How to beat Briar
Common role: Jungle
A frenzied predator who leaps in, loses control and eats someone alive.
Best counters vs Briar
Champions with the highest win rate against Briar on their main role — real ranked match data, patch 16.14.
- 1
Olaf65.1%43 games
- 2
Gwen63.4%34 games
- 3
Karthus58.6%67 games
- 4
Quinn57.6%90 games
- 5
Fiddlesticks56.2%107 games
- 6
Wukong54.5%314 games
- 7
Ekko54.7%181 games
- 8
Ambessa55.3%58 games
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What makes Briar dangerous
Briar's W sends her into a frenzy that attacks the nearest target with huge lifesteal, her E channels a scream that heals and can stun into walls, and her ultimate flies across the map and forces her into a kill-or-die dive. She heals absurd amounts mid-fight and never disengages.
How to play against Briar
- 1Grievous Wounds is mandatory — her healing doubles her effective HP.
- 2In frenzy she attacks the NEAREST unit: body-block with tanks or pets to redirect her.
- 3Hard CC during her E channel or frenzy resets her all-in.
- 4Her ult is a coin-flip dive — spread so the landing hits one person, then collapse.
Weaknesses to exploit
- ✓Grievous Wounds cripples her entire design.
- ✓Frenzy is exploitable — she chases whoever is closest, even a tank.
- ✓No real disengage: a failed dive is a death sentence.
- ✓Falls over to kiting and disengage comps.
Abilities & how to counter them
What each of Briar's abilities does — and how to play around it.
P
Crimson CurseBriar's attacks and abilities apply a stacking bleed that heals her for a portion of the damage it deals. Perpetually hungry, she gains increased healing based on her missing Health, but lacks innate Health Regeneration.
Strong: no health regen but huge lifesteal on everything she does. Weak: Grievous Wounds turns her into paper — rush it.
Q
Head RushBriar leaps to a unit and hits enemies with The Heel Wheel (of Pain), stunning them and breaking their Armor.
Strong: a leaping stun that opens every trade and gank. Weak: short range and her main initiation — after it she's committed.
W
Blood Frenzy / Snack AttackBriar leaps forward and shatters her pillory, entering a Blood Frenzy that causes her to relentlessly pursue the nearest enemy (prioritizing champions). While frenzied, she gains increased Attack Speed and Move Speed, and her attacks deal damage in an area around her target.Briar can reactivate this ability while frenzied to take a CHOMP out of her target on her next attack, dealing additional damage based on their missing Health, and healing Briar based on the damage she deals.
Strong: frenzy — bonus speed, damage and lifesteal on the nearest target. Weak: she attacks the NEAREST unit mindlessly — feed her a tank or pet.
E
Chilling ScreamBriar refocuses her mind, removing Blood Frenzy and channeling energy into a powerful scream that damages and slows enemies. While charging, she takes reduced damage and heals for a portion of her max Health. A fully charged scream knocks foes back, dealing additional damage and stunning those who collide with a wall.
Strong: a channelled scream that heals, slows and stuns into walls. Weak: the channel is interruptible and the knockback needs a wall behind you.
R
Certain DeathBriar kicks her pillory's hemolith gemstone, marking the first champion it hits as her prey. She then beelines straight to them, fearing other surrounding enemies upon arriving at her target, and enters a state of complete hemomania. She will pursue her prey until death, gaining the benefits of Blood Frenzy as well as additional Armor, Magic Resistance, Life Steal, and Move Speed.
Strong: a cross-map dive that fears everyone around the first target hit. Weak: kill-or-die by design — spread out, peel the landing, and she dies in your team.
Itemization
Rush Grievous Wounds (Executioner's/Bramble). Redirect her frenzy onto tanks, CC the channels, and kite — she can't leave a fight she started.
This guide covers Briar's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.
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