Nocturne has become one of the most prominent champions in League of Legends. The statistics from the start of the current patch already indicate that the champion had benefitted from the changes to the mobility; which allow him to keep hold of his prey.
These stats placed him as the best champion in this cycle, and this has now been further confirmed as Patch 11.13 comes to an end. This is almost certainly a problem, and not one that seems will be solved soon.
The data has been clear. If we take into account Platinum and higher ranks, the champion has a win percentage higher than 55% in all the positions in which it is played (mid, jungle and top).
It's a rare situation that only a few champions have been able to boast about, but how did it gain so much priority?
How did Nocturne get to be the best champion in the game?
In addition to the mobility changes, Nocturne received a buff in Patch 11.2; something which seemed too small to be noticed. His Q (Duskbringer) received a cooldown reduction, from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
This is similar to what happened to Lee Sin, a change that was intended to improve his jungle clear but ended up becoming a powerful tool for laning.
And so, Nocturne constantly has his main ability combo available, one which allows him to win exchanges and, above all, gain lane priority. Added to this is his passive (Umbra Blades), which not only allows him to push quicker, but also heals Nocturne for increased sustain in trades.
The best item in history
In a time when Nocturne was already among the best, a key change came to Stridebreaker. The item was tweaked by Riot in an effort to reduce so-called 'systemic champion mobility', and was changed in what was a harsh nerf for many champions. But the problem here comes when we realise that Nocturne never wanted the item because of its gap closer.
His ultimate (Paranoia) can close that gap, with bonuses from Duskbringer and his E (Unspeakable Horror), making Nocturne able to latch onto his target regardless of the mobility changes.
If anything, the recent changes to movement items has only made it easier for him, as his targets can no longer escape as easily.
With this, Nocturne has come out winning due to a host of reasons, mostly that the more mobility is reduced in the game, the more he can make his own chase abilities shine.
Coming in Patch 11.14
Patch 11.14 is now available on PBE and ready to go live this week. If the changes announced by Riot Games are introduced, Nocturne will continue to dominate the game.
At the very least, the champion will shine in the jungle where there are no relevant changes expected. The champion will see his healing against minions reduced by 50%, meaning he will lose some of his power in solo lane positions.
But this seems an insufficient step considering that he still maintains a 55% win rate in the jungle.
A chain of changes often lead to these types of situations in League of Legends, where champions will either become useless or overpowered due to gradual changes to the game.
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