With 14.9, Vanguard, Riot’s proprietary Anti-Cheat system will be deployed and active on the PC client. This means that active enforcement of Vanguard will be in effect and working hard to make sure your queues are free from scripters, botters, and cheaters! While that statement is more applicable to League of Legends, we expect TFT to also benefit long-term as Vanguard acts as a blocker for potential cheaters further down the road. We recently released a blog detailing the “why” behind bringing Vanguard to League that you can check out here. It’s a bit of a long read but it does have some pictures.

If you’re wondering what all you need to do to keep playing League of Legends (and TFT on PC), all you need to do is install Vanguard. If you do not have Vanguard installed when you launch the Riot Client or League it will prompt you to install Vanguard and then restart your system to ensure Vanguard is active. You will be unable to queue or play until Vanguard is installed and active.

If you run into any issues, please check out our support articles for any troubleshooting needs involving Vanguard.

With 14.9 we will be ending DirectX 9 support for League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. To maintain the stability and performance of our games we need to deprecate support for older hardware or software that isn't widely used by players anymore. If you're currently opted into using DirectX 9, the game will automatically disable this option when we remove the support. If you were running in DirectX 9 due to hardware incompatibility issues, we recommend upgrading your devices as soon as possible, so you may continue to play.

For more information on keeping your DirectX version up to date and troubleshooting any issues related to it, check out our support article. (The link should take you directly to the DirectX section; if not, you can find it there.)

Systems change, but we’ll always be here for you.

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PLAYER DAMAGE

With our player damage changes in 14.8 our goal was to simplify damage calculations, but in doing so we reduced player damage by a bit more than intended, making games slightly longer than we’d like. We’re correcting this by making losses in stages 4-6 hurt more. There’s a chance that we need to add 2 or 3 more damage later, but for now, we want to go light and focus on end game boards (see next few sections) over early game punishment.

• Stage Player Damage: 0/2/5/7/9/11/17/150 ⇒ 0/2/5/8/10/12/17/150

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LEVELING COSTS

Three starring 4-costs is too frequent and is currently choking out other ways to get 1st place. By raising the cost to get to level 9, where players are most frequently three starring their 4-costs, we’re removing some of the gold that can be spent hitting them, but we’re also looking to correct for this in some shop odds changes and Encounters adjustments (keep reading for those). Lastly, making level 10 4 gold less should make it more of an option rather than defaulting to rolling at level 9.

• Level 8 to 9: 72g ⇒ 80g
• Level 9 to 10: 84g ⇒ 80g

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SHOP ROLL ODDS

Less gold, and lowered odds should help combat the dominance of three-star 4-costs as the most prevalent win condition in lobbies.

• Level 8: 18/25/32/22/3 ⇒ 18/27/32/20/3
• Level 9: 10/20/25/35/10 ⇒ 15/20/25/30/10

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ENCOUNTERS

You know what else makes getting those crazy end-game screenshots of expensive and starred-up boards easy? Inflationary encounters. We’re removing or increasing the rarity of some of our more game-warping Encounters, while making a few rare Encounters ever-so-slightly more common.

• Ahri - Player Health: 15 ⇒ 10
• Kayn - 5-4 Death Game appears more often
• Ornn - Choose an Artifact appears more often
• Cho’gath - Slots for Items appears less often
• Diana - Salvage Bin appears less often
• Irelia - Free Move Carousel appears less often
• Neeko - Lesser Dupe Carousel appears less often
• Teemo - Spatula Carousel appears less often
• Wukong - Radiant Carousel appears less often
• Wukong - Radiant Carousel can also no longer be Stage 2 Carousel
• Khazix - Lower Cost XP for 3 Turns has been removed
• Cho’gath - Duplicators has been removed
• Neeko - Duplicator Carousel has been removed
• Syndra - 2* 4 Cost Carousel has been removed

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ARTIFACT ANVILS

If you haven’t heard, we’re adding 20 new Artifacts to the pool, which allows us to give you more choices with Artifact Item Anvils across all stages of the game. With four options, you should be able to find an Artifact that fits your comp, even though it may not be your favorite (Suspicious Trench Coat fans?).

• Artifact Item Anvils are now pick 1 of 4 (were pick 1 of 3)
• Portable Forge changed to pick 1 of 4 Artifacts and is available at all Stages
• Removed the Augments Portable Forge+ and Portable Forge++ as they are no longer necessary

Large, like our list of new and exciting Artifacts and Support Items.

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TRAITS

Accessible with only one craftable Emblem, Dryad 6 provides far too much value for how easy it is to hit. We’re reducing the AP and HP stacking considerably, which tends to turn an itemless Azir into a nuclear-level threat, that’s also a tanky emperor.

Sett’s Fated Omnivamp bonus has been bugged to benefit from damage dealt by items, and apply to damage before resistance-based mitigation. This was making the Omnivamp value far too strong, so in fixing these bugs we buffed the base value of the Omnivamp to compensate. Despite this buff, this fix will still likely result in a small nerf to Sett’s bonus.

Heavenly as a vertical Origin has primarily been used as a supportive trait for strong carries in other traits (Yone, Kayn, Lee Sin, etc.). We want the trait to be able to stand as its own vertical with its own unique primary carries: Kha’Zix, Soraka, and Wukong deserve their spot to shine in the Heavens. To do this, we’re lowering the bonus stats across most breakpoints of the traits, removing the bonus star-level scaling, but adding a greedier 70% bonus for these stats for Heavenly units!

Umbral has struggled to take its moonlit stage since its brief dominance during PBE. In this patch, we’re forecasting a full moon, with a buff to Umbral’s execute threshold and 3-cost carry, Alune! There’s a chance that this still isn’t enough, and we have to do something more drastic in the future, but for now try the vertical out and let us know what you think!

• Arcanist Arcanist AP: 20/50/85/125 ⇒ 20/50/90/135
• Arcanist Team AP: 20/20/40/125 ⇒ 20/20/50/135
• Dryad Health per stack: 3/7/11 ⇒ 3/7/10
• Dryad AP: 15/30/65 ⇒ 15/30/55
• Duelist Attack Speed per stack: 5/9/13/18% ⇒ 5/10/14/18%
• Fated Sett Omnivamp bonus: 12% ⇒ 15%
• BUGFIX Fated Sett Omnivamp bonus no longer applies before resistances come into effect and only applies to damage from attacks and abilities.
• Fortune 7 piece flat bonus 25 ⇒ 12
• Fortune 7 piece average orb value 16 ⇒ 8
• Fortune adjusted several cashout options.
• Heavenly no longer scales with unit star levels.
• Heavenly now gives 70% more stats to Heavenly units.
• Heavenly Bonus stats: 100/115/135/165/200/225% ⇒ 100/110/125/145/170/200%
• Heavenly Emblem Omnivamp bonus: 6% ⇒ 5%
• Storyweaver Kayle on-hit damage: 15/30/40/90% AP ⇒ 15/35/45/90% AP
• Storyweaver Kayle Scroll of Haste AS per stack: 5% ⇒ 6%
• Umbral Execute threshold: 10/18/20/45% HP ⇒ 10/18/25/60% HP

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UNITS: TIER 1

It’s no secret that Darius is one of the best early game openers. With his high AP ratio and Duelist trait, you can slam almost anything on him early game to great success. We’re not looking to decimate him, so we’re just lowering the damage of his 1 and 2 star forms, cause not many people have uncovered the power of reroll Darius at this point.

Kog’Maw’s been struggling to get through beefy targets ever since we made it take longer for him to stack up increased range. A little more acidic power (AP) will help his vomit rockets melt through those pesky HP bars.

• Darius Ability on-hit damage: 90/135/200% AP ⇒ 80/120/200% AP
• Kog’Maw Ability damage: 160/225/315% AP ⇒ 160/240/335% AP

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UNITS: TIER 2

Blue buff, Titan’s Resolve, Bloodthirster Riven carry used to wreak havoc in playtests during the development of Inkborn Fables. I wonder if it’ll make a comeback in this patch.

• Riven Ability damage: 150/150/155% AD ⇒ 190/190/200% AD

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UNITS: TIER 3

We’re lifting the power floor of our 3-cost carries who’ve either struggled with recent nerfs or have never had their chance to carry in the first place (Zoe, Alune).

PSA: While being an AP carry, Alune is good with a bit of Attack Speed (Morellonomicon is a must, while Statikk Shiv and Red Buff are surprisingly solid) and will want Spear of Shojin this patch.

Even when Duelist comps were viable, Tristana never had the opportunity to be the core carry. With the Duelist vertical struggling lately and 3-costs harder to 3-star, we’re able to increase Tristana’s base damage and ratios in the hopes that she can get the same itemization attention as her violently energetic Bear pal.

Speaking of Volibear, our nerf to Titan’s Resolve and his Mana pool pulled him from the meta. A bump to his AP ratio should have him feeling and healing better without fully relapsing into the unkillable bear he was in 14.7.

• Alune Attack Speed: 0.7 ⇒ 0.75
• Bard AD: 50 ⇒ 55
• Tristana AD: 55 ⇒ 60
• Tristana Ability damage: 265/265/270% AD + 75/115/185% AP ⇒ 300/300/305% AD + 50/75/115% AP
• Tristana Ability AD% buff: 50/50/60% ⇒ 40/40/50%
• Volibear Ability healing: 140/170/210% AP ⇒ 150/180/240% AP
• Zoe Ability damage: 275/415/640% AP ⇒ 290/435/695% AP
• Zoe Ability ricochet damage: 90/135/215% AP ⇒ 95/140/225% AP

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UNITS: TIER 4

Remember when we buffed every 4-cost last patch? Crazy right? Well, we finally got to a meta where most 4-costs are viable and worth fielding. While we’re buffing the final two that have yet to find their place, we’re also nerfing one who’s reaped too many benefits from his buff.

Morgana is getting significantly smarter this patch. After journeying the road less traveled for the first few patches of Inkborn Fables, she’ll now be able to call upon her Sage wisdom to hit more units when possible, instead of casting the center of her ability near the corner of the board.

• Kayn Armor/MR: 70 ⇒ 60
• Morgana Ability damage: 265/400/1600% AP ⇒ 265/400/2000% AP
• Morgana is now more likely to cast her ability at clumps of enemies.
• Syndra Ability starting butterflies: 7/7/10 ⇒ 8/8/10

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UNITS: TIER 5

If you’ve recently found yourself racing to Level 8/9 to be the first to hit Lissandra, you’ve likely found yourself at the top of most end-game screens. Especially with our Health buff in 14.8, an early Lissandra provided too much momentum, snowballing (or teapotting?) leads. We’re taking back half of the HP we gave her in 14.8, but also lowering her ability to print endgame screens with fully-itemized boards.

• Lissandra Health: 1200 ⇒ 1100
• Lissandra Ability loot chance: 50% ⇒ 40%

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AUGMENTS

As the “field all the 4-costs” Augment, Built Different became significantly stronger when we buffed every 4-cost last patch. We’re trimming some stats to compensate for that swing here.

At the last minute, during the shipping of patch 14.8, we had to disable Mind Over Matter due to a critical bug. We were unable to fix the bug by 14.9, but we hope to return this Augment in the next patch.

In the data, Call to Chaos is a very balanced Augment, but much of that is due to very strong outputs and very weak outputs balancing each other out. We’re flattening the power in the random rewards you receive from the Augment to keep the options more balanced, while also keeping the Augment balanced amongst other Augments.

My sweet child, what have you become? We’re disabling Infernal Contract, as it’s become a low-performing Augment whose identity is either salvage a bad game into a top four or enhance a dominant 3-cost comp (e.g. Country in Remix Rumble). We’re not sold on the idea of adding even more gold to make it some ridiculous number (it already takes a long time for most players to spend this much gold) and aren't comfortable shifting the cap to level 8 right now. Still, I’m told there may be hope for Infernal Contract in the future.

After more PBE testing with new Artifacts, we’ve opted to disable Trash to Treasure. Our new Artifact roster can create more niche and powerful combos that are easily forcible by repeatedly Reforging. And while Trash to Treasure’s power ceiling in high-skill lobbies is unbound, the power floor for newer players who accidentally use their Reforger incorrectly and lose it creates an incredibly feels bad moment (and an 8th place).

• Over Encumbered Bench Slots: 2 ⇒ 1
• Pumping Up I Base AS: 8% ⇒ 6%
• Triforce I HP: 100 ⇒ 150
• Big Gains Base HP: 80 ⇒ 100
• Built Different HP: 220/300/380/480 ⇒ 220/280/340/400
• Built Different AS: 40/45/50/55% ⇒ 35/40/45/50%
• Call to Adventure Stats Per 2 Takedowns: 12 HP & 2 AP ⇒ 18 HP & 3 AP
• Dragon’s Spirit Healing per component: 8000 ⇒ 7000
• Dynamic Duo 15g ⇒ 20g
• Learning to Spell base AP: 10 ⇒ 18
• Mind Over Matter continues to be disabled until we can ship a fix next patch
• Pandora’s Items II now gives 2 random components instead of a random completed item.
• Raining Gold base Gold: 9 ⇒ 8
• Slammin+ base XP Gain: 12 ⇒ 10
• Accomplice 4g ⇒ 2g
• Build a Bud 6g ⇒ 8g
• Call to Chaos Gold: 66 ⇒ 58
• Call to Chaos XP: 70 ⇒ 64
• Call to Chaos Three Star 3 Cost + 10g ⇒ Three Star 3 Cost + 20g
• Going Long 8g ⇒ 10g
• Infernal Contract has been disabled 8*(
• Trash to Treasure has been disabled
• Portable Forge changed to pick 1 of 4 Artifacts and is available at all Stages.
• Removed Portable Forge+ and Portable Forge++

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ARTIFACTS

We’ve got 20 new Artifacts that are still being experimented with on PBE as I write this. So instead of going line by line on what and why each one does what it does, I’m going to list a few of my favorite (and weird) combinations in hopes that it inspires your inner Artifact chef-foolery.

Corrupt Vampire Scepter Gnar: Who needs an ability when you hit this hard?

Fishbones Volibear: Lean into the chaos of this newly buffed Bear. Add Porcelain Emblem and Bloodthirster for even more insanity!

Spectral Cutlass Zz’Rot Cosplay Galio: Place Galio in your backrow, have him teleport into the enemy backline, cast his ability taunting the backliners, before warping back to your side of the board, decimating the enemy backliners' positioning as they move to attack him. Note: This is likely not optimal, but very funny when you pull it off.

Ethereal and Cursed Blades Shen: Shen's Hero Augment and the ability to de-star the enemy board, make for a traumatizing and hilarious experience. This is best played with additional Attack Speed items. PS: Did you know that Cursed Blade can make enemies hit 0 stars? When that happens, they do half the damage of their one-star ability.

Qiyana’s Sivir Cosplay: Give Qiyana your Rapid Firecannon and have her casting across the entire board, creating Sivir envy for everyone in the lobby.

Blighting Jewel Morgana: With this, you can melt an entire board’s Magic Resistance, eventually supercharging your Morgana to cast more and more!

Ascended Annie: Got a Bruiser Emblem and a Talisman of Ascension? You’ve got everything you need to make the scariest stall tank in the form of a 9-year-old girl.

Our new Artifacts unlock unique win conditions, opening up so many novel ways to play—the most powerful are likely still to be discovered! Let us know what combos you cook up this patch, because we may just have to nerf talk about them in the next patch!

• newTalisman of Ascension: Health: 400, Attack Damage: 20%, Ability Power: 20. After 18 seconds gain 100% max Health and 150% increased damage for the rest of combat.
• newCorrupt Vampiric Scepter: Attack Speed: 50%. Attacks deal an additional 50% Attack Damage as physical damage and heal the holder for the damage dealt. The holder cannot cast their ability or gain mana.
• newFishbones: Attack Damage: 30%, Attack Speed: 30%. Doubles the holder’s attack range and causes each of their attacks to target a random enemy.
• newSuspicious Trench Coat: Health: 250, Attack Speed: 25%. Once per combat at 50% Health, the holder splits into three copies of themself each with 33% of their max health. [Unique - only 1 per champion]
• newHorizon Focus: Health: 250, Mana: 15, Armor and Magic Resist: 20. Stunning an enemy causes lightning to strike them, dealing 30% of their max Health as magic damage.
• newMittens: Attack Speed: 60%. Shrinks the holder, granting them increased movement speed, 20% damage reduction, and immunity to Chill.
• newUnending Despair: Health: 400, Armor: 40. Whenever a Shield on the holder breaks, 100% of that Shield’s initial value is dealt to the nearest enemy as magic damage.
• newRapid Firecannon: Attack Speed: 50%. Gain +1 Attack Range, increased by 1 whenever the holder kills an enemy.
• newInnervating Locket: Health: 150, Mana: 15. The holder gains 2% of their total Mana whenever they’re hit by an attack. Each cast restores 20% of the holder’s max Health over 3 seconds.
• newLuden’s Tempest: Attack Damage: 30%, Ability Power: 30. 100% of overkill damage plus 100 is dealt as magic damage to the three enemies nearest the target.
• newSilvermere Dawn: Attack Damage: 165%, Armor and Magic Resist: 50. Grants immunity to stuns and the holder’s attacks stun the target for 0.8 seconds. The holder’s attack speed is locked at 0.5.
• newProwler’s Claw: Attack Damage: 25%, Critical Strike Chance: 25%. After killing a target, shed negative effects and dash to the farthest target within 4 hexes. The next two critical attacks deal 60% bonus critical strike damage.
• newCursed Blade: Attack Speed: 15%, Magic Resist: 20. Attacks reduce the target’s max Health by 3%. 13 attacks on the same target reduces their star level by 1.
• newSpectral Cutlass: Attack Damage: 40%, Critical Strike Chance: 20%. Combat start: Teleports the holder to the mirrored hex on the enemy’s side of the board. After 8 seconds, the holder returns to their original location.
• newBlighting Jewel: Ability Power: 40. Dealing magic damage reduces the target’s Magic Resist by 3. If their Magic Resist is 0, this grants the holder 5 Mana instead.
• newWit’s End: Attack Speed: 30%, Magic Resist: 30/ Attacks deal 42-100 (scales with stage) bonus magic damage. Heals the holder for 35% of all magic damage dealt.
• newForbidden Idol: Health: 200, Armor and Magic Resist: 25. Shields have 50% of their value converted to max Health instead.
• newLich Bane: Ability Power: 30, Mana: 15. The holder’s first attack after each ability cast deals 180-380 (scales with stage) bonus magic damage.
• newLightshield Crest: Armor and Magic Resist: 50, Every 3 seconds, Shields the lowest percent Health ally for 50% of the holder’s combined Armor and Magic Resist. On death grants this shield to all allies.
• newSeeker’s Armguard: Ability Power: 25, Armor and Magic Resist: 25. Takedowns increase the holder’s Armor, Magic Resist, and Ability Power by 10, increased to 15 if they score the kill.
• Blacksmith’s Gloves now grants 300 HP & 30% Crit baseline
• Goldmancer’s Staff has been removed
• Mogul’s Mail has been removed

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SUPPORT ITEMS

Five new Support Items and a now viable Virtue of the Martyr are here to spice up your Fine Vintage and Support Dummy builds. A personal favorite high-roll is Unstable Treasure Chest plus the Suspicious Trenchcoat Artifact, which combined grants 12 items to your team. Since when did being unstable AND suspicious become so appealing?

With our Virtue of the Martyr buff, you’ll now always get two empowered board heals before the item times out. This makes the item far more consistent since, depending on the timing of the pulses before, you sometimes would not get two fully empowered heals. Even beyond this, we’re buffing just how potent those heals are because the item needed quite a lot of help to stay competitive with the other Support choices.

As with our Artifacts, I’m sure there are more powerful combinations to be uncovered. Maybe Forbidden Idol and Moonstone, or Eternal Flame Behemoth vertical? Let us know what you come up with!

• newEternal Flame: Health: 250. While the holder is alive, all enemies are 33% Wounded, and all allies deal 7% more damage. This effect refreshes every 5 seconds.
• newKnight’s Vow: Health: 50. Combat Start: Grant 200 Health and 12% Omnivamp to the holder and allies within 1 hex in the same row.
• newMoonstone Renewer: Health: 250. Every 4 seconds, shield the 2 lower percent health allies for 100-400 health (based on Stage) for 4 seconds.
• newSpite: Health: 250. When this unit dies, all enemies within 2-hexes have their Attack Damage and Ability Power reduced by 40%. Allies in the explosion gain 30% Attack Damage and Ability power instead.
• newUnstable Treasure Chest: Health: 250. When the holder dies, the 3 closest allies gain a temporary completed item.
• Virtue of the Martyr base Heal: 6.5% max health ⇒ 7% max health
• Virtue of the Martyr empowered Heal: 13% max health ⇒ 14% max health
• Virtue of the Martyr after dying, instead of getting empowered heals for 10s, you’ll always get 2 empowered heals

Small, like chances of getting Unstable Treasure Chest (Support Item) and Suspicious Trench Coat (Artifact) to create the Suspiciously Unstable Treasure Coat!

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UNITS

The flip side of having a meta where three-star 4-costs are too frequent, is that we get a ton of data to judge their power. With these powerhouse-starred-up monstrosities harder to hit, we can make sure the lowest-performing ones hit hard.

• Lillia Ability small orb damage: 120/180/400% AP ⇒ 120/180/600% AP
• Ornn three-star items forged: 8 ⇒ 6
• Ornn three-star now forges Radiant items… Shiny!
• Sylas Ability damage: 200/300/1000% AP ⇒ 200/300/1200% AP
• Sylas Ability swipe damage: 90/135/450% AP ⇒ 90/135/550% AP
• Sylas Ability heal: 120/140/500% AP ⇒ 120/140/600% AP

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AUGMENTS

We’re strengthening our weaker Crests, Crowns, and trait-linked Augments by 1 to 2 gold by adding additional low-cost units that make it easier to activate their traits.

• Behemoth Crest: Gain a Thresh ⇒ Gain a Shen and Thresh
• Dragonlord Crest: Gain a Diana ⇒ Gain a Janna and Diana
• Grim Harvest: Gain a Kindred ⇒ Gain a Kha’Zix and Kindred
• Sage Crest: Gain a Diana ⇒ Gain a Zyra and Diana
• Storyweaver Crest: Now also gives a Garen.
• Warden Crest: Gain an Amumu ⇒ Gain a Jax and Amumu
• Behemoth Crown: Gain a Warmog’s Armor and Yorick ⇒ Gain a Sunfire Cape, Yorick, and Thresh
• Sage Crown: Gain a Diana ⇒ Gain a Zyra and Diana

DOUBLE UP

Double Up's current pacing is skewed towards power leveling and three-star 4 & 5-cost units as win conditions. With a higher average power economy than standard, we’re fine with seeing more of these. But hitting them shouldn't be so reliable that the dominant strategies are all about safely econing your way up to hit those without being too concerned about losses along the way. More player damage allows duos to increase the tempo of the lobby by power-spiking early and punishing late-game greed. All that being said, if you run into me and Mortdog on the DU ladder, imma still be forcing Fortune and asking Mortdog to carry the early game…and maybe the late game also…

• Minimum time for reinforcements to begin: 7 seconds ⇒ 12 seconds.
• Player damage taken is now rounded up to the nearest whole number.
• Base player damage: 2 / 5 / 6 / 8 / 11 / 17 ⇒ 3 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 17

• Sett’s Fated omnivamp bonus now applies after resistances.
• Sett’s Fated omnivamp bonus now only applies to attacks and abilities.
• Irelia no longer triggers on-hit effects with every blade in her chain. She now only triggers on-hit effects on hits where she triggers on-attack effects.
• Mythic, Fated, and Inkshadow emblems will no longer be offered without the trait active on 3-2 or 4-2.
• The Fortune cashout that gives +1 to all traits now shows up properly in the trait tracker.
• Teem-No!: The Teemo carousel encounter can no longer give a unit two spatulas.
• To prevent a glitch involving item duplication, Items can no longer be removed from a unit with a Masterwork Upgrade armory open.
• He doesn’t sea well: Nautilus no longer sometimes casts his ability backward.
• Azir can no longer spawn a permanent soldier if he casts as combat ends.
• Ornn items are no longer made permanent after combat ends in a tie.
• The Augment prop now faces the correct direction.
• Kayn’t get to them: Kayn’s ability no longer fizzles against cornered units.
• Virtue of the Martyr’s empowered heal functions properly.
• Crownguarded Augment no longer provides double the intended bonus.