League Of Legends Patch 12.2 Introduces New Champion Zeri, Lunar New Year Skins

League of Legends‘ first new champion for 2022, Zeri, the Spark of Zaun, arrives this week on January 20, along with the rest of the updates included in patch 12.2. With Lunar New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger coming up on February 1, the patch includes a number of event-themed skins and chromas, as well as the return of ARURF for a limited time.

The patch introduces new champion Zeri, who boasts an electricity-themed kit including a shield that buffs her move speed, an electric pulse that slows enemies, and a dash that gives Zeri the ability to vault over terrain. Zeri will launch on January 20 when Patch 12.2 drops, along with her Withered Rose skin.

A huge number of skins and chromas are also being added for League’s Lunar New Year event, with five champions getting new Porcelain skins and another five getting Firecracker skins.

The full list of new Lunar New Year skins includes Porcelain Protector Ezreal, Porcelain Lissandra, Porcelain Amumu, Porcelain Lux, Porcelain Kindred, Firecracker Sett, Firecracker Diana, Firecracker Teemo, Firecracker Tristana, and Firecracker Xin Zhao. The event will also include Prestige Edition skins for Porcelain Lux and Brave Phoenix Xayah.

While a number of champion tweaks are included with this patch, Janna is receiving a more in-depth champion refresh, with the patch notes pointing out that “Janna just hasn’t felt very rewarding to play over the past few seasons, especially when compared to other enchanter options in bot lane.”

Riot is also bringing All Random Ultra Rapid Fire mode, or ARURF, back for the Lunar New Year event. The patch notes promise a few surprises on top of what players might expect from previous ARURF runs, saying “we added a flipper full of changes to a couple of runes and a few surprises to the Awesome Buff of Awesomely Awesome Buffing’s tooltip.”

Check out the full patch notes below, including Champion balance tweaks, item tweaks, bug fixes, and quality of life changes:

League of Legends Patch 12.2

#Champions

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Zeri

The Spark of Zaun

Zip, zap, and zoom across Summoner’s Rift with Zeri on January 20!

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Janna

Base stats and all abilities adjusted.

Janna just hasn’t felt very rewarding to play over the past few seasons, especially when compared to other enchanter options in bot lane. We wanted to approach this mid-scope update to her while staying true to her classic playstyle and identity. In particular, we believe Janna’s ally shielding and peel are what makes her appealing to most enchanter players, so we’ve shifted some power from her W and poke damage into her Es and Qs. We also made a few nice little QoL changes here and there in hopes of blowing you away~

###Base Stats

Move Speed :: 315 >>> 330

Base AD :: 46-71.5 >>> 52-103

AD Growth :: 1.5 >>> 3

Basic Attack Range :: 550 >>> 500

Passive – Tailwind

TAILWIND :: Janna gains 8% bonus move speed only while moving toward allied champions. (Bonus move speed for allied champions moving towards Janna unchanged.)

FAST & FURIOUS :: Janna’s basic attacks and W – Zephyr no longer deal bonus magic damage based on her bonus move speed

Q – Howling Gale

Cost :: 60/90/100/120/140 mana >>> 60/70/80/90/100 mana

Minimum Range :: 1000 >>> 1100

Maximum Range :: 1750 >>> 1760

Time to Destination :: 1.5 seconds >>> 1.25 seconds

W – Zephyr

Range :: 550 (from edge to edge) >>> 650 (centered)

Slow Duration :: 2 seconds >>> 3 seconds

Cooldown :: 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 seconds >>> 12 seconds at all ranks

Base Damage :: 55/85/115/145/175 >>> 70/100/130/160/190

Bonus Move Speed :: 6/7/8/9/10% >>> 8/9/10/11/12%

E – Eye of the Storm

A FRIENDLY FORECAST :: Innate – Whenever Janna’s abilities slow or knock up at least one enemy champion, ||| E – Eye of the Storm’s cooldown is reduced by 20% >>> she receives +20% heal and shield power for 5 seconds

Shield :: 80/115/150/185/220 (+70% AP) >>> 80/110/140/170/200 (+65% AP)

Cooldown :: 16/15/14/13/12 seconds >>> 15/13.5/12/10.5/9 seconds

Shield Decay Starts After :: 0.75 seconds >>> 1.25 seconds

R – Monsoon

Healing Tick Rate :: 0.5 seconds >>> 0.25 seconds (total heal amount unchanged)

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Lulu

W cooldown increased.

Lulu’s been queen of the bot lane for quite some time now—especially at the highest levels of play—so we’re reducing access to her most versatile spell just a pinch!

W – Whimsy

Cooldown :: 16/15/14/13/12 seconds >>> 17/16/15/14/13 seconds

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Nocturne

Health growth increased. Q damage ratio increased.

Nocturne has been a nightmare to play as in all skill brackets, regardless of his builds or runes. We’re buffing him with some scaling power, so he can become more useful as the game progresses, rather than just relying on his ultimate as his only way to say lights out.

###Base Stats

Health Growth :: 85 >> 95

Q – Duskbringer

Bonus AD Ratio :: 75% >>> 85%

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Qiyana

Base health regen decreased. Brush Q zone duration decreased.

Qiyana is dominating Elite play quite a bit right now. We’re reducing how much time she gets to spend being invisible in a fight, which should help lower some frustration when playing against the Empress of the Elements.

###Base Stats

Base Health Regeneration :: 7.5 >>> 6

Q – Edge of Ixtal

Grass Trail Zone Duration :: 3.5 seconds >>> 3 seconds

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Rengar

R passive now enables leaping from camouflage.

As a primary jungler, this battle kitty has been suffering a lot on the Chemtech Rift. While he’s not the only champion affected, Rengar has certainly gotten the worst of it as so much of his power budget is dedicated to his passive’s interaction with brush. Removing 12 spots of it is incredibly disruptive—not just to his core farming pattern, but his entire gameplay, really—so we’re giving him a new way to pounce and prowl. No catnip needed. (Note that this passive is on his R and only takes effect once he ranks up his ultimate.)

R – Thrill of the Hunt

HIDE AND LEAP :: Innate – Rengar can leap to enemies with his next basic attack when he is in camouflage

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Samira

R base damage increased.

Now that her mid-game transition is less reliable with the Shieldbow nerfs, we’re giving Samira a bit more baseline potential in her R so she can snowball in style.

R – Inferno Trigger

Physical Damage per Shot :: 0/10/20 (+50% AD) >>> 5/15/25 (+50% AD)

Total Damage per Target :: 0/100/200 (+500% AD) >>> 50/150/250 (+500% AD)

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Senna

Q passive now empowers basic attacks with slows.

Senna is quite weak this season, especially when she builds for DPS. The old Glacial Augment was a crucial part of that playstyle and since it no longer procs off Senna’s basic attacks, we’re adding some utility back into her kit.

Q – Absolution

LOW VISIBILITY :: Innate – Senna’s basic attacks now slow enemies by 20% (+6% per 100 AP) (+10% per 100 bonus AD) for 2 seconds

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Shen

Q damage decreased.

With the changes to Teleport in 12.1, Shen has once again become king when it comes to map influence from top lane. To bring things back to equilibrium, we’re lowering his damage as a duelist instead of bringing down his cross-map power so that his unique, global presence remains his most powerful tool.

Q – Twilight Assault

Increased Bonus Damage :: 10-40 (+6 every 3 levels) (+5/5.5/6/6.5/7% (+2% per 100 AP) of target’s max health) >>> 10-40 (+6 every 3 levels) (+4/4.5/5/5.5/6% (+2% per 100 AP) of target’s max health)

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Tahm Kench

Q slow increased. E adjusted; damage stored as grey health decreased (unless near multiple enemies). R ally shield increased; now grants move speed upon devouring ally.

We did a mini-rework of Tahm Kench back in 11.13 because his old kit held huge advantages in highly coordinated team play. Our goal back then was to lower his priority in Pro pick/ban while putting him in a place where he could have a fun playstyle, as well as reasonable winrates in both of his roles. (Historically, his top lane winrate has been higher than that of his support.)

The rework is looking pretty good so far in terms of Pro play as he doesn’t have nearly as much priority there as he used to. When it comes to his winrates, the rework didn’t dramatically affect the difference between his support versus top capabilities, but it did highlight the gap. This left support Tahm Kench players feeling like the catfish was no longer viable in their role. Now that we’ve had some time to observe all of these effects together, we’re willing to take a riskier swing to buff support Kench while nerfing his top lane capabilities to keep him in check up there.

Q – Tongue Lash

Enemy Slow :: 40% >>> 50%

E – Thick Skin

Amount of Damage Stored into Grey Health :: 45/50/55/60/65% >>> 15/25/35/45/55%, increased to 45/50/55/60/65% if there are 2 or more visible enemy champions nearby (dead or alive)

Amount of Healing Restored from Grey Health :: 30-100% (levels 1-18) >>> 45-100% (levels 1-18)

R – Devour

Ally Shield Upon Devour :: 400/500/600 (+100% AP) >>> 500/700/900 (+150% AP)

Move Speed Upon Devouring Ally :: Slows Tahm Kench by 30/20/10% while ally is swallowed >>> Grants Tahm Kench 40% move speed for 3 seconds (regardless of swallow duration)

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Talon

W monster damage ratio decreased.

We introduced Talon jungle in 11.18 in hopes of bringing new players and playstyles into the jungle. He ended up becoming one of the stronger jungle assassins, especially in Elite play where his mobility, damage, and clear speed are almost unmatched. He’s still extremely fun as a flex pick, but we also understand that his current state has very few weaknesses, which can be frustrating to play against. In turn, we’re heavily nerfing his clear speed to tune him down. He’ll still be viable there and will keep his high-mobility edge, but you might need to think a little longer before jumping into the jungle with him.

W – Rake

Damage Against Monsters :: 130% >>> 105%

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Tristana

Base health and health regen increased.

Our rocket girl isn’t doing so hot lately. Her abilities already hit super hard, but they’re pretty risky and can take a while to stack up. We’re bumping up her early durability to give Tristana the time she needs to finish her combos and survive those explosive plays.

###Base Stats

Base Health :: 559 >>> 600

Base Health Regeneration :: 3.75 >>> 4

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Veigar

Q cooldown decreased; stacks from large monsters and minions increased.

The tiny master of evil has been less threatening than usual as of late. We’re upping the rate on his Phenomenal Evil stacks so that he can stand above his competitors in the mid lane. (Figuratively speaking, at least.)

Q – Baleful Strike

Cooldown :: 7/6.5/6/5.5/5 seconds >>> 6/5.5/5/4.5/4 seconds

Stacks Granted Upon Killing Large Monsters and Minions :: 2 >>> 3

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Volibear

Base AD growth increased. E cooldown decreased.

The once-fearsome Volibear is bad for everyone, everywhere. We’re giving him a reliable baseline stat buff and more access to his signature stormy skill.

###Base Stats

Attack Damage Growth :: 3 >>> 3.5

E – Sky Splitter

Cooldown :: 15 seconds >>> 13 seconds

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Yasuo

Q damage ratio increased.

Like Samira, the wind brothers were hit hard by the Immortal Shieldbow nerfs. We’re compensating for this by returning some of that power into their more skill-dependent abilities.

Q – Steel Tempest

Damage :: 20/45/70/95/120 (+100% AD) >>> 20/45/70/95/120 (+105% AD)

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Yone

Q damage ratio increased.

Of course, we have to do the same for Yone to make sure he doesn’t fall behind in the sibling rivalry.

Q – Mortal Steel

Damage :: 20/40/60/80/100 (+100% AD) >>> 20/40/60/80/100 (+105% AD)

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Zed

R base damage ratio decreased.

Zed has been creeping up from the shadows in terms of both power and ban rate. We’re tapping him back down in a way that will require him to make better use of his base kit to secure kills.

R – Death Mark

Damage :: 100% AD (+25/40/55% of damage dealt against marked target)>>> 65% AD (+25/40/55% of damage dealt against marked target)

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#Items

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Lich Bane

At the start of Season 2021, we revamped Lich Bane to broaden its user base by removing its ability haste and increasing Spellblade’s damage and cooldown. These changes made it very powerful as a burst tool, but that burst also got a few nerfs throughout the year. As a result, Lich Bane was left feeling pretty underwhelming for its core users, so we’re partially restoring it to a healthier state.

Build Path :: Blasting Wand + Aether Wisp + Sheen + 600g >>> Fiendish Codex + Aether Wisp + Sheen + 550g (total cost unchanged)

Ability Haste :: 0 >>> 15

Spellblade Damage :: 150% base AD (+40% AP) >>> 75% base AD (+50% AP)

Spellblade Cooldown :: 2.5 seconds >>> 1.5 seconds

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Rylai’s Crystal Scepter

Rylai’s has been struggling to find its place in the last couple of seasons because it’s been trying to serve tanky battlemages, burn mages, and AP supports alike all at once. We’re focusing on its purpose as a utility item by lowering its cost and increasing its health to make it more accessible to tankier midrange mages and supports.

Total Cost :: 3000 gold >>> 2600 gold

Combine Cost :: 815 gold >>> 415 gold

Ability Power :: 90 >>> 75

Health :: 350 >>> 400

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#Jungle

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Chemtech Drake

###Chemtech Dragon Soul

The Chemtech Dragon Soul is still significantly overperforming compared to other dragon soul buffs. We’re nerfing the undeads’ health and, uh, longevity. Expected lifetime? Active duration? … You get what we mean.

Zombie Health :: 80% base health + 50% bonus health >>> 70% base health + 40% bonus health

Zombie Duration (Without Other Health Impacting Factors) :: 4 seconds >>> 3 seconds

###Chemtech Rift

We’re making a few changes to make the ahead team slightly less advantaged when fighting in the Chemtech Rift.

(Now’s a good time to mention we stealth-nerfed (heh) the Chemtech Rift last patch. At launch, champions instantly entered camouflage when they entered the fog. In 11.24, we made the camouflage timer check if you’ve made any offensive moves in the last 1.5 seconds upon entering the fog as well. The only change to the camouflage mechanics this patch is an increase to that timer.)

Offensive Action Camouflage Timer :: 1.5 seconds* >>> 2.5 seconds

Bonus Damage Vs Enemies with More Current Health :: Up to 10% >>> Up to 12%

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Hextech Drake

###Hextech Dragon Soul

Hextech Dragon Soul is also overperforming compared to other soul effects, though not to the same degree as Chemtech.

Chain Lightning True Damage :: 25-75 (based on attacker’s level, 1-18) >>> 25-50 (based on attacker’s level, 1-18)

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#Runes

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Lethal Tempo

Lethal Tempo’s power is skewed a little too much toward early game right now, making it especially cheese for melee champions. We’re adjusting it to be weaker early on and letting it scale instead.

Attack Speed per Stack (Melee) :: 13% >>> 10-15% (levels 1-15)

Attack Speed per Stack (Ranged) :: 7% >>> 5-9% (levels 1-12)

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#ARURF is Back!

Ring in the Lunar New Year with ARURF starting on January 26! (That’s the All Random Ultra Rapid Fire game mode if you’re new around these parts.) Beyond the normal ARURF that you know and love, we added a flipper full of changes to a couple of runes and a few surprises to the Awesome Buff of Awesomely Awesome Buffing’s tooltip.

ARURF First Strike Cooldown :: 25-15 seconds (levels 1-18) >>> 15-9 seconds (levels 1-18)

ARURF Glacial Augment Cooldown :: 25 seconds >>> 15 seconds

#VFX Updates

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Sona

Base Sona :: Complete overhaul

Muse Sona :: Minor details added to new base

Pentakill Sona :: Same as new base

Silent Night Sona :: Recolored from new base

Guqin Sona :: Minor details added to new base

Arcade Sona :: Complete overhaul

DJ Sona :: Complete overhaul and additional special celebration effects for each passive aura

Sweetheart Sona :: Same as new base, plus some cleanup

Odyssey Sona :: Minimal tweaks

Pentakill III: Lost Chapter Sona :: Minimal tweaks

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Vayne

Base Vayne :: Complete overhaul

Dragonslayer Vayne :: Recolored from base with added smoke and flames

Heartseeker Vayne :: Recolored from base with heart in W decal

SKT T1 :: Same as new base, different missiles to match model

Arclight Vayne :: Recolored from base with more golden, divine sparks

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#Bugfixes & QoL Changes

Fixed a bug where Teleport could sometimes still target certain units other than towers before 14 minutes

Fixed a bug where Unleashed Teleport would permanently replace one of your Summoner Spells if acquired and used via the Unsealed Spellbook rune

Champions will now correctly drop Unleashed Teleport spell shards if used after 14 minutes into a game with Zoe

Fixed a bug where Yone could sometimes cast Unleashed Teleport while his E – Soul Unbound was active

The exclamation point stealth indicator has been fixed and will correctly reappear above your champion if you are visible to an enemy inside the Chemtech Fog after completing certain stealthing abilities (such as Akali’s W – Twilight Shroud)

Fixed a bug where towers would incorrectly target enemy champions who took damage from Kog’Maw’s Passive – Icathian Surprise or Karthus’s Passive – Death Defied

Rengar’s Passive – Unseen Predator leap basic attacks will correctly trigger Navori Quickblades’ Deft Strikes effect

Fixed a bug where taking damage from certain jungle monsters would sometimes incorrectly grant stacks toward Force of Nature’s Absorb passive

Fixed a bug where triggering Glacial Augment’s passive would incorrectly count toward triggering Eclipse’s Ever Rising Moon passive

Fixed a bug where Mythic or active item icon borders would sometimes appear in incorrect locations. (Yes, the mysterious orange squares…)

Enemy player chat and emote mute toggle buttons have been fixed and will no longer overlap with other icons in the scoreboard

DJ Sona and K/DA Seraphine’s in-game music mute toggle buttons have been fixed and will display correctly next to their champion icon in the scoreboard every game

Chat restriction notifications have been fixed and will once again inform players how many messages they have left in their limit

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