Teamfight Tactics update 9.16 patch notes: Hextech champions, Demon rework, more

The latest Teamfight Tactics update, Patch 9.16, introduces the most new content for a single patch yet.

Teamfight Tactics is on a weekly patch cycle that sees major changes made alongside the big League of Legends patches each week, followed by smaller ‘B’ patches that make more minor changes in the next week.

The latest update, Patch 9.16, is one of the major patches, and along with the usual balance and system changes introduces four brand-new champions and entirely new origin that are sure to shake up the game’s meta.

New Hextech champions

The major feature of the patch is of course the introduction of an entirely new trait – the Hextech Origin – and four new champions featuring it.

Camille, Jayce, Vi, and Jinx make up the Hextech set, and the trait bonus causes the team to throw a pulse bomb at the opposing army, targeted at a random enemy wearing at least one item, that disables all items in a 1-2 hex radius (depending on the number of Hextech champions on your squad) for eight seconds.

Matchmaking, player damage, and Overtime

Riot are also making some key changes to the games’ systems for a more consistent and enjoyable experience. As previously announced, this patch will introduce matchmaking changes to make it very unlikely that you face the same opponent multiple times in a row.

In addition, the update also introduces a new ‘URF Overtime’ that takes some of the principles of LoL’s URF (Ultra Rapid Fire) modes to reduce the number of round draws. URF Overtime will kick in after 30 seconds, and give units significantly increased attack speed and damage, while reducing crowd control and healing.

Further adjustments to player damage have been made, after previous reductions to the damage resulted in games going on longer than Riot would like. Damage now scales with each stage to compensate. Meanwhile, some minor adjustments to the ranked system have also been made.

Demon rework and more balance changes

Naturally, the patch makes a variety of balance changes to traits, items, and individual units. Perhaps the most notable of these is a rework to Demons, who were previously terrorizing the game as one of the most powerful traits.

Going forward, Demon attacks will drain mana from their targets to use themselves, rather than dealing damage for burning mana. Hush is also getting a rework, with the item no longer silencing but instead preventing the enemy champion from gaining mana for four seconds per proc.

Further adjustments include a nerf to Brawlers and triple Sorcerers, a buff for Ninjas, Nobles, and Wilds, and a variety of changes for individual units and items.

Teamfight Tactics Patch 9.16 notes

New Origin and Champions

The Hextechs

The Hextech champions are all strong and serve their own purpose, but together they give some counterplay to items. But the bomb itself can be played around. We hope this adds a new and interesting dynamic to play around.

Trait: Throw a bomb at an enemy unit with an item, and disables all items in a 1/2 hex radius for 8 seconds.

• Camille
  • Ability: Camille’s ability, The Hextech Ultimatum, roots an enemy and forces her in-range teammates to target whomever she’s fighting.
  • Class: Blademater
  • Cost: 1 Gold
  • Ability Damage: 200/325/450
• Jayce
  • Ability: Disrupts the enemy frontline by knocking back an enemy unit with his Thundering Blow. He then switches to his Mercury Cannon bringing increased attack speed and ranged damage.
  • Class: Shapeshifter
  • Cost: 2 Gold
  • Ability Damage: 200/350/500
• Vi
  • Ability: Targets the farthest enemy and charges towards them, knocking aside and damaging every enemy along the way. Once she gets there, she knocks her target up and damages them.
  • Class: Brawler
  • Cost: 3 Gold
  • Ability Damage: 250/450/650
• Jinx
  • Ability: Gets Excited after her first takedown, gaining bonus attack speed. If she scores a second takedown she pulls out Fishbones, her rocket launcher, causing her attacks to deal AoE damage.
  • Class: Gunslinger
  • Cost: 4 Gold
  • Rocket Damage: 100/225/350 magic damage in an explosion that covers 3 hexes total.

Systems

• Matchmaking
  • We’ve improved how the player matching works to prevent the streaky scenarios where you would face the same player (or ghost army) two or more times in a row. Now this should happen almost never.
• URF Overtime Mode
  • We don’t like draws. They aren’t fun. So now, 30 seconds in to every battle, URF Overtime kicks in and speeds things up for 15 seconds. Draws are still possible but there should be a lot less of them.
    • 30 seconds into every battle the URF Overtime bonus will activate.
    • 300% Attack Speed
    • 200% Ability Damage
    • 66% reduced Crowd Control duration
    • 66% Healing Reduction
    • 30% increased affection towards maritime mammals.
• Ranked Changes
  • Teamfight Tactics’ ranked system is looking pretty good overall. Even so, we’re‌ ‌taking‌ ‌stock‌ ‌and‌ making ‌a‌ ‌few‌ ‌tuning‌ ‌adjustments.‌ Specifically, a couple bugs and ‌inconsistencies‌ ‌made‌ ‌it‌ ‌a‌ ‌little‌ ‌more‌ ‌forgiving‌ ‌than‌ ‌we‌ ‌intended. You’ll now almost always be demoted if you lose LP in any game you start at 0 LP (this was always intended). Additionally, Grandmaster and Challenger players who demote will now skip Master and go directly to Diamond 1 (this is due to some funky situations at the top of the ladder making it impossible for GM and Challengers to demote). If you want to read more about these changes and why we made them, check out SapMagic’s post here!
  • As intended, everyone will now be demoted if you lose LP in any game you start at 0LP.
  • For Grandmaster and Challenger players, if you’re demoted you will now skip Master and go directly to Diamond 1. This is now true in League of Legends as well.
  • We’ve also made adjustments to LP gains and losses underneath the hood for extreme edge cases. For the most part, you will not see or feel any changes based on this optimization.
• Player Damage
  • We made some changes to player damage in patch 9.15 and overall it worked well. But it led to games being longer than intended, especially when fights were close. So we’re making some more adjustments. Overall damage should still be less than at launch.
  • Base damage now scales with current stage.
    • Stages 1-2: 1 damage
    • Stage 3-4: 2 damage
    • Stage 5: 3 damage
    • Stage 6: 4 damage
    • Stage 7+: 5 damage

Traits

• Brawler
  • Brawlers are quite strong and are getting a bit too much free health so we’re toning that down a bit.
  • Bonus Health: 300/700/1200 ⇒ 300/600/1000
• Demon
  • We’ve redesigned the Demon trait bonus to not be quite the shutdown of ability dependent units like it was before. Instead, Demons drain mana allowing them to cast their spells faster.
  • Demon basic attacks have a 40% chance to burn 20 mana from their target and return 15/30/45 mana to the attacker.
• Ninja
  • Ninja should be strong single units that have a place on almost any team. Right now they’re not getting there, so we’re buffing their trait and some of the individual champions.
  • Bonus Attack Damage and Ability Power: 40/60 ⇒ 50/70
• Noble
  • Nobles are still underperforming a bit as an end-game fantasy. We’ll likely need to make bigger changes to address this, but for now we’re giving them a small bump.
  • Bonus Armor and Magic Resist: 60 ⇒ 70
• Sorcerer
  • Three piece Sorcerer is a just a little too strong due to its versatility.
  • Bonus Ability Power: 45/100 ⇒ 40/100
• Wild
  • Wild is still underperforming, we’re giving it just a little bit more.
  • Attack Speed: 10% per stack ⇒ 12% per stack

Tier 1 Champions

• Elise
  • Health: 450 ⇒ 500
  • Spiderling Attack Speed: 0.6 ⇒ 0.7
• Khazix
  • Non-Isolated Damage: 150/300/450 ⇒ 150/250/350
• Mordekaiser
  • No longer casts his ability if there are no enemies in range at the start of the cast time.
• Nidalee
  • Now always heals two units when she transforms. Previously she would only heal herself if she had the lowest health on your team.
• Vayne
  • Attack Speed: 0.75 ⇒ 0.7
  • Ability Damage (% of Max Health): 8%/10%/12% ⇒ 8%/12%/16%

Tier 2 Champions

• Braum
  • Health: 750 ⇒ 650
• Lissandra
  • Total Mana (the mana required to cast her ability): 150 ⇒ 125
• Lulu
  • Ability Health: 300/475/650 ⇒ 300/400/500
• Zed
  • Health: 500 ⇒ 550
  • Attack Speed: 0.65 ⇒ 0.7
  • Ability Damage: 200/300/400 ⇒ 200/350/500

Tier 3 Champions

• Aatrox
  • No longer casts his ability if there are no enemies in range at the start of the cast time.
• Evelynn
  • Now prioritizes her current target with her ability.
  • No longer casts her ability if there are no enemies in range at the start of the cast time.
• Katarina
  • No longer casts her ability if there are no enemies in range at the start of the cast time.
  • Attack Damage: 70 ⇒ 75
• Kennen
  • No longer casts his ability if there are no enemies in range at the start of the cast time.
• Shyvana
  • Leap AI improved to better kite away from her target.

Tier 4 Champions

• Akali
  • Attack Damage: 70 ⇒ 80
• Brand
  • Ability Damage: 200/375/550 ⇒ 250/450/650
  • Starting and Total Mana: 0/125 ⇒ 50/150
• Cho’gath
  • Ability Damage: 250/500/750 ⇒ 175/350/525

Tier 5 Champions

• Karthus
  • Starting and Total Mana: 0/85 ⇒ 40/125
• Kayle
  • Attack Speed: 1.1 ⇒ 1.0
• Miss Fortune
  • Health: 650 ⇒ 700
  • Total Mana: 100 ⇒ 75

Items

• Hush
  • Reworked: Now has a 33% chance on hit to prevent the enemy champion from gaining mana (we’re calling it Mana Lock) for four seconds.
• Infinity Edge
  • Critical Strike Damage: 150% ⇒ 200%
• Ionic Spark
  • Damage: 150 ⇒ 125. Now properly stacks.
• Locket of the Iron Solari
  • Shield Duration: 4 seconds ⇒ 6 seconds
• Morellonomicon
  • Burn Damage Duration: 5 seconds ⇒ 10 seconds
• Red Buff
  • Burn Damage Duration: 5 seconds ⇒ 10 seconds
• Redemption
  • Heal: 1000 health ⇒ 1500 health
• Statikk Shiv
  • Damage and Bounces: 4 bounces, 90 damage per bounce ⇒ 3 bounces, 100 damage per bounce
• Warmog’s Armor
  • Heal: Now heals a maximum of 400 health per tick. This mostly nerfs its effect on PVE dragons.
• Guardian Angel
  • Tooltip updated to reflect functionality (does not interrupt abilities or remove positive buffs). It now properly removes Grievous Wounds and resurrects properly.
• New Drop Mechanic
  • In rare instances it’s now possible to drop a full completed item instead of the two components separately.

Bugfixes

• Spiderlings and Golem can now properly be the target of Frozen Heart, Kindred, Swain, Karthus, Shen, and Veigar.
• Graves now properly gains range with Rapidfire Cannon.
• Frozen Heart no longer applies too many slows when stacked.
• Fixed some item slots not showing up or being in weird spots.
• Fixed Win/Lose streak gold being granted after PvE Rounds instead of after the PvP Round that happened before (streak gold should be granted at the end of all PvP rounds and no PvE rounds).
• Fixed Little Legends having collision after dying (and subsequently body blocking players in the shared roulette).
• Fixed Blitzcrank attempting (and failing) at targeting untargetable enemies, and therefore not casting.