The Darius patch is out, and with any patch comes the opportunity for analysis! I like an art revamp as much as anyone else, but I'm going to focus on the gameplay changes that caught my attention.
Increasing the damage Fiddlesticks' E does to minions is a boon to both his laning and jungling. I question, however, whether it will bring jungle Fiddlesticks back. A shift from maxing Q to maxing E will certainly help his clear speeds, but so much of his effectiveness as a ganker is dependent upon his Q that I'm not sure he'll be significantly more viable. Gauging how much this change increases his effectiveness will require some testing.
The Hecarim buffs will make him overpowered. While difficult to play he was, in my opinion, extremely strong before when played properly. Increasing the effectiveness of his primary farm and ganking tools only pushes him further forward. However, I don't expect him to be popular because, like Lee Sin and Orianna before him, he's hard to play effectively.
Athene's Grail does for Chalice what Maw of Malmortius did for Hexdrinker. You are not likely to rush this item, but now that Chalice has a decent upgrade it's a much more viable item. At this point Chalice will be as good or better than Catalyst or stacking Doran's Rings.
As for Darius himself, he's an instant ban. He has his weaknesses, but his ability to snowball is unmatched. He can crush games building simple items like a few Doran's Blades into Hexdrinker and Phage. Beware Garen's evil twin.
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