Worlds 2025 is now less than six weeks away, and the next couple of patches have the potential to completely redefine the meta for the greatest League of Legends tournament there is.
The introduction of Fearless Draft in 2025 has forced every team to devise new team comps and do everything else possible to beat their opponents draft after draft and game after game. However, one trend that has been going on for some time now is that everyone is picking only bruiser junglers (Xin Zhao, Vi, Wukong, Jarvan IV, etc.), leaving tanks for that 5th game, when everything else has been either picked or banned.
Well, that will probably change for Worlds 2025, and maybe even for some of the remaining games in regular leagues/play-ins, as the upcoming 15.18 patch will introduce a massive buff to the Monster Damage Bonus (50% → 100%) of Bami's Cinder. This buff could make Bami's Cinder the best early-game component for any tank jungler.
Also, it could push both Hollow Radiance and Sunfire Aegis up in priority as the first item choice. You can check out more details about the 15.18 patch in the image below, as well as RiotPhroxzon's X post regarding it.
The junglers that might see the biggest increases in priority are Maokai, Sejuani, Nautlius, Skarner, Ammumu, and even Zac. However, if the extra clear speed, which most tank junglers lacked compared to bruisers, doesn't provide a substantial enough advantage, everyone might just return to their already established picks.
Other changes in the 15.18 patch don't seem like they'll make that massive of a difference in pro play, but for any of you who prefer your League of Legends solo queue-flavored, there are a few things worth noting:
- Illaoi E buffs: 33% duration increase on Illaoi's E could make her an even bigger menace in top lane, especially in lower elo.
- Yunara early game nerfs: Yunara will lose a bit of her base stats, as well as 20% of Movement Speed Boost and 1 second of duration (at max rank) on her E. It'll make her a bit easier to punish early on and prevent her from scaling into a 1v9 monster that she is.
- Galio clear nerfs: Galio's Passive AP Ratio and Q Tick Damage are getting a nerf, lowering its potential to 1-shot the wave and roam as he usually does.
What do you think of the 15.18 patch, and are there any changes you'd like to see at Worlds 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
Aleksa is a lifelong gamer who manages to reach the top 1% on the leaderboards in just about every game he plays. He specializes in creating in-depth guides and tier lists, mainly for mobile and Roblox games. Also, he enjoys competitive multiplayer and hardcore singleplayer games on PC, such as League of Legends, CS2, Apex Legends, Escape From Tarkov, Clair Obscur, and Dark Souls.