League of Legends patch 14.8 preview: Akali buffs, Zeri nerfs, Skarner adjustments, and more

The League of Legends preview for patch 14.8 is now live, and there are a significant number of balance changes that will be hitting the MSI patch. Some of the biggest changes in 14.8 will be the buffs affecting Akali, Draven, LeBlanc, Sylas, and Yone, which are bound to help these picks make their way back to the competitive meta.

Nerfs will hit Azir, Briar, and Zeri. These units have been quite dominant in their respective roles, and Riot will be looking to tone down their effectiveness to a degree. Additionally, adjustments will be introduced for Mordekaiser and Skarner after the latter recently received a rework.

Before moving on to the list of proposed changes, it’s important to note that Riot will first be testing these alterations out in the League of Legends PBE. So they may not be entirely reflected in the official update next week.

1) Champion Buffs:

When talking about the upcoming Zeri nerfs, Riot stated:

2) Champion Nerfs

3) Champion Adjustments

When talking about the Skarner changes, Riot stated:

League of Legends patch 14.8 is expected to go live next week and will be dropping on the Rift on April 17, 2024. This is the patch version on which the 2024 MSI will be played.