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Zeri is one of the most controversial champions in League of Legends. With the exception of a few patches, she has constantly been buffed or nerfed since her release in January 2022. Unfortunately, after each patch, she either comes out too weak or too broken to counter.
As a result, in League of Legends' PBE patch cycle 12.16, the developers are making yet another attempt to finally balance Zeri once and for all.
However, these consistent nerfs and buffs have now annoyed fans, with players who are Zeri mains suffering the most.
Several players feel that if the developers are finding it too hard to balance Zeri, they should simply rework the champion instead of buffing or nerfing her while also failing miserably.
League of Legends' latest Zeri nerfs are probably aimed at balancing her state in professional games
Before discussing anything else, here is a list of nerfs that Zeri will be receiving in in League of Legends' PBE patch cycle 12.16:
Passive
- Bonus MS while shielded reduced from 10% to 7%
Q
- Base Damage increased 8-20 to 11-23
- AD ratio reduced from 105%-125% to 100%-120%
W
- AP ratio reduced from 60% to 40%
It is clear that Zeri's nerfs are directed towards reducing her scaling. The developers are clearly targeting her ratios, which will reduce her late-game prowess.
The problem is that the AP ratio nerf to Zeri's W makes very little sense as players rarely go for that build anymore. She is built as an AD champion, and her W can deal massive critical damage with similar builds.
Therefore, it almost feels as if the developers are taking the wrong route with this decision. In any case, this move will have a major effect on the champion's win rate in solo queue.
Zeri is considered one of the most broken champions in League of Legends. Her damage, combined with her movement, makes her very difficult to deal with in the late game.
Once Zeri gets farmed up, it is near impossible to catch her. She can practically fight one versus nine and come out victorious. However, the problem is that this power fantasy is only seen in professional games.
Zeri only has a 47% win rate in Diamond 2 and beyond, which means that she isn't that strong in solo queue games. At the same time, however, Fnatic's Upset pretty much pulled his team into the playoffs of the LEC with the use of the champion.
This has led to a conundrum among the developers, who are failing to understand the state of the champion. The latest nerfs might balance her in professional games, but her solo queue state will further be damaged.
Zeri's win rate might drop even more, and she might become non-existent. This will then force the developers to buff her yet again in League of Legends.
