LoL Patch 26.14 Tier List: Buffs, Nerfs & Locke

Here is the LoL patch 26.14 tier list, assembled before the patch even lands, because apparently we all enjoy pain early. Riot's own preview confirms this is a small patch: ten champions touched, five systems changes, and one champion getting kicked while he's still learning to walk. Read the League of Legends 26.14 patch notes below and stop pretending you didn't already read them on Twitter three times.

The Tier List

Tier	Champion	Why They're There
S	Mordekaiser	Ultimate now steals 13% instead of 10%. Garen, his only real problem, just got nerfed into obedience. Enjoy the throne.
S	Yunara	AD per level up. She was already annoying at scale, now she scales faster into being annoying.
A	Corki	More AD per level and faster access to Missile Barrage. The poke gets to happen more often, unfortunately for you.
A	Nami	E damage bumped. Still exists to make someone else's day better, which remains her whole personality.
A	Locke	Nerfed, still strong. A wave-clear tax on a burst assassin is a parking ticket, not an arrest.
B	Azir	Only bug fixes. No real buff, no real nerf, no real opinion required.
B	Jungle Nasus / Shen	Not directly nerfed, Protoplasm Harness was instead. Same funeral, different casket.
C	Garen	Demacian Justice true damage cut. The execute button still executes, just with slightly less enthusiasm.
C	Jayce	Less post-transform movement speed, less melee-form resistance. Death by a thousand small deductions.
D	Senna	Nerfed again. At some point this stops being balance and starts being personal.
D	Seraphine	Overperformed in solo queue, now pays for it. The mage-bot experiment continues, minus her.

Ranks reflect the preview notes ahead of the July 15 release. Numbers can shift before the patch actually ships, same as every patch, forever.

Buffs, Because Someone Had To Get Something

Mordekaiser: E damage up, ultimate stat theft raised from 10% to 13%.
Corki: higher AD scaling, quicker Missile Barrage cooldown access.
Yunarhigher AD scaling to keep pace with other hyper carries.
Nami: E damage increased.
Azir: bug fixes, no numbers, no glory.

Nerfs, The Main Event

The Locke nerf in patch 26.14 targets his Q setup damage and cuts recast hold time by a second, aimed at his waveclear rather than his one-shot. Riot's own words: his damage is fine, he just needs to work harder for it. Translation: still terrifying, now with extra steps.

The Garen nerf in League of Legends reduces Demacian Justice's true damage scaling. His execute still ends games, it just needs a slightly lower missing-health percentage to do it, which is the balance equivalent of a light tap on the wrist.

Jayce loses movement speed after transforming and takes a hit to melee-form resistances. Small numbers, real impact in any lane where he was already living on the edge of his own cooldowns.

The Senna nerf continues a pattern that's now spanned multiple patches, with her Grey Health cap reduced further. Someone at Riot clearly has a personal vendetta and isn't hiding it anymore.

Seraphine gets trimmed after overperforming in solo queue, part of Riot's ongoing, mildly defensive commentary on mages playing bot lane. They insist it's not a problem. The patch notes disagree.

System Changes

System	Change	Who Cries
Hextech Rocketbelt	Nerfed to force a bigger trade-off on mobility for immobile mages.	Every immobile mage that got used to never dying.
Gluttonous Greaves	Mid-lane boots upgrade nerfed for lacking real counterplay.	Mid-lane sustain mains.
Protoplasm Harness	Nerfed instead of touching jungle Nasus directly.	Jungle Nasus and Shen, collateral damage as usual.
Blue Buff	Quality-of-life adjustment, details light on specifics.	Nobody, for once.

The Rocketbelt nerf is Riot admitting the item let immobile mages forget they were supposed to be immobile. It's being pulled back so those champions remember what a flank feels like again.

Best Champions Right Now

If you want the short answer to "what are the best champions in patch 26.14," it's Mordekaiser, Yunara, and Corki, in that order, with Locke still viable for anyone willing to actually learn a kit instead of complaining about it in champion select.

LoL Patch 26.14 Tier List: Buffs, Nerfs & Locke FAQ

When does LoL patch 26.14 release?

Wednesday, July 15, 2026, one week later than usual due to Riot's summer break schedule.

Is Locke getting nerfed again in 26.14?

Yes, his Q setup damage and recast hold time are reduced, targeting waveclear, not his burst damage directly.

Which champions are buffed in patch 26.14?

Mordekaiser, Corki, Yunara, and Nami receive buffs, while Azir only gets bug fixes.

Why is Senna nerfed again?

Her Grey Health cap is reduced further, continuing several consecutive patches of toning down her sustain and scaling.

Does patch 26.14 change any items?

Yes, Hextech Rocketbelt, Gluttonous Greaves, and Protoplasm Harness are all nerfed, plus a Blue Buff quality-of-life change.

LoL Patch 26.14 Tier List: Buffs, Nerfs & Locke