ARAM Mayhem Patch 26.20 Notes: Buffs and Picks
Six champions get mode-specific buffs and two prismatic augments get stronger. Here is what changed in ARAM: Mayhem and which picks to lock in.
TL;DR
Six champions buffed: Bard, Garen, K’Sante, Lee Sin, Swain and Thresh all get changes aimed at their core patterns in this mode. Triggered Inferno buffed hard: its cooldown drops from 15s to 5s, so the prismatic now fires in nearly every fight. Squishy Slappy Grab and Shark Tempest buffed: more damage, bigger shields and a stronger slow make both real picks for frontliners and bruisers. Juiced adjusted: the mana drain is gone and damage converts to more mana, but ranged champions get a reduced share. Missile Split adjusted: the missile now splits at the end of its path or on recast, not on the first unit it hits.
Full changes in ARAM: Mayhem Patch 26.20
Champions
Bard
Riot’s reasoning
Bard’s Meeps are the core of his damage, so they get stronger to make him more satisfying to play in this mode.
- Meep Ability Power Ratio
- 50%changed to 67%
- Meep Recharge
- 8schanged to 5s
- Meep Auto Damage per Chime Breakpoint
- 6 per 3 chimeschanged to 10 per 3 chimes
Garen
Riot’s reasoning
Garen’s sustain and shield loop is his core pattern, so both get support to make him more accessible in Mayhem.
- Regen
- 1.5%–1.01%changed to 2%–12%
- Cooldown
- 22–12changed to 18–12
- Shield Strength
- 18% bonus healthchanged to 20% bonus health
- Passive Stacks
- 0.4 per minion killchanged to 0.75 per minion kill
K'Sante
Riot’s reasoning
K’Sante’s W charge is his signature engage, so it becomes more reliable and tankier in Mayhem.
- Cooldown
- 14–10changed to 10
- Damage Reduction
- 30%changed to 45%
- Shield Strength
- 13.5% bonus healthchanged to 15% bonus health
Lee Sin
Riot’s reasoning
Lee Sin’s dive and shield pattern needed help to feel rewarding in Mayhem, so his damage, shield and energy all rise.
- Q2 Damage
- 60–180changed to 80–240
- Attack Speed
- 40% bonus Attack Speedchanged to 50% bonus Attack Speed
- Energy Restore
- 20 / 30 / 40changed to 30 / 40 / 50
- Shield
- 60–240changed to 80–320
Swain
Riot’s reasoning
Swain’s mode penalties are removed to strengthen his drain-tank play, while his soul restore shifts to scale with level.
- Damage Taken
- 105%changed to 100%
- Healing
- 95%changed to 100%
- Soul Fragments Restore
- 6% flatchanged to 3%–6% scaling with level
Thresh
Riot’s reasoning
Thresh’s soul scaling and lantern saves are his core strengths, so both happen more often in Mayhem.
- Soul Drop
- 2changed to 3
- Cooldown
- 21 / 20 / 19 / 18 / 17schanged to 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 / 15s
Augments
Juiced
Riot’s reasoning
Juiced loses its mana drain as part of a usability pass, with a higher damage-to-mana conversion to compensate.
- Mana Drain
Removed - Damage-to-Mana Ratio
- 4.5%changed to 7%
- Ranged modifier
New 80% of the 7%
Leg Day
Riot’s reasoning
Leg Day needed more impact, so its slow resist goes up.
- Slow Resist
- 40%changed to 50%
Missile Split
Riot’s reasoning
Missile Split now splits on end or recast as a usability fix, so it no longer triggers on whatever unit gets hit first.
- Split Trigger
- On first unit hitchanged to On end or recast
Shark Tempest
Riot’s reasoning
Shark Tempest was underperforming, so its slow, area damage and scaling all rise.
- Slow
- 30% for 3schanged to 40% for 3s
- Base Area of Effect Damage
- 50–100changed to 100–200
- Attached Damage over 3s
- 75–225 + 0.6 bonus AD + 0.36 APchanged to 90–270 + 0.75 bonus AD + 0.45 AP
Squishy Slappy Grab
Riot’s reasoning
Squishy Slappy Grab needed more value, so its cooldown drops and its damage and shield grow.
- Cooldown
- 35schanged to 30s
- Damage
- 30–100 + 10% bonus Healthchanged to 50–150 + 15% bonus Health
- Shield per Target
- 35–150 + 50% bonus Armor + 50% bonus Magic Resistancechanged to 50–200 + 50% bonus Armor + 50% bonus Magic Resistance
Triggered Inferno
Riot’s reasoning
Triggered Inferno’s cooldown is cut so it can deliver the Samira-style fantasy it was built around.
- Cooldown
- 15schanged to 5s
What to play
Lee Sin (fighter): Q2 damage rises to 80–240 and the W shield to 80–320, so every engage hits harder and he walks out of it. K’Sante (tank): a flat 10s W with 45% damage reduction lets you charge into the enemy line twice as often as early-game K’Sante could. Bard (support/mage): Meeps every 5s with a 67% AP ratio turn him into a steady poke threat instead of a utility pick. Garen (fighter): faster passive stacks from minion kills and stronger regen keep him healthy between fights in a mode with constant waves. Thresh (support): an extra soul per drop speeds up his scaling, and a shorter lantern cooldown means more saves per teamfight.
