League of Legends 25.11 Patch reinforces fighter dominance on top side

With League of Legends’ playoffs in full swing and MSI 2025 just around the corner, Riot Games’ latest patch arrives at a key moment for the esports scene.

While Patch 25.11 isn’t as game-changing as 25.10 — when major AP item and rune changes reshaped the mid-lane and jungle meta — it continues to build on that foundation, with more targeted champion adjustments.

This patch puts the spotlight on the top side of the map, as many fighter champions receive buffs which either improve their scaling or increase synergy with core bruiser items. As such, this might signal a shift back toward extended trades and mechanical skirmishing over burst-heavy snowball comps.

Meanwhile, a few AP junglers are getting nudged back into viability, reinforcing the shift started in 25.10 where magic damage dealers in non-traditional roles became more viable

Taken together, League of Legends’ Patch 25.11 doesn’t rewrite the meta, but it reinforces trends from 25.10 while making space for new strategies for teams across all regions.

Fans can expect fighters to have more priority in top lane, AP junglers like Diana to re-enter the pool, and burst mages like Ryze and Kassadin to resurface in the esports scene as calculated risks in Fearless Draft formats.

One champion that stands out in this patch is Aatrox who, despite his passive receiving a slight damage nerf, has his Q ‘sweet spot’ damage increased and W type of damage changed.

Riot Games explained that this shift is intended to help Aatrox “feel better about [building] some conventional fighter items” like Black Cleaver, since physical damage allows him to benefit more directly from these core bruiser stats. With more tuning options now available between fighter and lethality builds, returning his W damage to physical aims to increase his itemisation flexibility

In the jungle, fans could see a potential comeback in magic damage threats like Diana as her increased monster damage boosts her clear speed, which should help her keep pace with early skirmishers. 

Kassadin and Ryze both receive tuning aimed at smoothing out their laning phases, or reward them more when they find openings in mid-game fights.

Kassadin’s armour is slightly higher while his E deals more damage, which lets him survive early trades more comfortably, though his Riftwalk now scales a little less with AP to prevent him from overtaking games before he’s at max level.

Ryze’s W loses a bit of base damage, but his Realm Warp passive increases the bonus from Overload. This could give him a bit more strength in coordinated plays around objectives, crucial to turn the tables of a painful early game.

These adjustments — along with smaller quality-of-life changes to champions like Samira, Ashe and Udyr — make Patch 25.11 look like it’s designed to deepen the current meta rather than disrupt it.

On the esports side, this can only mean that teams who adapt quickly and refine draft plans around these emerging priorities will be the ones that gain the upper hand. Importantly, this is not only relevant during regional playoffs, but also during MSI if the team’s qualify for it.