Mel’s League Rework Will Remove Projectile Reflection

Riot Games plans to remove the projectile-reflection mechanic from Mel’s W, Rebuttal, in League of Legends Patch 26.22, scheduled for Nov. 4. The ability will still destroy incoming projectiles, shield Mel and nearby allies, grant them movement speed and deal a small amount of retaliatory damage.

After the rework, Mel will no longer be able to send powerful enemy abilities back to their users, including Seraphine’s ultimate. Riot is making the change to reduce frustration for opponents while preserving Rebuttal’s defensive functions.

The update will also change Mel’s power across a match. She will have less early-game durability and passive damage, while her health and armor will scale more strongly later in the game.

Her passive, Searing Brilliance, will become easier to apply to multiple enemy champions. The change is intended to help Mel build stacks on more than one target during team fights.

Radiant Volley, Mel’s Q, will deal less damage with its initial explosion and more damage through its follow-up hits. The ability will refund part of its cooldown when it hits at least one enemy champion.

Solar Snare, her E, will have a shorter root against nearby enemies and a longer root against targets farther away. Her ultimate, Golden Eclipse, will gain additional cooldown reduction as it levels up and will refund part of its cooldown when it hits at least one enemy champion.

Mel was introduced in early 2025 with a projectile-reflection mechanic that had not previously appeared in League of Legends. Riot reduced her power through several nerfs, but professional and high-level players continued to maximize her abilities, making the champion difficult to balance.

Riot previously considered moving the reflection effect to Mel’s ultimate. Her current ultimate is central to her combat identity, while converting Rebuttal into an ultimate would have required a substantial power increase. Riot instead plans to remove reflection from Rebuttal and strengthen its defensive functions.

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