Get Premium
MSI
MSI 2026
The MSI patch preview was shared by Riot Phroxzon this Wednesday, with the update set to hit live servers on Wednesday, June 24. Combined with the 26.12 changes, this is shaping up to be one of the most open metas we've seen heading into an international event, with fresh priorities emerging across nearly every role.
ADC: the hypercarries return, Senna gets buried
Senna is the patch's big loser. Between her on-hit nerf, her damage cuts, the soul drop nerf on her ADC playstyle, and the Doran's Helm nerf she synergized perfectly with, nothing is going her way before MSI. It would be very surprising to see her anywhere but support — and her support playability actually picks up a slight buff that could make the difference for the most creative teams. Frankly, it's for the best that she's no longer an ADC option, given the far more exciting champions making their return.
Aphelios sees all his weapons' Q abilities buffed except Gravitum (his purple gun). He'd been flirting with the edge of competitive viability, and we expect this buff to be enough to bring him back — especially since MSI is all-BO5, with plenty of series likely to draw out 10 different ADCs. His all-purpose synergy with both setup supports and enchanters fits perfectly into the support meta that's recently opened up.
Kai'Sa, who synergizes mainly with aggressive or dive compositions, gets massive W and R shield buffs. They boost both her poke tool — which helps her hold lane and stay dangerous in the mid game on her hybrid build — and her all-in power. Enough to see her return when the angle allows in BO5, but probably not enough to make her a genuine priority.
Same story for Draven. The buff isn't a game-changer but it's meaningful, giving him more leeway to either secure a kill or to avoid dying since his E is his main engage and disengage tool. Expect to see him being an option when the ADC pool thins out and the angle fits — especially since many ADCs present at the competition are excellent Draven players (Gumayusi, Hans Sama, JKL, Caliste...).
Mid lane: Leblanc and Vex rise, Cassiopeia tapped down
Leblanc receives a string of R buffs that should push her up in priority. Between her excellent pilots (Knight and Caps chiefly), the importance of mid priority in the current game, and her strength as a lane bully, these buffs — combined with the nerfs on other prioritized champions — make her a prime competitive pick. Don't be surprised to see her in the opening/mid games of series.
It's interesting to see Vex buffed alongside her. Where Lissandra was previously one of the only viable answer to Leblanc once the priority picks were on the board, Vex now becomes an interesting counterpick too. Particularly into high-mobility comps with the likes of Leblanc, Ambessa, Lee Sin or Akali. The R buff (takedown reset window 6s to 8s) is especially useful in pro play to be able to play teamfights more slowly when needed.
On the other side, Cassiopeia takes a logical nerf. She looked like the big winner of last patch's hits to high-priority picks like Orianna and Ryze, becoming one of the most prioritized picks herself. Riot is targeting her mid-game durability rather than her early all-in identity. Lighter than what hit the other two, the nerf keeps her from standing too far above the pack, though she should remain among the most prioritized mid laners.
Jungle: Olaf, Qiyana and Poppy flex back in
Olaf gets buffed just as he was already reappearing more and more in the jungle — a simple, targeted Q buff that speeds up his clear, especially later in the game. That should make him close to as prioritized as bruiser peers like Jarvan IV or Xin Zhao, with the added bonus of being a top lane flex in drafts.
Qiyana, recently out of circulation, gets a sizable clear buff that should make her re-viable under certain angles. Poppy joins them as a strong flex pick heading into MSI, especially with the return of engage supports.
Top lane: tanks tapped, the rest hold steady
Zaahen gets a light buff. He was already very present, so nothing here should change his priority as an answer to certain bruisers and tanks.
The two tanks that had become the most prioritized top lane solution take slight nerfs — Sion more than K'Sante, since a good chunk of his lane sustainability has been hit. It's a fairly meaningful nerf, but given the pick's priority he should simply drop a bit rather than vanish. K'Sante and Ornn could now become tank picks more comparable to Sion, which clearly wasn't the case before.
Rumble takes a light nerf, nothing to worry about — he'll remain one of the most prioritized top laners.
The big picture
The 26.12 and 26.13 changes together seem to open the meta like rarely before just ahead of an international event. Where some might complain that too many big changes could hurt the overall level of competition, it also means the teams that adapt best will be rewarded. Across many roles, a flood of picks looks playable at the highest level, likely one of the most open metas in the history of international competition, especially with Fearless in play. It mirrors a tournament that itself feels wide open, with plenty of teams looking capable of contending for the title.
Comments (0)