LoL Patch 26.05: Azir Falls, Lee Sin Rises for First Stand 2026

As the official patch to kick off First Stand 2026, LoL Patch 26.05 will be primarily focused around tuning things for pro play rather than Solo Queue. With the first international tournament of the year fast approaching, the new League of Legends update won't necessarily throw the meta for a spin, but it will see a few staple picks fall in priority while others may rise just in time to make an appearance on the biggest stage.

Let's take a look at some of the biggest changes coming with LoL Patch 26.05 before it goes live on Wednesday, March 4.

Azir and Orianna Take a Hit

When it comes to pro play, champions like Azir and Orianna have excelled for a long time due to the fact that they're able to do so much for their teams. They have a strong laning phase, they can create space in teamfights, and they have the capacity to land game-changing ultimates. 

At First Stand 2026, however, we might see Azir and Orianna make way for other champions in the Mid Lane as LoL Patch 26.05 will be nerfing both mages before the start of the tournament.

Orianna, on the one hand, will receive a small cooldown increase to the first levels of her [Q] Command: Attack. This should make her early laning phase a little less oppressive, but shouldn't change her power levels too much in the grand scheme of things.

Azir, meanwhile, will receive a large nerf to his HP per level scaling. This will make the Emperor of the Sands considerably squishier later into the game. With such a large nerf coming his way, we may not be seeing too much of Azir at First Stand outside of picks late into a Fearless series.

Jungle Meta Scramble

Once a staple of the Jungle in pro play, Lee Sin hasn't exactly been "meta" at the highest level in a long time. LoL Patch 26.05 will be buffing the Blind Monk, but will it be enough for him to show up at First Stand?

Lee's [Q] Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike is receiving a damage buff, which means the champion's early game will be even stronger than it already was. Outside of that, the usual issues still exist: subpar scaling, difficult execution in teamfights, etc. For underdog squads looking to land unexpected wins, though, Lee Sin might prove to be a good option at the coming international tournament.

That is only the start of the changes coming to the Jungle, though. After Lee Sin, Lillia and Nocturne are also getting buffs in League of Legends Patch 26.05, with Volibear potentially climbing onto that list as well.

Picks like Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao, or Zaahen are still expected to rule the Jungle at First Stand, but an increase in viable options is always a good thing all the same.

The Return of Mel?

Currently, Mel is among the lowest win rate Mid Laners in the game (47.92%) after receiving several changes in Patch 26.03. Now, Mel is getting some of her groove back in the new patch, which will buff the base damage on both her [Q] Radiant Volley and [R] Golden Eclipse. 

These changes will make Mel more of a threat moving forward, particularly in the early-to-mid game. Whether they will be enough to see Mel become a strong champion, however, remains to be seen.

Ready for First Stand 2026

All in all, Riot Games isn't going too crazy with the updates before First Stand. LoL Patch 26.05 will aim to spice things up a little and offer a few more options for teams looking to think outside the box, but it will not reinvent the meta before such an important event.

As far as Solo Queue is concerned, not a lot will change. Azir was already the weakest Mid Laner in the game if you go by win rate (44.51%), and his coming nerfs will make sure that's where he stays. Champions like Kha'Zix, meanwhile, will receive large nerfs after getting out of hand in recent months.

Outside of that, though, the focus of Patch 26.05 is most certainly on pro play now that First Stands is looming over the horizon.

All information about LoL Patch 26.05 was taken from an X (Twitter) post made by Matt "Phroxzon" Leung-Harrison, Lead Gameplay Designer for League of Legends. If you'd like to have a look at the complete list of changes, make sure to check out the post!

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Featured image credit: Riot Games

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