Hey everyone! Patch 4.11 is in a couple of days, and I've already shared my Nerf wishlist, so it's time for the buffs! Buffing cards is a bit more difficult since you have to take into consideration cards that haven't seen much play at all and how we should bring them into the meta without breaking the meta.
So, let's jump right in with eight buffs I'd propose:
1- Swain
Swain's level-up requirement nerf to 16 damage has completely kicked him out of the meta, forcing the Noxus champion to rely on an early Watchful Idol
to level up. Although the Eternal meta has access to Ravenous Flock
, it can still be a challenge to hit that 16 damage before your opponent completely takes over the game.
Since Watchful Idol was nerfed, a revert to Swain's level-up seems justified, helping the Noxus champions exist in the new meta without heavily relying on the Illaoi
's support package.
2- Kai'Sa
Kai'Sa has been out of the meta since her Quick Attack keyword was removed. This made her more vulnerable when going for the attack and also slowed her level-up since she lost the Quick Attack level-up trigger. Kai'Sa now relies on finding an additional keyword to level up and needs to copy keywords like Quick Attack or Challenger to attack safely.
Giving back Kai'Sa's Quick Attack keyword will give decks like Evelynn
Kai'Sa a chance to come back in the meta. On paper, Kai'Sa should hold up well against the popular Janna
Nilah
deck as well.
3- Avarosan Marksman
Avarosan Marksman is a beta card that was overshadowed as new cards were introduced into the game.
There are two approaches to buff this card: increasing health or increasing the ability damage.
If we go with the health increase approach, giving Avarosan Marksman an additional 1 health will prevent it from dying to ping damage like Vile Feast
. This ensures you get to keep a unit on the board to act as a blocker.
If we buff Avarosan Marksman's ability to deal 2 damage, it might end up overpowered, so a stat Nerf will most likely be needed to keep it in check. Another ability buff is to allow Avarosan Marksman to target the opponent's Nexus, making it synergize with Plunder cards.
4- Gatalyst V 1.0
Gatalyst v1.0 has seen little play since its introduction, primarily because the unit it's equipped to often dies before it can generate significant value. Increasing the weapon's health to 0|1 would provide an extra layer of protection, ensuring it creates that crucial value.
5- Pilfered Goods
Pilfered Goods was once a powerful value Plunder spell with an RNG factor before it was hit with nerfs. To bring back the Nab mechanic, Pilfered Goods needs to go back to 2 mana, which in turn might mean the resurgence of Black Market Merchant
as a key early unit in Plunder decks.
6- Tri-Beam Improbulator
I once again ask for a Tri-beam Improbulator revert. The card has been out of the meta for a while, and even when players attempt to bring it back with a new Ezreal archetype, it simply can't keep up with the other Eternal decks. What made Tri-Beam Improbulator a powerful removal too is the ability to play in the mid-game and still have enough mana for other plays. It shifted the board pressure in your favor without the need to stack it up to 7+.
It might be time to lower its mana cost back to 4 mana.
7- Warmother's Call
The addition of Feel The Rush
to Runeterra has pushed Warmother's Call out of the meta, as there was no reason to play a 12-cost spell that takes two or three rounds to get impactful value out of.
Feel The Rush did a better job at setting up the win condition on the same turn it's played, forcing the opponent to have an immediate answer for Feel The Rush.
Dropping its cost down to 11 might bring the card back into the meta, allowing players to set it up on turn 8.
8- Kindred
I saw Bajatak talking about a Kindred buff by switching their stats from 4|3 to 3|4. This change aims to make Kindred more durable when you play them. Kindred has an extremely strong ability, which marks the opponent's weakest unit and eliminates it, helping you control your opponent's board.
The problem with Kindred is that they are vulnerable to spells like Aftershock
, Divine Whirlwind
, and Mystic Shot
+Ping spell. This makes it difficult for Kindred to level up because they often get eliminated in the round they're played in. By giving Kindred more health, it forces the opponent to have stronger answers or risk losing their units, and at the same time, it allows Kindred to advance their level-up requirement.
Losing 1 point of Power on Kindred isn't a big deal, especially if it means keeping them safe. You can hold off on attacking with Kindred if there's a risk of them dying.
9- Crystal Ibex
Crystal Ibex is a combo card that turns a high-stat unit into a win condition. However, it doesn't seem that the card is finding the right archetype for it to shine. We can either give Crystal Ibex a stat boost to 5|4 or give it the Overwhelm keyword, which will create a double Overwhelm threat once it's played.
Closing Words
I'm looking forward to the upcoming patch and hoping for impactful changes to shake up the meta. I prefer not to see the same Targon and Concurrent Timelines
decks we experienced in Patch 4.8.