LoL: News, Patch Notes, Weekly Sale, Champ Rotation (2026)

Quick Patch Highlights (26.7) Buffs and Nerfs

Patch 26.7 has finally hit the Rift, and it’s brought a whole bunch of changes to the game, including the new Shyvana update! Of course, several champions have also undergone some buffs and nerfs. Here’s a quick rundown:

Patch 26.7 Champion Buffs

• Cassiopeia
• Kalista
• Rell

Patch 26.7 Champion Nerfs

• Graves
• Karma
• Nami
• Ornn
• Singed
• Veigar

Patch 26.7 Adjustments

• Shyvana (Update)

Most of the changes here are general tweaks and adjustments to balance out champions after the last patch update. Champions like Nami, Ornn, and Karma, who benefited significantly from the last round of buffs and the recent systemic changes, are being taken down a notch to ensure they aren’t insta-locked in every match. On the other hand, champions like Kalista and Rell, who have been consistently underperforming thus far, have been given some much-appreciated buffs.

Riot has also made some adjustments to support farming to better reflect the current season changes (and to allow for more versatile gameplay).

Shyvana Update

Last patch, Riot has finally released Shyvana’s much-anticipated update. Our fiery dragon queen (move over, Daenerys) has been “upgraded” with a whole new kit and updated model…

And unfortunately, there’s a reason why I say “upgraded.” While she certainly looks like she’s received a smokin’ glow up, and the attack animations are slick, the actual kit update is underwhelming and actually feels like a downgrade. The overall kit doesn’t feel coherent and lacks identity. This is just my personal take, however, and it’s still in the early stages. Riot may release a few tweaks that’ll win me over. But for now? I’m disappointed — and that’s still the case in patch 26.7. Sorry Riot.

Current Event Overview: For Demacia (S1 A2)

For Demacia Act 2 is finally live in the client, and there’s a new Seasonal Battle Pass with plenty of missions to explore!

As you progress through the event, you’ll unlock mystery icons, emotes, champion capsules, and even Hextech Chests. The exact amount of rewards you unlock (and the quality) depends on whether you pay for a premium pass.

With a premium pass, you’ll have the opportunity to unlock Corrupted Petricite Xerath, Corrupted Petricite Maokai, and the exclusive Prestige Requiem Sona. There is a fair bit of grinding involved. However, most of the missions for this event are fairly easy and can be achieved by simply playing LoL. 

For Demacia: Season 1 Act 2 runs until April 28th, so you still have plenty of time to get started on the missions.

Latest Skins to Hit the Shop

April Fool’s Skins

Let’s be real: Riot never misses an opportunity to lure us into parting ways with our hard-earned RP… And honestly? They deserve it this time round. The latest batch of April Fool’s skins are packed full of meme-worthy features, fun colors, and playful particle effects. The splash arts are also downright hilarious and sure to relieve any tilt as you load into your games. WP Riot, WP.

• Bubble Bash Blitzcrank: 1350 RP
• Choncc Kench: 1350 RP
• Fried Chicken King Swain: 1350 RP
• Pug Trainer Sejuani: 1350 RP
• Surprise Party Vex: 1350 RP

Warhound Skins

While Shyvana’s update may not have lived up to expectations, Riot’s design team certainly has — the new Warhound skin line is total eye candy…. And will no doubt drive your enemies barking mad. Each skin is pawfect, with striking animations, a badass character design, and nightmare-inducing sound effects. Even the splash arts are god-tier and worth the RP in themselves.

• Warhound Naafiri: 1350 RP
• Warhound Senna: 1350 RP
• Warhound Warwick: 1350 RP

Petals of Spring

If you’re a fan of the Spirit Blossom thematic, you’ll be pleased to hear that “Petals of Spring” captures the same ethereal, whimsical vibe, but with a touch more Lunar New Year inspo. Each skin is utterly gorgeous, both in terms of visuals and animations.

I do feel that Petals of Spring Yasuo is a bit too similar to his Truth Dragon skin for my liking, albeit with a touch more Lunar-inspired red and gold. However, I’m not complaining too much. The skin still looks absolutely stunning and is totally worth the buck. I especially love Petals of Spring Lillia’s splash art (pictured above). It really paints her as this otherworldly entity, which couldn’t be more befitting considering her lore.

• Petals of Spring Lillia: 1820 RP
• Petals of Spring Yasuo: 1350 RP
• Petals of Spring Camille: 1350 RP
• Petals of Spring Jayce: 1350 RP
• Petals of Spring Katarina: 1350 RP

Firecracker Skins

Ready to start the lunar new year with a bang? Then you’ll want to pick up the latest skins in the Firecracker line. Each skin is overflowing with lunar inspo, from explosive particle effects and vibrant gold and red hues to character models inspired by the Lunar New Year and the horse zodiac animal. Each skin is total visual eye candy, though my personal favorite has to be Firecracker Yuumi. It’s aww-dorable.

• Firecracker Ashe: 1350 RP
• Firecracker Caitlyn: 1350 RP
• Firecracker Poppy: 1350 RP
• Firecracker Seraphine: 1350 RP
• Firecracker Yuumi: 1350 RP
• Firecracker Ziggs: 1350 RP

Latest Champion: Zaahen

The latest champion to hit the Rift is Zaahen, a fallen god who battles against his corruption and hunts down his fellow Darkins. Let’s get this out of the way first: His character design looks absolutely badass and conveys his lore perfectly; his body quite literally looks like a battlefield between good vs evil.

But Zaahen isn’t all looks and no substance; his kit is also extremely fun to play. He’s a fighter and bruiser top laner with a revive element; it essentially feels like a mix of the OG Aatrox and Darius. While I initially had concerns that the revive element would fall short and was a bit too close to Aatrox’s old design, on release, I’m pleased to say that it does have unique components and actually seems more polished. It feels fairly reliable and balanced, and improves on many of the pain points of Aatrox’s old revive.

That said, I will say that I am concerned about how “broken” he feels on release. I feel it may be a bit too overkill… And that usually means Riot will absolutely obliterate him and make him unplayable in the next few patches (if they live up to their reputation). I haven’t had a chance to properly experience him yet, though, so I’ll hold my breath for now before I say anything further.

You can find an in-depth breakdown of his abilities right here.

Current Champion Rotation Pool

Owning every champion in the game is not an easy feat — unless you’re willing to fork out on RP or grind Blue Essence for hours on end. Luckily, Riot helps out us peasants with the champion rotation pool, a schedule of over 20 champions that are made available for everyone to play, regardless of whether you actually own them. 

As of April 14th, here are the champions that are currently free to play:

• Aphelios
• Blitzcrank
• Braum
• Evelynn
• Heimerdinger
• Karthus
• Kennen
• Mordekaiser
• Morgana
• Naafiri
• Neeko
• Nilah
• Rammus
• Rengar
• Samira
• Seraphine
• Shen
• Talon
• Yasuo
• Zac

I highly recommend taking the time to explore Blitzcrank if you haven’t done so already. He’s a support with an effective yet simple-to-master kit that can work well in practically any elo, and he’s fairly strong in the meta right now!

Weekly Sale (Skins and Champions)

Want to spruce up your main champion with a new, flashy skin? Then don’t fork out just yet; every week, Riot puts several skins on sale in the shop, with some skins even having a staggering 60% discount. 

As of April 14th, the current skins on sale are:

• Flora Fatalis Soraka
• Dark Star Zoe
• Janitor Thresh
• Empyrean Zed
• Elderwood Azir
• Pajama Guardian Cosplay Urgot
• Infernal Amumu
• Pug’Maw
• Blood Moon Jhin
• Arcade Corki
• Urf the Nami-tee
• Jade Fang Cassiopeia
• Blackthorn Morgana
• Frostfire Annie
• Bilgewater Swain

Happy bargain hunting!

Several champions also go on sale every week, though I don’t recommend ever spending RP on a champion unless you’re desperate. They can all be unlocked with Blue Essence, the free in-game currency that you earn while playing matches.

That said, the current champions on sale are:

• Viego
• Samira
• Neeko
• Rek’Sai
• Zilean

Ranked 2026 Season 1

Ranked 2026 Season 1 has officially hit the Rift! Here’s a quick overview of the main gameplay changes and ranked adjustments:

• Adjustments to the autofill system to help matches feel more balanced and even out the playing field. For instance, if you’re autofilled, the system will now try to match you with another autofilled player. The new Aegis of Valor feature also rewards in-game performance; you’ll receive double LP or full protection from LP on an autofilled game if you get a mastery score above C.
• Several adjustments to reduce queue dodging, with dodging at Masters coming with severe penalties (including it counting as a full loss).
• Faster champ selects to tackle lobby hostaging. The ability to ban an ally’s hovered champion has also been removed.
• Adjustments to how MMR and ranks line up, particularly in the lower tiers. A Climb Indicator will also appear when your visible rank is significantly below your MMR.
• Flex ranks will now be more in line with Solo/Duo ranks to make matches feel fairer and more balanced.
• Solo/Duo is now enabled at all ranks in most regions.

The majority of these adjustments have been aimed at tackling pain points like uneven matchmaking and tilt-inducing champ selects — it’s refreshing, to say the least, and I hope these changes work as intended.

What’s Coming Up in LoL

There’s a whole lot to look forward to over the next few months, with the most noteworthy being the introduction of thematic seasons instead of splits. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect to see coming to the Rift:

• Riot has teased that a major refreshed version of LoL — codenamed League Next — is set to go live in 2027. We’ll hopefully hear more information soon!
• Continued improvements to the Mythic Shop to enhance its interface and make it more rewarding and accessible.
• Your Shop will return five times this year, with a special “Legendary” Your Shop where you can unlock legendary skins for a significantly reduced price.
• Plenty of new skin releases, including new skin lines and the return of old favorites (like PROJECT)
• The Riot team are actively working on improving the griefing detection systems in League. Players can expect to see new updates rolled out regularly this season.