Briar

Playstyle Profile

Briar is a diver — disrupts the backline by committing onto enemy carries

Teamfight Role

Backline Diver

Power Spike

Mid game

Split Threat

None

Backline Access

Low

Briar's Strengths

• Disrupts the enemy backline — Briar's dives force carries to reposition instead of dealing damage

How to Play Briar

Champion-specific pre-match tips

Gameplay tips on Summoner's Rift

Lane Phase

Keep E ready before committing with W; use E to end Blood Frenzy, not Q.

Lane Phase

Hold E to reduce incoming damage and restore health while charging; hitting minions is not required for that healing.

Lane Phase

Save W for trading only when E is off cooldown to guarantee you always have a reliable way to cancel the berserk state and disengage.

Mid Game

Use Q to redirect your frenzy toward a nearby target, and use W's second cast to bite and heal during the fight.

Mid Game

Fully charge E to knock enemies back; aim toward a wall for a stun. An early release only slows.

Late Game

Position yourself near jungle walls around Baron or Elder Dragon and fully charge E to push clustered enemies into terrain for a massive stun.

Late Game

Redirect your berserk aggro by casting Q on a different nearby enemy if your initial target uses a stasis effect or dashes deep into their backline.

For matchup-tailored tips, download Baron Buff's AI Coach & Companion App.

Gameplay tips in Arena

• Keep E ready before entering W frenzy. Use Q to choose your target, then fully charge E toward a wall to end frenzy and threaten a stun. R commits you to its target; it has no escape recast.
• Build Blade of The Ruined King, Titanic Hydra, Death's Dance, and Hemomancer's Helm. Build sustained damage and durability; anti-heal does not replace timing E for its damage reduction.
• Prioritize Goredrink, Mystic Punch, Symphony of War, and Dashing. Healing and cooldown acceleration make controlled frenzies stronger than pure burst gambles.

Briar Build

This might not be your familiar build. We look at ranked games after each item was bought. If the player or team gained ground in gold, we rate that item higher.

Core

• Blade of The Ruined King
• Plated Steelcaps (Boots)
• Black Cleaver

Situational

• Death's Dance
• Spirit Visage
• Guardian Angel
• Terminus
• Chempunk Chainsword
• Serpent's Fang

Briar Runes

The most popular rune page and summoner spells for Briar in ranked games over the last 30 days.

Precision + Domination · 52.1% WR · 25,012 games

• Press the Attack
• Triumph
• Legend: Alacrity
• Coup de Grace
• Treasure Hunter
• Sudden Impact
• Adaptive Force
• Adaptive Force
• Health Scaling

Summoner spells

Flash, Smite

Briar Skill Order

The recommended skill order for Briar from ranked games over the last 90 days: the first three skill points, then the order to max abilities.

1. lvl 1: W
2. lvl 2: E
3. lvl 3: Q
4. max: W
5. max: E
6. max: Q

How to Counter Briar

Counter strategies and draft context

kite with range, burst before they sustain, or outscale with team-oriented compositions

• Vulnerable to CC during dives — Briar commits hard and can be punished if locked down
• Ranged champions that maintain distance in trades
• Burst-heavy picks that kill before sustain matters
• Team compositions with strong peel for carries

Briar's Weaknesses

Layered crowd control and peel lock Briar down mid-dive.

Best Synergies with Briar

Team synergies and draft context

A second diver splits enemy focus alongside Briar, since two divers are harder to peel than one. Engage supports set up skirmishes in your favor. Allies with follow-up crowd control chain onto your initial dive. Split-push compositions let you take 1v1s in a side lane.

Draft Context

• Drafts another diver with no backline carry — Briar disrupts, but the team has no sustained damage

Learning Curve

Based on 1.2M+ matches across all ranked elos, showing how Briar's win rate changes with mastery level

Briar has exceptional depth — there is always something new to learn, and the learning curve is among the steepest in the game. Expect a long stretch of low win rates before meaningful improvement — mastering this champion demands serious commitment.

Skill Cap

Very High

Cost of Learning

Extremely High