately.
System nerfs
- Doran’s Helm
Doran’s Helm has recently started seeing situational use on a few ADCs, particularly those that benefit from its resistances and sustain.
Senna is a notable example, where her healing pairs well with the added effective health, while Jhin can also take advantage of it given how much of his early damage relies on base values.
The goal is to preserve these niche incentives, Riot Phroxzon explained, but bring the item more in line balance-wise for those users, while also opening it up to a slightly wider set of viable champions as a result.
