Live Today, Banned in Shanghai: What the Warden’s Champions Freeze Means for Your Buy Menu
Patch 13.06 installs the 2,900-credit Warden rifle tonight, but Riot locked Champions Shanghai to Patch 13.05. Our weapon database puts the new gun second-most-expensive per bullet among rifles — here is the pre-Thursday checklist.
Two builds, two realities
The per-bullet ladder the Warden lands on
Our weapon database holds 18 priced guns, verified against Riot's game files on September 1. Price divided by magazine makes the buy-menu argument short:
Insert the launch numbers Riot published (50 body damage at all ranges, 200 head, 42 legs, 6.5 rounds per second, 2.5-second reload, medium wall penetration — TheSpike's spec rundown) and the Warden becomes the fifth rifle in the book and — among rifles — the second most expensive per trigger pull, behind only the Guardian. The 2,900 tier grows from two guns — 11.1% of everything purchasable in our database — to three of nineteen. Re-run every row in the weapon comparison tool or the TTK calculator. That is the honest frame: not a cheaper Vandal, but a scoped two-tap that taxes every missed spray transfer.
Before Thursday
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Warden playable at Champions Shanghai? No — the event is locked to Patch 13.05, and the Warden ships in 13.06.
What are its live stats? 2,900 credits, 18/36 ammo, 50 body with no falloff, 200 head, 42 legs, 6.5 rounds per second, 2.5-second reload, medium wall penetration, 2x optic.
Is it better than the Vandal? It kills faster on body shots at range, but costs 161 credits per bullet against the Vandal's 116 in our database.
Why freeze the patch? So sixteen rosters prepare against one known build instead of adapting to an untested gun on the biggest stage.
Should I main it this week? Trial it in deathmatch. Long-angle anchors benefit most; spray-transfer players pay for the 18-round magazine.
Does heavy armour break the two-tap? Unknown at launch; treat two-tap claims as best case.
What else is in 13.06? Gauntlet: Glitched, Agent Mastery, a new home screen and a queue-accessible range.
Conclusion
The week's real story is that the strongest possible narrative — a 2,900-credit rifle deciding a world final on a long lane — has been postponed by design, so the Warden's first reputation gets built in your lobbies. Buy it in deathmatch, price the magazine honestly, and let next Act's patch notes tell you whether the pros agreed on it.