Patch 11.24b: The Preseason Buff-Nerf Piñata That Still Echoes in 2026

League of Legends preseason patches have always operated like a chef who adds three new spices, breaks the oven, and then promises the soup will taste better by February. Patch 11.24b, which landed in the twilight of 2021, was no exception. Looking back from 2026, that micro-patch remains a fascinating case study in how Riot Games fiddles with champion levers during the most chaotic weeks of the ranked calendar. The broader preseason had already introduced new dragons and a pile of item changes that left both casual and ranked players squinting at their shop menus like tourists reading a subway map in a foreign language.

The Buffed: From Benchwarmers to Bot Lane Lurkers

At the time, a handful of champions were about as popular in the meta as a salad bar at a barbecue joint. RiotPhlox and the balance team decided to throw them a lifeline, and some of the changes were chunky enough to shift champion select overnight.

• Gwen 🫡: Base health rose from 550 to 590. That may sound small, but in top lane terms it was the difference between winning a trade and getting deleted by a stray minion sneeze.

• Olaf 🪓: Passive maximum attack speed jumped from 75% to 100%. The angry viking became an angry blender, and nobody near the river was safe.

• Kai'Sa 🔥: Passive on-hit damage went up from 4-10 to 4-16, Q damage ratio climbed from 40% to 50% bonus AD, and the evolved W refund increased from 70 to 77. After spending too long being about as useful as a submarine's screen door, she got the kind of buff that makes AD carry mains weep into their mousepads.

• Varus 🏹: Passive attack speed duration stretched from a flat 5 seconds to 5-11 seconds scaling, while W on-hit damage rose from 7-11 (+25% AP) to 7-15 (+30% AP). More arrows, more math, more punishment.

• Pyke 🌊: Q damage increased from 85-285 to 100-300, because apparently some people enjoy being executed from a bush while their support laughs maniacally.

At the time, Kai'Sa held one of the lowest win rates for the AD carry position at roughly 48%, which felt almost criminal for a champion who had spent years as a reliable pick. The buffs were designed to drag her back into the bot lane meta, possibly alongside the recently reworked Janna, though the thought of that duo still makes some players check their tower for structural damage.

The Nerfed: A Parade of Overperformers and One Jungle Menace

On the other side of the ledger, Riot reached for the nerf hammer with the enthusiasm of a blacksmith who had just discovered a new anvil.

• Dr. Mundo 🩹: Health regeneration dropped from 8 to 6.5 HP per second, and Q minimal damage fell from 80-300 to 80-280. He still went wherever he pleased, but now he had to pause slightly longer to admire the scenery.

• Kassadin 🌌: Passive magic damage reduction declined from 15% to 10%, and W bonus damage was trimmed from 70-170 to 50-150. His ability to one-shot squishy enemies took a real hit, which was a relief to every mid laner who had ever been erased before their screen could load the teamfight.

• Lux 💡: Q cooldown went from 11-9 scaling to 11 seconds flat, and Q base damage slipped from 80-260 to 80-240. The light mage had to be a little less spammy, much to the disappointment of players who enjoy rooting someone from two screens away.

• Vayne 🦇: R bonus attack damage was lowered from 35-65 to 25-55. High-skill Vayne players were still terrifying, but at least their late-game montage required a few more frames of setup.

• Talon (Jungle) 🗡️: W damage to monsters dropped from 150% to 130%. The parkour assassin had been clearing camps like a woodchipper, so Riot applied the percentage shave and told him to farm like everyone else.

The Vayne and Talon nerfs were about as surprising as a poro appearing in ARAM. Both champions had been sprinting through the preseason like caffeinated parkour experts, and their high skill ceilings meant that one-tricks could squeeze absurd value from every buff, item, and dragon soul. Players who wanted to pick up Kassadin back then were advised to wait a few patches, since other assassins could do the same job more efficiently without needing a PhD in riftwalking.

What a 2026 Player Should Remember

Even in 2026, the ghost of patch 11.24b is a reminder that preseason balance is less about perfection and more about Riot throwing a dozen porcelain plates into the air and seeing which ones land. Item overhauls, dragon additions, and micro-buffs can shift the meta like a cafeteria tray on a wet floor. Champions rise, champions fall, and somewhere in the background a jungle Talon main quietly misses the days before the monster damage tax. The lesson remains the same: read the patch notes, respect the percentages, and never trust a preseason meta to hold your LP.