League of Legends patch 13.16 preview: Akali and Brand buffs, Shaco nerfs, and more

League of Legends patch 13.16 preview is now out, and fans can get a glimpse of some of the changes that Riot Games will be introducing to the MOBA in the coming week. Some of the biggest highlights of the update will be the buffs making their way to Akali, Brand, and Caitlyn, with nerfs hitting Shaco in the support role, Tristana, and Naafiri.

There will be a considerable amount of balance changes to look forward to this time around as Riot attempts to level the champion meta ahead of the Worlds 2023 qualifiers.

When talking about the changes in League of Legends patch 13.16, RiotPhroxzon noted:

“13.16! Duskblade is a hot topic as it's picking up on non-assassins like Illaoi, Aatrox, Yorick, etc. We're bringing down its power and bringing up some of the weaker items in the assassin system Caitlyn buffs weren't enough and we're buffing up some of the champs we overnerfed.”

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League of Legends patch 13.16 preview

Before moving on the list of names who will be receiving changes in the upcoming patch, it’s important to note here that what the developers have proposed so far is tentative. Riot Games will be checking them out in the League of Legends PBE before shipping them with the official patch next week.

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1) Champion buffs

• Milio
• Lucian
• Lulu
• Karma
• Caitlyn
• Wukon
• Brand
• Akali
• Ekko
• Sylas

Picks like Caitlyn, Akali, and Brand have been struggling quite a bit to find relevance in the current season 13 meta. Hence, it's great to see the developers finally looking to show them some love and introduce quality-of-life changes to their kit in 13.16.

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2) Champion Nerfs

• Rek’Sai
• Shaco (Support)
• Naafiri
• Shyvana
• Tristana

Naafi will be nerfed this time around, and League of Legends’ latest champion has been doing a bit too well both in the midlane and jungle.

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3) System Buffs

• Axiom Arc
• Serpent's Fang
• Prowler’s Claw
• Umbral Glaive

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4) System Nerfs

• Dusk Blade of Draktharr

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League of Legends patch 13.16 release date

League of Legends patch 13.16 is expected to go live next week and will be dropping in the Rift on August 16, 2023. It will be one of the more important balance changes heading into Worlds 2023 and its qualifiers.