The next League of Legends champion is Briar the hungry jungler

Aug 08, 2023

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Chase and chomp your foes

The next League of Legends champion fills a unique spot on the game’s packed roster. Briar, the Restrained Hunger, has an interesting hook: When she’s unchained and ravenous, the player can take their hands off the keyboard. She’s not much for finesse or fine control, but there’s an obvious drawback: Wwhen she’s hungry, she’ll dive into a full enemy team, under hostile towers, and into other death traps.

Briar hails from Noxus; she was born of experiments by the nefarious Black Rose, who act as a shadow organization behind the scenes of the militant empire. She came into existence fully grown due to blood magic, and was imprisoned in a cell to be later used as a weapon. Unfortunately for everyone, she escaped, and now she’s trying to figure out the whole “person” thing while also trying to not eat everyone in her path. The pillory around her wrists is designed to restrain her hangry wrath, but she chooses to wear it most of the time.

Passive: Crimson Curse

Briar’s attacks and abilities apply a stacking bleed that heals her for a portion of the damage dealt. Perpetually hungry, she gains increased healing based on her missing health but lacks innate health regeneration.

Q: Head Rush

Briar leaps to a unit dealing damage as well as stunning them and breaking their armor.

Briar will stop prioritizing enemy Champions if she casts this ability on a minion or monster during the effects of Blood Frenzy.

W: Blood Frenzy/Snack Attack

Briar leaps forward and shatters her pillory, entering a Blood Frenzy that causes her to relentlessly pursue the nearest enemy (prioritizing champions). While frenzied she gains increased Attack Speed and Move Speed and her attacks deal damage in an area around her target.

Briar can reactivate this ability while frenzied to take a CHOMP out of her target on the next attack, dealing additional damage based on their missing health and healing her based on the damage dealt.

E: Chilling Scream

Briar refocuses her mind, removing Blood Frenzy and channeling energy into a powerful scream that damages and slows enemies.

While charging she takes reduced damage and heals for a portion of her max health. A fully charged scream knocks back, dealing additional damage and stunning enemies that hit a wall.

R: Certain Death

Briar kicks a hemolith, marking the first champion hit as her prey. She then belines straight to them, fearing other surrounding enemies on arrival, and enters a state of complete hematomania.

She will pursue her prey until one of them dies, gaining the effects of Blood Frenzy as well as additional Armor, Magic Resist, Lifesteal, and Move Speed.

Briar is an interesting character, because despite her dark past, she’s relatively cheery. A guy like Sion sees himself as a cursed monster, shambling through a haze of misery and torment. Briar is pretty chill about things, perhaps because she was never a human at all, but a magical constructs of sorts. Either way, Briar will be a fearsome sight on the Rift — especially when she breaks her pillory and goes HAM.

While Briar won’t be available in the upcoming Worlds tournaments, players will be able to give her a try in Patch 13.18.

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