League of Legends 26.18 Preview Plans Buffs for 7 Champions and Nerfs for 5
Cassiopeia is slated for a power-neutral adjustment, while Guinsoo's Rageblade is due for a small power increase after its Phantom Hit trigger changed in 26.14.
League of Legends Patch 26.18 is taking shape with planned buffs for 7 champions, nerfs for 5 more, a power-neutral adjustment for Cassiopeia, and a system buff for Guinsoo’s Rageblade. Riot’s preview provides the target list but does not include exact numbers or a release date, so these changes remain preliminary.
Patch 26.18 Preview!
We're very quickly approaching Worlds (on 25.20).
Rageblade
– In 26.14, we re-scripted Rageblade and it changed the trigger for Phantom hit from 6 to 7
– We're making a small adjustments to Rageblade itself to give a bit of power back and to some of the… pic.twitter.com/yoIFegIa30— Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon) September 1, 2026
The preview also says Worlds will be played on Patch 25.20, putting added pressure on the balance team to settle the game’s competitive picture before that event. For now, the 26.18 changes cover both high-level play concerns and champions that Riot wants to strengthen for regular players.
7 champions are planned for buffs
Renekton, Viego, Zaahen, Aurelion Sol, Ekko, Kassadin, and Master Yi are the planned buff targets. The preview does not explain the exact changes for most of them, although Master Yi is specifically mentioned alongside the Rageblade adjustments.
5 champions are planned for nerfs
Bard and Nautilus join Seraphine, Syndra, and Zeri among the champions marked for nerfs. Seraphine receives the most detailed explanation, with Riot addressing both her current strength and the difficulty of balancing her across support, mid, and bot lane.
Riot said Seraphine has placed in the top 3 of its regular patch frustration surveys for several patches. She has also been one of the strongest pairings with Ashe in pro play, which helped make a nerf reasonable from Riot’s perspective.
Support remains Seraphine’s most popular role, and Riot said it will continue to prioritize that audience. The team still wants her mid and bot builds to feel powerful when possible, but it acknowledged that trying to satisfy every role at once can leave each version with too many compromises.
The preview also revisits an earlier reduction to Seraphine’s Q AP ratio, which has remained a sore point for some players. Riot explained that AP ratios are one of the tools used to separate her farming roles from support, and that Q can reach a 1.4 AP ratio at its maximum multiplier in lane. Since Q deals more overall damage than E, Riot currently considers the ratio reasonable, though it said the decision is not permanent.
Cassiopeia will trade early power for scaling
Cassiopeia is the lone champion receiving an adjustment instead of a straightforward buff or nerf. Riot considers her especially strong at higher levels of play since Deathfire Touch returned, with her laning strength helping her appear often in pro play.
The planned changes will take some power from Cassiopeia’s early game and move it into her scaling. Riot wants her to be less likely to win lane when she misses Q while preserving the strong laning tools that define the champion.
Guinsoo’s Rageblade will get power back
Patch 26.14 changed Rageblade’s scripting and moved the Phantom Hit trigger from 6 attacks to 7. Patch 26.18 will make a small adjustment to the item to restore some of the lost power and help champions affected more heavily by that change, including Master Yi.
With exact values still absent, Patch 26.18 currently offers a clear direction but not a finished balance picture. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, Telegram.
League of Legends
Developed by Riot Games
League of Legends is a fast-paced, competitive online game that blends the speed and intensity of an RTS with RPG elements. Two teams of powerful champions, each with a unique design and playstyle, battle head-to-head across multiple battlefields and game modes. With an ever-expanding roster of champions, frequent updates and a thriving tournament scene, League of Legends offers endless replayability for players of every skill level.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, MOBA
- Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
- Perspective Bird view / Isometric
- Modes Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release October 27, 2009
- Publisher Riot Games, Tencent Holdings, GOA Games Services Ltd.
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Age Rating
