The holidays are usually spent opening gifts, spending time with loved ones, and enjoying some hearty meals. But through Patch 13.24, League of Legends players have been keeping busy by avoiding the hungry jaws of Briar, the Restrained Hunger.
The insatiable jungler has been tearing up the solo queue ladder over the last few patches, becoming one of the best picks in the role since her release back in September. Currently, she’s tied for the fifth-highest win rate of any jungler in Platinum rank and higher, along with a game-leading 34 percent ban rate, according to League stats site U.GG.
She also has incredible worldwide stats through Patch 13.24, leading every champion in the game with nearly double-digit kills in all of her matches in the same ranked distribution across the globe, while also holding the second-highest healing number of any champion in the game behind Zac.
When she was first released, Briar had dipping numbers due to the nature of her ability set, forcing players to dive into the backline and wreak havoc with her quick attack speed and uncontrollable champ lock-on. This was a huge setback as people tried to learn her kit, leading to many hilarious deaths on Summoner’s Rift. As the player base slowly learned how to use Briar efficiently, however, she eventually became one of the most deadly picks in solo queue.
Her ability to pick out and rip through solo targets was a fearsome problem for any team composition, especially when faced with four other diving champions that could follow up with Briar’s lethal form of engage on her ultimate ability, Certain Death. She could snowball teamfights with ease, and once she hit level six, she could start a gank from almost anywhere on the map.
Riot Games has even applied consecutive nerfs to Briar through the last four patches, including Patch 13.24, to help curb her strength. Despite this, she’s still standing strong as one of the best choices for any junglers who are craving action in their climb toward the top of the League leaderboard.
