Riot wants Sion and Urgot to become junglers in patch 10.20

TL;DR

  • Sion receives 50% damage increase to monsters on Q, enabling viable jungle clear speed
  • Urgot gains enhanced monster damage on passive and new W minimum damage to camps
  • Katarina’s passive AD ratio reduced from 100% to 75% bonus AD
  • Karthus faces armor reduction and HP regen nerfs affecting early game survivability
  • Patch focuses on off-meta champion flexibility while reigning in dominant solo queue picks

Lead gameplay designer Mark “Scuffy” Yetter has unveiled comprehensive details for the upcoming League of Legends update, featuring significant jungle-oriented enhancements for Sion and Urgot that could reshape the competitive landscape.

This update prioritizes strategic diversity over sweeping changes, specifically targeting unconventional champions poised for meta resurgence while addressing overpowered solo queue performers through calculated adjustments.

10.20 Patch preview with almost final changes.

Samira hotfix will carry over into 10.20, we will reevaluate her state in a few more days.pic.twitter.com/Mlwm06DTd1

— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter)September 22, 2020

The development team’s approach demonstrates their commitment to expanding champion roles beyond traditional lane assignments, offering players new strategic avenues to explore.

Sion and Urgot: Emerging Jungle Contenders

Riot Games is strategically repositioning two top lane staples into viable jungle options through targeted ability modifications designed to overcome their previous clearing limitations.

Sion Jungle Transformation

  • Q – Decimating Smash, Damage to monsters 100 >> 150%

The Undead Juggernaut receives a substantial clearing enhancement with his Decimating Smash now dealing significantly increased damage to jungle camps. This adjustment directly addresses Sion’s primary obstacle in the jungle—insufficient clear speed—potentially elevating him to competitive viability.

While Sion’s theoretical jungle potential has always been promising, his practical application suffered from prolonged camp clearing times. With this barrier removed, his comprehensive kit becomes exceptionally well-suited for jungle duties. His ultimate ability, Unstoppable Onslaught, enables devastating gank initiation while maintaining his signature team fight presence through abundant crowd control and tank durability.

Urgot Jungle Adaptation

  • P – Echoing Flames, Monster cap 60-360 >> 100-360
  • W – Disdain, Deals 50 minimum damage to monsters [NEW]

The Dreadnought undergoes multifaceted improvements to facilitate his jungle transition. Enhanced Echoing Flames damage accelerates early game clearing efficiency, while the newly implemented minimum damage on Disdain significantly improves performance against single-target camps like Blue Sentinel and Red Brambleback.

Despite these clearing enhancements, Urgot faces persistent ganking challenges due to inherent mobility limitations. His kit’s mechanical constraints make successful gank execution difficult against positioned opponents, requiring enemy overextension for effective engagement.

Katarina and Karthus: Reigning in Dominant Performers

Patch 10.20 implements targeted adjustments to curb the dominance of several solo queue powerhouses, with Karthus and Katarina standing out as primary targets due to their exceptional win rates of 52.14% and 52.17% respectively.

Katarina Power Reduction

  • P – Voracity, Attack damage ratio 100 >> 75% bonus AD

The Sinister Blade has consistently dominated solo queue environments through her unparalleled snowball potential and independent carry capacity. Recent performance metrics indicate excessive strength, prompting Riot to implement passive damage scaling reductions affecting all game phases.

This nerf strategically targets Katarina’s reset mechanics without completely undermining her identity, maintaining her high-skill expression while reducing her overall power budget.

Karthus Early Game Vulnerability

  • Armor 20.88 >> 18
  • Base HP regen 6.5 >> 6

The Deathsinger presents significant matchup challenges due to his overwhelming damage output and exceptional scaling characteristics. Karthus has emerged as a jungle favorite in recent updates thanks to unparalleled clearing velocity. His dominant strategy revolves around accelerated farming to reach critical item thresholds.

Rather than diminishing his damage capabilities, Riot focuses on increasing early game susceptibility through armor and health regeneration reductions. These adjustments enhance vulnerability to both jungle camp damage and enemy invasion attempts while preserving his late-game scaling potential, forcing opponents to capitalize on his weakened early phase for successful containment.

These systematic changes create new strategic dimensions for competitive play. Jungle Sion players should prioritize full clears into objective control, leveraging his enhanced clearing to secure early dragons and Rift Heralds. Optimal gank timing requires careful lane state assessment, targeting overextended opponents where his ultimate can maximize impact.

For Urgot enthusiasts transitioning to jungle, focus on efficient pathing that minimizes travel time between camps. His strength lies in objective control and counter-ganking rather than proactive gank initiation.

Countering the adjusted champions requires specific approaches: against Katarina, prioritize early game pressure and vision control to limit her roaming effectiveness; versus Karthus, implement aggressive early invasion strategies to exploit his reduced durability before he reaches scaling thresholds.

Advanced players should note that Sion’s jungle clear optimization involves maximizing Q area coverage to hit multiple camp monsters simultaneously. Common mistakes include improper ability sequencing and inefficient jungle pathing that negates the buff benefits.

Patch 10.20 is scheduled for live server deployment on Wednesday, September 30, providing players approximately one week to adapt strategies before ranked play integration.

Action Checklist

  • Practice Sion jungle clears focusing on Q positioning for maximum monster damage
  • Test Urgot’s new minimum damage against single-target camps
  • Develop counter-strategies for Katarina focusing on early game pressure
  • Create invasion routes targeting Karthus during his vulnerable early game phase

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