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Balance4 min readFour cards banned a day into the Black Empire
A day after Reign of the Black Empire launched, Blizzard temporarily banned Bat Mask, Divergence and Reach Equilibrium in Standard, and Reincarnate in Wild. Its reason: the Old Gods are harder to keep in check than planned.Read the post
Balance4 min readPatch 26.21: Jinx and Lee Sin nerfed, Sion buffed
Two dozen champions change in Patch 26.21. Jinx, Lee Sin and Viktor come down, Sion, Darius and Nunu go up, and with the Worlds patch locked, Azir, Orianna and Ryze finally get their buffs.
Balance3 min readMel 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.
Balance3 min readPatch 26.20, the patch Worlds is played on
Every Worlds 2026 game is played on Patch 26.20. Ambessa, Ashe, K’Sante and Yunara were trimmed for it, Kennen and Kindred buffed, and Rocketbelt retuned. What changed, and why it still matters.