Riot Games previewed the next League of Legends update this week to show who and what was getting buffed, nerfed or otherwise changed whenever Patch 12.9 drops. Two different components typically associated with one another nowadays were included in the nerfs categories: Sion and the juggernaut’s current favorite weapon, Hullbreaker. The patch preview listed broadly the targets of the changes in the next update, but now that some of these adjustments have started heading to the PBE servers, we can see more clearly what’s happening to this combo.
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Lead designer on the Summoner’s Rift game balance team Matt Leung-Harrison shared the following patch preview for the 12.9 update this week. It showed only a couple of champions getting buffs with others listed under the nerfs and “adjustments” categories. The only system nerf listed was the one for Hullbreaker which apparently was meant lessen the value of rushing the item first before a Mythic.
Prior to this patch preview, however, Twitter user and PBE watcher Spideraxe took to the social platform to show what was happening to both Sion and Hullbreaker. One tweet showed that Sion’s turret damage when he’s in zombie form has been reduced. Another tweet shown below listed the more notable Hullbreaker change that apparently makes it so that this item only provided auto attacks with bonus damage against turrets, not turret damage overall in the way the item currently functions.
If interpreted correctly, that should mean that Sion’s ultimate – as well as other champions’ abilities like Fiora’s Q and Yorick’s pets – won’t gain extra damage against structures. That’s naturally a nerf to those champions mentioned there and others who build Hullbreaker, too, but it’s one players who’ve wanted this Sion+Hullbreaker combo to be nerfed may have to compromise on.
The issues taken with Sion’s relationship to Hullbreaker stem from his post-death passive and his W’s ability to gain max health when he kills a unit. The latter makes it so that Sion continues to bolster his stats even when building lethality or damage while the former allows him to keep going against a turret even after a team’s unloaded on him.
Posts like this one on Reddit from a month ago highlight the problem people have had with Sions using Hullbreaker. It’s a clip of Sion ulting from the middle lane straight up to the enemy base’s top inhibitor and destroying it even when the majority of the team tries to stop him.
That post is full of answers to this problem such as itemizing correctly, having more DPS, and other counters, but the issue many have with this is all these needs for counterplay are initiated simply because Sion spent 2,800 gold to rush the item first. Compounding that is the fact that Sion’s ultimate allows him to traverse the map quickly, so even if you kill him, he’ll do it all over again next time he respawns. It’s not overpowered like a new champion might be, but it’s certainly not fun to play against either.
The next patch is supposed to be released on May 11th, so we’ll see when what kinds of changes make it through to the live servers.
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