FOTM Report: What's With Leona's Win Rate Spike In Patch 6.13?

Statistics hounds no doubt noted that Leona's win rate spiked tremendously this last patch at all divisions, rising from a respectable 51.5% to around 54%~55% depending on division.

Personally, I like to see a larger sample size before jumping to conclusions, but there are definitely a few factors that could be contributing to this rise, if genuine. Although Leona did not receive any direct buffs this patch, she definitely gained an advantage from meta shift and quality of life changes.

Was Leona Buffed In Patch 6.13?

Update: Apparently, Leona was buffed this patch; changes slated for 6.14 made it into the 6.13 patch instead. She was supposed to receive some buffs and accompanying nerfs, but instead only got the buffs.

Specifically her E roots a bit longer and her Q attack has slightly longer range. Basically, her E-Q combo is a lot more reliable right now. Source

Thanks for the heads up Georges!

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Statistics hounds no doubt noted that Leona's win rate spiked tremendously this last patch at all divisions, rising from a respectable 51.5% to around 54%~55% depending on division.

Personally, I like to see a larger sample size before jumping to conclusions, but there are definitely a few factors that could be contributing to this rise, if genuine. Although Leona did not receive any direct buffs this patch Even with the accidental early buff this patch (see note above), she definitely also gained an advantage from meta shift and quality of life changes.

Mastery/Runes/Build Changes?

The first thing to check out is generally the basics. Have Leona players been playing the champion herself differently? 

1. Skills - Everyone is still maxing Eclipse (W) followed by Shield of Daybreak (Q) - Nothing different
2. Masteries - There is some variation between Bond of Stone and Thunderlord's Decree, but this was always shifting from patch to patch. - Nothing different
3. Runes - Players appear to be optimizing more for damage (both AD and AP variations) rather than a pure armor rune set up - Slightly Different
4. Build - Most people are still rolling with Targon's + Sightstone into Locket into tank items - Nothing different

What Changed This Patch?

Shield/Healing Items Buffed
Patch 6.13 released big changes on the Forbidden Idol line of items, which include Ardent Censer and Mikael's Crucible. By giving a percentage buff to all shields and heals, many more squishy supports are back on the rift, Leona's main target.

Post-Death Kill Experience
Dead champs now gain experience from nearby kills.

"Life’s tough for initiators. Their job is to throw themselves into the enemy team, which often results in death even when done right. Many initiators are also tasked with target lockdown, meaning they only ‘enter combat’ with (and get assists from) a few opponents, despite paving the way for every kill in the fight. A vicious cycle emerges: initiators don’t get full teamfight experience, leaving them underleveled for the next fight, making them even more likely to die. We’re putting a stop to this to ensure initiators are rewarded - not punished - for doing their jobs"

(NEW) ABSORBENT CORPSES Champions now continue to gain experience from nearby champion kills for ~10 seconds after death, even if they didn't participate

This seems to be a very likely reason for Leona's rise. She definitely fits the bill as an initiator that throws herself into the enemy team, which means that her general play style is now rewarded with additional experience, even if she fails.

Teleport Nerfs
Teleport's channel duration is now 4.5 seconds, up from 3.5 seconds. Additionally, the distance you can see teleports coming down through was increased, even through fog of war. This means that Leona now has more time to jump onto and kill her targets before top laners can come down to ruin the party.

Statistical Considerations

Low Sample Size
If you are relying on Champion.gg for the 55% win rate, note that only 35,000 games as Leona are recorded. This means she has 19,250 - 15,750 = 3500 more wins than losses through 3.5 million games, which results in 0.1% of all games that could be directly impacted by Leona being potentially OP.

Varying Statistics Across Sites/Leagues
If you use op.gg's statistics, Leona's 7 day win rate does vary across divisions, dropping with each league towards Bronze, but also having larger sample sizes as you go down the ranks.

Playerbase Average Games
Leona is a fairly old champion release, and so most players who play her have a large number of games with her in ranked. Currently, the average number of games played with her at platinum is showing up as 100, which is quite a few games and enough to know the ins and outs of a champion's kit.

Conclusions

Leona is a strong counter to many of the champions that are more popular this patch. However, it is tough to say decisively that she is actually that much better in Patch 6.13. There are certainly contributing factors to her rise, but personally I think it is too soon to say that she's overpowered for sure.

Suggested Rating: High Tier 1

What do you think about Leona? Comment below!