Still, in its beta phase, Legends of Runeterra brings the seconds big batch of balance and card updates whilst listing some key features the team will be monitoring.
Release to open beta just over a month ago, Legends of Runeterra (LoR) is now live with its second big patch 0.92. It is filled with several full reworks that include one of the least played cards in LoR, Kalista and many others. Promising to make big changes to keep the game exciting and captivating for the current audience. Even addressing some of the annoyances with the turn timers.
LoR Champion Card Changes
Hecarim
Level 1
HEALTH: 6 → 5
LEVEL UP: You’ve attacked with 8+ [Ephemeral] units. → You’ve attacked with 7+ [Ephemeral] units.
Level 2
HEALTH: 7 → 6
OLD TEXT: Attack: Summon 2 attacking [Spectral Rider]. [Ephemeral] allies have +2 |+0.
NEW TEXT: Attack: Summon 2 attacking [Spectral Rider]. [Ephemeral] Allies have +3 |+0.
ONSLAUGHT OF SHADOWS/HECARIM’S ONSLAUGHT OF SHADOWS
Cost: 3 → 2
SPECTRAL RIDER
Power: 3 → 2
Kalista
Level 1
HEALTH: 2 → 3
[Fearsome] Play: Bond with an ally. Grant it +2 | +0 while we are bonded. Level Up: I’ve seen 3+ allies die.
NEW TEXT: [Fearsome] Level up: 4 allies die
Level 2
HEALTH: 3 → 4
OLD TEXT: [Fearsome] Play: Bond with an ally. Grant it +2 | +0 while we are bonded. Attack: Revive that ally attacking and reforge our bond. Level Up: I’ve seen 4+ allies die.
NEW TEXT: [Fearsome] The first time I attack each round, revive an attacking [Ephemeral] copy of the [Strongest] dead allied follower. This round, we’re bonded and it takes damage for me.
Black Spear
Power: 2 → 3
LoR Followers and Spells Card Changes
Main of the focus in this patch has been made to the followers and spell cards affecting 17 cards inn the best effort of balancing the game.
Brood Awakening
Cost: 6 → 5
Chump Whump
HEALTH: 4 → 3
Crowd Favorite
HEALTH: 2 → 1
Flash of Brilliance
OLD TEXT: Create a random spell in hand. Refill your spell mana.
NEW TEXT: Create a random spell that costs 6+ in hand. Refill your spell mana.
Iceborn Legacy
COST: 3 → 5
OLD TEXT: [Burst] Grant an ally and all allied copies of it EVERYWHERE +1|+1.
NEW TEXT:[Slow] Grant an ally and all allied copies of it EVERYWHERE +2|+2.
Mageseeker Inciter
POWER: 1 → 4
HEALTH: 4 → 3
TEXT: Play: Discard a spell to grant me Power equal to its cost.
NEW TEXT: Grant me 2|+2 once you’ve cast a 6 cost spell this game.
Mageseeker Investigator
OLD TEXT: Play: If you cast a spell this round, remove all text and keywords from an enemy follower.
NEW TEXT: Create a {Detain} once you’ve cast a 6+ cost spell this game.
Mark of the Isles
OLD TEXT: Grant an ally +3 | +3 and [Ephemeral].
NEW TEXT: Grant an ally +2 | +2 and [Ephemeral].
Mageseeker Persuader
COST: 6 → 2
POWER: 4 → 3
HEALTH: 1 → 2
OLD TEXT: [Challenger] Play: Discard a spell to grant me Health equal to its cost.
NEW TEXT: Grant me 1|+1 and [Challenger] once you’ve cast a 6 cost spell this game.
Navori Conspirator
POWER: 3 → 2
Pack Mentality
OLD TEXT: Give an ally and other allies of its group +3|+3 and [Overwhelm] this round.
NEW TEXT: Give allies +2|+2 and Overwhelm this round.
Poro Snax
Cost: 4 → 3
Rummage
OLD TEXT: To play, discard 2. Draw 2.
NEW TEXT: To play, discard 2. Draw 2. If you have exactly 1 other card in hand, discard 1 to draw 1.
The Rekindler
COST: 6 → 7
Troop of Elnuks
OLD TEXT: Play: Summon each Elnuk in the top 10 cards of your deck.
NEW TEXT: Play: For the top 6 cards in your deck, summon each Elnuk and shuffle the rest into your deck.
Unstable Voltician
OLD TEXT: When I’m summoned, grant me 4|+0 and [Quick Attack] if you’ve cast a 6 cost spell this game.
NEW TEXT: Grant me 4|+0 and [Quick Attack] once you’ve cast a 6 cost spell this game.
Vanguard Lookout
Name Change: Border Lookout → Vanguard Lookout
ELITE: Yes
Future Changes
Due to the plethora of changes, Riot Games will be monitoring certain powerful cards in the hopes they become less powerful from the change so they can avoid being nerfed. Cards Elise / Frenzied Skitter, Glimpse Beyond and Shadow Assassing have therefore been placed on a watch list, however, there may be potential adjustments in the near future.
Turn Timer Adjustments
The biggest issues players have been experiencing is with the turn timer, players would get a timed-out round due to a bombardment of burst spells. LoR Patch 0.9.2 made several adjustments to help combat these problems.
- Continued general improvements, including smoother blocking and clearer action cues as you play units and spells.
- A variety of Poison Puffcap animations take less time and can overlap with one another, for beautiful rolling waves of mushrooms.
- Draven’s Spinning Axes take less time when both created and cast.
- Level 2 Hecarim’s buff visuals are significantly faster, especially across many Ephemeral allies.
- Eager Apprentice, Inspiring Mentor, and Tortured Prodigy now take a more appropriately short amount of time for their simple effects.
- The discard animation is now faster and clearer, and opponent discards now properly reveal the card before disintegrating.
Expeditions Archetypes Changes
- Arachnophilia
- Added: Elixir of Wrath
- Battle Scars
- Added: Might, Alpha Wildclaw, Avarosan Marksman, Battle Fury
- Removed: Blood for Blood, Bull Elnuk, Kindly Tavernkeeper, Starlit Seer
- Demacian Steel
- Added: Mobilize
- Removed: Back to Back
- Noxian Might
- Added: Guile
- Removed: Elixir of Wrath
- Relentless
- Added: Lucian, Laurent Duelist
- Removed: Garen, Brightsteel Protector
- Shadows and Dust
- Increased the chance that Shadows and Dust will appear in Wild Picks when it’s your primary archetype.
- Shroom and Boom
- Added: Scrapdash Assembly
- Removed: Amateur Aeronaut
- Total Recall
- Added: Amateur Aeronaut
- Removed: Golden Crushbot
Bugfixes
- Players should now be able to edit/save decks even if they’re at the deck maximum.
- Players should no longer occasionally get stuck in full art view when receiving a friend challenge.
- Plaza Guardian and Scuttlegeist no longer revert to their full mana cost after being summoned.
- The Rekindler is now highlighted in hand when it will successfully revive a champion.
- Black Spear and Shunpo can now target allies.
- Dawn and Dusk should no longer occasionally cause pink streaks when cast.
- Accelerated Purrsuit’s resolution animation should now play correctly.
- Spinning Axe VFX cleaned up.
- “I survived” effects on units should no longer activate when units are dealt 0 base damage.
- Miscellaneous crash fixes.
- Miscellaneous card font fixes.
