LoL Patch 26.18 Tier List: Every Role Change Ranked

Riot changed one item in LoL patch 26.18, yet the LoL patch 26.18 tier list still reshuffles five roles. Rageblade's passive stack duration rising from three to four seconds is the whole item patch, and most tier movement comes from direct champion changes.

LoL Patch 26.18 tier list: the complete role-by-role changes

The LoL patch 26.18 tier list changes seven champions across five roles, with Rageblade's stack duration extended from three to four seconds as the patch's only item adjustment. Zeri and Camille move up in top lane, Wukong and Bel'Veth rise in the jungle, Syndra falls from S to A in mid, Seraphine leaves the bot lane OP tier, and Nautilus drops to support B. Ekko and Tahm Kench also move up on the list, while Syndra and Nautilus drop down.

Skill Capped published its 26.18 tier list rundown on September 7, 2026, five days after the patch's August 26 release. The video frames each move as an editorial judgment, not a Riot Games announcement, so treat the tier placements as coaching opinion while the champion and item numbers come from the patch notes.

Riot's 26.18 notes list one item change and eleven champion adjustments. The tier list owner's reasoning ties most moves to two forces: the Rageblade buff and the settled effects of Camille's 26.16 adjustments.

What changed in LoL patch 26.18

LoL patch 26.18 ships one item change and eleven champion adjustments, and the item change drives more of the tier list than any single champion buff. Guinsoo's Rageblade's passive stack duration goes from three to four seconds, which widens the window for champions that build it.

Riot's full patch notes for 26.18 list the following adjustments.

• Guinsoo's Rageblade: passive stack duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds.
• Zeri: Q goes on cooldown immediately after entering the passive revive, and Q2 damage at max rank rises from 125 to 150.
• Camille: no changes in 26.18; her tier move reflects the 26.16 adjustments still settling.
• Master Yi: armor growth up from 4.5 to 5 per level; R movement speed up from 35/45/55% to 40/50/60%.
• Viego: AD growth up from 3.5 to 4; passive max-health heal gains 2% per 500 bonus health.
• Ekko: Q mana cost down by 10 at all ranks; Q return damage AP ratio up from 60% to 70%.
• Kassadin: Q AP ratio up from 70% to 80%; R base damage up from 70/90/110 to 80/100/110.
• Syndra: passive splinter mana scaling reduced from 20 to 255 down to 20 to 199; W cooldown increased from 12/10/8 to 13/11/9 seconds.
• Cassiopeia: passive movement speed down from 6 to 40% to 5 to 35%; E mana cost up from 40 to 45; E base damage down from 52 to 120 to 50 to 118; E AP ratio up from 10% to 20%; Q base damage down 10 at all ranks; Q AP ratio up from 65% to 75%; R base damage down 25 per rank; R AP ratio up from 50% to 75%.
• Xayah: W total AD ratio down from 120% to 100%; W wall damage total AD ratio down from 180% to 150%.
• Bard: base armor down from 34 to 32; armor per level down from 5 to 4.7.
• Nautilus: base AD down from 61 to 58; Q damage down from 85 to 265 to 85 to 245.
• Seraphine: E cooldown changed from 11 to 9 seconds to 11 seconds flat.

The changes divide cleanly into buffs and nerfs.

Champion	Change	Direction
Zeri	Q2 damage 125 to 150 at max rank	Buff
Master Yi	Armor growth 4.5 to 5; R MS 35/45/55% to 40/50/60%	Buff
Viego	AD growth 3.5 to 4; passive heal +2% per 500 bonus health	Buff
Ekko	Q mana -10 at all ranks; Q return AP ratio 60% to 70%	Buff
Kassadin	Q AP ratio 70% to 80%; R base damage 70/90/110 to 80/100/110	Buff
Syndra	Splinter mana 20-255 to 20-199; W cooldown 12/10/8 to 13/11/9	Nerf
Cassiopeia	Base damage down on Q, E, R; AP ratios up to 20%/75%/75%	Mixed
Xayah	W total AD ratio 120% to 100%; wall 180% to 150%	Nerf
Bard	Base armor 34 to 32; per level 5 to 4.7	Nerf
Nautilus	Base AD 61 to 58; Q damage 85-265 to 85-245	Nerf
Seraphine	E cooldown 11-9 seconds to 11 seconds flat	Nerf

Why Rageblade's stack window reshaped the tier list

The Rageblade change is a one-second extension to the passive stack window, and the tier list owner treats it as an indirect buff to Kalista, Kai'Sa, Kog'Maw, Varus, Bel'Veth, Master Yi, and Vayne. The mechanic matters because those champions build Guinsoo's Rageblade and lose their stacked passive when it lapses.

Skill Capped's video ranks the affected champions by how much they gain. Bel'Veth receives the largest practical benefit because the tier list moves her back into S on the strength of the Rageblade buff plus recent performance. Master Yi double-dips with direct buffs. Kog'Maw's case gets special mention because Rageblade and Hurricane both help him.

On bot lane, the tier list treats the buff as insufficient to move Varus, Vayne, or Kalista up a tier. Vayne sits in a worse spot than the item buff suggests because her win rate dropped from just below 50% to under 47% after the previous patch's nerfs. The change has the potential to shift those three champions' power, but the channel does not see it as enough to justify a move up on its own.

Riot Games' 26.18 patch notes list the Rageblade change and the champion adjustments together, which makes it the primary source for every number in this article. Skill Capped's tier placements, by contrast, are the channel's editorial judgment.

Top lane: Zeri and Camille move up

Top lane gains two champions in the 26.18 tier list: Zeri enters from the buff list, and Camille receives a push into S on the strength of her 26.16 adjustments. Both moves rest on matchup data rather than raw winrate alone.

The Zeri change touches Q damage at max rank and adds a cooldown immediately after the passive revive. Since Q is Zeri's main damage tool and the spell she maxes first, the tier list owner calls the 25-damage bump at max rank significant, and moves her from A toward S. Zeri had already been sitting in A, not struggling, which is why a single Q buff is enough to justify the upgrade.

Camille's case is more indirect. She received no 26.18 changes; the tier list moves her because the 26.16 adjustments reduced her power as a support while increasing her strength as a top laner. The video notes she plays well into Garen, one of the most contested top laners in the current meta, and holds above a 53% win rate in the Yone matchup while Yone is the second most played top laner in solo queue. Camille is in the best spot she has held at any point this season.

The same section drops Vayne as a ranged top option. After the previous patch's nerfs, the video reports her win rate fell from just under 50% to under 47%, and it recommends Teemo over Vayne for players who want a ranged top laner. Teemo is described as an infinitely better option than Vayne in that slot.

Master Yi sits in a different category. He receives direct buffs plus the Rageblade change, but the tier list leaves him in A and flags a possible move to S if the buffs prove impactful. The channel is not optimistic about that outcome. Viego also stays put. His AD growth and passive heal scale with bonus health, which could revive bruiser builds, but the tier list treats the gain as build-dependent and waits for mid-patch data. A Trinity Force with Sunderer Sky core becomes slightly better as a result of the buff, which is the concrete build the video points to.

Jungle: Wukong returns to the OP tier

Jungle's biggest move is Wukong returning to the OP tier after the tier list owner's earlier concern about back-to-back Sundered Sky nerfs in 26.16 and 26.17 proved overstated. Wukong was only minimally affected by those nerfs, and he remains the best fighter jungler for solo queue. The wider jungle tier list does not move at a drastic level this patch.

Bel'Veth moves back into S. The video cites recent performance plus the Rageblade buff as the reason, since Bel'Veth builds the item and gains from the longer stack window.

Cho'Gath jungle is the new off-meta pick. The tier list calls him easy to pick up, mechanically undemanding, and fast at clearing, and it cites a clear time of 2 minutes and 36 seconds by following the channel's own challenger clear guide for Cho'Gath, which sits in the clear course on the Skill Capped website. That clear time is the channel's coaching figure, not a Riot Games published number. The champion is not mechanically demanding, so a baseline level of success comes quickly.

Ekko's jungle move follows his buffs. Q mana cost reduction matters more in mid lane than in the jungle, but the Q return damage AP ratio rising from 60% to 70% adds mid to late game burst. The tier list places Ekko on the verge of S and warns it may drop him back to A at mid-patch if the buffs land weakly.

Mid lane: Syndra falls, Ekko and Kassadin get buffs

Mid lane's headline move is Syndra dropping from S to A after the 26.18 nerfs hit her passive splinter mana and W cooldown. The tier list treats the passive change as the larger of the two because it weakens the Imperial Mandate rush build popularized by the channel's challenger mid laner Stompis, but it notes few solo queue players actually run that build.

The same reasoning keeps Syndra from falling further. Players who rush a Lost Chapter item still feel the nerf only minimally, so the tier list drops her one tier rather than out of viability. Syndra had been one of the best, if not the best, mages for solo queue before 26.18.

Ekko receives buffs that help his early laning phase, where players often sit back and spam Q for CS. The tier list calls him one of the better S tier mids and places him just behind Fizz as the best assassin for solo queue. The mana buff does the heavy lifting in harder matchups, while the ratio increase adds burst later; together they still do not justify an OP placement.

Kassadin gets Q AP ratio and R base damage increases, which the tier list describes as mid-game improvements without enough weight to move him out of A.

Cassiopeia receives a set of adjustments aimed at cutting early power while preserving mid and late strength. Base damage on Q, E, and R drops while AP ratios on the same spells rise. The tier list keeps her in B and says late game Cassiopeia lands in roughly the same place as before. In the higher tiers of play the early damage nerfs may bite more, and the movement speed passive drop from 6 to 40% down to 5 to 35% is part of that same trade.

The mid lane top tier holds Fizz and Vex as the two most overpowered champions. LeBlanc, moved up to OP at mid-patch 26.17, settles lower than that move implied, and the tier list keeps her below Fizz and Vex. The channel calls that 26.17 promotion premature. Xerath, Veigar, and Viktor perform well in the S tier and above, while Nasus remains an underrated mid pick. Orianna, Ryze, Cassiopeia, and Mel appear mainly as pro-jailed champions whose priority in professional play does not translate into solo queue strength.

Bot lane: Jinx takes the solo OP slot

Bot lane has one champion in the OP tier in the 26.18 tier list: Jinx. She holds an above 52% win rate at one of the highest play rates in the role, and the video attributes her rise to Hurricane buffs rather than any direct change to her kit. No direct Jinx buff started the climb; the item did the work, which makes her the clearest outlier in the role.

Xayah is the patch's only ADC on the nerf list. Her W total AD ratio drops from 120% to 100% and wall damage total AD ratio from 180% to 150%. The video notes she had been a top performer because of Guinsoo's and Hurricane buffs, and it expects her to hold S despite the nerfs, with A as the worst realistic outcome.

Seraphine leaves the OP tier. Her E cooldown nerf is light, and the video expects Jinx to overtake her in relative power.

Kog'Maw sits in the underrated category. The video calls him the highest win rate ADC for solo queue despite low pick rates, and the Rageblade buff plus a possible Hurricane pickup strengthen his case. The tier list recommends pairing him with an enchanter support such as Lulu or Karma.

The bot lane section also drops Syndra to A relative to other mages, and it holds Varus, Vayne, and Kalista in place despite the Rageblade buff.

Support: Nautilus drops as Braum gains

Support's biggest shift is Nautilus dropping to B after base AD fell from 61 to 58 and Q damage from 85 to 265 to 85 to 245. The video calls the AD cut significant because Nautilus weaves auto attacks into standard trades, and Q is the spell he maxes first, so the nerf lands at full strength at level nine. Nautilus had been rising in win rate over the previous few patches, which is what drew the nerfs.

The reason Nautilus loses priority reaches beyond his own numbers. Thresh continues to overperform as the most played support, and his own nerf from the previous patch did nothing to reduce his relative power. The tier list sees little reason to pick Nautilus over him unless a player cannot play Thresh.

Braum is the counterweight. He gained roughly 1% in win rate over recent patches without receiving direct buffs, which the video attributes to the surge of fighter champions in other roles: Nasus high priority in top lane, Yone jumping in priority, and Lee Sin and Graves as the two most played junglers. If a team already has Yone top and Graves jungle, Braum's value climbs sharply. The channel cites matchup win rates of 55% with Jinx, 56% with Yone, and 54% with Tristana, and notes Braum counters the most played supports in Thresh and Leona while facing less Karma and Senna in lane. Those numbers are the channel's own reported figures.

Seraphine's support nerf lands lightly. Most support players max E last, and they level more slowly in the role, so some games end before the cooldown change matters. The video puts the first real impact at around level 14, and many support games are decided before that point. The tier list keeps her in support S.

The support OP tier holds Leona, Thresh, and Braum. Bard remains in B after base armor fell from 34 to 32 and armor per level from 5 to 4.7; the video says the nerf targets his higher-tier performance, where he has been more problematic, and is not enough to push him down to C.

How to read this tier list

Skill Capped's tier list is a coaching product, not a Riot Games ranking. Riot publishes patch notes and champion statistics; a coaching channel publishes tier placements based on those notes plus its own data and experience. Keeping the two separate matters when a tier move and a patch change disagree, as happens with Camille and Braum.

The Garen matchup example shows why. Camille's case for S in the video rests on her performance into Garen and her win rate in the Yone matchup, both of which the channel reports without linking a public statistics source. Riot's patch notes confirm Garen received no 26.18 changes, so the matchup context is editorial.

For players, the practical takeaway from the 26.18 tier list is that item and champion changes matter most when they touch a champion you already play. Rageblade's longer stack window makes Kai'Sa, Kog'Maw, Vayne, Kalista, and Varus slightly more forgiving, but the tier list itself declines to move Varus, Vayne, and Kalista up a tier on that change alone.

The tier list also flags the mid-patch update as the next data point. Several placements, including Ekko and Master Yi, carry a stated chance of revision once 26.18 data accumulates.

FAQ

What is the best champion in LoL patch 26.18?

The 26.18 tier list names Jinx the only OP-tier bot laner and keeps Fizz and Vex as the two most overpowered mid laners. Support's OP tier holds Leona, Thresh, and Braum, while Wukong returns to the jungle OP tier.

Did Rageblade get buffed in patch 26.18?

Yes. Guinsoo's Rageblade's passive stack duration increased from three to four seconds, per Riot's 26.18 patch notes. The change is an indirect buff to champions that build the item, including Kai'Sa, Kog'Maw, Kalista, Varus, Bel'Veth, Master Yi, and Vayne.

Why did Syndra drop in patch 26.18?

Syndra's passive splinter mana scaling was reduced and her W cooldown increased, which weakens the Imperial Mandate rush build. The tier list drops her one tier from S to A because few solo queue players use that build.

Is Nautilus still good in patch 26.18?

Nautilus moved to the support B tier after base AD and Q damage were reduced. The tier list recommends Thresh over Nautilus for solo queue because Thresh remains the most played and highest-priority hook support.

When does the next tier list update arrive?

The channel plans a mid-patch revision for 26.18, with Ekko and Master Yi listed as the placements most likely to move once more data arrives.

A note from Gustavo dev doido

Tier lists like this one move fast. The reasoning behind each placement, though, is the part worth keeping: why Rageblade's extra second matters, why Camille's 26.16 adjustments outrank her own patch, why Braum gained a point of win rate without a single buff. Those explanations age better than the tiers themselves.

If you keep that kind of reasoning inside YouTube videos, it can live somewhere more permanent. Skala Blog takes a YouTube URL, transcribes the video, and turns it into a written article, so the analysis you already recorded is readable and searchable instead of buried in a 20-minute upload.

Source video