Patch notes are up on the Test Realm forum for the Ezreal rollout and I’ll say it, I’m scared. I was mostly excited for the last patch, but the XP system blew chunks and that queue dodge penalty is the worst thing to happen to the game since Nidalee. There are a few diamonds in the rough, though, and I’m hoping they will be enough to carry me through.

First, Shaco is getting a massive nerf. Deceive damage is down 10% at all levels, Jack in the Box damage scales more slowly and has its AP ratio decreased, and, the whopper, throwing Two-Shiv while stealthed breaks you out. It’s not clear whether that removes your crit damage bonus – my hope is that it doesn’t – but it’s possible. You might notice that none of this makes him any more viable for the late game, which is most players’ complaint.

Then there’s Nidalee. I’m personally of the opinion that she needs the kind of nerf Shaco received. Unfortunately, Riot didn’t contact me regarding the matter, so she’s getting a tiny nerf and a little buff. Primal Surge now has its mana cost increased by 5 per level instead of the flat 50. Can I just say that this is in no way a nerf. By the time you reach the max rank, most players have more than enough mana to cover the difference, particularly if they’re going AP build. Which reminds me, AP Nidalee just got a fat buff. Javelin Toss AP ratio is up to 55% from 40%. The other change is reducing her passive to 15% move speed from 25%. Really, though, that’s not the issue with Nidalee’s escapability. It’s the fact that you can spam Pounce, which, when coupled with the brush bonus, makes her extremely difficult to kill. They could take it down to 8% and she would still probably get out of most situations.

Twisted Fate got enough changes to make him a lot less frustrating to play against and probably more overall fun. His new passive, Loaded Dice, grants TF’s team an extra 2 gold per kill. It’s actually worse than Second Sight in my mind, but not such a problem. Gate is gone. In its place is Stacked Deck, which is basically a built in Sword of the Divine. Every fourth attack deals magic damage that scales by level, affected by ability power. It also increases his attack speed and reduces cooldowns. He’s another in the latest string of toons that will benefit in big ways from Guinsoo’s. The new skill is obviously severely overpowered, but a slight nerf should bring it in line. Gate is now built into Destiny, allowing you to teleport anywhere on the map though it no longer slows. Overall, I think it’s a good change, and will actually make him a lot more fun.

There are some other minor changes, including a slight buff to the XP system (50% of a level’s XP for same level champion kills instead of 40%) , but most of them shouldn’t change the game much. The XP system will still likely too heavily prioritize farming, but it just might be enough to discourage a lot of 5-man while encouraging some push. Honestly, though, ganking is what makes the game fun. Almost no amount of XP nerfing will make me want to stop.

ByronicHero dropped by the forums today to give us a sneak peak at yet another hero: Ezrael. I’m much happier about another hero release knowing that Twisted Treeline is heading to matchmaking soon. Also, Ezrael is ranged, which adds another hero to the short list of toons I choose from when my team goes all melee. Does that happen to anyone else as often as it happens to me?

Here’s the text from the official post:

As you may have noticed, we’ve been releasing some champions that really challenge existing gameplay paradigms. And this next one is no exception. In addition to a haircut that defies the very laws of physics, the latest and greatest from our design team is sporting some pretty edgy magical abilities. Meet Ezreal the Prodigal Explorer, a champion who breaks new ground – in both gameplay and fashion – here at the League of Legends. If you’re feeling rather passionate about skill-shots these days, start getting excited, because this particular gentleman should really scratch that itch.

So far so good. I am a pretty big fan of skill shots, though I don’t think they’re necessary for a hero to be fun. There is no official word on the ability list, but someone on the EU forums dug up a screenshot of his potential abilities, presumably from the test realm.

Mystic Shot (Q) – Ezrael fires a bolt of energy dealing 40 + 100% of his attack damage as magic damage. Ezrael’s cooldowns are reduced by 1 second if Ezrael hits a target.

Essence Flux (W) – Ezrael fires a fluctuating wave of energy that only hits champions. Enemy champions: deals 75 magic damage and reduces attack speed by 20% for 5 seconds. Allied Champions: heals 75 health and increases attack speed by 20% for 5 seconds.

Arcane Shift (E) – Ezrael teleports to a target nearby location and fires a homing arrow at the nearest enemy unit dealing 80 magic damage.

Trueshot Barrage (R) – Ezrael channels for 1.2 seconds to fire a barrage of missiles dealing 300 magic damage to each unit it passes through. It deals 10% less damage for each unit it hits (minimum 30%).

He’s definitely an odd character, though I wouldn’t quite say he breaks character paradigms. To me he’s like a mix of every “unique” character out there. He’s got a bit of TF, a bit of Nidalee, and a bit of Jax. I can see him benefiting from Guinsoo’s in a big way, and I’m willing to bet a lot of people will build him as a hybrid.

My guess is that we’ll see him live as early as next week. The Mordekaiser preview came just a week before he released.