LoL Patch 26.18 preview: 7 champs buffed, 5 nerfed

Riot Games posted a preview of League of Legends Patch 26.18 on Sept. 2, 2026, listing upcoming champion and item adjustments but omitting numerical values and a live rollout date.

The preview names seven champions scheduled for buffs — Aurelion Sol, Ekko, Kassadin, Master Yi, Renekton, Viego and Zaahen — and five due for nerfs: Bard, Nautilus, Seraphine, Syndra and Zeri.

Master Yi will receive targeted buffs after an earlier change to Guinsoo’s Rageblade in Patch 26.14 moved the Phantom Hit trigger from every six attacks to every seven. Riot identified Yi as one of the champions most affected and plans to restore some of his power.

Riot also plans to buff Guinsoo’s Rageblade itself to offset the Phantom Hit timing change, but the preview did not list which stats or mechanics will be altered.

Seraphine’s nerfs will focus on her farming roles rather than support play. Riot noted she ranked among the top three champions in recent player frustration surveys and has been a common professional pick alongside Ashe. The preview included the line: “we will continue making quality of life changes for Seraphine’s Support players, but are looking to make her less oppressive in her farming roles.”

Cassiopeia will undergo a power-neutral adjustment intended to reduce early lane dominance and shift some strength into late-game scaling so missing early Noxious Blasts is less punishing. Riot did not specify which abilities or base stats will change.

The preview said numerical changes for the other listed champions have not been released. Riot flagged competitive balance concerns ahead of Worlds 2026 and said the patch will address several ranked-game bugs, but provided no detailed list of fixes.

Riot will publish full Patch 26.18 notes with exact values and an implementation date when the update is ready.