Patch 4.12, 13 and 14 - how you can use it to your fullest advantage

Patch 4.12 is already old but have many big changes that can be used to your advantage easily. Not surprisingly Kassadin and Lucian have been given some nerfs and there are a few other tweaks to some other champions. There have been some tweaks to some items but the big deal is that there are now jungle timers on the clock.

Patches 4.13 and 4.14 are a bit old as well but will be one of the last patches before the world championships and therefore these three patches are important. In 4.13; Sona, junglers and assassins are in focus. 4.14 includes a new champion and balance changes before the championship!

I will go through the biggest, most important, changes and start with jungle timers because I think this is biggest change through all patches!

As you know jungle timers will now be visible for you and your team if you have vision on the monster when it died. Either you love this feature or you hate it. Either you think “This is a feature that makes the game too easy to play” or “This is a feature that takes away heavy load from the jungler”. Riot says they have been discussing this feature for years which says a lot about what an important decision this was, bear that in mind. I think they have made it work pretty well. The timers are not up there in the middle of the screen guiding you through the timers but you have to be active and check them over and over if you want to make sure you know when dragon spawns.

This decision, and just hear me out because Riot said it themselves, is based on clarity that I spoke of in the last article as well. Riot does not want you as a player to battle the game, but battle the players. And the old system made you battle the game by using notepad or third party programs

Therefore, I think it is important that if you are the jungler (or an appointed person in your team) to check the jungle timers, always. Instead of noting them down or yapping about when dragon actually spawns, be a great jungler and keep track of the timers now that you have them written down automatically (if you have vision on when the monster died). If you do not exploit this, the enemy team will and you will lose every battle against both blues, both reds, dragon and baron because the enemy team will always be there.

In 4.13, Sona got a pretty nice update. Sona used to be some sort of constant buff with legs and Riot wanted to make her a “creator of gameplay”, as any other champion. I am surprised that she has not been used more after this patch but as a Sona lover I guess I am a bit biased.

Having a Sona on your team means that, if you are five people in one place, it is like you have extra everything. Extra damage, speed or health; which ever you need. The new Sona has a smaller aura but her effects within it are stronger. This means that as a Sona player you can no longer “spam” abilities that will affect everyone. You need better timing and positioning. If you are good at this, I think Sona could be an awesome support to play more. Because Sona is still Sona, she is very unique. A few things to improve your play:

Sona’s first auto attack after using her Hymn of Valor (q) does much more damage than before. Remeber to auto attack whenever you have used Hymn of Valor for maximum damage. This is more important than before.
Learn which ranges are changed and which are not. By remembering this you will exploit her to the fullest and never use an ability for nothing. For example, heal range is still as long. This means you can still heal the front line when you are at the back. However, you can not use Hymn of Valor and expect it to hit anyone. Also, you can heal them, but you cannot shield them! It is all about timing and descisions!
Now that the ultimate is not wider than what it actually hits, focus your aim for maximum use.

The new champion from patch 4.14 is called Gnar. Gnar is also a unique champion but in a totally different way. If you want to follow what I am about to say, watch the champion spotlight first if you have not already.

Gnar can be played on toplane and as you saw, his unique shape shift is something that can be exploited if you have bought him early and people do not know his playstyle yet. Perhaps you are at a high level of play in which your enemies might be more up to date with things and you might have to try him out more before this works.

If you are going to play Gnar you will have to be flexible and used to the game. I have not played him myself yet but he really seems like a champion that would be tricky to get used to. Shifting stances is not controllable and you will always have to do your best depending on which circumstance you are in. Normally, we are used to hitting q, w, e, or r exactly when we want something to happen. With Gnar, you have to try to determine where you will have to be and what to do now but also in ten seconds.

Can I stay here at the front of the line? Yes, but in five seconds I need to back or if you want to engage, in which form will you have to be and how long do you have to wait to get there. There just seems to be a lot of options and strategy to this new champion. Shall I pick up my boomerang at this point or do I need to start chasing another way? How far behind will I get if I pick it up versus if I do not pick it up and have to wait for the cooldown instead? There are these new types of choices you have to think about when playing him.