Mel loses her reflect in Patch 26.22
Riot’s midscope update for Mel removes Rebuttal’s reflect. It becomes a nova that destroys projectiles and shields her team, with power moved from her lane into her late game. No numbers yet.
Mel's reflect is going away. In a /dev post on October 20, Riot gameplay designer Kevin "Captain Gameplay" Huang laid out a midscope update for Mel, planned for Patch 26.22. Rebuttal will still stop projectiles, but it will no longer send them back.
Why Riot is changing her
Riot is candid that the reflect was a bet that didn't pay off. As pro and elite players learned to play around Mel, her win rate fell to 45–47% by the middle of the year, and her play rate dropped to less than half of what it had been. Riot's conclusion:
"It became impossible to balance her existing kit into a place that still had a compelling amount of power."
The team considered keeping a reflect by moving it to her ultimate, but turned it down. Turning Golden Eclipse into what a basic ability does, in Riot's words, "was an unacceptable trade".
What's changing
- Passive (Searing Brilliance). Less early-game durability and passive damage, in exchange for scaling health and armor. Stacks should also be easier to land on several enemies at once, not just one.
- Q. Slightly slower, with more of its damage moved from the first explosion into the follow-up hits. It gains a flat cooldown refund when it hits at least one enemy champion.
- W (Rebuttal). The reflect is removed. Rebuttal becomes a nova that destroys incoming projectiles, shields Mel's team and speeds them up, then retaliates for a small amount of damage. It can't redirect abilities any more, so no more turning a Seraphine ultimate or Jhin's fourth shot back on its caster.
- E. The root lasts less time on enemies close to Mel and longer on enemies she catches at range.
- R (Golden Eclipse). More cooldown reduction as it ranks up, making it the payoff for stacking her passive. Its waveclear and its role stay the same.
What we don't know yet
The post gives no numbers: no damage, shield values, root durations or cooldowns. Riot describes the rework as planned for 26.22, so details can still change before it ships. Expect the real values on the PBE and in the 26.22 notes.
What it means if you play Mel
Her lane gets weaker and her late game stronger. Riot's aim is a Mel who matters in long teamfights rather than one who wins lane and fades. If you've built your Mel play around reflecting key cooldowns, that skill expression is going away. The new W is closer to a team-wide shield with projectile protection.
You can check her current abilities and base stats on Mel's champion page. Once 26.22 is live, ask Lolumen in Claude what changed and it will compare the patches' game data.
