TL;DR
- Support items now require nearby allies, eliminating top lane Soraka/Sona strategies
- Turret plates grant 160 gold with 17% ranged damage reduction favoring melee champions
- Kai’Sa receives late-game scaling improvements through ability power ratios
- Graves gets mana cost and cooldown adjustments for jungle sustainability
- Multiple champions receive jungle-specific buffs to expand role flexibility

League of Legends enthusiasts, prepare for strategic evolution! Patch 10.5 has officially launched, bringing transformative adjustments specifically designed to rebalance top lane dynamics.
Riot Games continues its dedicated initiative to enhance the isolated top lane experience, ensuring players in this crucial position feel genuinely impactful throughout matches. This update directly confronts the problematic trend of enchantment support champions migrating to solo lanes.
Additionally, this patch introduces the Eternals system, with the starter pack accessible through blue essence for tracking champion-specific achievements and milestones.
No More Support Champions in the Top Lane
Season 10’s competitive landscape has been heavily influenced by the prevalence of Soraka and Sona dominating top lane matchups. Previous balancing attempts targeting these champions directly proved insufficient to curb their lane dominance.
Patch 10.5 implements two strategic modifications designed to discourage players from selecting these champions for solo lane assignments. The changes address both itemization pathways and lane priority mechanics.
Critical Change #1: Support Item Requirements
Spellthief’s Edge and Spectral Sickle now mandate the presence of an ally—regardless of their alive or deceased status—within a 2,000 unit radius. This adjustment effectively eliminates the viability of acquiring these items for solo lane positions.
Strategic Insight: This modification forces support champions to remain in duo lanes, restoring traditional lane assignments and champion roles. Players attempting to bypass this restriction will find themselves severely disadvantaged in gold generation.
Common Mistake Alert: Avoid purchasing support items when planning to split-push or operate independently from your team composition.
Critical Change #2: Turret Defense Reinforcement
Turret plates now provide 160 gold per destruction instead of the previous 120 gold value. Defensive structures receive 17% damage reduction against ranged champion attacks and demonstrate enhanced resilience against coordinated multi-champion assaults.
Solo lane specialists, particularly those in the top position, will discover increased benefits from focusing on individual turret destruction rather than participating in four-player bottom lane sieges. This adjustment significantly rewards champions who excel in one-versus-one combat scenarios.
- Gold Per Plate: 160
- Ranged Resistance: Turret Plates take 17% reduced damage from ranged champions
- Outer Turret Armor and Magic Resistance: 15/50/85/120/155 (At 0-4 Plates Lost)
- Bulwark Resistances: 45 per nearby enemy champion past the second
Advanced Strategy: Melee champions should capitalize on these changes by aggressively pressuring turrets during opponent recall timings. For comprehensive strategic guidance, consult our Complete Guide to maximize your lane dominance.
Timing Optimization: Plan your turret assault rotations to coincide with enemy jungle presence on the opposite side of the map.
Champion Changes in Patch 10.5
While Patch 10.5 affects several champions, most adjustments remain relatively minor and unlikely to dramatically shift the current competitive meta landscape. The standout modifications focus on Kai’Sa, Graves, and surprisingly, further adjustments to Sona.
Kai’Sa – Late Game Scaling Enhancement
This versatile marksman maintains consistent meta relevance across multiple patches. Though not typically prioritized in competitive drafts, she serves as an excellent situational selection adaptable to various team compositions. These incremental buffs strengthen Kai’Sa’s late-game performance, addressing her historical weakness against scaling champions like Aphelios or Senna who progressively strengthen throughout match duration.
Kai’Sa
- Q – Icathian Rain: Damage Ratio 0.25 Ability Power. Living Weapon Upgrade: 12 Missiles
- W – Void Seeker: Damage 30/55/80/105/130 (+0.7 Ability Power)(+1.3 Total Attack Damage). Living Weapon Upgrade: 70% Cooldown Refunded Against Champions
Graves – Jungle Sustainability Improvements
This rugged marksman has largely disappeared from player consciousness over recent seasons. The issue isn’t Graves’ inherent champion strength, but rather the availability of superior alternative options. Patch 10.5 restores some of his former combat potency through mana efficiency and cooldown optimization.
Graves
- Magic Resist: 32
- Magic Resist Growth: 1.25
- Q – End Of The Line: 60 Mana. Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8 Seconds
Weapon Strategy: For optimal weapon selection across different scenarios, reference our detailed Weapons Unlock guide for detailed comparisons.
Sona – Continued Role Definition
Maintaining awareness of Sona’s frequent adjustments proves challenging for players, as the champion receives nerfs one patch followed by buffs the next. In Patch 10.5, Sona gains improved attack damage scaling and enhanced self-movement speed on her E ability. Importantly, Riot Games continues to emphasize that Sona should not function as a solo lane specialist.
Sona
- Attack Damage: 49
- Attack Damage Growth: 3
- E – Song Of Celerity: Self Movement Speed: 20%
Jungle Expansion Initiative
Following Patch 10.4’s introduction of new mechanics to increase champion viability in the jungle role, Patch 10.5 provides additional statistical improvements for Mordekaiser, Poppy, and Darius.
Darius
- Hemorrhage Damage to Monsters: 175%
Mordekaiser
- Darkness Rise Max Damage to Monsters: 28-164 (Lv 1-18)
Poppy
- Hammer Shock Max Health Damage Cap Vs Non-Champs: 50/80/110/140/170
Class Selection: Understanding proper champion roles is crucial for success. Explore our Class Guide for comprehensive role breakdowns and strategic applications.
The comprehensive patch documentation remains accessible through Riot Games’ official platform.
Action Checklist
- Immediately stop building support items on solo lane champions
- Prioritize turret plating as melee champions for gold advantage
- Test updated Kai’Sa builds focusing on late-game scaling potential
- Experiment with Graves jungle clears utilizing improved mana efficiency
- Evaluate Mordekaiser, Poppy, and Darius jungle viability in normal games
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