Of all the things it could have done, Riot Games went out of its way to buff Zoe support in the latest League of Legends patch 12.16.

Since LoL 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.

Buffs to Zoe support in LoL patch 12.16 opens up creative possibilities

Pool Party Gangplank and Zoe skins
Credit: Riot Games

W – Spell Thief

  • (New) Spell thieves: Minions killed by Allied champions will now also drop orbs while Zoe is within 1500 range

E – Sleepy Trouble Bubble

  • Magic damage increased from 60/100/140/180/220 (+40% AP) to 70/110/150/190/230 (+45%)
  • Maximum pop damage increased from 60/100/140/180/220 (+40% AP) to 70/110/150/190/230 (+45%)

Zoe can pick up spells with Spell Thief from two sources: spell shards dropped by enemy champions after they cast a Summoner Spell or 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 support Ryu “Keria” Min-seok practiced her at bot during 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 at Worlds 2022?

Read the full LoL patch 12.16 notes here.

READ MORE: Small buff to Tristana turns her into a solo lane beast in LoL patch 12.16