Another recently released League of Legends champion has been causing quite a ruckus on Summoner’s Rift from the second they were added to the game—and it seems despite Riot Games’ best efforts, this hungry addition is not yet done with their rampage.
Briar, the Restrained Hunger, joined the cast of League champions in September with Patch 13.18. Since then, she’s been the subject of immense attention from both players and Riot due to her distinct all-or-nothing playstyle not shared by many other champions. This, in turn, has resulted in her appearing in a handful of patch notes, though her most recent nerfs in Patch 13.22 don’t seem to have removed her from the unparalleled presence she’s had in the jungle.
As part of the current patch, Briar was subjected to nerfs to the damage done with both her Q and R, which Riot noted are aimed at culling her lethality build specifically. While this build has fallen in popularity, according to data collected from OP.GG, U.GG, and champion.gg, Briar’s fighter-focused build with Stridebreaker—which has been present since she made her debut on the Rift—continues to flourish with a 53-percent win rate in high Elo.
One of Briar’s most unique mechanics—and a culprit as to why she has maintained this strength since her release—is her ability to enter the “berserk” state by simply pressing W, granting her an ample amount of attack speed and movement speed toward her target, even if they try to run. Previously, this state was only attainable through the use of Renata Glasc’s ultimate, which would cause any enemy players who came in contact with the gas to attack their nearby allies.
Coupled with Briar’s passive, which rewards her for constantly attacking the opposition with a large amount of life steal, this berserk state almost always ensures that Briar will be getting credit for either a kill or someone needing to return to base. The only real way to counter this is through the use of hard crowd control, though Briar can self-cleanse her berserk by pressing E, making it incredibly difficult to stop her thirst for blood once her hunt begins.
Riot is expected to release a first look at the changes coming to Patch 13.23, which is scheduled to be pushed to the live servers on Nov. 21, later today with a patch preview. As of now, it is unclear what champions, items, and systems will appear on the list, though due to how powerful the Restrained Hunger continues to be, it’s possible she could once again have her name at the top of the nerf list.
