League of Legends Patch 26.11 shakes up Support role, nerfs Smolder, Teemo, and Deathfire Touch

Riot Games is making a bold shift in the support meta with Patch 26.11, prioritizing melee and engage supports over the ranged enchanter playstyle, which is currently dominating bot lane.

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The changes aim to improve the variety of supports that can be played, widening the team comp variables, especially in competitive matches. Key adjustments include a nerf to ranged support effectiveness, a buff to Aftershock and Guardian for melee users, and a rework of Dream Maker to balance damage reduction mechanics.

Grubs have also been strengthened, helping melee supports roam more effectively. Summon Aery and Locket of the Iron Solari have also been changed, with the latter gaining a direct stat boost aimed at providing more agency to tanky support builds.

"It's tank time! In this patch, we've got a bit of a shake-up to the support roster. After seeing enchanters dominating for much of the year, and more recently mage supports pumping out oodles of damage with the recently re-added Deathfire Touch. We've also got some systemic adjustments to rebalance these archetypes and give melee supports some love," wrote Riot Games

The patch also brings meaningful changes to top lane with a Heartsteel buff and a nerf to Hexplate for ranged users, increasing the cost of their early-game power spikes. Champions like Diana, Ekko, and Quinn have received buffs, while Brand and Teemo are nerfed to balance their lane presence.

With these updates, Riot is pushing the support role toward more mechanical and aggressive playstyles, which will undoubtedly cause some changes in how often certain support champs are picked in both solo queue and professional play.

Moving back to top lane, Riot has nerfed the bruiser Smolder build that has been terrorizing Summoner's Rift, which for those who don't know, included Smolder rushing an Essence Reaver and moving straight into bruiser. Teemo has also been nerfed, specifically his AD ratio, which is intended to line up with the new Static Shiv.