League of Legends Patch 26.19 Preview: Champion Buffs, Nerfs and Item Changes Guide

Patch 26.19 for League of Legends Classic changes 11 champions and lists three items, and this guide shows what each change does and how to adjust your champion pool before the patch goes live. It is written for ranked and normal players who want to know which picks got stronger, which got weaker, and which just work differently now.

Patch: 26.19 (preview). All values below come from the preview notes and can still change before release.

Quick answer: Akali, Galio and Shyvana receive clear buffs to their kits. Morgana, Twisted Fate and Fiora take notable nerfs, mostly to cooldowns, mana costs and damage values. Kassadin trades early-rank strength for late-rank strength. Malphite, Nidalee, Poppy and Zilean get mechanical changes and fixes that alter how they play more than how strong their numbers are.

Patch 26.19 at a Glance

The table below shows which way each change points. The "Direction" column is an editorial reading of the listed changes, not an official label.

The preview also lists Graves, Fizz, Nami and Nautilus under "Upcoming Champions" but gives no details on what is coming for them.

Champions Receiving Buffs

Akali

Fact: Akali's E gets a higher AP ratio (30% to 40%), a shorter cooldown and a lower energy cost at every rank.

Interpretation: Every rank of E costs less energy (except rank 1, which stays at 60) and comes back one second sooner. That means Akali can use E more often and spend less of her energy pool on it. Players who run AP builds benefit most from the higher ratio.

Galio

Fact: Galio's E is reworked for reach and reliability:

Interpretation: The missile is much wider (60 to 160), travels faster and casts faster, so E should be easier to land. The display hitbox shrinks to 160, matching the new missile width, so the visual indicator may line up better with what actually hits. The preview does not say how the two are meant to relate, so test it in a game before relying on the new hitbox.

Shyvana

Fact: W max duration increase goes from 4 s to 6 s, and R bonus resists rise from 10/15/20 to 15/20/25.

Interpretation: The longer W window gives Shyvana more time to benefit from the buff, and the added resists at each R rank make her tankier while her ultimate is active.

Champions Receiving Nerfs

Morgana

Fact: Morgana's kit is more expensive and slower.

Interpretation: Only rank 1 of E gains shield strength. Ranks 2 through 5 lose 10 to 55 base shield. Combined with a slower, pricier W and a flat 120 s R cooldown at every rank, Morgana has to plan her mana and cooldown windows more carefully. Her ultimate loses the rank-based cooldown reduction, which removes 10 s at rank 2 and 20 s at rank 3.

Twisted Fate

Fact: Cooldowns rise significantly, while R mana cost now scales down with rank.

Interpretation: R is available 50, 40 and 30 seconds later at ranks 1 to 3. The cheaper R at higher ranks softens the change a little but does not offset the longer wait between uses. Expect to use his ultimate less often and to make each use count.

Fiora

Fact: Fiora's R is reworked.

Interpretation: Damage and the bonus AD ratio both fall, and the rank 1 and 2 cooldowns get longer (rank 3 is unchanged at 110 s). The "hits against same target" value rises from 25% to 40%. The preview does not explain what this value controls, so check the official notes for the exact behavior.

Mixed Changes

Kassadin

Fact: Q AP ratio rises from 60% to 70%. E changes as follows:

Interpretation: E is stronger at ranks 1 and 2, identical in base damage at rank 3, and weaker at ranks 4 and 5. The AP ratio also drops from 80% to 70%. The slow is flatter, so it is better at ranks 1 and 2, equal at rank 3 (40%), and weaker at ranks 4 and 5. Kassadin's Q gets stronger through the higher ratio, so the patch shifts strength toward earlier E ranks and Q rather than raising his late-game E.

Mechanical Changes and Fixes

These changes may matter more to how a champion plays than to raw power.

Malphite

• W now crits correctly, with no half-reset.
• E no longer slows Epic monsters.
• Malphite can no longer cast R while rooted.
• R no longer disables Flash.

Nidalee

• W now reveals on cast.
• Human W damage duration drops from 4 s to 2.5 s.
• R now resets attacks.

Poppy

• Q now crits total AD and converts Sheen to magic.

Zilean

• Passive now disables on death.
• Q reveals on cast.
• E range increases to 700. The preview lists the previous value as "550" with a "(-650)" note, which it does not explain, so treat the exact prior figure with caution.

Interpretation: Malphite's changes split both ways. The W fix and the Flash change help him, while losing R while rooted and E's Epic monster slow are restrictions. Nidalee's R attack reset should smooth out her combos, while the shorter Human W damage duration reduces one source of damage. Because the notes are terse, the exact impact of the Poppy and Zilean changes is best judged in game.

Item Changes

The preview lists three items with their stats and build paths. It does not say whether these are new items or changes to existing ones, so check the official notes for that context.

ZZ'Rot Portal's Voidlings also scale their damage with bonus resists. Interpretation: With a resist-focused stat line and Voidlings that scale off bonus armor and magic resist, it fits tanky champions who already stack resists. Moonflair Spellblade combines AP with both resists and tenacity, which makes it a candidate for durable AP champions. Cloak and Dagger is a more offensive option built around attack speed and crit chance with tenacity. None of these should be treated as a default pick until real match results are available.

How to Prepare for Patch 26.19

1. Sort your champion pool. Mark each champion you play as buffed, nerfed, mixed or mechanically changed using the tables above.
2. Review nerfed cooldowns first. If you play Twisted Fate, Fiora or Morgana, replan your ultimate and W usage around the longer cooldowns and higher mana costs.
3. Test the buffed abilities before ranked. Akali's E, Galio's E and Shyvana's W and R should all feel different, and the new hitbox and cast time on Galio's E are worth checking in a normal game.
4. Relearn interaction changes. Malphite players should stop planning R while rooted, and Nidalee players should try the new attack reset in their combos.
5. Check the final notes. Compare the live patch notes against this preview and update your builds and item choices accordingly.

Common Mistakes

• Treating the preview as final. Numbers in a preview can shift before release, so don't lock in a build on preview values alone.
• Assuming every nerf ends a champion. Morgana's, Twisted Fate's and Fiora's changes raise costs and cooldowns rather than remove abilities. Reading numbers in isolation can overstate the effect.
• Buying new items blindly. The three listed items have no supplied performance data, so wait for results before making them a default.
• Ignoring the small text. Mechanical changes like Malphite's Flash interaction or Nidalee's attack reset can change matchups more than a few percentage points of damage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What changes in League of Legends Patch 26.19?

The preview lists changes to 11 champions (Akali, Fiora, Galio, Kassadin, Malphite, Morgana, Nidalee, Poppy, Shyvana, Twisted Fate and Zilean) and three items (Cloak and Dagger, Moonflair Spellblade and ZZ'Rot Portal).

Which champions are buffed in Patch 26.19?

Based on the preview, Akali, Galio and Shyvana receive clear buffs. Kassadin, Malphite, Nidalee and Zilean receive mixed changes.

Which champions are nerfed?

Morgana, Twisted Fate and Fiora take the most notable nerfs, mainly through cooldowns, mana costs and damage values.

Can Malphite use Flash after his ultimate now?

The preview says Malphite's R no longer disables Flash. It also says he can no longer cast R while rooted.

Are the item changes new items?

The preview lists their stats and build paths but does not say whether they are new or updated. Check the official patch notes for details.

Which champions are coming next?

The preview names Graves, Fizz, Nami and Nautilus as upcoming champions but gives no further details.

When does Patch 26.19 go live?

The preview material does not include a release date. Check the official patch notes for the schedule.

Final Takeaway

Patch 26.19 rewards Akali, Galio and Shyvana players, asks Morgana, Twisted Fate and Fiora players to adapt to slower or more expensive abilities, and shifts Kassadin's strength toward earlier ranks. Before ranked, check the champions you play against the tables above, then compare them with the final patch notes once the patch is live.