League Patch 26.16 raises support roaming penalty to curb mages

Riot Games announced Patch 26.16 will increase the penalty for supports who leave bot lane and add several buffs to marksmen tools and sustain to address rising mage picks in bot.

The out-of-lane gold and experience penalty for supports will be raised from 25% until level three to 33% until level five. Riot expects the longer, steeper penalty window to reduce early-game roaming and make extended support departures less profitable.

Marksman changes include item adjustments to Berserker’s Greaves, a stronger Fleet Footwork rune to improve early sustain and trading, and an increase to base magic resistance for all ADC champions. The Heal summoner spell will also be buffed so early 2v2 skirmishes in bot lane have greater impact.

In a Summoner’s Insights post, Lead Gameplay Designer Matt ‘Phroxzon’ Leung-Harrison wrote that mage picks rose through the 2026 season and comprised about 20 percent of bot lane selections entering MSI. He attributed the increase to melee support buffs, weaker enchanter supports, and player workarounds of anti-roaming and anti-lane swap protections introduced in Patch 26.11.

Phroxzon added that win rates for some spellcasters can be higher across broad skill bands because champions such as Brand, Swain, Ziggs, Veigar, Seraphine and Xerath require less mechanical precision than many ADCs.

Riot said the aim of the adjustments is to make traditional ADC champions the expected go-to class for bot lane, particularly at the professional level, while keeping mages viable as a composition option. The changes will deploy with Patch 26.16 as part of the 2026 season balance cycle.