Patch 2.1.61: What to Play
The TL;DR
Marcel debuts — mage adjustments ripple across the meta, 19 buffs / 9 nerfs.
What to play this patch
Mage meta. Ban Kagura or Novaria if you’re mage-weak. Pick Freya or Ixia at your own risk — both lost their safety nets. Marksmen should reconsider lifesteal stacking now that the Marksman Emblem swapped to Adaptive Penetration.
The meta shift
Patch 2.1.61 introduces Marcel, a new Support hero with dual-soul photography mechanics. Mage heroes receive broad cooldown adjustments (Aurora, Gord, Vale, Valir, Zhask) while Pharsa and Yve get reined in. Marksman Emblem swaps lifesteal for adaptive penetration — expect tank-stacking comps to struggle more. Ranked Season 40 begins alongside this patch.
↑ Buffed this patch (13)
Skill 2 cooldown reduced — more freeze uptime in teamfights.
Designer note: Aurora was struggling to stack her 4-skill freeze passive consistently. Shorter S2 cooldown lets her land burst windows more often.
Early/mid-game skill downtime reduced — faster passive stacking.
Skill 1 cooldown reduced; damage distribution adjusted for sustained DPS.
Designer note: Gord’s passive-weave playstyle needed the S1 reset window to feel fluid. Damage spread shifts slightly toward mid-game power.
Passive visual effects optimized — clearer bush-ambush timing cues.
Early-game laning enhanced; Ultimate cooldown + damage adjusted.
Designer note: Kagura lanes were weak pre-6. Early umbrella poke gets a bump; her ult is slightly smoothed out for teamfight consistency.
Skill 1 damage increased — better wave clear.
Mage-attribute alignment — base stats brought in line with other burst mages.
Skill 2 late-game damage + proc frequency increased.
Skill 1 slow increased; Skill 2 late-game damage increased.
Designer note: Novaria’s poke kit gets more teeth late game — S1 slow uptime lets her team collapse on revealed targets.
Late-game potential increased — his anti-dash identity scales better into items.
Skill 2 early cooldown increased; Ultimate cooldown reduced.
Designer note: Shifts Vale’s power curve away from lane dominance toward teamfight ultimate cycles.
Skill 1 mid/late cooldown reduced.
Ultimate cooldown reduced — more Lord-form teamfight windows.
↓ Nerfed this patch (6)
HP regen during Ultimate reduced — less unkillable window.
Designer note: Freya was sitting in every EXP-lane ban with near-immortal ult uptime. Trimmed so opposing teams can actually punish her.
Durability reduced — slime still tanky but not unkillable.
Skill 1 base damage reduced; passive HP regen vs minions reduced.
Designer note: Ixia was farming too safely and then melting teams late. Lane sustain is the target, not teamfight damage.
Skill 2 cooldown increased; early/mid burst reduced.
Mana cost adjusted — slightly less sustain in extended fights.
Ultimate slow effect and casting optimized — easier for enemies to escape the zone.
★ Reworks & New (1)
NEW HERO — dual-soul photography Support with unique camera-based mechanics.
Designer note: Marcel splits into two soul-states and uses a camera mechanic to reveal, damage, and manipulate vision. First Support release of the season.
Item changes
Magic Power bonus slightly increased.
Healing reduction range increased; Hybrid Defense adjusted.
CDR reduced; Magic Power significantly increased.
Magic Power bonus slightly increased.
Magic Power increased; HP reduced; price adjusted.
Burst damage survivability improved — stronger against assassin dives.
Magic Power reduced — less raw snowball for burst mages.
Control effects increased; Magic Power reduced.
Shield and HP regen effect slightly reduced.
Magic Power bonus slightly increased.
Attributes and build path adjusted for Mana Regen growth.
Game mode changes
New season begins alongside the patch.
- •Start date: 03/11/2026
- •Seasonal rewards include an exclusive skin
- •Competitive rank resets apply
Returns for a 4-week window with a rotating featured hero pool.
- •Active: 03/27/2026 – 04/22/2026
- •15 featured heroes rotating through the mode
- •Chaos modifiers + fast respawn
Ranged minion base HP reduced, scoreboard signals added.
- •Ranged Minion Base HP: 1288 → 1188
- •Gold difference + bounty indicators on the scoreboard
- •Loading screen + chat system redesigned