League of Legends Patch 25.13 shapes MSI 2025 through sleeper meta picks

The MSI 2025 patch is here, and it brings small but important changes that make League of Legends’ second international tournament of the year one to watch.

Patch 25.13 cleans up power spikes and trims a few overperforming picks to create a balanced esports tournament. Yet some teams might be able to build a road to victory by leveraging sleeper picks hidden in the meta.

The past two patches boosted fighters in top lane, made AP junglers more viable, and brought more roaming mids into play — Patch 25.13 sticks to that line of thought. It tweaks some disruptive champions while giving a few forgotten ones much-needed love. 

Teams that can flex picks across roles or pull out niche counters will seemingly benefit from this meta. As for fans, expect slower early games, scaling bot lanes and jungle skirmishes that decide which team determines the tempo of the game.

With the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational kicking off in just three days, on June 27th with the Play-Ins stage, teams will have to rush to test out some of the more unpredictable drafts. Four teams —GAM Esports, Bilibili Gaming, G2 Esports, and FURIA — will be the first to showcase the patch, which will be emphasised further considering Fearless Draft rules are in play.

Only two will advance to the Bracket Stage where top seeds like Gen.G are waiting. Patch 25.13 doesn’t rewrite the current meta, but it will surely expose League of Legends teams that have difficulties adapting to niche champion picks.

Two mid laners who dominated recent League of Legends patches, Twisted Fate and Ryze, both receive nerfs to keep them in check. But these nerfs won’t push them out of the meta entirely. They are still valuable picks when drafts call for their unique strengths, and it’s not hard to imagine Caps’ TF or Faker’s Ryze dominating in mid.

Though picks like LeBlanc and Sylas, who excel at roaming and disrupting fights, could see a rise in popularity. Teams that emphasise early aggression and coordinated dives stand to benefit the most from this small shift in mid lane power picks to set the pace of the game.

In the jungle, Kindred receives a subtle but meaningful buff thanks to a shorter cooldown on their ultimate. Enhancing their ability to influence team fights around critical objectives like Baron, this change could make Kindred one of those sleeper picks that could overturn the fate of a seemingly doomed series. 

Yet it’s more likely junglers will go for other, more reliable champions like Nidalee, who got a second buff in a row, with increased damage on her long-range spear. Though still a high-risk, high-reward champion, Nidalee’s enhanced damage increases her threat level in the jungle and gives teams with strong mechanical skill the option to surprise opponents early in the tournament.

Top lane is still the lane most teams will focus on. With Patch 25.13, Irelia has her attack speed increased on her passive during early levels. This buff makes her most likely to win early trades and snowball faster in melee matchups, making her a solid choice for top laners looking to dominate through skirmishes and sustained fights. With bruiser champions still holding their ground in the meta, Irelia fits perfectly into compositions that rely on aggressive frontline fighters.

Remaining on the top side of the map, there is Vi, who takes another nerf. Meanwhile, Fiddlesticks and Rammus have become sleeper picks for this patch. Rammus gets stronger defences and more health, making him a tanky surprise in the top or jungle roles. Meanwhile, Fiddlesticks’ buff to his damage helps him clear faster and deal more damage in fights, offering teams a powerful but less obvious jungle pick to play for a surprise party on the enemy team.

Unfortunately, there is nothing much to say on bot lane. Zeri and Aphelios buffs from the last patch still matter, and overall scaling carries will have priority for teams looking to rule late-game teamfights.

MSI 2025 kicks off on June 27th, and although some teams are still heading to Vancouver, Patch 25.13 has already landed, ready to shape every game from day one.