League of Legends Update 12.19 is out! The latest patch buffed 16 champions, and that does not include the adjusted Syndra. Here, we will focus on the buffs for Garen and Malphite.
Garen
Garen recently received a small buff after nine patches of him getting nothing. His buff may surprise some because he’s a decent champion for new players in the lower elo and a good counter pick to certain champions in higher elo. The buff in question is applied on his Judgment (E) ability.
Judgment (E)
Critical Strike Damage: From 58% (+1% per 1% bonus critical strike damage) to 75% (+1% per 1% bonus critical strike damage).
The critical strike damage for his Judgment went up from 58% to 75%, which is massive when building crit items like Mortal Reminder. This increase is quite palpable in mid to late game, and surely helps Garen take out tanks better.
Malphite
Malphite is a decent champion depending on the scenario. But in most cases, the rock fails to shine unless he uses his ultimate to knock enemies up. In this update, developers buffed the Ability Power values on his Thunderclap (W) and Unstoppable Force (R).
Thunderclap (W)
Cone AoE Physical Damage: From 15/25/35/45/55 (+20% AP) (+15% armor) to 15/25/35/45/55 (+30% AP) (+15% armor).
The increase in the scaling ratio on his W is 10%, and will definitely be felt if Malphite goes for the full AP build.
Unstoppable Force (R)
Magic Damage: From 200/300/400 (+80% AP) to 200/300/400 (+90% AP).
Malphite is known for his visually-appealing and jumpscare ultimate, which knocks up enemies, and leaves them unable to do anything for a while. To better define this ability as an “ultimate,” developers increased its AP scaling ratio to encourage more players to build AP items on the champion. While squishier than having tank items, a Malphite with multiple AP items will likely take down one or more enemy champions with his R in an excellent clash. The higher scaling ratio may also bring him back to the mid lane.
Similarly, Blitzcrank, Ekko, Fizz, Jinx, and more have received buffs in this update, and you can read more about them here. League of Legends Update 12.19 is now available for download.
