The Winners and Losers of Patch 4.8

The much-anticipated Patch 4.8 notes have finally been unveiled, bringing a wave of buffs and nerfs to shake up the meta. Alongside the adjustments to existing cards, Patch 4.8 introduces 10 new cards as part of the variety set. Each of these distinctive cards holds unique abilities, and the task falls upon the community to find the optimal archetypes to incorporate them into.

This patch mostly nerfs powerful archetypes in the Standard format, toning down their power with the aim of creating more space for other archetypes to thrive. On the other side, the buffs aim to bring underplayed archetypes into the spotlight. Numerous cards that remained in the shadows for a long time were given a boost, promising an Eternal meta that deviates from the norm we've grown accustomed to.

In this article, I'll analyze how the environment is likely going to evolve. I'll discuss the decks that have been negatively impacted by the patch changes. Then, I'll focus on the winners of the patch, the decks that have gained a boost with buffs to some of their cards. You can find the Patch 4.8 notes here.

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Losers

Jhin Norra and Annie Katarina

Jhin Norra has been a solid control deck in the Standard meta and possesses the potential to excel in the Eternal format. This deck looks to prolong the game with its ability to keep up with the board's presence using Mysterious Portals and takes advantage of Lord Broadmane to keep the board in check.

A popular Eternal deck that I used in the past to make the top 8 in the Runeterra Open was Annie Katarina. It shares a comparable strategy with Jhin Norra but hinges on Tybaulks as a late-game winning condition.

The nerfs to Lord Broadmane and Condense significantly impact these decks. Lord Broadmane has become more vulnerable to damage cards and challenger units, making it easier for the opponent to shut down his board control prowess.

Regarding Condense, the card has found its way into various archetypes. The nerf aims to increase its playing difficulty, as reducing the mana cost of high-cost units has proven to be too strong in the right decks.

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Illaoi Swain

The Illaoi package proved popular for facilitating Swain's progression, particularly with an early Watchful Idol on the board. The Swain nerf delays his level-up, buying opponents more time to establish their strategies before Swain commences his stun game plan and board-threatening AOE damage.

This nerf also extends its influence to the Eternal version, which incorporates Ravenous Flock, a potent low-cost damage spell that can expedite Swain's level-up condition.

Moreover, Pirouette received a cost nerf, making its use before activating Plunder more challenging. This adjustment doesn't impact decks like Fizz Samira too much, as they're capable of damaging the Nexus with Flair or Stylish Shot, capitalizing on the cost reduction. However, a deck like Swain Illaoi or Annie Jhin will likely find Pirouette troublesome to cast without its Plunder effect, making it less feasible in various scenarios.

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Kennen Jinx

Kennen Jinx has remained one of the few aggressive decks to maintain top-tier status in the Standard format. This deck got two nerfs, impacting Squeaker and Return-o Wrench.

While Squeaker might still warrant consideration, Return-o Wrench no longer carries the Impact keyword, a crucial element that contributed to the deck's aggression. The +1 health doesn't serve the deck's game plan much, and the equipment will be mostly useful as discard fodder.

Kennen Jinx can still remains a solid deck in the meta, but players might opt to cut those two cards out of the list.

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• Notable Mentions: Vault of Helia, Fish Fight, Sump Monument, Champions' Strength.

The Vaults of Helia nerf aims to delay the landmark by one turn, giving a lot of decks more time to find the right answer before Nasus is on the board. Nevertheless, this nerf only marginally weakens the deck and should remain robust in a meta that doesn't specifically target it.

The cost increase of Fish Fight to 3 mana complicates its early-game casting. This change affects decks like Vayne Aatrox and Varus Jax, which heavily rely on this potent removal tool for board control.

The LoR community has expressed displeasure with Sump Monument's gameplay and the frustration it generates when pitted against it. The Nerf makes the card's usage more cost-demanding while intensifying the drawback – five Poison Puffcap for each point of damage. This nerf specifically targets the Teemo Puffcaps deck more than the Elusive Targon deck.

While Champions' Strength decks weren't popular on the ranked ladder, they remained potent tournament decks that can be difficult for a lot of lineups to deal with. The game plan usually revolves around developing a wide board of units into a Champions' Strength to end the game with the Scout keyword and +4|+4 stat buff. The nerf removes that Scout keyword, shutting down the 1-turn-powerful double attack and ensuring that the opponent only has to deal with one swing.

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Winners

Dragon Decks

Dragons received a couple of buffs to cards such as Confront, Strafing Strike, Molten Breath, Stalking Broodmother, and Dragonguard Lookout.

Shyvana Aurelion Sol, a prominent Dragons deck, had fallen out of favor for a long time. The buffs ought to bolster board control with the aid of Confront, Strafing Strike, and Molten Breath.

Dragonguard Lookout's buff is another noteworthy one that accelerates gameplay through the Rally effect. The +2 Power adds to Dragonguard Lookout board pressure, compelling opponents to block it when it goes for the attack. It can now also trade with higher health units.

We might witness diverse versions of Dragons decks, some favoring Jarvan IV over Aurelion Sol for stronger mid-game pressure. The nerf revert of Radiant Guardian, a vital mid-game Life Steal unit against aggressive decks, also remains a possible inclusion in Dragons decks.

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Akshan Lee Sin

Both champions, Akshan and Lee Sin, received buffs in Patch 4.8. Leveling up champions is now easier, hastening the execution of this combo-oriented deck's game plan.

The Lee Sin buff means you won't need for extensive resources to achieve his level-up, potentially enabling the setup for a winning play one turn earlier. Keep in mind that leveling up champions faster, means you get to activate The Absolver on earlier turns.

There's a lot of potential for Akshan Lee Sin's resurgence in the meta, but it mostly depends on how the meta will shift and if there are too many counter decks capable of shutting down its game plan. For example, Hush is a powerful tool that can shut down the Lee Sin kick, and since Targon and Dragons got a lot of buffs, we might see a lot of Hush in the meta. This means we could see AK Lee as more of a tournament deck than a ladder deck.

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Targon Invoke

Players will test the newly introduced card, Cosmic Call, which sets the stage for potent Celestial plays in the game's later stages. The buffs to Mountain Scryer and The Fangs amplify the mid-game strength of Targon decks until their win conditions take shape. Zoe Aphelios SI used to be one of the best decks in the meta for its ability to keep up with early pressure and set up big Celestial units like The Great Beyond to close out the game.

Another Targon deck, Thresh Aurelion Sol, has a more powerful late game with the help of a leveled Aurelion Sol that reduces the cost of Celestial cards to 0. The Withering Mist buff introduces a mid-game board control tool to assist you in keeping the opponent in check until the late game.

Startipped Peak now only costs 1 mana, so it's an easy inclusion in Targon decks, for the value it creates.

These two lists were created by Sirturmund and Zinke, respectively.

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Vladimir and Banquet Hall

The first deck that comes to mind with the Vladimir buff and the addition of Crimson Banquet Hall is the Braum Vladimir Scargrounds deck. The new Vladimir play effect enables the elimination of pesky units while also ping-damaging your own units to activate their special abilities.

However, the community has been brewing new Vladimir decks, and it seems that Soraka Vladimir Star Spring could be a day 1 experimental deck. This is a completely new deck, so it's difficult to evaluate how it'll perform before testing on the ranked ladder. The version I shared was created by Rusticles.

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• Notable mentions: (The Poro King and Frosted Snax), Nami, (Swiftwing Lancer, Greathorn Companion, Radiant Guardian), Wyrding Stones, Thorny Toad.

The Poro King can get those Special Snax earlier than usual, kickstarting pressure immediately as he levels. Notably, the Frosted Snax buff offers the ability to Freeze any unit without constraints anymore.

Nami, relatively out of the meta since her last nerf, undergoes a complete level-up overhaul and regains the +2|+1 boost. The new leveling process requires casting spells while Nami is on the board, expediting her progress to unleash the +2|+1 effect. This means you'll rely on low-cost spells to turbo-level her up. We might see the resurgence of decks like Zoe Nami or Nami Lee Sin.

Swiftwing Lancer, Greathorn Companion, and Radiant Guardian all receive solid buffs to elevate the mid-game of Demacia decks! This change also bolsters the Jayce Lux deck featuring Remembrance, summoning more potent units.

With the revert of Wyrding Stones' health, it might resurface as an inclusion in Ramp decks, particularly in Sett Trundle builds. It used to be a popular choice back in the days of Ramp decks like Warmother's Call.

The Thorny Toad buff is insanely good for Deep decks! Now you're able to block and kill units and have the Toad easily killed. Toad dying means you'll get that important Toss activated and work on going Deep. Also! Thorny Toad being at 1 Power meant that opponents can simply ignore it when it attacks, now the same can't be said, a 3 Power attack will most likely force an answer out of the opponent.

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Closing Words

This patch introduces an array of buffs to underutilized cards in a bid to reshape the meta landscape. As things stand, I'm brimming with enthusiasm to explore diverse decks and observe the shifts within the meta as players experiment and innovate.

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