TFT Patch 14.9 notes: Nerfs to Heavenly, Kayn, and Lissandra

Maxwell Tsao

Maxwell Tsao

Teamfight Tactics Inkborn Fables Set 11 is receiving big balance changes in 14.9. Here are the upcoming TFT patch 14.9 notes!

The Teamfight Tactics (TFT) patch 14.8 and 14.8b cycle saw the prominence of four-cost carries and frontlines dominating the meta. Outside of a little bit of Kindred/Gnar reroll sprinkled into the mix, the goal of bringing four-costs to the forefront of TFT was largely successful.

However, it was too successful in that most reroll compositions were killed off. Additionally, three-star four-costs became a too commonly achieved win condition.

The next patch aims to reduce the rate at which players hit three-star four-costs and also introduce a plethora of new artifact and support items into the mix. Of course, there are other relevant balance changes aimed towards a healthier game state.

Here are the TFT patch notes for patch 14.9, releasing May 1, at approximately 5 or 6 a.m. PT.

Set 11 TFT patch 14.9 notes: systems changes

Player damage, Shop odds, Experience cost

We previewed many of the systems changes coming to TFT in patch 14.9 regarding shop odds, player damage, and experience. Those changes can be seen in that preview below.

Encounters

Fated Ahri (Image via Riot Games)
Fated Ahri (Image via Riot Games)

There are more changes to encounters that have also been announced in addition to the removal of the four we had previously mentioned.

Nerf

  • Ahri
    • "Ahri's kiss grants increased player health"
      • Player health increase reduced from 15 to 10
  • Irelia
    • "Irelia makes your next 6 shops contain a unit of each cost."
      • Number of shops reduced from 6 to 3

Increased chance of appearing

  • Kayn
    • "At 5-4 the game ends. Your position then is your final placement."
  • Ornn
    • "Ornn offers you a choice of Artifacts."

Decreased chance of appearing

  • Cho'Gath
    • "Cho'Gath offers you a boon if you sate his hunger
      • Lose a shop slot forever; gain 3 component anvils
      • Deline the offer"
  • Diana
    • "This round, when you sell a unit, Diana cleaves their completed items into components."
  • Irelia
    • "Irelia frees all players to move freely on this carousel."
  • Neeko
    • "Neeko adds a Lesser Champion Duplicator to every champion on Carousel!"
  • Teemo
    • "Teemo adds a Golden Spatula to every champion on Carousel!"
  • Wukong
    • "Wukong adds a Radiant item to each champion on this Carousel."
    • Can no longer appear on Stage 2

Removal

  • Cho'Gath
    • "Cho'Gath will give you 2 Lesser Champion Duplicators or 1 Champion Duplicator."
  • Kha'Zix
    • "Kha'Zix causes XP to cost 3 gold instead of 4 this game. EVOLVE!"
  • Neeko
    • "Neeko adds a Champion Duplicator to every champion on Carousel!"
  • Syndra
    • "Syndra unleashes a Carousel of 2-star 4-cost champions."

Set 11 TFT patch 14.9 notes: traits changes

Fated Sett (Image via Riot Games)
Fated Sett (Image via Riot Games)

Arcanist (Buff)

"Arcanists gain Ability Power and grant Ability Power to allies."

  • Aracanist ability power (AP) increased from 20/50/85/125% to 20/50/90/135%
  • Team AP increased from 20/20/40/125% to 20/20/50/135%

Dryad (6-piece Nerf)

"Dryads gain Ability Power and 150 Health. Each enemy death grants permanent additional Health."

  • Health per stack decreased from 3/7/11 to 3/7/10
  • AP decreased from 15/30/65 to 15/30/55

Fated (Buff + Nerf)

"Hover one Fated unit over another to form a pair and unlock a Fated Bonus. Your pair gains 20% HP"

  • Sett omnivamp bonus reverted from 12% to 15%
  • Sett's omnivamp bonus applies after resistances and only applies to attacks and abilities (not items)

Fortune (Nerf)

"When you lose a fight, gain Luck. The more fights in a row you lose, the more Luck you get. Lose Luck when you win."

  • 7-piece bonus stacks decreased from 25 to 12
  • 7-piece orb average value decreased from 16g to 8g
  • Adjusted higher cashout options (intended buff)

Heavenly (Nerf)

"Heavenly units grant unique stats to your team, increased by their star level and each Heavenly unit in play."

  • No longer scales with unit star levels
  • Grants 70% more stats to heavenly units
  • Bonus stats reduced from 100/115/135/165/200/225% to 100/110/125/145/175/200%
  • Heavenly omnivamp bonus reduced from 6% to 5%

Storyweaver (Buff)

Storyweaver Kayle (Image via Riot Games)
Storyweaver Kayle (Image via Riot Games)

"Storyweavers summon a Hero named Kayle and evolve her. Storyweavers gain max Health."

  • 5 and 7 Storyweaver Kayle on-hit damage decreased from 15/30/40/90% to 15/35/45/90% AP
  • Scroll of Haste: Attack speed per stack increased from 5% to 6%

Umbral (Buff)

"The moon illuminates hexes, Shielding units placed in them at the start of combat. Umbral units in illuminated hexes execute low Health enemies."

  • Execute threshold increased from 10/18/20/45% to 10/18/25/60%

Set 11 TFT patch 14.9 notes: champions changes

Storyweaver Riven (Image via Riot Games)
Storyweaver Riven (Image via Riot Games)

Last patch saw many buffs to four-costs to open them up to a lot more play. This patch now adjusts those balance changes and brings back other cost units into relevance for a healthier game state.

Champion Buffs

1-cost

Kog'Maw

  • Ability damage increased from 160/225/315% to 160/240/335%

2-cost

Riven

  • Ability Attack Damage (AD) damage increased from 150/150/155% to 190/190/200%

3-cost

Umbral Alune (Image via Riot Games)
Umbral Alune (Image via Riot Games)

Alune

  • Attack speed increased from 0.7 to 0.75

Bard

  • AD increased from 50 to 55

Tristana

  • AD increased from 55 to 60
  • Ability AD granted reduced from 50/50/60% to 40/40/50%
  • Ability damage changed from
    265/265/270% AD + 75/115/185% AP to 300/300/305% AD + 50/75/115% AP

Tristana is being changed to benefit more from AD items than AP items.

Volibear

  • Ability healing increased from 140/170/210% to 150/180/240%

Zoe

  • Ability damage increased from 275/415/640% to 290/435/695%
  • Ricochet damage increased from 90/135/215% to 95/140/225%

4-cost

Morgana

  • Spell damage increased at 3-star from 1600% to 2000%
  • Targeting buff: more likely to cast her ability at clumps of enemies

Syndra

  • Starting orbs increased from 7/7/10 to 8/8/10

Minor 3-star 4-cost buffs

  • Lillia 3
    • Ability small orb damage increased from 400% to 600%
  • Ornn 3
    • Items forged reduced from 8 to 6, but they are now Radiant Items
  • Sylas 3
    • Ability damage increased from 1000% to 1200%
    • Ability swipe damage increased from 450% to 550%
    • Ability heal increased from 500% to 600%

Champion Nerfs

Ghostly Kayn (Image via Riot Games)
Ghostly Kayn (Image via Riot Games)

1-cost

Darius

  • Ability on-hit damage decreased from 90/135/200% to 80/120/200%

4-cost

Kayn

  • Armor and Magic Resistance reduced from 70 to 60

5-cost

Lissandra

  • HP decreased from 1200 to 1100
  • Chance to obtain loot decreased from 50% to 40%

Set 11 TFT patch 14.9 notes: items changes

Dryad Ornn (Image via Riot Games)
Dryad Ornn (Image via Riot Games)

While there are no changes to the craftable items in the game, patch 14.9 is introducing 20 new artifacts and five new support items. Find out what Ornn has forged for tacticians to equip starting next patch!

One additional buff that isn't listed in this preview is:

  • Blacksmith's Gloves now grants 300HP and 30% critical strike chance

Set 11 TFT patch 14.9 notes: large augments changes

Fated Kindred (Image via Riot Games)
Fated Kindred (Image via Riot Games)

Silver Augments

Over Encumbered

"For the next stage, you only get 2 bench slots. After, get 3 item components."

  • Bench slots decreased from 2 to 1

Pumping Up I

"Your team gains 8% Attack Speed now. Each round after, they gain 0.5% more."

  • Base attack speed decreased from 8% to 6%

Tri Force I

"Your Tier 3 champions gain 100 Health, 10 starting Mana, and 10% Attack Speed."

  • Health increased from 100 to 150

Gold Augments

Big Gains

"Your team gains 80 bonus Health, and permanently gains 10 Health every 2 takedowns."

  • Base HP granted increased from 80 to 100

Built Different

"Your units with no Traits active gain 220-480 Health and 40-55% Attack Speed (based on current Stage)."

  • HP decreased from 220/300/380/480 to 220/280/340/400
  • Attack speed decreased from 40/45/50/55% to 35/40/45/50%

Call to Adventure

"Every 2 takedowns, Storyweaver Kayle permanently gains 2 Ability Power and 12 Health. Gain a Garen and Riven."

  • Stats per two takedowns increased from 2 AP and 12 HP to 3 AP and 18 HP

Dragon's Spirit

"Gain a Dragon's Claw. Every time you heal 8000 Health with Dragon's Claws, gain an item component, up to 4."

  • Healing required to receive component decreased from 8000 to 7000

Dynamic Duo

"Get a random 5-cost champion and a random champion that shares a trait with them. Get 15 gold."

  • Gold increased from 15g to 20g

Learning to Spell

"Your team gains 10 bonus Ability Power, and permanently gains 1 Ability Power every 2 takedowns."

  • Base AP increased from 10 to 18 AP

Mind Over Matter

"Arcanists grant 250% of their combined Ability Power as bonus Health to your Training Dummies. Get a Zoe and a Training Dummy."

  • Re-enabled

Pandora's Items II

"Round start: items on your bench are randomized (excluding Tactician's Crown and Spatula). Gain 1 random completed item."

  • Now gives two random components instead of a random completed item

Raining Gold

"Gain 9 gold now and 1 gold every round."

  • Base Gold decreased from 9g to 8g

Slammin'+

"Gain 1 random component(s) and 12 XP now. After each player combat, if there are no items on your bench (other than Consumables), gain 2 XP."

  • Base XP gain decreased from 12 to 10

Prismatic Augments

Accomplice

"Get a Support Thief's Gloves and 4 gold."

  • Gold decreased from 4g to 2g

Build a Bud

"Gain a random three star 1-cost unit and 6 gold."

  • Gold increased from 6g to 8g

Call to Chaos

"Gain a powerful and random reward."

  • Gold reward decreased from 66g to 58g
  • XP reward decreased from 70 to 64
  • Three-star three-cost gold increased from 10g to 20g

Going Long

"You no longer gain interest. Gain 8 gold now. Round start: gain 4 XP."

  • Gold increased from 8g to 10g

Infernal Contract

"Your max level is 7. Gain 90 gold."

  • Disabled

You can find the list of less impactful small augment changes as well as planned bug fixes in the Kayna's slides of Lead Designer Stephen "Mortdog" Mortimer's patch rundown here.

That's all for now on the TFT 14.9 patch notes. Stay tuned on esports.gg for more news, guides, and updates.