League of Legends' newest champion, Briar, has one of the most interesting kits in the entire game, but can you believe it that these abilities had first been created for a completely different champion in the game?
The new League of Legends champion Briar has been revealed. Her kit is quite interesting and unlike anything we have seen in League of Legends before, with a self taunt and frenzied state. Basically, Briar can go berserk and kill anyone and anything in her way.
This is a very interesting and new concept for the game. Losing control was a key part of the kit and while it fits perfectly to the new champion, there was someone else that Riot had in mind at first when they came up with the abilities and the kit.
LoL Briar: Her Abilities Were Initially Designed For Someone Else
In the champion insights blog about Briar, it was revealed that the idea of a champion that is out for blood had been something the champions team wanted for a while. Initially the concept had been created for our favorite mid lane assassin Naafiri though.
Glenn "Riot Twin Enso" Anderson had been the one to come up with the concept as he was working on the Darkin hound, but the team quickly veered off from the kit, realizing that it was cool, but did not fit the style of an assassin, but rather that of a diver.
You’d lose control and go rip somebody apart. That felt good for a dog champ, but it didn’t feel like an assassin, which is what Naafiri was always meant to be. Assassins want to kill their targets as fast as possible. A frenzied state needs some time to feel correct.
Since the concept did not fit the assassin, lead champion designer August "August" Browning took it upon himself to create the perfect champion that would fit this fantasy... and thus Briar came into existence. According to Browning Briar had "a bleed, she had her berserk/frenzy, and she had her targeted stun".
Are you curious about Briar and who she is? Then make sure to read up on her lore:
Kit Explorations – Over 8-Million Damage In A Single Game
While the team was exploring her kit, they also looked into her ultimate. Browning revealed that Briar had a revive at one point, similar to that of old Aatrox. The ability would grant her a revive when it was off cooldown, sucking blood from anyone around her, coming back to life with a lot of health.
He also explained that the ability had an active with which she killed herself. "The active was that she killed herself. She would do 1 million true damage to herself, but then obviously trigger the passive to resurrect and drain everybody near you."
This idea was scrapped though, since it would have just made her unkillable. She's mobile, got targeted stuns and has her frenzied state... she didn't need a revive as well.
That's how the champions team came to the kit that Briar currently has and honestly... we're quite happy she doesn't have the insane revive ultimate, even if it's cool in theory.