LoL Patch 26.22: Mel Update, Champion Buffs and Nerfs, K/DA FIRESTARTER Skins

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Riot's League of Legends Patch 26.22 is scheduled for November 4, 2026. It shifts Mel's power from the early game to the late game, buffs ten champions, nerfs Locke, Thresh and Yasuo, and adds K/DA FIRESTARTER skins. Teamfight Tactics also moves to its own client on the same day.

Key Takeaways

Mel gets a midscope update: weaker early game, stronger scaling, a reworked W and a faster ultimate cooldown.
Ten champions are buffed and three are nerfed on Summoner's Rift.
Overlord's Bloodmail attack damage rises from 30 to 40, while Doran's Bow attack damage drops from 8 to 7.
ARAM: Mayhem gets augment changes, two new augments and two returning maps.
K/DA FIRESTARTER skins arrive for Ahri, Evelynn, Kai'Sa and Akali.
TFT launches as a standalone client on November 4, 2026.

Mel midscope update

Mel is the headline change. Riot moves her power from the early game toward later fights, so she should feel weaker in lane and stronger once items come online.

Passive and early stats are reduced, and her base health, mana and attack damage are reworked.
Q costs less mana and refunds mana on champion hits, but its missile is slower.
W becomes an area nova that destroys enemy projectiles and shields, then retaliates against them.
E has its root and slow adjusted.
R cooldown drops to 120/90/60 seconds across ranks.

Source: Riot Games Patch 26.22 notes, published November 3, 2026.

Summoner's Rift champion changes

Champion	Direction	What changes
Aurelion Sol	Buff	E damage scales higher
Corki	Buff	R damage increased
Kayle	Buff	Early Q cooldown and R cooldown reduced
Maokai	Buff	Q scaling increased
Naafiri	Buff	Q heal and W bonus attack damage increased
Rumble	Buff	R AP ratio increased
Shen	Buff	Q damage against monsters increased
Smolder	Buff	W explosion damage increased
Viktor	Buff	Health growth and R AP ratio increased
Zaahen	Buff	Q cooldown reduced
Locke	Nerf	Q stack damage and W duration reduced
Thresh	Nerf	Base attack damage and R damage reduced
Yasuo	Nerf	Q attack damage ratio reduced

Item changes

Item	Change
Doran's Bow	Attack damage reduced from 8 to 7
Overlord's Bloodmail	Attack damage raised from 30 to 40, with a lower Retribution bonus (0 to 10% total AD, down from 0 to 12%)

ARAM: Mayhem changes

Hecarim loses his ability haste.
Armored Impact, BEES!!!, Weapon of Destiny and Take 'Em Down Down Down are nerfed.
Survivability augments such as Soul Eater and Stay Resolute are buffed.
Two new augments, One Hit Wonder and RISE!, are added.
Butcher's Bridge and Koeshin's Crossing return to the map rotation.

Other champion and mode changes

The notes also list changes for Gangplank, Nami, Olaf and Ezreal (AP) as buffs or reverts, and nerfs for Amumu, Janna, Rammus, Fiddlesticks (E damage) and Mordekaiser, who loses his bonus damage to structures. Volibear, Swain and Elise are also named in that section. Aatrox gets a passive cooldown fix, and Classic Pass token grants rise by 50% for the rest of the act.

New skins and chromas

K/DA FIRESTARTER Ahri, Evelynn and Kai'Sa
K/DA FIRESTARTER Ignition Akali
K/DA HITMAKER Evelynn
Prestige Classic Baron Kog'Maw
Chromas for Music Fan Gragas (FIRESTARTER) and Prestige Classic Baron Kog'Maw (Vivid)

TFT gets its own client

Riot's notes state that Teamfight Tactics moves to a standalone client on November 4, 2026. Players who only use TFT will no longer need the main League client.

What it means for players

Mid lane players should expect Mel to be less dominant in the first levels, so lane matchups against her become easier to survive. The Overlord's Bloodmail buff makes the item a stronger pick for bruisers and tanks that want attack damage. Viktor, Smolder and Kayle are the buffed champions most likely to show up more often in ranked.

Riot also ships its other game updates on a regular patch cycle. For a comparison, see our coverage of VALORANT Patch 13.09. Full numbers are in the official Patch 26.22 notes.

FAQ

When does LoL Patch 26.22 go live?

Riot's schedule has Patch 26.22 going live on November 4, 2026. The official notes were published on November 3.

What changes for Mel in Patch 26.22?

Mel's early game power drops and her scaling improves. Her passive and early stats are reduced, her Q costs less mana and refunds mana on champion hits, her W becomes an area nova, and her ultimate cooldown falls to 120/90/60 seconds.

Which champions are nerfed in Patch 26.22?

Locke, Thresh and Yasuo receive nerfs. Ten champions are buffed: Aurelion Sol, Corki, Kayle, Maokai, Naafiri, Rumble, Shen, Smolder, Viktor and Zaahen.

Which new skins arrive with Patch 26.22?

The K/DA FIRESTARTER line adds skins for Ahri, Evelynn and Kai'Sa, plus a K/DA FIRESTARTER Ignition Akali skin. A K/DA HITMAKER Evelynn skin and a Prestige Classic Baron Kog'Maw skin also arrive.