League of Legends' next patch is coming up next week, promising to deliver a series of buffs, nerfs, and changes - and of course, the launch of the game's newest champion.
League of Legends Patch 13.6 release date
LoL Patch 13.6 is due to release on Wednesday, March 22, at 3 AM PT/5 AM GMT/3 AM CET. This means that there will be several hours of downtime before the patch releases, with matchmaking and competitive queues being disabled in the three hours before the patch goes live.
More importantly for the professional scene, Patch 13.6 will finally see the release of the highly-anticipated new champion Milio, the 163rd champion to join the game.
Milio, the Gentle Flame, is an enchanter support character who uses his eternal flame to both heal and shield his allies. The full list of Milio's abilities is as follows, according to Riot Games:
Passive - Fired Up!: Milio's abilities enchant allies on touch, making their next damage deal a burst of extra damage and burn the target.
Q - Ultra Mega Fire Kick: Milio kicks a ball that knocks back an enemy. The ball launches upward on hit and falls toward the enemy, damaging and slowing enemies in the area upon impact.
W - Cozy Campfire: Milio creates an empowering zone that heals allies and increases attack range to those inside. The zone follows the ally nearest to the cast point.
E - Warm Hugs: Milio tosses a shield to an ally, temporarily increasing their movement speed.
R - Breath of Life: Milio unleashes a wave of soothing flames that heal and remove crowd control effects from allies in range.
The launch of a new support champion is sure to shake up the competetive scene, and all eyes will be on some of the best support players in the world to see how they approach this new character. Among others, it will be interesting to see how Team Liquid's Support player Jo "CoreJJ" Yong-in handles Milio. He's known to use a variety of support champions, having seen particular success with the likes of Sona and Ashe - the latter of whom will be receiving a buff through Patch 13.6.
Milio certainly has the potential to really invigorate the League of Legends scene. As can be seen in a video from Zwag Xerath, fans are already hailing him as potentially the best support champion Riot Games has released to date, with the video below showcasing his ability to cleanse his entire team.
And while we wait to see how League of Legends' newest champion will shake up the competitive scene, there are some changes on the horizon for the game's existing characters too.
Most notably, the recently-reworked Yuumi and Aurelion Sol are both due to be nerfed in the upcoming patch. Yuumi's nerf is hardly surprising, with the champion having already been the subject of a micropatch after her Q max was found to be overperforming. Alongside the reworked duo, AD carry Zeri and burst mage Veigar are both due to receive nerfs.
The characters due to be buffed in Patch 13.6 include Vayne, Galio, Talon and Ashe - though the latter is only seeing alterations to her AD carry-relevant abilities.
Riot has yet to release the official patch notes, however, so these buffs and nerfs could be subject to change between now and March 22.
But whatever happens, the new champion is bound to make an impact on the League of Legends professional scene. And will the Yuumi nerfs finally make her a less controversial character among fans and professionals alike? However it works out, you can follow along with the drama right here on Luckbox. Just click here to see the upcoming League of Legends esports schedule, and remember to sign up to claim your free 100% bonus!
