Now this is the true hangry jungler
Briar made an explosive entry into League of Legends. Initially, she struggled and was considered a weak pick, but things took a sharp turn when she received a significant survivability buff last week.
Her win rate, which had been struggling around 30-35%, has now surged 51%. However, her reign at the top will be short-lived, as Briar is set to receive her first nerf in just a few days. Following a minor hotfix that bolstered her resilience on September 14, players had time to adapt to her unique playstyle, leading to a gradual increase in her win rate.
Typically, when a new champion joins the Rift, there’s a learning curve as players acquaint themselves with the champion’s abilities, strategies, and itemization. Once players master these aspects, their win rates tend to soar, prompting Riot to often nerf them shortly after release.
Briar is receiving nerfs in LoL Patch 13.19
On September 21, lead champion designer August “Riot August” Browning announced that the first-ever Briar nerfs would primarily target her healing abilities, particularly against monsters and minions. Despite her win rate stabilizing and dropping below 50%, the developers remain committed to these upcoming nerfs.
- Attack speed per level: 2.5 >> 2.3%
- W bite increased damage vs minions/monsters: 20% >> 10%
- W bite max execute vs minions/monsters: 500 >> 400
- W bite healing: 35-65% >> 36-60%
These adjustments will be introduced in Patch 13.19, including a reduction in her attack speed growth per level, decreasing from 2.5% to 2.3%.
However, the most substantial hit to Briar will be to her W ability, Blood Frenzy / Snack Attack, with the developers reducing the bonus damage against minions and monsters from 20% to 10%. This ability will now deal only 400 damage and offer reduced healing, ranging from 36% to 60%.
Overall, this nerf is quite substantial, especially when compared to the buff she received shortly after her release.
League of Legends Patch 13.19 is scheduled to go live on September 27.