League of Legends preseason is coming up, and that means everything is about to change. We have a lot of official information from their site and unofficial information from the PBE.

Most champions with Mana as a resource are getting new mana pool sizes and scaling to adjust for mana pots being removed, and several less viable champions are getting reworks. This article will be focusing on the item changes.

The first thing to note is an item overhaul for what they’ve dubbed “marksman items.”

This is a misleading name as these same items are also used for many auto-attacking/AD scaling champs.

The reason it’s about “marksmen” is this is Riot’s personal name for what most people call the AD Carry. These item changes will affect every single physical damage based champ in an overall, probably positive way.

Riot has realize that ADCs have one or two correct item builds per Champ, and most of the champs all share the same item build. Infinity Edge is almost always first item, because almost all ADCs build Critical %. This is not changing,  IE is still the prime crit item, but they’ve buffed MANY other items to make them viable starting choices

Some recipes have been changed, some items have been removed, but I’ll start by focusing on the item changes for top tier, complete items, the ones you’ll be getting end game.

Masteries have been overhauled, there is a free example mastery editor out here: http://efferentinc.com/wp-content/lol6calc/index.html#

ADC ITEMS

Essence Reaver

costs 3600 gold

Build Path: B. F. Sword + Caufield’s Warhammer + Cloak of Agility + 300 gold

+65 Attack Damage

+20% Critical Strike Chance

• UNIQUE Passive: +10% Cooldown Reduction.
• UNIQUE Passive: Gain up to +20% additional Cooldown Reduction equal to your Critical Strike Chance from other sources.
• UNIQUE Passive: Critical strikes restore 3% of your maximum Mana pool.

Here’s where things get INTERESTING. Essence reaver already exists, but it’s Terrible.

What makes new ER so much better is the CDR based on Crit %. This and Infinity Edge will probably become one of the more standard builds, as it means you crit a lot, your crits do tons of damage, and each crit gives you mana, alongside the free CDR.

Mana is also much more scarce in the early game, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of first item ER builds.

Infinity Edge

AD lowered to 65 from 80

Total cost lowered to 3600 from 3800

Unique Passive reads Critical Strike bonus damage increased by 50%

Infinity Edge is notably changed.The passive has the same effect, but the AD is lower, and the price is lower. Arguably not a huge nerf.

Phantom Dancer

costs 2700 Gold

Recipe: Zeal + 2x Daggers + 900g

+40% Attack Speed

+30% Critical Strike Chance

• UNIQUE Passive – Spectral Waltz: While within 500 units of an enemy Champion you can see, +12% Movement Speed and you can move though units.
• UNIQUE Passive – Lament: The last champion hit deal 12% less damage to you (ends after 10 seconds of not hitting).

Phantom Dancer now has lost its effect of ignoring unit collisions,a nd has gained two new passives.

Lament is great for duels, and Spectral Waltz makes it very easy to escape champions, which is one of the few moments you will have the old passive effect back. Another great dueling item, but also just a “safe” item in general. Makes survivability easier, and laning slightly easier.

Rapid Firecannon

2500 gold

Build Path: Zeal + Kircheis Shard + 550 gold

+30% Attack Speed

+30% Critical Strike Chance

+8% Movement Speed

• Passive: Moving and attacking will make an attack Energized.
• UNIQUE Passive – Firecannon: Your Energized attacks gain 35% bonus range (+150 range maximum) and deal 50-200 bonus magic damage (based on level) on hit.
• Energized attacks function on structures.

RF allows you to seige turrets more safely, Tristana and Kog’Maw can even poke at a tower from outside it’s range, allowing much safer sieging.

RF is arguably similar to Statikk Shiv, which has not changed.

Runaan’s Hurricane

costs 2500 gold

+40% Attack Speed

+30% Critical Chance

+5% Movement Speed

• Unique Passive – Wind’s Fury: When basic attacking, bolts are fired at up to 2 enemies near the target, each dealing (25% of Attack Damage) physical damage. Bolts can critically strike, and apply on hit effects.
• Unique Passive: Basic attacks deal an additional 15 physical damage on hit.

This is a huge buff to runaan’s as previously you couldn’t build crit with runaans. Now runaan’s has plenty of crit chance, and has a slight buff to the two secondary bolts, as they can critically strike for 50% AD rather than 25% when you don’t.

Death’s Dance

costs 3400 Gold

+64 Attack Damage (65 AD)

+10% Cooldown Reduction

• UNIQUE Passive: Dealing physical damage heals for 12% of the damage dealt. (33% effectiveness for multi-target effects.)

• UNIQUE Passive: 12% of damage taken is dealt as a Bleed effect over 5 seconds instead.

Death’s dance is an entirely new item, that means ADCs have better skirmishing/dueling potential. An ADC caught out in a 1v1 they didn’t expect can make it out alive with this item. This and Lifesteal makes for an interesting build that can win almost any 1v1.

The Bloodthirster stands Unchanged, except the lifesteal itself is no longer a unqiue passive, so it can stack. The overheal cannot stack, however.

The last borderline ADC item in the known changes is Guinsoo’s Rageblade

Lord Dominik’s Regards

costs 2700 Gold

+40 Attack Damage

• UNIQUE Passive – Giant Slayer: Grants up to 15% Damage against enemy champions with greater maximum health than you (+1.5% damager per 50 health difference, maxing at 500 health difference).
• UNIQUE Passive – Last Whisper: +40% Bonus Armor Penetration.

Dom’s Regards (LDR) builds out of Giant Slayer (a new item) and Last Whisper (now a much cheaper component item)

Mortal Reminder

costs 2700 gold

Build Path: Last Whisper + Executioner’s Calling + 400 gold

+40 Attack Damage

• UNIQUE Passive – Executioner: Physical damage inflicts Grievous Wounds on enemy champions for 5 seconds.
• UNIQUE Passive – Last Whisper: +40% Bonus Armor Penetration.

Mortal Reminder is an alternative if they aren’t stacking health. Also builds out of Last Whisper, making there now two items to counter tanky builds, instead of one. Will not be as effective on high health champs, but will allow tanky laners to build this to deal with other tanky laners better.

Grievous wounds also work differently than how they used to, and reduces self healing by 40% rather than 50% for all healing.

Guinsoo’s Rageblade

costs 2500 gold

Build Path: Blasting Wand + Pickaxe + 775 gold

+30 Attack Damage

+40 Ability Power

• UNIQUE Passive: Basic attacks grant +8% Attack Speed, +3 Attack Damage, and +4 Ability Power for 5 seconds (stacks up to 8 times, melee attacks grant 2 stacks). While you have 8 stacks, gain Guinsoo’s Rage.
• Guinsoo’s Rage: Basic attacks deal bonus magic damage on hit equal to 20 + 15% of bonus Attack Damage and 7.5% of Ability Power to the target and nearby enemy units.

It’s a small buff. Will it be viable? Probably not, it hasn’t really ever been viable, and probably wont be because of this. Mixed Magic/Physical builds generally fall pretty far below the pure Magic/pure Physical options.

VISION

Vision has a Huge Change this season, you can no longer buy green wards from the shop. To compensate, trinkets have two charges from the start, much like the upgraded version, and automatically get better over time, auto-upgrading, you could call it.  (Pinks cost 75 now)

Additionally, sightstones are much better, in that support items can combine with sightstone for a modified version. New items listed below.

Eye of the Oasis

costs 2200 gold

Build Path: Sightstone + Nomad’s Medallion + 550 gold

+200 Health

+150% Base Health Regen

+150% Base Mana Regen

• UNIQUE Passive – Favor: Being near a minion death without dealing the killing blow grants 6 Gold and 10 Health.
• UNIQUE Active – Warding: Consumes a charge to place a Stealth Ward that reveals the surrounding area for 150 seconds. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

Limited to 1 Gold Income Item

Eye of the Watchers

costs 2200 gold

Build Path:  Sightstone + Frostfang + 550 gold

+200 Health

+25 Ability Power

+2 Gold per 10 Seconds

+150% Base Mana Regen

• UNIQUE Passive – Tribute: Spells and basic attacks against champions or buildings deal 15 additional damage and grant 15 Gold. This can occur up to 4 times every 30 seconds.
• UNIQUE Active – Warding: Consumes a charge to place a Stealth Ward that reveals the surrounding area for 150 seconds. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

Limited to 1 Gold Income Item

Eye of the Equinox

costs 2200 Gold

Build Path: Sightstone + Targon’s Brace + 550 gold

+500 Health

+100% Base Health Regen

• UNIQUE Passive – Spoils of War: Melee basic attacks execute minions below 400 Health. Killing a minion heals the owner and the nearest allied champion for 50 health and grants them kill Gold. These effects require a nearby allied champion. Recharges every 30 seconds. Max 4 charges.

• UNIQUE Active – Warding: Consumes a charge to place a Stealth Ward that reveals the surrounding area for 150 seconds. Holds up to 4 charges which refill upon visiting the shop.

Limited to 1 Gold Income Item

Jungling changes

There are now two different starting jungle items

Poacher’s Knife and Ranger’s Trailblazer have both been removed.

Hunter’s Machete

Cost lowered to 350 from 400

Now Gives 8% lifesteal vs monsters

JUNGLE Passive removed.

NEW Passive – Nail: Basic attacks deal 20 bonus damage on hit vs Monsters. Killing large monsters grants 15 bonus experience.

Hunter’s Talisman (NEW)

350 gold

+150% Mana Regeneration while in Jungle.

UNIQUE Passive – Tooth: Damaging a monster steals 20 Health over 5 seconds. Grants +15 bonus experience when killing Large Jungle Monsters.

Builds Into: Stalker’s Blade, Tracker’s Knife, Skirmisher’s Sabre

All jungle items/enchants build out of the combination of these two, and contain the effects of both, and a combined passive “Tooth and Nail”

New Jungle Item:

Tracker’s Knife

costs 1050 gold

Build Path: Hunter’s Talisman + Hunter’s Machete + 350 gold

Limited to 1 Jungle item

+10% Life Steal vs. Monsters

+150% Mana Regeneration while in Jungle

• UNIQUE  Passive – Tooth / Nail: Basic attacks deal 20 bonus damage vs. monsters. Damaging a monster steals 30 Health over 5 seconds. Killing a Large Monster grants +30 bonus experience.

• UNIQUE Active – Warding (Minor): Consumes a charge to place a Stealth Ward that reveals the surrounding area for 150 seconds.  Holds up to 2 charges which refill upon visiting the shop

Basically a mini sightstone for the jungle. Does not change how smite works, like other jungle items.

Enchant changes:

Warrior Enchant on Jungle Items is now 60 AD/0 Armor Pen.

Runeglaive now costs more, gives 40AP (10 less) and Mana increased to 250 (from 200)

Potion and Starting Item changes

You’ve probably heard about Mana potions being gone, which is true, but health pots also cost more (50 instead of 35) And now some potions are refillable.  

Refillable Potion

costs 150 Gold

Limited to 1 type of Healing Potion.

• UNIQUE Active: consumes a charge to restore 100 health over 10 seconds. Holds up to 2 charges and refills upon visiting the shop.

Builds into: Hunter’s Potion & Corrupting Potion

Hunter’s Potion

costs 400 Gold

• UNIQUE Active: consumes a charge to restore 60 Health and 35 Mana over 8 seconds. Holds up to 5 charges and refills upon visiting the shop.

Killing a Large Monster Grants one charge.

(Killing a Large Monster at full charges will automatically consume the newest charge.)

Corrupting Potion

costs 500 Gold

Limited to one type of Healing Potion.

• UNIQUE Active: Consumes a charge to restore 150 Health and 50 Mana over 12 seconds and grants Touch of Corruption during that time.  Holds up to 3 charges that refill upon visiting the shop.

Touch of Corruption: Spells and attacks burn enemy champions for 15-30 Magic damage over 3 seconds. (Half Damage for Area of Effect of Damage over Time spells. Damage increases with champion level.

New Starting Items

Cull

costs 450 gold

+5 Attack Damage

+3 Life on Hit

• UNIQUE Passive: Killing a minion grants 1 additional gold. Killing 100 minions grants an additional 300 bonus gold immediately and disables this passive.

The Dark Seal

costs 400 gold

+15 Ability Power

+25% Increased Healing from Potions

+100 Mana

• UNIQUE Passive – Dread: Grants +2 Ability Power per Glory.
• UNIQUE Passive – Do or Die: Grants 3 Glory for a champion kill or 1 Glory for an assist, up to 10 Glory total. Lose 6 Glory on death.

Builds Into: Mejai’s Soulstealer

Starting Item Changes

• Doran’s Blade is 80HP instead of 70, 8 AD instead of 7. Price increased to balance for more starting gold.
• Doran’s Ring Mana Regen is now 50% of base, not flat 3 per 5 seconds. (better late game, worse early)

Top Lane

Top lane now has its own equivalent dragon for the early game, a rift scuttler that wandered into the baron pit and was corrupted by the abyss. We’ll get more info on that after it hits live, but for now, all we know for sure is it should be easy to take down with two people, Probably Jungler/Top Laner.

Other item changes that are less noticeable/important follow:

Buffs:

• Berserker’s Greaves are 30% attack speed instead of 25% and cost 100 more gold.
• Doran’s Blade is 80HP instead of 70, 8 AD instead of 7. Price increased to balance for more starting gold.
• Frozen Mallet is cheaper (3000 from 3300) and 5 more AD (35 from 30)
• Boots of Lucidity cost reduced, CDR is 10% instead of 15% and now reduces summoner spell cooldown by 10%. (costs 800 down from 1000)
• Lich Bane now costs 3200, grants 10% CDR, movement speed buff now 7%.
• Sterak’s Gage now 10 gold less expensive

Middling Changes:

• Doran’s Ring Mana Regen is now 50% of base, not flat 3 per 5 seconds. (better late game, worse early)
• Warrior Enchant on Jungle Items is now 60 AD/0 Armor Pen.
• Guardian Angel is now more expensive and gives 10 more MR/Armor (60 rather than 50)
• Hextech Gunblade now has no cooldown for active from attacks and single target spells and heals are 15% damage dealt, rather than 10LS and 20SpellVamp. Also is 33% effectiveness on AOE.
• Iceborn Gauntlet no longer grants AP, CDR is 20 instead of 10, slow zone increases with bonus armor, 5 more armor and total cost reduced.
• Maw of Malmortius more expensive, by 50G, AD Lowered by 5, MR increased by 10, adds 10 armor pen. Bonus AD from Missing HP removed. New Passive: Lifegrip, when triggered gain 25%AS, 10%SpellVamp and 10%lifesteal till out of combat.
• Mejai’s Soulstealer Reworked, builds out of a starting item. Gives 200 mana, 5AP per glory, 10% movespeed if you have more than 15 Glory. Grant 4 Glory per champ kill, 1 (2) per assist. 30 Max total, lose 10 on death.
• Ninja Tabi more expensive, and 5 more armor.
• Randuins Omen 50 more health, costs 300 more gold.
• Black Cleaver now 500 gold more expensive, AD increased to 55 from 40. Gives 100 less health.
• Youmuu’s Ghostblade cost increased by 500 gold. 35 more AD. no longer gives crit chance.

Nerfs:

• Luden’s Echo now costs more (3200 from 3000)
• Manamune More Expensive
• Dead Man’s Plate more expensive.
• Ohmwrecker more expensive.
• Rabadon’s Deathcap more expensive
• Ravenous Hydra costs 300 more gold. now freely exchangeable for Titanic and back to Ravenous
• Titanic Hydra now 300 more gold, freely exchangeable with Ravenous Hydra
• Rylai’s Crystal Scepter now 200 more expensive.
• Void Staff 150 more gold.