LoL 26.20 Patch Notes: Pre-Worlds Balance, Five Champions Returning to Classic and HEARTSTEEL

League of Legends patch 26.20 is the version Worlds will be played on, and it is broader than a routine balance update. Part of the notes touches the champions and items that form the backbone of professional play on Summoner's Rift. The rest covers the five champions returning to League Classic, the ARAM Mayhem adjustments and the HEARTSTEEL skin line. There are plenty of numbers that both tournament viewers and ranked players should know. In this article we group the changes by topic rather than following the order of the notes, and we explain what they mean.

The patch is dated October 6, 2026. The Act II Battle Pass does not arrive with this patch but with the next one, 26.21. If you are looking for Teamfight Tactics, the TFT 18.4 patch notes live on a separate page and are not covered here.

The big picture of the patch: Four separate play areas, one version

To read 26.20 correctly, you first need to look at what it contains. Most of the patch belongs to Summoner's Rift, and the goal of that section is clear: heading into Worlds, wear down the picks that have become overly reliable on the professional stage, and give some breathing room to the champions left on the sidelines. Alongside that, there is a separate champion and item package for the League Classic mode. On the ARAM Mayhem side, champion-specific boosts and Augment usability tweaks are being made. Finally, on the cosmetic side, HEARTSTEEL-themed skins and SKT T1 Elite chromas arrive.

In summary, the patch contains the following:

• Nerfs aimed at standouts such as Ambessa, Ashe, Cassiopeia, K'Sante and Yunara on Summoner's Rift.
• Buffs for Diana, Kindred, Lillia, Lucian, Mordekaiser, Smolder, Swain, Tahm Kench, Vayne, Kennen and Neeko.
• Item adjustments for Hextech Rocketbelt, Experimental Hexplate and Runaan's Hurricane.
• Counters on many items being hidden on the scoreboard.
• Aatrox, Caitlyn, Irelia, Karma and Quinn being added to League Classic, plus balance changes for a few Classic champions.
• Tuning for six champions and several Augments in ARAM Mayhem.
• Six HEARTSTEEL skins and numerous chromas.

The numerical changes in this article are presented as 'old value → new value'. If you play ranked, the Summoner's Rift sections will be the most useful to you. If you focus on fun modes, you can jump to the Classic and Mayhem headings.

Hextech Rocketbelt: From escape tool to engage tool

The item that affects the most champions in the patch is Hextech Rocketbelt. The development team says the item has been used more as an escape tool than as a risky engage tool. So it is trimming the item's overall value and highlighting aggressive use: ability haste drops from 20 to 10, while active damage rises from 100 (+10% AP) to 135 (+15% AP). For characters without mobility, the item had practically become a purchasable Flash, and this change aims to make that use less attractive.

The logic of the balance is simple. Halving the ability haste punishes those who buy the item just for the stats. The increase in active damage, on the other hand, rewards AP bruisers who actually want to go in with Rocketbelt and deal burst damage. In other words, the item is not being punished entirely, its role is just changing. The development team specifically highlights AP bruisers who tie all their power to the moment of engaging.

The side effects of this change are also addressed separately. For Neeko's E (Tangle-Barbs), base damage rises from 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 to 80 / 115 / 150 / 185 / 220. The empowered root duration rises from 1.8 / 2.1 / 2.4 / 2.7 / 3 seconds to 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 / 3 seconds. The reason for the Neeko adjustment is that the Rocketbelt change will likely land as a small nerf to her. There is a similar compensation for Kennen: the bonus attack speed of his E, Lightning Rush, rises from 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 to 50 / 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 percent. The notes say this buff also serves to balance Kennen, who will not be too happy about the Rocketbelt change.

Experimental Hexplate: A brake on ranged users

The development team is not happy with how Experimental Hexplate plays on ranged champions. Especially when it is bought as the first rush item in the top lane, it makes ranged users too durable against burst damage and too deadly in every all-in moment. As a solution, the share of the value that ranged champions receive drops from 70% to 50%. This means the attack speed bonus of 35% falls to 25%, and the movement speed bonus of 14% falls to 10%.

This adjustment targets not the entire item but only the ranged way of using it. For melee fighters, the value stays the same. For those who complain about seeing ranged picks constantly in the top lane, this could be a positive step for pick variety.

Runaan's Hurricane: A small step back

The attack damage Runaan's Hurricane deals with each bolt is reduced from 65% to 60%. The development team notes the item was 'buffed a bit too much' and presents the change as a small pullback. Although it looks like a small number, because of the multi-bolt mechanic it can add up to total damage in long fights. For this reason, the item's value will drop slightly on ranged champions like Ashe, Lucian and Vayne.

Nerfs targeting the professional stage before Worlds

The first aim of the patch is to wear down the picks that keep showing up in professional play because they are reliable. Some of these champions are also strong in ranked matches, but the target is specifically the tournament environment.

The damage of Ambessa's passive, Drakehound's Step, drops from 5 - 30 (+25% bonus AD) to 5 - 25 (+20% bonus AD). The development team finds her too reliable in terms of late-game damage for players with high mastery at all ranks, especially in professional play. The goal here is not to destroy the champion but to trim her late-game potential a little.

Ashe's role is very clearly defined: she is currently one of the leading marksmen in professional play and the highest-utility marksman in the game. For this reason, her raw damage output is also considered too high. Attack damage per level drops from 3.5 to 3. This seemingly small difference accumulates as the game progresses and is felt especially in the late game.

For Cassiopeia, this is a continuation of the changes from two patches ago. The previous adjustments worked well in direction, because most players were affected proportionally less than the pros. However, since she is still too dominant in the early lane, her starting resources are being cut again. Base health drops from 630 to 610, and base mana drops from 480 to 450. So Cassiopeia will have to work a bit harder to create an advantage in the early game.

K'Sante's target is his reliability as a 'blind pick'. To stop him from being a champion that can be picked without a second thought in coordinated play, his early mana cost and the consistent damage reduction of his W are being trimmed. W (Path Maker) mana cost rises from 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 to 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 / 65. Damage reduction drops from 30 / 75% to 25 / 70% in the base and All-Out states. The development team thinks these reductions give too much benefit to elite-level players.

The justification for Yunara is more interesting. The notes say she is a leading candidate for the 'handshake hyperscaler do nothing' pattern. In other words, they want to avoid a game in which she does nothing for a long time and then reaches enormous power in the late game. The per-hit damage of her Q, Cultivation of Spirit, both passive and active, drops from 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 (+20% AP) to 3 / 8 / 13 / 18 / 23 (+20% AP). The slow of her W, Arc of Judgement, no longer stacks with other slows.

Support for sidelined champions: Buffs

The other half of the patch supports champions who have stayed weak or fallen behind in certain builds. Some of these are picks that could directly appear at Worlds, while others are aimed at ranked players.

Diana and Kindred

Diana's assassin build works well, but her bruiser builds are far behind. To add power to this playstyle, the shield bonus health ratio of her W, Pale Cascade, rises from 11% to 14%. This makes the shield more meaningful for those who want to play Diana as a tank-damage hybrid.

Kindred is a bit weak right now, and the buffs are going into areas that will not overly strengthen early invades. The monster multiplier of her W, Wolf's Frenzy, rises from 150% to 165%, and the slow duration of her E, Mounting Dread, rises from 1 second to 1.5 seconds. The small monster targeting feature is being removed. The notes also carry an optimistic expectation: they hope Kindred can make a fairly unique contribution to the meta.

Lillia, Lucian and Mordekaiser

Lillia's power was increased last patch but the expected mobility was not seen. For this reason, a second buff is coming: the duration of her R, Lilting Lullaby, rises from 2.5 seconds to 2.5 / 2.75 / 3 seconds. The duration that grows as she levels up aims to make her a sturdier pick at various stages of the game.

The situation with Lucian is a bit different. Last patch made an adjustment to balance mid and bot lane performance, but it ended up as a nerf for the bot lane. To make up for the lost power, base attack damage rises from 60 + 2.5/level to 60 + 2.9/level.

The cooldowns between Mordekaiser's ultimates make it hard for him to keep up with the tempo of the enemy lineup. His basic ability Q also feels less effective as the game speeds up. The scaling of his Q, Obliterate, between levels 10-20 rises from (+5/level) to (+7/level). The cooldown of his R, Realm of Death, drops from 140 / 120 / 100 seconds to 120 / 110 / 100 seconds. The 20-second reduction at the first level makes the ultimate available more often.

Smolder, Swain and Tahm Kench

Smolder has lost quite a bit of power in recent patches. The ranged nerf to Cleaver and the changes in the bot lane meta have left him noticeably disadvantaged. The development team wants to close the power gap between bruiser and full-crit builds by encouraging critical strike builds. Super Scorcher bonus magic damage rises from 25% - 55% to 25% - 60%, and the extra portion that comes with Infinity Edge rises from 0%-9% to 0%-10.5%. Flap Flap Flap bonus magic damage rises from 8% - 12.8% to 8% - 14%, and the extra portion with Infinity Edge rises from 0%-1.44% to 0%-1.8%. The self-heal of his R, Mmooommmm!, rises from 100 / 135 / 170 (+50% bonus AD) (+75% AP) to 100 / 175 / 250 (+75% bonus AD) (+75% AP).

Swain gets a moderate buff in the mid lane, while an adjustment is also made to bring his mid and bot lane performance closer together. Base magic resistance rises from 31 to 34, and base armor drops from 25 to 23. The damage of his W, Vision of Empire, rises from 70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 to 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250, while its cooldown drops from 22 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 seconds to 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 seconds.

Tahm Kench's situation is also interesting. His health regeneration is among the lowest of the tank supports, and most of his abilities rely on health scaling. For this reason, he is among the losers of the recent support item adjustments. As compensation, the base healing of his Q, Tongue Lash, rises from 10 / 13.75 / 17.5 / 21.25 / 25 to 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50. The difference is quite noticeable at high levels.

Vayne

Vayne has settled into a rather weak spot. The development team is still not fully happy with the performance gap between the top lane and the bot lane, but notes that they are getting close. For Vayne, who has to withstand harassment in the bot lane, the base values change: health regeneration per 5 seconds goes from 4 + 0.5/level to 5.5 + 0.4/level. The mana cost of her Q, Tumble, becomes 30 at all levels instead of 46 / 42 / 38 / 34 / 30. The notes say this old cost 'definitely felt really bad' and present the change as a rollback.

Simplification on the scoreboard

One of the system changes in the patch that touches the player experience is about the scoreboard. A recent buff bar clarity effort moved many numbers from buffs to items. These numbers started filling the scoreboard unnecessarily; the notes specifically mention Death's Dance. The development team says the scoreboard should show strategically relevant information, not the instantaneous combat state. In line with this principle, most item counters are being hidden on the scoreboard.

Numbers that are strategically important remain on the icons. Tear of the Goddess items and Mejai's Soulstealer are among them. The icon counters of the following items are now hidden on the scoreboard:

• Death's Dance
• Haunting Guise
• Liandry's Torment
• Riftmaker
• Kraken Slayer
• Terminus
• Guinsoo's Rageblade
• Fiendhunter Bolts
• Echoes of Helia
• Dead Man's Plate
• Spear of Shojin
• Overlord's Bloodmail
• Hullbreaker
• Jak'sho the Protean
• Force of Nature

This change can be especially useful for match spectators and streamers. Someone looking at the scoreboard no longer has to deal with combat counters that change every moment. Only the numbers with long-term, strategic value stand out.

League Classic: Five champions return

The most fun part of the patch may be the five champions added to League Classic. The notes introduce this roster as 'an eclectic crew that should never group together'. Aatrox, Caitlyn, Irelia, Karma and Quinn return to the Fields of Justice. The versions we see here are not their current forms but snapshots taken from specific periods in the past.

Aatrox

Aatrox was still just a 3-patch-old baby when he was recorded for Classic. Before his 2017 rework and the subsequent rework in 2018, he had gone through only four balance changes. The development team is curious how this form will perform again. He is an attack-focused fighter: he gains attack speed by hurting himself and is reborn when he is about to be killed.

• Passive - Blood Well: Aatrox's basic abilities fill his Blood Well by damaging himself, and this gives him bonus attack speed. If he is killed, he empties his Blood Well and revives on the spot.
• Q - Dark Flight: He leaps into the air and slams down, damaging enemies in the area and knocking them up.
• W - Blood Thirst / Blood Price: Toggles between two modes; both have a bonus effect on every third attack. Blood Thirst heals Aatrox, with the healing increasing as his health gets lower. Blood Price deals bonus damage and damages himself.
• E - Blades of Torment: Throws two projectiles; they damage and slow all enemies they touch.
• R - Massacre: Damages all nearby enemy champions and gains bonus attack speed and attack range for a few seconds.

Caitlyn

Caitlyn in Classic is the version that was live from 2011-2015. According to an interesting detail in the notes, when she first came out, some players were upset that she looked too much like Miss Fortune. Compared with her current form, this version also has a familiar marksman identity.

• Passive - Headshot: Makes a headshot with bonus damage every few attacks. This shot charges faster when attacking from a brush.
• Q - Piltover Peacemaker: Fires a piercing shot; it deals less damage to each subsequent target.
• W - Yordle Snap Trap: Places a trap on the ground; the first enemy champion to step over it is rooted and takes damage. She can place at most 2 traps at the same time.
• E - 90 Caliber Net: Fires a large net while knocking herself backward. The net damages and slows the first enemy it hits.
• R - Ace in the Hole: Channels and fires a single bullet at an enemy champion. This bullet deals massive damage but can be intercepted by other enemy champions.

Irelia

The 2010-2018 version returns. The notes call her 'the original Trinity Force poster child'. The champion was played at different times as Q-max, W-max and E-max; so you will have to experiment on your own to find out which ability order works. She is a fast but sturdier-than-she-looks fighter and likes being the one who stays behind.

• Passive - Ionian Fervor: Gains bonus tenacity based on the number of visible enemy champions nearby.
• Q - Bladesurge: Dashes to an enemy, dealing damage and applying on-hit effects. If she kills the target, the cooldown is fully refunded and part of the mana cost is returned.
• W - Hiten Style: Passively heals a little with each attack. When active, her attacks deal bonus true damage and heal more.
• E - Equilibrium Strike: Damages and slows a nearby enemy. If the target's health percentage is higher than hers, it stuns instead of slowing.
• R - Transcendent Blades: Fires four blades in sequence along a line; each one damages the enemies it hits and heals Irelia. The notes joke that this is 'definitely not just a wave clear tool'.

Karma

Karma came out just two patches after Caitlyn and stayed live for a little over two years until she was reworked in early 2013. The notes controversially describe her as 'League's first battle mage'. Getting into the fight is rewarded, and she grows stronger as her missing health increases.

• Passive - Inner Flame: Gains bonus AP based on her missing health.
• Q - Heavenly Wave: Fires blades in a cone in front of her, damaging the enemies they hit. If empowered with Mantra, it heals all allies (including herself) based on their missing health.
• W - Spirit Bond: Forms a bond with another target; grants movement speed to allies (including herself), slows enemies and creates a link between the two. Every champion caught in this link speeds up or slows down as if they were the main target. Enemies caught in the link take damage. If empowered with Mantra, all movement speed effects are doubled.
• E - Soul Shield: Grants a shield to a target. If empowered with Mantra, it also damages all enemies around the target.
• R - Mantra: Available from level 1 and can hold up to two charges. It is used to empower her next basic ability.

Quinn and Valor

Quinn and Valor existed in this form for only a little over two years, from 2013-2015. Quinn is a ranged, evasion-focused auto-attack champion. Her ultimate summons Valor in her place, and Valor fights as a very fast melee skirmisher.

• Passive - Harrier: Valor periodically marks nearby enemies; Quinn deals bonus damage by attacking these targets.
• Q - Blinding Assault: Valor flies in and damages enemies in the area, blinding them.
• W - Heightened Senses: Passively grants Quinn bonus attack and movement speed when she triggers Harrier. When activated, it briefly reveals a wide area around her.
• E - Vault: Quinn dashes to an enemy and bounces off them; dealing damage, knocking them back and slowing them. Then Valor marks the target with Harrier.
• R - Tag Team: Quinn withdraws from the battlefield and sends Valor in her place. Valor has a significant amount of bonus movement speed, permanently has the empowered attack speed effect of Heightened Senses, and uses modified versions of Blinding Assault and Vault. Pressing R again uses Skystrike; this damages all nearby enemies and returns Quinn to the battlefield.

Balance in Classic: Fiora, Graves, Fizz, Kennen and Nautilus

Along with the new champions, the balance of the existing roster in Classic is also being corrected. Some champions are too strong, while others have fallen behind expectations.

Even after the recent nerfs, Fiora is the most dominant top lane champion in the game. Since they do not want to weaken her explosive ultimate further, her overall damage is being trimmed. The bonus attack damage of her W, Riposte, drops from 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 to 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30.

Graves came into Classic like a storm: he is both very popular and the undisputedly strongest champion in the game. Improvements that feel good come together with less pleasant nerfs. Basic and critical attack animations are sped up. Base attack damage drops from 54.1 to 50, attack damage per level drops from 3.1 to 2.5, and attack speed per level drops from 2.9% to 2.5%. The cone damage of his R, Collateral Damage, drops from 140 / 250 / 360 + 120% bonus AD to 140 / 230 / 320 + 100% bonus AD. Projectile damage is unchanged. The development team wants to preserve his explosive shotgun play and the uniqueness of being a tanky ADC, which is why they keep reducing sustained damage.

Fizz also performed very strongly right behind Graves, especially as an AP assassin in the mid lane. Because they want to keep both the assassin and fighter playstyles, the nerfs are directed at high-AP builds. Lighter versions of two nerfs from 2013 and 2015 are being applied. The goal is to shrink the guaranteed burst damage: with Deathfire Grasp and Lich Bane at a 75% AP ratio, he already has more than reliable damage. The ability power ratio of his Q, Urchin Strike, drops from 60% to 40%, and the active ability power ratio of his W, Seastone Trident, drops from 35% to 20%.

For Kennen in Classic, the situation is explained by his not having reached the level his other ninja friends have. AD Kennen needs far more help than his other builds, so the buffs are tuned to benefit them the most. The passive damage of his W, Electrical Surge, changes from 40% / 50 / 60 / 70 / 80% of total AD to 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 + 100% bonus AD.

Nautilus's story is a bit different. Unlike his water-themed friends, he did not storm in at launch. He is weak in all three of his main roles: support, jungle and top lane. The development team especially wants to help the last two. For this reason, an important bug is fixed, and buffs and the reversal of nerfs from the early part of his life are combined. The bug where the empowered attack of his passive, Staggering Blow, dealt too much critical damage is fixed. In his W, Titan's Wrath, the bug where the shield did not account for armor and magic resistance has been fixed. Damage over time rises from 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 / 100 + 40% AP to 40 / 65 / 90 / 115 / 140 + 40% AP. The shield bonus health ratio rises from 10% to 15%, and the shield duration rises from 9.75 seconds to 10 seconds.

Classic items and bug fixes

In Classic, a few tank items are performing below expectations. The cause of the problem is that health regeneration is too low, so the values are being increased. Spirit Visage's health regeneration per 5 seconds rises from 4 to 20, Force of Nature's from 20 to 40, and Warmog's Armor's from 10 to 30. For Banshee's Veil, a store display bug is fixed: the item's stat filter is now set to Health instead of Ability Power so that it can be found when searching for health items.

The bug fix list for Classic is quite long. Some of these relate to gameplay, others to the interface. The highlights are as follows:

• Shyvana's Burnout (W) could still be recast while active; Dragon's Descent (R) did not cancel channels. Both have been fixed.
• Kayle's Reckoning (Q) was applying on-hit effects. This has also been resolved.
• Teemo did not regain the Move Quick (W) movement speed bonus after death.
• Sion could steal health while attacking enemy Inhibitors.
• Quicksilver Sash, Mercurial Scimitar or Gangplank's Remove Scurvy (W) could grant temporary vision while under the Near Sighted debuff from Graves's Smoke Screen (W).
• The description of Fizz's E showed an incorrect translation in a Classic match.
• Graves's Classic art did not appear in the Collection tab, Loading Screen, Honor Screen, Progress Screen and End-of-Game Scoreboard.
• Nautilus's title 'The Titan of the Depths' was not displayed under the champion name.
• Rune pages could overflow the available space and cut off the Rune Editor or Stats panel.
• Incorrect sound effects played when Classic Summoner Spells were used.
• Grammar and text formatting errors in Fiora's Classic Changes Overview and Ability Preview tabs have been fixed.
• Classic art was being used for Miss Fortune's Base skin.
• Pantheon's Aegis Protection (P) text contained an unlocalized string in the Classic Collection.

Most of these fixes look minor, but they represent important polish for a new mode like Classic. In particular, the bugs affecting Shyvana's and Kayle's gameplay are the kind that will make a difference for those playing competitive matches in this mode. The interface-side fixes resolve confusion in the collection, store and ranking screens.

ARAM Mayhem: Champion-specific boosts and Augment usability

On the Mayhem side, the theme of this patch is to show extra attention to champions and Augments that need a bit of love. For champions, champion-specific buffs are coming that strengthen core gameplay patterns and make them more accessible and satisfying in Mayhem. On the Augment side, usability improvements continue. For example, Missile Split now splits when the projectile reaches its end or is recast, rather than on the first target. The cooldown of Triggered Inferno is being lowered to reflect the true Samira fantasy.

Champion changes

• Bard: Meep's ability power ratio rises from 50% to 67%, and Meep regeneration drops from 8 seconds to 5 seconds. Meep auto-attack damage per chime threshold rises from 6 to 10 for 3 chimes.
• Garen: W cooldown drops from 22–12 to 18–12, W shield strength rises from 18% bonus health to 20% bonus health, and W passive stacks per minion kill rise from 0.4 to 0.75.
• K'Sante: W cooldown drops from 14–10 to 10, and W damage reduction rises from 30% to 45%. E shield strength rises from 13.5% bonus health to 15% bonus health.
• Lee Sin: Passive attack speed rises from 40% to 50%, and passive energy regeneration rises from 20 / 30 / 40 to 30 / 40 / 50. W shield rises from 60–240 to 80–320, and Q2 damage rises from 60–180 to 80–240.
• Swain: Damage taken drops from 105% to 100%, and healing rises from 95% to 100%. Soul Fragment regeneration changes from a fixed 6% to a level-scaling 3–6%.
• Thresh: Passive Soul Drop count rises from 2 to 3, and W cooldown drops from 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 seconds to 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 / 15 seconds.

Looking at this list, a pattern emerges: the changes focus on the champion's identity in Mayhem. Bard's Meep mechanic, Garen's durability, Lee Sin's passive tempo and shield, and Thresh's soul collecting stand out. This way, the champions make you feel their essence while also being easier to play at Mayhem's fast pace.

Augment changes

• Juiced: Mana Drain is removed. The damage-to-mana ratio rises from 4.5% to 7%, and a new ranged champion multiplier granting 80% of the 7% is added.
• Leg Day: Slow resistance rises from 40% to 50%.
• Missile Split: The split trigger becomes 'at projectile end or on recast' instead of 'on hitting the first target'.
• Shark Tempest: Slow rises from 30% to 40% for 3 seconds. Base area damage rises from 50–100 to 100–200, and the damage over 3 seconds rises from 75–225 + 0.6 bonus AD + 0.36 AP to 90–270 + 0.75 bonus AD + 0.45 AP.
• Squishy Slappy Grab: Cooldown drops from 35 seconds to 30 seconds. Damage rises from 30–100 + 10% bonus health to 50–150 + 15% bonus health, and the shield per target rises from 35–150 + 50% bonus armor + 50% bonus magic resistance to 50–200 + 50% bonus armor + 50% bonus magic resistance.
• Triggered Inferno: Cooldown drops from 15 seconds to 5 seconds.

The 10-second drop in Triggered Inferno is the sharpest change. With the cooldown cut to a third, it fits Samira's combo flow far better. Missile Split, meanwhile, is far more predictable than its previous behavior: the projectile now splits not at the first target but at the end of its range or when recast.

Mayhem bug fixes

There is also a long bug fix list for Mayhem. Many of these relate to Augment interactions. For example, Infernal Soul and Jeweled Gauntlet were counting damage dealt to minions; King Me stayed in the slot after the quest was completed and left Overloaded nonfunctional when converted into it. The Spell Split Augment was also having various issues: Lucian's W projectile did not split when E was used, projectiles did not split when a Summoner Spell was used, and champions could not queue other spells while using an ability empowered by this Augment. In addition, Shen's Echo Cast Shadow Dash (E) was not cast when Shen used Flash or queued another spell, Minion Mancer's damage amplification did not work on Shaco's (R) explosion and Ivern's R knock-up, and Urgot's (W) projectile destroyed Rite of Ascension's Spirit.

In addition, Shark Bait showing an empty buff bar, Prom Queen's cooldown icon disappearing on death, Ultra Hydra's quest and card icons not matching, and Aurora's (Q) not gaining cooldown from the Skilled Sniper Augment are also among the fixes. The sheer number of bug fixes shows the complexity of Mayhem's Augment system and how difficult these interactions are from a development standpoint.

Summoner's Rift and general bug fixes

The notes also remind us that the Ranked 5s queue windows have been extended from 16:00-02:00 to 16:00-04:00 server time. This is a practical improvement for players who want to play during those hours.

Some of the gameplay-affecting fixes relate to champion interactions:

• Orianna's (R) visual effect and actual hit area could be mispositioned when R was used before the ball reached a fast ally such as Nocturne.
• Sylas's stolen Nautilus Depth Charge (R) could go to waste after Sylas lost vision of the target.
• Xin Zhao's Three Talon Strike (Q) went fully on cooldown when the first attack was deflected by spells such as Shen's Shadow Dash (E) or Jax's Counterstrike (E).
• Shyvana's Dragon's Descent (R) did not cancel enemy teleports.
• Kayle's Reckoning (Q) was applying the on-hit Spellblade of Sheen, Lich Bane, Trinity Force and Iceborne Gauntlet.
• Large melee champions could auto-attack large enemy champions while staying outside the immolate radius.
• Sivir's Spell Shield (E) was not blocking Leona's Zenith Blade (E) and the damage from Miss Fortune's Q.
• Malphite's Flash spell was becoming unusable after using Unstoppable Force (R).
• Guinsoo's Rageblade stacks could be gained by pressing Recall quickly.
• Runaan's Hurricane Volley (P) was triggering Minions' Call for Help.
• Sona's (E) description incorrectly stated that the effect applied only to champions.

There are also a few fixes on the interface side. The tab buttons in the champions overview window were misaligned and unusable. Multiple Classic Spell and Item icons did not completely fill their squares. The 'Release Date ↑' and 'Release Date ↓' options in the Collection - Portrait tab gave the same sort order. Classic Store - Runes lacked a Recommended Sort option, and the Release Date option did not arrange runes in any particular order. When more than 20 rune pages were owned, the tabs overflowed and cut off the editor. Images on the Classic Mode Home Page were loading when a non-Classic tab was entered. Purchasing the Royal Guard Fiora skin did not grant the Royal Guard Classic Chroma, and the name of the Imperial Classic Chroma for Xin Zhao was missing from the chroma selection in Champion Select.

New skins and chromas

On the cosmetic side, the main theme of the patch is the HEARTSTEEL Live My Life line. The skins to be released in this patch are as follows:

• Prestige HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Sett
• HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Ezreal
• HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Kayn
• HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Aphelios
• HEARTSTEEL Live My Life Yone
• HEARTSTEEL Live My Life K'Sante

The chromas are divided into two groups. The first group is the SKT T1 Elite chromas: coming for Jax, Lee Sin, Vayne, Zyra and Zed. The second group is the color options for the HEARTSTEEL skins. For Prestige Sett there is a Vivid chroma. Ezreal comes with eight chromas: Ruby, Sapphire, Catseye, Tanzanite, Rose Quartz, Obsidian, Pearl and Peridot. Kayn comes with four chromas: Ruby, Rose Quartz, Catseye and Tanzanite. Aphelios gets eight chromas: Ruby, Tanzanite, Pearl, Catseye, Peridot, Obsidian, Rose Quartz and Aquamarine. Yone comes with eight chromas: Ruby, Rose Quartz, Catseye, Pearl, Tanzanite, Sapphire, Emerald and Obsidian. K'Sante also comes with eight chromas: Ruby, Sapphire, Turquoise, Tanzanite, Rose Quartz, Obsidian, Pearl and Catseye.

An interesting detail is the line's connection to K'Sante. K'Sante both receives one of the most notable Summoner's Rift nerfs in this patch and appears in the patch in three different contexts, with a HEARTSTEEL skin and a Mayhem buff. The fact that the same champion is balanced in opposite directions in different modes shows how independently these modes are handled: he is trimmed in competitive Rift while getting stronger in Mayhem.

What this patch means and what comes next

The main message of 26.20 is clear: on the road to Worlds, the reliable picks of professional play are being intervened upon, while the champions on the margins are being given a chance. The Rocketbelt change will probably have the most widespread effect. This is because it contains both a penalty and a reward for the champions that use the item, and this should be considered together with the compensation given to Kennen and Neeko. Although the nerfs to Ambessa, K'Sante, Ashe, Cassiopeia and Yunara look small, most of them are exactly the champions the pros pick constantly.

For regular players, the most concrete consequences of the patch are these: when buying Rocketbelt, you now need to plan not just for escape but also for engage. If you play Yunara, you should account for the fact that her slow no longer stacks with other slows. Vayne is expected to be more comfortable in the bot lane. Champions like Kindred, Lillia, Diana and Mordekaiser may also become more attractive. If you play the nerfed champions, remember that the numbers are small but can add up in the later stages of the game.

For those who play Classic mode, the return of champions like Aatrox, Caitlyn, Irelia, Karma and Quinn is quite exciting. At the same time, the nerfs to Graves and Fizz will shape the new power balance of this mode. In Mayhem, the Augment usability improvements and champion-specific buffs can make this mode more comfortable to play. The next step is patch 26.21: the Act II Battle Pass will arrive with it, and the development team is awaiting feedback on how the Mayhem changes feel.