Riot Games has shared the full preview of League of Legends patch 26.23. The update arrives on November 18 and is the second-to-last of 2026. It nerfs three champions and the Voltaic Cyclosword item and buffs ten champions — mostly those that are strong in pro play but weak in regular games. The numbers can still change before release.
Nerfs:
- Master Yi — Q Alpha Strike deals less damage: 20–100 (+60% AD) instead of 20–100 (+70%), and the maximum single-target damage drops from 122.5% to 105% AD;
- Syndra — E Scatter the Weak costs 60 mana instead of 50, and its cooldown at rank 1 goes up from 15 to 17 seconds (still 15 at max rank);
- LeBlanc — Q Sigil of Malice AP ratio drops from 40% to 35%;
- Voltaic Cyclosword — bonus damage based on the target's current health drops from 9% to 8% for melee champions and from 7% to 6% for ranged.
Master Yi, Syndra and LeBlanc are being toned down because they are strong in regular play and rank high in player frustration surveys. Riot says it considered hitting Cyclosword harder but felt it was not far off: first-item spikes like this need to be strong so that assassins can keep up with champions that scale into the late game.
Buffs:
- Annie — Tibbers gets tankier and deadlier: 1275–4000 health instead of 1150–3500 plus 150% of Annie's bonus health, aura damage 10–20 instead of 8–16, attack damage 30/50/70 instead of 30–60;
- Azir — attack range 550 instead of 525, and W Arise! on-hit ratio up from 50% to 67% AD;
- Bard — Q Cosmic Binding damage 80–260 (+100% AP) instead of 80–240 (+80%);
- Ezreal — W Essence Flux ratios up to 115% bonus AD and 100% AP, and R Trueshot Barrage damage to champions up to 350–850 instead of 350–750;
- Galio — W Shield of Durand and R shield 8–20% of maximum health instead of 7.5–13.5%;
- Gnar — Q damage gets +10% AD in both forms: 135% as Mini and 150% as Mega;
- K'Sante — W Path Maker costs a flat 45 mana instead of 45–65, and its base damage rises to 45–205 instead of 45–165;
- Mel — Q Radiant Volley deals more damage, the W shield rises to 50–210 instead of 50–170 and its retaliation damage to 35–75 instead of 35–55;
- Vel'Koz — bug fix: R total damage at rank 3 becomes 950 instead of 925;
- Vi — E Relentless Force damage 10–110 instead of 10–90.
Riot explained that Azir, Galio, K'Sante and Ezreal are pro play staples but feel weak in Solo Queue, even at the highest levels, because they do not thrive without coordinated teams, so they are being buffed to round out the year. Mel is being adjusted for the second patch in a row: after her mid-scope update in patch 26.22 she landed in a stable spot with a low ban rate, and the developers want to test whether she stays less frustrating at a normal power level.
New skins:
DJ Sona Ultimate Remix is a Mythic Variant of the 2015 Ultimate skin DJ Sona and the first Mythic Variant of an Ultimate skin. It has three forms styled after Riot's music groups: HEARTSTEEL, K/DA and True Damage. It cannot be bought directly in the store: it will be available from a limited-time banner in the Sanctum. According to early details, each pull has a 0.5% chance to drop it and it is guaranteed within 40 pulls. One pull costs 400 RP, so at worst the skin will cost 16,000 RP.
Before that, Sona appeared on the K/DA track GIRLS, and K/DA and True Damage will perform at the Worlds 2026 final opening ceremony.
Cafe Cuties — Neeko and Zoe are joining the dessert-themed skin line. The two skins share one splash art: Neeko decorates a cake while Zoe reaches through a portal to steal its cherries. Each skin is expected to cost 1350 RP.
When patch 26.23 comes out:
Patch 26.23 arrives on Wednesday, November 18. The next one, 26.24, will be the last of the year and is scheduled by Riot for December 9. Before that, on November 14, Gen.G and Bilibili Gaming meet in the Worlds 2026 final.
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