Riot Games just announced Patch 12.8 for League of Legends, that adds a mix of champion buffs and nerfs, Mythic Content overhaul, bugfixes and QoL changes among others to set the global stage for MSI 2022.

Patch 12.8 Notes

[c] MSI! MSI! 

[c] Yup, you heard that right. This is the patch that the Mid-Season Invitational 2022 will be played on, starting on May 10th! We have a diverse mix of champion buffs and nerfs to set the global stage, along with the long-awaited Swain midscope update. Keep reading for more news on the Mythic Content as well, including Showcase Milestones—just in time for Prestige Lunar Eclipse Senna and all the other Solar & Lunar Eclipse Knights. And last but not least, we’ve also got a couple o’ scallywag stragglers aboard the latest set of skins.

[c] Who will you be rooting for next month?

Check out the light changes coming to TFT in the patch notes here as competitors hone their skills for the G&G Championship starting on the 29th!

$Jina “ahrisoo” Yoon

$Lilu “Riot Riru” Cabreros

$Paul “RiotAether” Perscheid

 

#Patch Highlights

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Lunar Eclipse Aatrox, Lunar Eclipse Senna, Prestige Lunar Eclipse Senna, Solar Eclipse Sejuani, Solar Eclipse Sivir, Sun-Eater Kayle, Gangplank the Betrayer, and Sea Dog Yasuo will be available April 28, 2022.

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#Champions

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[UPD] Swain

[s] Mid-scope update, all abilities adjusted.

[c] The Grand General is back and grander than ever. Swain has certainly made a name for himself in bot lane since his last mini rework, but as the commander of the Noxian front lines, he should also be one to strike fear in his solo lane enemies’ hearts. The goal for this midscope update was thus to revive his fantasy as a master strategist and dark, demonic diplomat, rather than someone who must rely on others to execute his plans. 

[c] In addition to mana buffs across all his abilities, of note are some changes to his crowd control capabilities. Swain can no longer pull enemies CC’d by allies, but his E now lets him pull everyone he snares, making him all the more terrifying in bottlenecks and narrow corridors. Together, these changes should help Swain players in all roles feel like the ruthless yet tactical ruler he is—especially when he unleashes Demonic Ascension, which now lasts for as long as Swain can sustain himself with his enemies’ souls. Sacrifices  must be made. 

Passive – Ravenous Flock

Healing From Soul Fragments :: 4/5.5/7% of maximum health >>> 4/5.5/7%/9% of maximum health (at levels 1/6/11) 

Maximum Health Increase Per Soul Fragment :: 5 >>> 12

[REM] PULL-E MECHANISMS :: Swain can no longer use  Passive – Ravenous Flock  to pull and rip out Soul Fragments from immobilized enemies  (see  E – Nevermove  )  

Q – Death’s Hand

Damage :: 55/75/95/115/135 (+40% AP) >>> 60/80/100/120/140 (+38% AP)

Bonus Damage Per Additional Bolt :: 8.25/15/23.75/34.5/47.25 (+6/8/10/12/14% AP) >>> 12/22/32/42/52 (+8% AP)

Maximum Damage (5 Bolts) :: 88/135/190/253/324 (+64/72/80/88/96% AP) >>> 108/168/228/288/348 (+70% AP)

Cooldown :: 9/7.5/6/4.5/3 seconds >>> 7/6/5/4/3 seconds

Mana Cost :: 65/70/75/80/85 >>> 45/50/55/60/65

W – Vision of Empire

Mana Cost :: 70/80/90/100/110 >>> 60/65/70/75/80

[NEW] VANTAGE ADVANTAGE :: Pinging  W – Vision of Empire  nows display a list of visible enemies within range in team chat (similar to Twisted Fate and Nocturne ults)

E – Nevermove

[NEW] PITIFUL PAWNS :: Can now be recast to pull  all champions rooted by  E – Nevermove, ripping out 1  Soul Fragment from each of them

[REM] SILENT SACRIFICES :: Swain’s pulls no longer deal damage

[NEW] A TRUE VISIONARY :: Now grants vision of all rooted targets

[NEW] DEMON DISCOUNT ::  E – Nevermove‘s cooldown is reduced by 20% during  R – Demonic Ascension  

R – Demonic Ascension

Cooldown :: 120 seconds >>> 100/80/60 seconds

Drain Damage Per Second :: 35/50/65 (+14% AP) >>> 20/40/60 (+10% AP)

Drain Heal Per Second :: 20/35/40 (+16% AP) >>> 15/40/65 (+25%)

[REM] BIG BIRB :: No longer grants Swain 125/200/275 bonus health

[REM] ACTIVE DURATION :: 12 seconds >>> Based on  Demon Power  

[UPD] DEMON POWER :: Activating  Demonic Ascension  grants Swain 50  Demon Power  , which decreases at an initial rate of 10 per second. After 5 seconds of  Demonic Ascension  , Swain’s  Demon Power decreases faster at a rate of 15 per second

[NEW] SOUL STEALER :: Swain gains 20  Demon Power per second while draining enemy champions 

[UPD] BIG DEMON ENERGY :: After 2 seconds of  Demonic Ascension  , Swain can recast his ultimate as  R – Demonflare  .  R – Demonflare  can only be cast once and does not end  Demonic Ascension  

R – Demonflare

Damage :: 100/150/200 (+50% AP) >>> 150/225/300 (+60% AP)

[NEW] CONFLAGRATION ::  Demonflare  now slows enemies by 60%, decaying over 1.5 seconds

[REM] EXPENDED, NOT STORED ::  Demonflare  no longer deals additional damage based on health drained from enemies

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Bard

[s] Passive damage Meep scaling increased. W base maximum heal increased.

[c] The Wandering Caretaker has to do too much caretaking before he gets to do any wandering these days. This should make it easier for him to help his partner out while also incentivizing him to  abandon lane  roam around the map.

Passive – Traveler’s Call

Bonus Magic Damage On Attack :: 30 (+12 per 5 chimes) (+30% AP) >>> 35  (+14 per 5 chimes)  (+30% AP)

W – Caretaker’s Shrine

Maximum Heal :: 55/95/135/175/215 (+60% AP) >>>  60/105/150/195/240  (+60% AP)

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Ezreal

[s] R cooldown now decreases with rank.

[c] Ezreal’s been on the fringe of power in both solo queue and competitive play. We’re giving him more access to his ult as the game goes on for those big high moments. Be careful where you recall…

R – Trueshot Barrage

Cooldown :: 120 seconds at all ranks >>> 120/105/90 seconds

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Fiddlesticks

[s] W healing against champions increased.

[c] Fiddlesticks is often grasping at straws by midgame lately. We’re increasing the scarecrow’s survivability by boosting its(?) W, which becomes less impactful as a defensive tool as the game goes on. 

 

W – Bountiful Harvest

Heal Percentage Against Champions :: 30/35/40/45/50% >>> 30/40/50/60/70%  (still always 15% against minions)  

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Jhin

[s] W root duration increased; damage reduction against monsters removed. E traps now recharge faster; damage reduction against monsters removed for first trap.

[c] For someone who loves to put on a show, Jhin hasn’t been performing all that well. We’re giving him more power to set the stage, especially when he catches someone stepping out of place. We’re also helping him clear camps faster with his W and E  so we can get Jhingle to a 44.44% winrate  . 😉

W – Deadly Flourish

Root Duration :: 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds >>> 1.25/1.5/1.75/2/2.25 seconds

[REM] PUPPET PETS :: Damage against monsters no longer reduced by 25%  (damage against minions and summons unchanged)  

E – Captive Audience

Trap Recharge Rate :: 28/25/22/19/16 seconds >>> 24/21.5/19/16.5/14 seconds

[REM] JHINGLE BELLS :: First Lotus Trap damage no longer reduced by 35% against monsters and summons  (damage against minions and summons unchanged)  

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Jinx

[s] Base health decreased.

[c] Jinx has reigned supreme in bot lane all season long. Instead of putting a damper on her late game havoc, we’re reopening her vulnerability to getting all-inned early.

###Base Stats

Base Health :: 610 >>> 560

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Kai’Sa

[s] Passive proc AP ratio increased. W AP ratio decreased. R shield AP ratio increased. 

[c] AP Kai’Sa today likes to burst her enemies down by spamming W from afar. (Sorry, ARAM players.) We’re looking to move her away from that pattern and instead play more around single pops of her passive, which should still feel distinct from her AD builds that usually rely on attack speed and repeated passive procs. This should help all of her stats feel rewarding as well as better align her playstyle with her identity, regardless of how she chooses to  adapt  .

Passive – Second Skin 

Bonus Magic Damage Upon Consuming Full Plasma Stacks :: 15% (+2.5% per 100 AP) >>> 15%  (+5% per 100 AP)  of target’s missing health

W – Void Seeker

Magic Damage :: 30/55/80/105/130 (+ 130% AD) (+70% AP) >>> 30/55/80/105/130 (+130% AD)  (+45% AP)  

R – Killer Instinct

Shield Strength :: 75/100/125 (+100/150/200% AD) (+75% AP) >>> 75/100/125 (+100/150/200% AD)  (+100% AP)  

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Kassadin

[s] Q shield AP ratio increased. E AP ratio increased.

[c] Since the nerf on his passive in 11.24b, Kassadin has been noticeably weak. We’re re-emphasizing his strength as  the counter-mage mage by buffing his active abilities rather than his always-on passive.

Q – Null Sphere

Magic Shield :: 40/70/100/130/160 (+30% AP) >>> 60/90/120/150/180 (+40% AP)

E – Force Pulse

Magic Damage :: 80/105/130/155/180 (+80% AP) >>> 80/105/130/155/180 (+85% AP)

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Mordekaiser

[s] Passive move speed increased; now increases at levels 6 and 11.

[c] Mordekaiser has also been struggling to find his footing in top lane, so we’re returning some of the Iron Revenant’s move speed. This should help him stick to his enemies better. Get it? Like a magnet. Okay, we’ll stop.

Passive – Darkness Rise

Bonus Move Speed :: 3% at all levels >>> 3/6/9% at levels 1/6/11

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Poppy

[s] W cooldown reduced. R uncharged knock up duration increased; charged missile speed and knock back distance increased; cooldown refund on cancel decreased.

[c] We’re fortifying both forms of Poppy’s R so they feel more like ultimate-level abilities befitting a hero. More W uptime also means she can better control fights against those darned dashy champions—her number one specialty!

W – Steadfast Presence

Cooldown :: 24/22/20/18/16 seconds >>> 20/18/16/14/12 seconds 

R – Keeper’s Verdict

Uncharged Knock Up Duration :: 0.75 seconds >>> 1 second

Charged Missile Speed :: 2000 >>> 2500

Charged Knock Back Distance :: 2400 >>> 3400

Cooldown Refund Upon Canceled Charge :: 30 seconds >>> 15 seconds

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Sejuani

[s] Passive  Frost Armor timer now decreases with level.

[c] Sejuani’s strength is supposed to be in her ruthless engage capabilities, but her fearsome entrances are too often thwarted by individual poke or shorter fights later in the game. This should help her and Bristle recover faster and show up in all their Iceborn glory. 

Passive – Fury of the North

Frost Armor Timer :: Sejuani receives  Frost Armor after ||| 12 seconds >>>  12-6 seconds (levels 1-18)  of not taking damage from enemy champions or monsters

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Soraka

[s] W heal AP ratio decreased.

[c] We’re doing a straightforward tap down on Soraka’s mid to late game healing which is  very high right now—especially in longer engagements where she can spam her W. 

W – Astral Infusion

Heal :: 100/135/170/205/240 (+70% AP) >>> 100/130/160/190/220  (+65% AP)  

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Sylas

[s] R cooldown reduced.

[c] Sylas has been a bit weak at all levels of play, so it’s time to loosen his chains. Rather than buffing his lane, we’re giving him more access to the most exciting and creative part of his kit, which should also make him better as a counterpick.

R – Hijack

Cooldown :: 100/70/40 seconds >>> 80/55/30 seconds

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Tristana

[s] AD growth increased.

[c] Tristana’s lost her scaling identity over time. We’re returning some power to her late game, which should also make her less reliant on blasting all-in with Hail of Blades for an early snowball start.

###Base Stats

AD Growth :: 3.3 >>> 3.7

AD at Level 18 :: 115.1 >>> 121.9

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Vel’Koz

[s] Q and W AP ratios increased.

[c] Vel’Koz has been pretty weak, so we’re giving him a bigger reward for hitting those calculated skillshots. This should help him “research” his opponents more effectively in mid lane (or steal more kills as a support, hehe).

Q – Plasma Fission

Magic Damage :: 80/120/160/200/240 (+80% AP) >>> 80/120/160/200/240  (+90% AP)  

W – Void Rift

Initial Magic Damage :: 30/50/70/90/110 (+15% AP) >>> 30/50/70/90/110  (+20% AP)  

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Vladimir

[s] Base armor increased.

[c] Vladimir has been missing from both Pro play and top lane for some time, yet has remained fairly powerful for most players in mid. Boosting his durability early should let him brawl and sustain more effectively against melee fighters.

####Base Stats

Base Armor :: 23 >>> 27

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Xayah

[s] Q base damage decreased late; cooldown increased late.

[c] Xayah’s lethality build has risen to dominance in both Pro and solo queue, and its poke patterns unfortunately don’t offer much counterplay in lane. Since those builds tend to max Q first, we’re hitting its rankup incentives to make lethality Xayah a little less appealing.

Q – Double Daggers

Damage Per Blade :: 45/65/85/105/125 (+50% bonus AD) >>>  45/60/75/90/105  (+50% bonus AD)

Cooldown :: 10/9/8/7/6 seconds >>> 10/9.5/9/8.5/8 seconds

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Xerath

[s] E stun duration increased.

[c] The Magus Ascendant has been de scending throughout all of Season 2022. Even though he’s supposed to be at his weakest when his enemies manage to get close, his current stun window is a little too short for him to get a chance at escaping. We’re upping the duration at all distances so that he has an opportunity to get to an optimal range, as well as to make it more satisfying when he snipes from afar.

E – Shocking Orb

Stun Duration :: 0.5-2 seconds (based on distance) >>> 0.75-2.25 seconds (based on distance)

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Zoe

[s] Q and R mana costs decreased.

[c] Zoe may actually be very very old, but she often doesn’t outgrow mana issues like other mages do. Since she tends to build full damage and doesn’t synergize well with Tear, we’re helping her out by reducing her mana costs. This should especially help her waveclear after lane phase, which requires lots and lots of Qs as the game progresses.

Q – Paddle Star

Mana Cost :: 50/55/60/65/70 >>> 40/45/50/55/60

R – Portal Jump

Mana Cost :: 50 >>> 40

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#Items

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Stopwatch

[c] Being able to use Stopwatch in addition to having its terminal items can lead to some pretty jarring game states and all around awkward moments, so we’re removing that optimization. 

[REM] GOLDEN HOUR :: Stopwatch will no longer be purchasable if you already own Guardian Angel or Zhonya’s Hourglass

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#Mythic Content Overhaul

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##Showcase Milestones

[c] Like Masterwork Milestones last patch, Showcase Milestones grant bonus rewards for purchasing event capsules, though the Showcase Milestone track can only be completed once.  We’ve made significant changes to Showcase Milestones since they were originally announced!  Showcase Milestones are now  the best way to collect content from new Showcase releases.  

[c] We won’t document Showcase Milestone tracks in patch notes moving forward, but since this is the first one it’s worth walking through how the system works. To celebrate the occasion, the rewards for Eclipse Knights are a little sweeter than what future showcases will have on offer.

LAUNCH PARTY :: When the Showcase begins, everyone will get a mission that rewards 1 Eclipse 2022 Capsule  (which counts toward the reward track!) and 1 Eclipse 2022 Grab Bag! This is in addition to the normal free mission chain that launches during Showcase events.

1 CAPSULE :: Eclipse Knight 2022 Icon

3 CAPSULES :: Prestige Eclipse Knight Senna Emote + 5 Mythic Essence

5 CAPSULES :: Random Eclipse 2022 Epic Skin Permanent (Lunar Eclipse Aatrox, Lunar Eclipse Senna, Solar Eclipse Sejuani, Sun-Eater Kayle) + 15 Mythic Essence 

10 CAPSULES : Random Eclipse 2022 Epic Skin Permanent + 20 Mythic Essence

15 CAPSULES :: Random Eclipse 2022 Epic Skin Permanent + 25 Mythic Essence

20 CAPSULES :: Random Eclipse 2022 Epic Skin Permanent + Eclipse 2022 Grab Bag + 30 Mythic Essence

25 CAPSULES :: 2 Eclipse 2022 Grab Bags + 30 Mythic Essence

TOTAL REWARDS :: 25 Eclipse Capsules + Eclipse Knight 2022 Icon + Prestige Eclipse Knight Senna Emote +  All four Eclipse 2022 Epic Skin Permanents  + 3 Eclipse 2022 Grab Bags + 125 Mythic Essence

 

###Prestige Lunar Eclipse Senna

[c] Prestige Lunar Eclipse Senna will be available in the Mythic Shop for 125 ME for the duration of the Eclipse Knights Showcase. (Conveniently, completing the Eclipse 2022 Showcase Milestone track grants 125 ME.) After that, she’ll be unavailable for direct ME purchase but will be added to loot drop and reroll pools without her debut loading screen border.

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##Adjustments to Masterwork Milestones

[c] Our pre-launch tuning adjustments to Masterwork Milestones slightly undershot longterm Mythic Essence rates. We buffed the final milestone reward a few hours after activation last patch and are documenting it here for visibility.

25 MASTERWORK CHESTS :: 5 Mythic Essence and one 1350+ RP tier skin shard >>>  10 Mythic Essence  and one 1350+ RP tier skin shard

[C] We’re also shipping a couple more things this patch to make up for missing the mark.

RETROACTIVE REWARDS :: Players who completed the 25 Masterwork Chest milestone before the update will get 5 Mythic Essence for each time they completed it

FREEBIE ::  Everyone  will receive a mission granting 10 Mythic Essence

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#Piltover Clash

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[c] Team formation for the second weekend of Piltover Clash began on April 25, and the tournaments will be on April 30 and May 1.

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#Bugfixes & QoL Changes

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[*] Nexus turrets with active Objective Bounties will now correctly have bounty healthbar indicators and display bounty information in chat when pinged

[*] Fixed the bug where Nexus hitboxes were unintentionally larger than they appeared

[*] Fixed a rare bug that would permanently reduce a turret’s resistances if certain conditions were met when plating fell 

[*] Being in an enemy turret’s range with an enemy Sion, Kog’Maw, or Karthus passive zombie as it dies will no longer make that turret’s aggro switch to you

[*] Ghost Poros have been restored and will once again grant normal vision, NOT true sight 

[*] [UPD]  QoL Change:  Illaoi’s  E – Test of Spirit  will now grant assist credit, even if the  Vessel does not take any damage

[*] Fixed a bug where, if you casted Illaoi’s  Q – Tentacle Smash  during her  E – Test of Spirit  animation or while she was locked out of her abilities (e.g. in stasis), she would instantly change direction to face your cursor

[*] Fixed a bug where  Vessels spawned from Illaoi’s  E – Test of Spirit  would be invisible if the tethered champion was camouflaged and being revealed by a control ward

[*] Fixed some strange  Vessel interactions that would sometimes benefit Illaoi’s enemies upon expiring, like healing them if they had Omnivamp… :3

[*] Fixed a bug where Illaoi’s  W – Harsh Lesson  -empowered basic attacks would not trigger nearby  Tentacles to slam her target if she had an active spell shield

[*] Fixed the bug where Taliyah would not be able to use her  Passive – Rock Surfing  for the rest of the game if someone broke her Banshee’s Veil spell shield while she was  Rock Surfing again

[*] Fixed a bug where, if an enemy champion got DUNKED by Sett’s  R – The Show Stopper  into Tahm Kench’s  R – Devour  , they would first reappear at the original  Devour point before quickly sliding to the actual  Regurgitate destination

[*] Fixed an uncommon bug where Viego could become permanently attached to an ally champion if he possessed Yuumi under certain conditions

[*] Sona will no longer be able to reset her basic attacks against wards by casting an ability when she has full stacks of  Passive – Power Chord  

[*] Fixed a bug where, if Elise casted  E – Rappel  on herself while an enemy champion was right next to her, she would ascend and immediately descend upon on them despite not having recasted the ability

[*] Fixed a bug where, if you spammed Pantheon’s  Q – Comet Spear  or Sett’s  E – Facebreaker  while the ability was on cooldown, it would sometimes cancel your attacks and movements

[*] Black Cleaver’s passive interactions have been fixed so that you will correctly gain only one stack of  Carve per basic attack, even if you purchased Titanic Hydra first

[*] Lulu’s interactions with Spellthief’s Edge and Spectral Sickle have been fixed so she will once again receive a stack of  Tribute whenever  Passive – Help, Pix!  damages an enemy champion, too

[*] Rengar will no longer receive a Navori Quickblades stack upon hitting a plant with a  Q – Savagery  -empowered basic attack

[*] Axiom Arc’s passive has been fixed and will correctly grant Tahm Kench partial refunds on his  R – Devour  for scoring takedowns

[*] Fixed a bug where Teemo couldn’t gain Manamune stacks if he had ranked up  E – Toxic Shot  at least once. Unfortunately, this bug did not make Teemo players any less toxic.

[*] Fixed a bug where the Ornn Masterwork items Caesura and Eternal Winter did not grant the correct amounts of AP

[*] Fixed a bug where certain skillshots would not play their hit confirmation SFX if they hit a target in Fog of War (e.g. Ahri’s Q – Orb of Deception passthrough sound)

[*] Nocturne’s R – Paranoia VO volume has been fixed and is no longer much louder than intended

[*] Ivern and his friends are on speaking terms again (his jungle camp VO lines have been restored)

[/*]

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#Upcoming Skins & Chromas

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The following skins will be released in this patch: 

$Lunar Eclipse Aatrox & Sun-Eater Kayle

$Lunar Eclipse Senna

$Prestige Lunar Eclipse Senna

$Solar Eclipse Sejuani

$Solar Eclipse Sivir

$Gangplank the Betrayer

$Sea Dog Yasuo

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The following chromas will be released this patch:

$Lunar Eclipse Aatrox

$Lunar Eclipse Senna

$Solar Eclipse Sejuani

$Solar Eclipse Sivir

$Sun-Eater Kayle

$Gangplank the Betrayer

$Sea Dog Yasuo

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