Teamfight Tactics patch 18.5: Azir, Blackthorn and Elderwood Get Trimmed

Based on Teamfight Tactics patch 18.5 by Riot Games, published 20 October 2026. Playing Teamfight Tactics? See the Teamfight Tactics page on The Nexus.

Patch 18.5 is a smaller follow-up to the large 18.4. Part of it walks back 18.4 changes that missed, and part of it makes more AP lines worth playing. Azir, Blackthorn and Elderwood take the heaviest cuts, Tristana, Soraka and Malphite get stronger, and the Wisp and Augment edits change gold and roll-down choices as much as the unit numbers do. If you run Azir or Blackthorn boards, expect your next games to look different.

Azir's board takes the hit

The strongest Blackthorn board, which the notes call a supercharged Azir comp that rips through fights, is the main target. Blackthorn's six-piece enhanced bonus falls from 60% to 50%. The base AP sacrifice moves from 12% Damage Amp + 2 Mana Regen to 10% Damage Amp + 2 Mana Regen. Azir's ability damage drops from 46/69/110 AP to 43/65/105 AP at every level. Azir probably stops ending fights alone, and Blackthorn players get less room when they stack the sacrifice. The Blackthorn tweak is small on purpose because Azir loses power elsewhere too. He should stay playable, but line up a second carry before you build a plan around him.

Kha'Zix gets a lighter trim: unisolated damage goes from 255/360/515 AP to 250/345/500 AP, and isolated damage from 285/410/605 AP to 280/390/590 AP. Tanks slip too. Flora Fatalis drops its Max Health Healing from 8% to 7%, a change tied to super tanks holding their health bars steady, and Rapidfire's attack-speed steps move from 3/5/8/12% to 3/5/7/10%, which softens the top of the trait. No cut is dramatic alone. Together they lower the AP and tank side of the board, so recheck Rapidfire and Flora Fatalis boards before committing.

The units that gain

Tristana gets the biggest unit buff. She reaches her ability sooner and deals more ability damage per attack (exact steps are in the lists below), and the notes expect her to be a major threat once traits and items come online, so check AD boards with attack-based items first. Soraka's initial star damage goes from 225/335 AP to 235/355 AP and her additional star damage from 100/150 AP to 110/165 AP, which the notes frame as room to be a primary carry in AP lines.

Malphite's shield rises from 700/850 AP to 735/885 AP, room that exists because Flora Fatalis came down. Morgana's initial curse damage goes from 60/90 AP to 70/105 AP and her curse bonus damage from 22/33 AP to 25/38 AP, to help her through frontlines. Sentinel's stun shrinks from 1s to 0.5s while its shield grows from 350/450 AP to 375/475 AP. Sivir's ability damage climbs from 200/300 AD to 220/330 AD, but her bounce falls from 20% of initial to 18% of initial. Caitlyn's empowered auto goes from 190/285/470 AD to 200/300/490 AD.

Gold, Augments and Wisps

Augments are the messiest part. Dark Ritual's AP granted goes from 7/12/33/50/100/175/300/400 to 5/10/28/45/85/175/300/400, so the early steps lose the most. Expected Unexpectedness pays less gold at stage three and stage four, drops its stage four five-cost reward from 3 to 2, and adds 3 gold when you roll a five-cost. Pandora's Bench and Pandora's Items II both fall from 4 gold to 1. Pandora's Items II+ appears at stage three and grants 4 gold, Pandora's Items II++ appears at stage four and grants 6 gold, and the Pandora's Items Augments no longer stack with each other. Malicious Monetization's initial gold rises from 4 to 6. Review your Augment picks before stage three and weigh gold harder.

The Wisp changes aim to cut heavy filtering around the bench and board, which the notes call a knowledge and APM check they are not comfortable with. Abandon Ship goes from 0g to 2g. Hand of Baron drops from 6g to 4g, its stats from 33/55 HP to 22/33 HP and its crit chance from 10/15% to 6/8%. Heroic Sacrifice's bonus health goes from 1200/1500 to 1000/1250. Wisps that filter by itemized champions now count benched champions, and role-based Wisps snapshot the last combat. Consuming Flora's bonus effectiveness rises from 50% to 70%, and Blue Buff's base AD/AP falls from 30% to 25%. Filtering is now deliberately less optimal, so a steady roll-down probably matters more than a perfect bench.

Winners and losers

Who gains

• Tristana on AD boards sees her mana buff move from 0/60 to 0/50 and her per-attack ability damage rise from 10/15/25 AD to 12/18/28 AD, which the notes expect to make her a major threat.
• Soraka as an AP primary carry gets initial star damage from 225/335 AP to 235/355 AP, and additional star damage from 100/150 AP to 110/165 AP.
• Caitlyn with Rageblade on reroll sees empowered auto damage go from 190/285/470 AD to 200/300/490 AD, which the notes say helps her fit more comps.
• Consuming Flora users see effectiveness rise from 50% to 70%, and the notes hope this brings Veigar back into the meta.

Who gives ground

• Azir boards lose ability damage, from 46/69/110 AP to 43/65/105 AP, the main Azir nerf according to the notes.
• Blackthorn sacrifice comps see the six-piece enhanced bonus fall from 60% to 50% and the base AP sacrifice drop its Damage Amp from 12% to 10%.
• Flora Fatalis tank comps see Max Health Healing fall from 8% to 7%, which probably slows the healing that keeps super tanks alive.
• Pandora's Bench and Pandora's Items II players see both pay out from 4 gold to 1, so the economy around those Augments gets thinner.

The numbers in one table

What the notes leave open

The notes list figures but no win rates, pick rates or tier placements, so nobody knows yet how far these changes move the meta. Bench habits under the new Wisp filtering will only show once players try it at scale. The cosmetic bugs get a promise to return in a future patch and nothing else.