Another epic-tier hero just got a significant buff, folks. And at this rate, it's only a matter of time before every epic hero becomes truly viable. Eventually, we’ll see all of them being fully usable again. This time, let’s talk about Leomord.
If you're not in the mood to read patch notes, don’t worry—I'll break it all down for you.
Leomord used to struggle to make the most of his mounted mode (when he's riding his horse, Barbiel), especially in the mid to late game. To address this, Moonton has buffed his power while riding Barbiel and reduced the cooldown of his Ultimate.
🐴 Fun Fact: Barbiel is the name of Leomord’s horse.
Barbiel now dashes faster toward Leomord.
Horse mode duration reduced, and
Barbiel’s knockback damage decreased.
But here's the thing: you don’t need to save your Ultimate anymore. Back then, you had to hold onto it in case a team fight broke out. Now? Pop it whenever you want.
You might think the cooldown reduction isn’t a big deal, but in-game, the 5-second decrease is noticeable—especially when paired with cooldown items like:
Cooldown Boots
Hunter Strike
War Axe
Blood Wings (for hybrid builds)
These items stack up well with Leomord, letting him spam his Ultimate frequently.
Before the buff, I already tried Leomord and got a feel for his power. After the update? He’s insanely fast—even without Sprint! As a jungler, I didn’t even need movement spells. He dashes into fights like he’s got somewhere urgent to be (if you know what I mean 😅).
Here’s why:
Barbiel's dash animation was sped up.
Leomord now gets 50% movement speed boost (up from 30%) when entering mounted mode.
Barbiel’s base movement speed was increased from 60 to 70.
Even though 10 points seem small on paper, in-game it’s huge. Imagine Leomord running faster than Parsa mid-flight—it’s wild.
Yes, the horse’s knockback damage got nerfed from 350 flat to 100 + 40% total physical attack. But here’s the twist—it’s not Leomord’s own damage that got nerfed. It's just the damage from Barbiel (the horse) when it hits enemies during Ultimate.
And honestly? That’s fine. Most of Leomord’s real damage comes from his basic attacks, not Barbiel. So unless you’re a skill-spammer Leomord player, you won’t really feel the nerf.
Leomord now gains hybrid defense. Initially, the stat sits at 30 (same as before), but it scales better into the late game with a 10% increase. This makes full damage builds more viable, since he gets a bit tankier naturally.
Let’s dive into gameplay tips and jungle pattern.
I personally play Leomord as a jungler to maximize his potential:
Faster XP and gold
Easier to snowball
More frequent Ultimates
Farm aggressively.
Prioritize getting your Ultimate ASAP.
When you get it, use it to invade, force Flickers, or zone enemies.
Don’t waste it unless you’re going for Turtle fights or ganks.
If enemies burn their mobility spells, chase them down and finish the kill. Leomord’s early gank potential is insane, especially against enemies with no escape tools.
Keep farming and ganking.
Don’t hesitate to use Ultimate to secure objectives.
Snowball by denying enemy jungler access to their camps.
Here’s where the cooldown buff truly shines. You can rotate, initiate, and dive back into fights faster. In the past, if Leomord didn't have his Ultimate, he was dead weight. Not anymore.
You can now use Ultimate more freely, whether it’s for initiating a fight or just rushing down squishy backliners.
Despite all the buffs, there’s one drawback: Ultimate duration was reduced from 15s to 10s.
That’s a big cut, especially in the current meta where long team fights are common. Leomord is now more of a short-burst fighter. So you need to time your Ult properly.
💡 Pro Tip: Wait until backline heroes are visible before activating Barbiel. This way, you dive straight into the enemy's key targets before the timer runs out.
I genuinely enjoy playing Leomord now. He’s:
Fast ✅
Fun ✅
Flexible ✅
But here’s the catch: very few players use him. No matter how good the buffs are, a hero won’t rise in popularity unless people try him out. So if you’re reading this, go hop on that horse and dominate your ranked games.
Maybe in a week or two, Leomord will be all over the ladder.
Give Leomord a shot. If you love heroes that can dash, outplay, and zoom across the map, this kuda lumping hero is for you.
