Mel Medarda Nerf In LoL Patch 25.S1.4 - Is It Too Much?

Riot Games has officially nerfed Mel in the latest patch, making significant changes to almost all of her abilities—except for her passive. Given that she currently has a 73% ban rate but only a 46% win rate in both mid and support roles, many players found her more frustrating to play against rather than overpowered. Despite her weaknesses in the late game, her early-game dominance led to frequent bans.

Now, Riot has rolled out a series of adjustments aimed at balancing her power. Let’s break down the changes and what they mean for Mel moving forward.

Mel’s Patch 25.S1.4 Nerfs

Q – Missile Barrage

Cast Range: Reduced from 1,000 to 950 units.
Missile Speed: Decreased by 500 units.

🔹 Impact: The shorter range and slower speed mean that Mel’s poke potential is weaker. It will now be easier for opponents to dodge her missiles or escape after the initial hits.

W – Reflective Barrier

Duration: Reduced from 1 second to 0.75 seconds.
Reflected Damage Scaling: Maximum damage reflection reduced from 70% to 60%.
Mana Cost: Increased at lower levels.

🔹 Impact: This significantly weakens her survivability in skirmishes. The ability to reflect projectiles and mitigate burst damage is now less reliable.

E – Rooting Strike

Root Duration: Early rank root reduced from 1.75 seconds to 1.25 seconds (max rank still 2.25 seconds).
Direct Hit Damage: Base damage reduced, but AP scaling increased.

🔹 Impact: While the shorter root duration weakens her crowd control in the early game, the increased AP ratio compensates slightly for damage-focused builds.

R – Overloaded Rockets

AP Scaling Per Passive Stack: Increased by 1%.

🔹 Impact: This is the only buff Mel received in the patch, but it might not be enough to offset the significant nerfs to her other abilities.

Riot’s Approach: A Fair Balance or an Overcorrection?

Despite her relatively low win rate, Mel’s high ban rate indicated that players found her frustrating to deal with. While these nerfs address her early-game dominance, the question remains: Did Riot go too far?

On one hand, reducing her range, survivability, and control power makes her easier to counter. On the other, her already struggling win rate could drop further, making her less viable overall.

Some players are hoping this will lower her ban rate, allowing them to actually play her in ranked. Others worry that she will now struggle to keep up with other mid laners and supports.

Riot also revealed an early development version of her ultimate, which was a mix of Lux’s Final Spark and her W reflection mechanic. While this never made it into the final version, it shows that Riot considered multiple directions for her kit before launch.

What’s Next for Mel?

With the patch just dropping, the next few weeks will determine if these nerfs are effective or excessive. If Mel’s win rate plummets even further, Riot may need to fine-tune her kit again in a future update.

What do you think about the changes? Are you happy that she’s getting toned down, or do you think Riot went too far? Let us know in the comments!

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Frequently Asked Questions about Mel Medarda Nerfs In Patch 25.S1.4

Why did Riot nerf Mel?

Mel had an extremely high ban rate of 73%, indicating that players found her frustrating to play against. Despite her relatively low win rate, Riot decided to nerf her to reduce her dominance in the early game and make her easier to counter.

What are the major changes to Mel in Patch 25.S1.4?

Her Q ability now has a shorter range and slower missile speed. Her W ability has a shorter duration, lower damage reflection, and a higher mana cost. Her E root duration was reduced at early levels, and her R gained a slight AP ratio buff.

Is Mel still viable after the nerfs?

It’s too early to tell, but these nerfs significantly impact her early-game strength. While she still has decent scaling, players may find it harder to dominate lane as easily as before.

Will Riot buff Mel again if her win rate drops too much?

If Mel’s win rate falls too low, Riot might adjust her abilities in future patches to ensure she remains balanced and playable.

What was Mel’s scrapped ultimate ability?

During development, Riot tested an alternate version of her ultimate that combined Lux’s Final Spark with her W reflection mechanic. This version never made it into the final game.