K'Sante, the Shuriman warrior and League of Legends' ever-present balancing headache, is set for another round of adjustments in Patch 14.4.
This jack-of-all-trades top laner boasts tankiness, dashes, crowd control, shielding, and even burst damage. As evidenced by LCK player Showmaker's legendary rant, many players, especially at high-level play, are fed up with his frustratingly extensive kit. In the upcoming Patch 14.4, Riot aims to address this by adding more counterplay options.
K'Sante is set to receive major adjustments in LoL Patch 14.4
K'Sante has already undergone significant reworks and nerfs, but he remains a dominant force in the top lane. Patch 14.4 brings even more changes, including the removal of certain aspects of his kit.
Lead Gameplay Designer Riot Phroxzon explains that K'Sante is taking up a lot of the dev team’s attention due to his overperformance. They aim to add counterplay to his ultimate, "All Out", by removing slows, increasing cooldowns, and reducing his dash speed. However, they are also compensating with some base stat buffs.
The most notable changes target K'Sante's mobility. His dash speed in his primary movement ability, "Footwork (E)", is reduced, and the charge time for "All Out (W)" is increased, forcing him to remain stationary for longer in his ultimate.
Here's a breakdown of the K'Sante changes revealed in the early Patch 14.4 notes:
Base stats
- Base health increased from 570 to 625
- Base Mana increased from 290 to 320
N’tofo Strikes (Q)
- All Out Q no longer slows
Path Maker (W)
- Armor/MR ratio increased from 50% to 85%
- All Out minimum charge time increased from 0.5s to 0.75 (no longer has a faster CD or cast time as default W)
Footwork (E)
- Ground target dash speed decreased from 1500 to 1000
- Ally target dash speed decreased from 1800 to 1700
- All Out ground target dash speed decreased from 2100 ⇒ 1600
The initial response to these changes was mixed. Some LoL pro players and streamers expressed disappointment, remarking that the buffs to K'Sante's base stats and W resistance ratio negate the nerfs. Many worry he will remain dominant in the early laning phase.
Others, while preferring straight nerfs, acknowledge the significant impact these changes will have on his kit, particularly the removal of the RQ slow, nerfs to all E dash speeds, and the increased cooldowns during his ultimate. They argue that the buffs are minimal compared to the nerfs to his mobility, which heavily affects his survivability.
While K'Sante's win rate has lagged behind in lower levels, he remains a formidable force in higher ranks and pro play. We can only hope these latest adjustments, with their mix of nerfs and buffs, will finally dethrone the long-standing king of the top lane!
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