Surrender at 20: Midseason 2017

Midseason 2017 is kicking off on the PBE and we have a full details on the Maokai, Sejuani, and Zac updates, new items, upcoming changes to team contributions & rift herald, and more!

Continue reading for more information!

MIDSEASON 2017

We've reached the halfway point of the 2017 season. Now's the time to look back on the past six months of League and pave the way for what's coming next.

EARLY SEASON RETROSPECTIVE

We set out in preseason to make assassins fairer to play against, siphoning some of their insta-burst strength into skills such as mobility and target selection. Rengar and LeBlanc posed special challenges we’re still working through, but for much of the roster, their mid- and late-game impact is no longer dictated solely by a few early kills (or deaths). Item-wise, some of our Lethality changes launched weaker than anticipated, but when we followed up with buffs to all Lethality items, their users dominated the meta. We’ve since found a sustainable middle ground.

Then there’s the jungle. We updated Smite and the monster camps so junglers could choose a clearing path that matches their playstyle (ex. single-target vs. AoE). This gave the jungle role too much early-game influence, but we’ve since dialed these adjustments back and are happy with where things have settled. Preseason also introduced plants to the jungle, and after some quick usability improvements, they’ve become a regular element of Summoner’s Rift gameplay. With a small adjustment to Honeyfruit’s spawn time in place, plants are offering dynamic moments in the jungle without overly warping matches.

Beyond preseason, League’s roster has gained some new and updated faces. Warwick and Galio got makeovers, Camille dove onto the Rift, and Xayah and Rakan will soon mark our first true dual-champion release. We’ve also shipped smaller ability updates to Alistar, Shyvana, Aatrox and Cho’Gath, creating smoother experiences and healthier gameplay.

Last topic: marksmen. With junglers, assassins, and tanks (Courage of the Colossus) all coming to the fore, marksmen have struggled through the roughest meta they’ve faced in ages. We tackled these factors individually by reducing early jungle pressure, reining in assassins and Lethality, and narrowing Colossus’s focus. Toss in a few targeted improvements like the Warlord’s Bloodlust update, and we’re finally emerging from the woods.

With the first half of 2017 in the rear-view mirror, what's in store this midseason?

TANK UPDATES

We're giving Sejuani, Zac, and Maokai new abilities to master, carving out unique identities for them among the teamfight initiation crowd.

SEJUANI, THE WINTER’S WRATH

Sejuani's becoming a true barbarian warleader. Once the Winter's Wrath charges into battle, frosty strikes from her warband leave enemies vulnerable to Permafrost's targeted lockdown.

[Goals and Directions]

(Passive) FROST ARMOR [Updated]

After not taking damage for a brief period, Sejuani becomes immune to slows and gains bonus resistances. Frost Armor lingers briefly after taking damage.

Frost Armor refreshes faster with Sejuani's movement.

(Q) ARCTIC ASSAULT

Sejuani charges forward, damaging and knocking up enemies in her path. The charge stops on the first enemy champion or large monster hit.

(W) WINTER'S WRATH [New]

Sejuani swings her mace in front of her, then slams it down in a line. Both swings deal damage and apply Frost.

(E) PERMAFROST [New]

Passive: Sejuani's basic attacks apply Frost on champions and large monsters. Nearby allied melee champions also gain this effect. Frost stacks up to four times.

Active: Sejuani damages, stuns, and freezes target enemy with max Frost stacks. Sejuani's first attack or ability against a frozen enemy deals a portion of their maximum health as damage.

Sejuani's first attack or ability against frozen targets shatters them, dealing a portion of their maximum health as damage.

(R) GLACIAL PRISON [Updated]

Sejuani throws her True Ice bola which damages, stuns, and freezes the first champion hit based on distance traveled. Long-range bolas leave behind an ice storm that slows enemies, erupting after a brief delay to damage and massively slow enemies except the original target.

Updated Splash:

Darkrider Sejuani

[Sabretusk Sejuani and Traditional Sejuani splashes marked with WIP - look for update soon!]

ZAC, THE SECRET WEAPON

Goo-man's getting even goo-ier. Stretching Strikes grabs enemies and knocks 'em together, while Let's Bounce carries enemies along for Zac's wild ride.

[Goals & Directions]

(Passive) Cell Division

Each time Zac's abilities hit an enemy, he sheds a chunk of Goo that can be reabsorbed to restore health.

(Q) STRETCHING STRIKES [New]

Zac's arm stretches and grabs the first enemy it hits, damaging and slowing them. Zac's next basic attack gains bonus range and if Zac attacks a different enemy, he'll throw both targets toward each other, dealing damage in an area if they collide.

(W) UNSTABLE MATTER

Zac's body erupts, damaging nearby enemies. Absorbing Goo reduces Unstable Matter's cooldown.

(E) ELASTIC SLINGSHOT

Zac charges up and launches himself toward the target location, knocking up nearby enemies. Zac spawns extra chunks of Goo for each enemy champion hit.

(R) LET'S BOUNCE! [New]

Zac squishes himself into a puddle and charges, becoming immune to crowd control and slowing enemies that stand on him.

Reactivating Let's Bounce without fully charging causes Zac to re-form, knocking back nearby enemies.

If Zac charges for at least a second, he sucks up enemies above him and carries them toward the target location, damaging enemies in the area upon landing.

MAOKAI, THE TWISTED TREANT

[Goals & Direction]

Maokai's getting back in touch with his roots as a vengeful nature spirit. By summoning a giant wall of roots to snare his enemies.

(Passive) SAP MAGIC

Maokai's basic attacks periodically heal him. Sap Magic's cooldown is reduced for each spell Maokai casts or is struck by.

(Q) BRAMBLE SMASH

Maokai smashes his fist into the ground, knocking back nearby enemies, slowing enemies in front of him, and damaging all affected enemies.

(W) TWISTED ADVANCE

Maokai transforms into a moving mass of roots, dashing to and rooting his target.

(E) SAPLING TOSS [Updated]

Maokai flings a sapling to stand watch over an area. Saplings chase nearby enemies, exploding if they come in contact and slowing everything hit.

Saplings placed in brush last longer and deal additional damage over time.

(R) NATURE'S GRASP [New]

Maokai summons a colossal wall of brambles and thorns that advances forward, rooting enemies struck. Root duration increases the farther the wall travels.

Updated Splash:

Totemic Maokai

[Festive Maokai and Charred Maokai splashes marked with WIP - look for update soon!]

DURABILITY ITEMS

NEW OPTIONS

We're plugging some holes in our defensive itemization lineup with two new additions.

GARGOYLE STONEPLATE [New]

This one's for the teamfighters.

ADAPTIVE HELM [New]

For the tank who's sick of being hit with the same spell again and again

On a less-flashy note, we're also adjusting a bunch of existing durability items. Several will trade a bit of health for extra resistances; others will see tune-ups to their unique effects. Full details to come in the patch notes!

NON-TANK PICKUPS

We also want to ensure that people who aren't tanks have solid defensive options as well. Several items have passives that damage dealers would love to have, and we're adjusting their build paths and stats to line up better with what they need to do their jobs. To give you an idea of what we mean, here's the new Guardian Angel.

GUARDIAN ANGEL [Updated]

Same passive, sharper edges

With more compelling niche items and less broadly powerful generalist items, tanks will have more potential for reactive, dynamic builds.

TEAM CONTRIBUTIONS

Doing what's best for your team often means sacrificing personal glory, especially if you're not a damage dealer. We're adding new rewards for supports who've mastered their laning playstyles and amping up the recognition any non-carry gets for the plays that help lead their team to victory.

SUPPORT QUESTS

Ancient Coin, Relic Shield, and Spellthief's Edge now offer quests. By making sufficient use of your item's passive (Favor, Spoils of War, and Tribute) you'll evolve it, gaining a powerful new effect.

Ancient Coin line [Updated]

Borrow a skill point from your future self

Relic Shield line [Updated]

Get another shield from your shield

Spellthief's Edge line [Updated]

Move faster when you poke people

CONTRIBUTION CLARITY

League's not the best at recognizing accomplishments that don't involve killing people. That makes it hard for non-carries to get the recognition they deserve. We're giving these groups better ways to track and celebrate their successes.

END-OF-GAME STAT UPDATES

We're adding new stats to the end-of-game screen, giving everyone from supports to split-pushers to tanks new ways to measure their team contributions.

Damage mitigated on self

Damage to towers

Vision score

Crowd control score

Look for more stats to crop up down the road, such as team healing, team shielding, and deaths prevented.

GAMEPLAY CLARITY

Health bars and kill call-outs make it easy to track the impact of your damage in real-time. We're expanding similar clarity to Summoner Spells and items, with clearer particles to highlight those plays.

In addition to updated icons, crowd control effects are now written out above champion health bars

New attribution visuals draw a connection from wielders of various summoner spells and items to the targets they're influencing

Death visuals are now team-colored, making it easier to track the body count as fights unfolds

ITEM IMPACT TRACKING

A number of items already track how well you've been using their effects, such as total damage blocked by Locket of the Iron Solari. We're expanding that functionality to other items to help players see the impact of their purchases. Active items are also getting a shiny new border in the UI to help you remember to use 'em more often.

RIFT HERALD

Rift Herald now drops the Herald's Eye item when defeated. Use the eye before it expires to bring Rift Herald back as a structure-smashing siege engine.

As an ally, Rift Herald will push down the nearest lane, reducing enemy buildings to rubble unless forcibly stopped. Fighting against her in lane is similar to fighting her in the pit - poke her in the eye to send her crying home to the Void.

LOOKING FORWARD

Though we've got plenty to talk about with midseason itself, we wanted to take a quick moment to comment on three of the projects coming later in the year.

HONOR UPDATE

We’re currently working on a significant overhaul to the Honor system, due to ship later this year.

The current Honor system doesn’t really reinforce how valuable teamwork is. The new system is designed to be much more integrated with the actual experience of the game, featuring greater incentives and rewards for players who are consistently honorable.

10 BANS

When the 10 ban format comes to regular play, it’ll look different than what you’ve been seeing in the pro scene. There are some fundamental differences in how bans are used between the two scenarios, so we’ll be adapting the system based on the needs of matchmade games.

In the regular play system, we want to make sure we give all players equal agency (everyone gets a ban) while keeping champion select fair (where it doesn’t matter where you end up in the pick order). If possible, we’ll also be cutting down on champ select’s overall length. Expect to see more shortly after midseason.

Once 10 bans launches, you’ll need to own 20 or more champions to play ranked (up from 16). We’ll be running an IP boost weekend very soon to give you the chance to make up the difference.

TEAM COMPETITION

Playing League with friends in Normals or Ranked Flex is one thing, but we think there’s an opportunity to add a new competitive experience into League, one different from the now-retired Ranked Teams queue. We want organized teams to compete for rewards, but include and appeal to players of all skill levels.

Think something along the lines of forming a team with your friends and entering an amateur tournament together, where the stakes, intensity and rewards are ramped way up! We’re still working out exactly what this looks like, so stay tuned.

We'll have more to share regarding these features as we move into the second half of 2017. In the meantime, get ready for midseason! Thanks for joining us for today's look into what's next for League.

MID-SEASON INVITATIONAL
The Spring Split champions from all 13 regional leagues will face off in the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, beginning April 28.