League of Legends’ Patch 9.9 includes huge changes to Aatrox and Tahm Kench

Will the Kench finally be benched?

Riot Games has released its biggest patch of the year so far with update 9.9. It’s made some hefty changes to Aatrox and Tahm Kench, nerfed the likes of Hecarim and Jarvan IV, provided visual updates to Ashe, Caitlyn, Renekton and Jax, and a whole lot more.

First up, the changes to Aatrox and Tahm Kench.

Aatrox has been pushed towards “a more bruisery, drain-tanky playstyle” with mechanics changes across the board which make his revive less reliable, but give him more room for interesting combos.

Tahm Kench’s power has been redistributed significantly. His Devour skill should leave much more room for counterplay as he can’t just swallow up a champion and leg it in an instant, he’ll now be completely grounded when he does so. To compensate, his other abilities have been given some more punch.

Hecarim’s damage has been nerfed all round, Jarvan’s losing base health and mana, and Kindred’s first mark spawns much later. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Darius’ Q healing and damage has been increased, Ekko’s base attack has been buffed and even Maokai’s Q has seen some love too.

Ashe, Caitlyn and Jax have all received visual updates to make their abilities sharper, more impactful and clearer in the heat of battle. Renekton’s audio has also been made punchier too.

Of course there are many smaller adjustments to Runes and items, as well as new skins and chromas. For a complete breakdown of absolutely everything that’s changing in patch 9.9, be sure to visit the official patch notes page.