Zoe support actually got buffed in patch 12.16, a nightmare for bot laners
Only if the support player is good, of course.
Of all the things it could have done, Riot Games went out of its way to buff Zoe support in the latestLeague of Legends patch 12.16.
SinceLoL patch 12.10’s Durability Update, burst mages have fallen out of the meta. Mages in mid that thrive are those that deal damage over time and who prefer building Liandry’s Anguish as their Mythic item, such as Anivia,Swain, and Cassiopeia.
In this patch, the game developers are making it more rewarding for Zoe players who land Sleepy Trouble Bubble by increasing its base damage. The biggest change, however, is to Spell Thief, which buffs her in the support role at bot.
W – Spell Thief
E – Sleepy Trouble Bubble
Zoe can pick up spells with Spell Thief from two sources: spell shards dropped by enemy champions after they cast aSummoner Spellor use an item’s active, or from enemy minions that Zoe kills.
Since enemy minions are a reliable source for Spell Thief, mid lane Zoe never had a problem stocking up.
That, however, has never stopped pro players from trying support Zoe who does not take farm. T1 supportRyu “Keria” Min-seok practiced her at botduring MSI 2022 in solo queue, on top of support Ashe, which he has played at a competitive level.
Now that minions killed by allied champions will also drop orbs if she’s within 1,500 range, it completely changes the circumstances for Zoe support, who now has better access to Spell Thief. Of course, she won’t actually be a threat unless the support player knows how to excel on this high-skill cap champion.
Would this buff to Zoe be enough for talented support players like Keria to pull it out in pro play atWorlds 2022?
Read the fullLoL patch 12.16 notes here.
READ MORE:Small buff to Tristana turns her into a solo lane beast in LoL patch 12.16
