Hecarim Bruiser Changes in LoL Patch 12.17

Hecarim is going to receive some major changes ahead of the League of Legends World Championship, but are these going to make him meta during the biggest esports event in the world?

Hecarim Halloween — Just in time for Halloween too! | © Riot Games

Hecarim hasn't been a great pick in the current state of League of Legends. Not even the big durability update seems to have been able to help this guy it... if anything it made things worse for Hecarim, which means he's in dire need of some buffs.

Sitting at a win rate of 48% right now, this horse needs some help to make it back onto the Rift and well... the balance team thinks they've found the solution to make Hecarim great again. Will these proposed changes on the PBE server really make him a better pick?

LoL Patch 12.17: All Buffs And Nerfs

Hecarim to Shift Away from Assassin Builds

Instead of being a full on assassin from the jungle or a mere frontline tank rushing ahead into the fray, Riot are looking to make Hecarim more versatile and more of a bruiser champion instead.

On Twitter, Riot TheTruexy outlined the changes they're looking to implement in hopes of getting Hecarim players a tad bit more than the sad 3% he's at right now. Will these changes have an effect on Hecarim, though? Or is he doomed to sit out another World Championship?

Ability	Change
Rampage (Q)	Damage: 60/90/120/150/180(+90%bonus AD) --> 60/85/110/135/160(+95%bonus AD) Damage per stack: 2%(+3% per 100 bonus AD) --> 4%(+6% per bonus AD) Cooldown per stack: 1 --> 0.75s Max Number of Stacks: 2 --> 3 Stack Falloff: All at duration end --> 1 stack per second at duration end Mana Cost: 28/31/34/37/40 --> 30
Spirit of Dread (W)	[NEW] Hecarim gains 15/20/25/30/35 Armor and Magic Resist while Spirit of Dread is active
Devastating Charge (E)	Min Damage: 30/45/60/75/90(+55% Bonus AD) --> 30/45/75/90(+50% Bonus AD) Max Damage: 60/90/120/150/180(+110% Bonus AD) --> 60/90/120/150/180(+100% Bonus AD) Minimum Knockback: 250 --> 150 Maximum Knockback: 450 --> 350 Cooldown: 20/19/18/17/16 --> 17 at all ranks
Onslaught of Shadows (R)	Fear duration: 0.75-2s based on distance traveled --> 0.75-1.5s based on distance traveled

By taking some of the burst out of his E, people will be dissuaded to use assassin builds since he won't be able to charge at you and then burst you down within a few seconds of him arriving in a lane. He's still going to be quick, but not as impactful anymore due to the E nerfs.

On the other hand, his Q did get some buffs that will make longer fights much better for Hecarim in the long run. By putting Hecarim's damage into the stacks, he'll want to build up stacks in a fight, so he can dish out as much damage as possible. Therefore, Riot is hoping to see some more bruiser builds for Hecarim in the future.

Is Hecarim in the same boat as Vex...? Being completely irrelevant?