Mel is losing the mechanic that has defined her since launch. In a developer article published on Tuesday, October 20, Riot Games confirmed that Rebuttal, her W, will stop reflecting enemy abilities when patch 26.22 goes live, roughly three weeks after the announcement.
What replaces the reflection
Instead of sending spells back at their casters, the W shield will now destroy incoming projectiles. It deals a small amount of damage in return and gives Mel and nearby allies a shield along with bonus movement speed.
Riot said its developers had hoped to find a way to keep the reflection idea alive, but concluded that no version of it was working. The studio gave two examples of plays that will no longer be possible: bouncing a Seraphine ultimate back to charm the whole enemy team, and turning Jhin's fourth shot against him.
Ability-by-ability changes
| Ability | Planned change |
|---|---|
| Passive | Less damage and a shorter duration early on, with higher health and armor scaling |
| Q | Slightly slower, with damage moved from the first explosion into later hits |
| W (Rebuttal) | Destroys projectiles instead of reflecting them, deals small return damage, and grants a shield and movement speed to Mel and nearby allies |
| E | Shorter root at close range, longer root when it connects at maximum range |
| R | Longer cooldown and weaker scaling from ability rank |
Why the early game takes the hit
Several of these cuts target the opening levels. The passive is weaker and shorter-lived early, and the Q change is aimed at lane trades, which Riot described as making her moderately fairer to play against. The E adjustment also rewards spacing, since the longest root now depends on landing it from range rather than up close.
The W change answers the complaint players have voiced most often. Many have argued that Mel is among the least well-designed champions in the game because she can send spells back while also dealing heavy damage. With reflection gone, her W becomes a defensive tool for protecting allies rather than a way to punish an enemy's cast.
Almost every part of Mel's kit is touched by the package, so the champion will play noticeably differently once 26.22 arrives. Her damage and utility are being redistributed rather than removed outright.
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