Riot Games’ Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison addressed the community this Thursday on social media, sharing insights into the balance decisions behind Worlds 2025's patch. Posting just weeks before the tournament kicks off, he outlined Riot’s approach to shaping the competitive meta this year, explaining how the team balances the needs of pro play, casual players, and the broader esports ecosystem when making changes ahead of the game’s biggest annual event.

In his message, Phroxzon highlighted that out of the 24 yearly updates, only four or five are tailored with major international tournaments in mind, including Worlds, Mid Season Invitational, and the newly introduced First Stand. These patches receive special treatment to ensure the game’s professional meta remains both diverse and exciting to watch.

Building the most diverse champion pool possible

According to Phroxzon, Riot’s goals with the patch were to make sure different kinds of champions show up in every role, give teams more options when building their strategies, and keep the meta from feeling boring or repetitive. This philosophy explains many of the targeted changes heading into Worlds. Jax, for instance, was buffed to reintroduce the archetype of a scaling AD fighter in the toplane, something Riot felt was missing from the competitive pool. While his carry potential has been restored, his early durability was slightly toned down to prevent him from overwhelming casual games.

On the bot side, veteran champions from the Rift like Corki, Sivir, and Jinx received adjustments. Corki and Sivir were described as underwhelming throughout much of the year, while Jinx was given small range tweaks to smooth her laning phase without altering her late-game identity. In midlane, Riot sought to revive the assassin role with a modest buff to LeBlanc, who has struggled in tank-heavy environments but could add more excitement and variety to tournament drafts.

Diversifying jungle options was also a priority, with Lillia, Diana, and Brand receiving improvements to strengthen the pool of viable AP junglers. This, according to Phroxzon, is crucial for enabling AD mid picks and varied team compositions. Finally, Lee Sin was given changes intended to be power-neutral but designed to invigorate the early game—an aspect of his kit that has historically defined dramatic plays on the Worlds stage.