Legends of Runeterra Patch 1.6 is coming and it's bringing nerfs. A lot of nerfs. Several of the game's most popular champions — Heimerdinger, Braum, and Anivia — are getting their stats and/or effects reduced. A couple of meta-defining followers like Crimson Disciple and Legion Grenadier are also on the chopping block, alongside spells like Will of Ionia, Flash of Brilliance, and Relentless Pursuit.

Runterra Patch 1.6 highlights

• Heimerdinger turrets changed, 3-mana spells no longer generate 3/1 Elusive
• Braum nerfed to 0/5 down from 1/5
• Eggnivia health nerfed to 0/1 down from 0/2
• Crimson Disciple and Legion Grenadier now only deal 1 damage to Nexus
• Shadow Assassin nerfed to 1/2 down from 2/2
• Will of Ionia now costs 5 mana, up from 4
• Relentless Pursuit is now a Slow spell
• Flash of Brilliance now costs 4 mana, up from 3, combo with Heimerdinger slowed down

Champion nerfs: Heimerdinger, Braum, Anivia

Heimerdinger's nerfs are in terms of what turrets does he generate at different spell mana levels. Previously, the 3-mana turret was Heimer's strongest play, generating a 3/1 Elusive attacker, which put a lot of pressure on the opponent. Now, Heimer's 3, 4 and 6-mana effects are as follows:

• 3-mana spells create: 3/1 Fearsome
• 4-mana spells create: 4/1 Overwhelm
• 6-mana spells create: 6/1 Elusive

This makes Heimerdinger more of a late game champion — as he should've always been — by taking away some of his mid-game Elusive pressure. Given that Flash of Brilliance is also nerfed to cost 4 mana, up from 3, the power Round 5 move of Heimer -> Flash for a spell -> 0-mana 3/1 Elusive is no longer an option. 

Braum has also been nerfed to 0/5 down from 1/5 (and 1/6 when leveled up), while Eggnivia is now down to 0/1 from 0/2. This takes a lot of sustain power from the Braum/Anivia Control and strips a lot of early game power from Braum, where he could trade with multiple units without really dying. Now, Braum is back to his old stats, while he keeps his new Mighty Poro spawn effect.

Follower nerfs: Crimson Disciple, Legion Grenadier, Shadow Assassin

Every Legends of Runeterra has played against (or played with) these cards in hundreds of games. This trio is perhaps the most often seen in the current meta, alongside the likes of Vanguard Bannerman and Imperial Demolitionist.

Crimson Disciple received a long-awaited nerf, halving his direct Nexus damage when it survives damage. The Disciple has been a meta staple for a long time, dating back to the PNZ Aggro domination, and is Imperial Demolitionist's best friend. These days, it's in Harrowing Aggro, Braum/Swain Midranges, Teemo Burns, and pretty much any Noxus deck that wants to go for direct damage. The same goes for Legion Grenadier, whose Nexus damage is also down to 1 from 2. 

Shadow Assassin, on the other hand, has been in every Ionia deck, regardless of its archetype: from Veimer and Ezreal/Karma Controls, to Kinkou Elusives, to Noxus Elusives, to Lee Sin combos... It's the ultimate value follower: unblockable 2/2 for 3 mana that draws you at least one card — more if you bounce it back. 

Now, SA is down to 1/2 from 2/2, which keeps its cantrip power, but takes away from its trading and Nexus damage potential. 

Spell nerfs: Relentless Pursuit, Flash of Brilliance, Will of Ionia

Some of the most popular spells in Legends of Runeterra are also being nerfed. Above, we already talked about what effect Flash of Brilliance will have on Veimer decks, so let's talk about Will of Ionia and Relentless Pursuit. 

Will of Ionia is providing a unique bounce mechanic that is the only way to get rid of some nasty effects, including the immortality of Unyielding Spirit, avoiding the Last Breath effects of The Undying and resetting its stats, or slowing down champions' level up conditions. For just 4 mana, it's one of the best spells in Ionia's arsenal and the reason the region is often banned in tournaments. 

Moving forward, WIll of Ionia will cost 5 mana up from 4 — a much-needed mana cost nerf to one of game's best spells. 

Relentless Pursuit, on the other hand, is one of the few Rally effects in the game and gives a lot of power to Demacia aggro and midrange decks. It came on Fast speed too, which often meant you could sneak in an attack swing on the opponent's turn, and then follow up with your own attack on your round. In decks like Scouts Aggro or Bannerman, this meant a ton of unrelenting pressure — something often too hard to stop.

The new Relentless Pursuit is now on Slow speed, so you can only cast it on your turn!

All images by: Riot Games