League of Legends Postpones Kalista Nerf for More Tests

Kalista will be spared from nerfs for at least another patch now that the ADCs attack range reduction has been withdrawn from the list of changes for Patch 8.3.

This doesn't mean that the champion won't receive any changes in the future, but it does guarantee that she at least won't be affected in the next patch. The nerf that was being tested would've reduced her attack range to 500 – the lowest of any traditional ADC – a value that was later reverted to 525 instead to put Kalista among the ranks of champions like Xayah, Quinn, and Jinx. But after the attack range nerf was proposed and the nerf value was later cut in half, Riot Games has decided to withdraw the nerfs from the next patch until more options can be explored.

"By contrast we're pulling Kalista's changes from 8.3," Riot Meddler said after discussing some potential Azir nerfs. "We're looking to reduce her power in pro, with low impact in regular play. Reducing auto attack range, potentially with compensatory buffs elsewhere, looks like it might be a good lever there, given pro duo lanes are often more sensitive to differences in AA range."

While Kalista mains can rest easy for now, the nerf is still on the tables for a later patch. Patch 8.4, the patch after next, is the update that the nerf has tentatively been pushed back to with the auto attack range nerf still a possibility along with other options.

"We're not confident enough the changes we've been testing are right though," Riot Meddler continued. "We'll be taking a look at Kalista again during 8.4 development as a result, both the AA range reduction and other alternative approaches."

The original nerf was met with backlash from Kalista mains or casual players with many suggesting that it would put the champion in a spot that was as bad as or worse than Lucian. Players suggested different compensation solutions such as allowing the champ to deal full damage on her autos instead of a 0.9 ratio, but Riot addressed that Kalista topic among others in a lengthy comment on Reddit.