New Items Heading to League of Legends
With the League of Legends world championships set to get underway in just a matter of days, Riot Games has upped the ante by revealing that new items and mechanics will be shaking up life on the rift in the 2022 pre-season. The update comes just a couple of weeks since the new League of Legends Client was revealed and the global rollout began.
Riot's latest 'State of Gameplay' update revealed the changes, and in today's blog post, Team Norse Thunder's LoL ADC, Emily Dixon, takes a closer look at the new items coming to the shop.
Tank Items
Tank supports don't tend to offer up much damage output, but instead, act as a bit of a sponge for the enemy champion's attacks to protect their ADC. Although this way of approaching the support position can prove effective, it can be troublesome for engages in the early stages of the game due to the lack of additional peel.
The new mythic offensive item will reward tanks who engage in fights by increasing the amount of damage all in range enemies take when they're immobilized. This is a lovely item for champions with strong engage like Leona, Nautilus, and Malphite. There are some similarities between this new item and Abyssal Mask, but Riot have said that Abyssal Mask will be getting a rework to avoid the overlap.
Meanwhile, a legendary item is being added that will see supports given a huge chunk of mana that can be spent on shields each time they immobilize or slow an opponent.
Mage Items
Mage fans will be collectively celebrating a new protective mythic item that's being added to the shop! Sought after by many who are frustrated at the speed of their deaths, the item will reduce damage from enemies for a short period of time.
The coding used will mean that the item is best used by long-range champions to protect against the constant fire from opposing ADC’s or quick bursts from assassins. This new item will help to keep mages alive for longer, allowing them to gain more space in team fights and general gameplay.
The second mage item increases magic penetration against low health or recently shielded champions. That's perfect to take against a Lux in the mid lane or even as a mage support.
Assassin Items
The new legendary item for assassins will see a refund on the cooldowns of ultimates when an enemy champion dies within three seconds of the assassin damaging them.
This new item suggests that Riot are looking to help assassins increase their spell rotation rather than just having them focused on bursts of abilities. This is a bit of a confusing dynamic as assassins are known for their quick burst of damage and quick escapes.
Looking beyond the assassin role, this item could prove helpful for ADC’s like Kai’sa who has a high level of base damage, but lacks mana depth. I’m sure it's an exciting development for assassin players, but for those of us who struggle against them, this might be a worrying update to their strengths!