Riot have recently revealed all the item changes they've got planned for the LoL Preseason and one of the strongest items is going to be removed completely.
Riot is making some huge changes this preseason. The map is getting a complete overhaul, while the jungle monsters will also be taken over by the Void. Of course, there are also some other changes to items which will have a huge impact on the game.
Riot are peddling back on their mythic item system and removing them completely from the game. This also means that some other items have to be removed and one of those is going to be Stopwatch, which has been dubbed one of the best items in the game.
LoL Preseason 2024: Stopwatch Removed From Game
Stopwatch is one of the best items in the game. It's a pretty cheap item at 750 Gold and can save a champion from impending death. Of course, once you use it, you're left with a Broken Stopwatch which can only be used again once you upgrade the item to Zhonya's Hourglass or Guardian Angel.
The item was often used to avoid global attacks, like Karthus ult, or to get out of sticky situations which would shred through you like a Kennen ultimate. Sometimes it was also used aggressively with champions like Fiddle, who would ult into a fight and then use stopwatch to stay alive as long as possible. But that will be no more in Season 14.
UNIQUE – STASIS: Put yourself in stasis for 2.5 seconds, rendering you untargetable and invulnerable for the duration but also unable to move, declare basic attacks, cast abilities, use summoner spells, or activate items.
Riot will be removing Stopwatch from the game completely, as well as the Perfect Timing rune which allowed players to receive a free Stopwatch at the 14-minute mark. In its place, Riot will introduce Triple Tonic, which will give players extra stats upon reaching specific levels.
- Upon reaching level 3, gain an Elixir of Avarice
- Elixir of Avarice gives you 5 true damage on hit for 60 seconds, then 40 gold when it expires
- Upon reaching level 6, gain an Elixir of Force
- Elixir of Force gives you 20 adaptive force for 60 seconds
- Upon reaching level 9, gain an Elixir of Skill
- Elixir of Skill gives you one skill point (permanent, cannot be used to have 2 points in R before level 11 or 3 before 16)
Even though Riot is going to be removing Stopwatch, which let players play pretty aggressively early on thanks to the active, both Zhonya's and Guardian Angel will still be in the game. That means that their actives won't be removed completely, and you can still use their effects in the later stages of a match.
The changes are currently being tested on the Public Beta Environment and will be going live with the start of the next League of Legends Season, which will begin on January 9, 2024 with LoL Patch 14.1.