League of Legends PBE patch 12.17 cycle champion updates: Maokai receives massive buffs and adjustments

With League of Legends patch 12.16 already live, Riot Games is now entering the 12.17 cycle for the PBE version of the MOBA.

The upcoming update will once again focus on the professional scene and introduce tweaks directly affecting the 2022 World Championship.

While developers are yet to provide details on the changes that they will introduce this time around, Riot August has already disclosed that Maokai will be receiving massive adjustments.

In a recent tweet, the League of Legends designer went over all the buffs and adjustments that will make their way to Maokai in the PBE 12.17 cycle. Changes will be introduced to almost every facet of his kit.

Here's what Riot August said in the tweet:

“Goal is to improve the feel of some of his spells + get him back into top and jungle without eliminating his support playstyle.”

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All Maokai changes in League of Legends PBE patch 12.17 cycle

Before moving on to the Maokai changes proposed by Riot Games, it’s important to note that the tweaks showcased here are tentative and might not reflect entirely in the final 12.17 update.

Riot Games will first test them out in the League of Legends PBE. Hence, players can expect to see a lot of changes made to them in the next couple of weeks.

Maokai PBE 12.17 updates:

(P) Sap Magic

• [new] Getting hit by large jungle monsters reduced cooldown: 1s per auto

(Q) Bramble Smash

• [Adjust] base damage: 70 / 110 / 150 / 190 / 230 (+40% AP) >>> 65 / 110 / 155 / 200 / 245 (+40% AP)
• [new] 8 max health damage: 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 / 3%
• [new] Now deals 20 / 35 / 50 / 65 / 80 bonus damage to monsters.

{E) Sapling Toss

• [removed] % max health damage
• [adjust] base damage total : 20 - 120 >>> 45 - 185 (+40% AP +3% tHP)
• [adjust] brush damage total: 40 - 240 >>> 75 - 315 (+80% AP +6% tHP)
• [new] Empowered damage does not affect minions
• [buff] mana cost: 60 / 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 >>> 45 / 55 / 65 / 75 / 85
• [buff] Slow Amount: 35% >>> 45%
• [new] Empowered Brush Slow Amount: 55%

(R) Nature's Grasp

• [buff] Missile Initial Speed: 50 >>> 100
• [buff] Missile Max Speed: 650 >>> 750
• [buff] Missile Acceleration : 250 >>> 300
• [new] Move speed on champion hit: 40-60% MS decaying over 2s

According to Riot Games, League of Legends patch 12.17 will go live in two weeks' time on September 8, 2022. It will be another update aimed at competitive play as Riot Games smoothens out the meta ahead of the 2022 World Championship.