Riot August, the lead champion designer for League of Legends, has disclosed during a live stream that the current win rate for Briar is significantly higher than what stats sites would indicate.
Briar's win rate was a hot topic upon her release in the League of Legends circle. The champion, known for her inability to escape battles, appeared to have a poor win rate upon her debut.
Initial Reception and Improvements
Despite minor tweaks, her win rate didn't see a steep ascent, if one were to rely on stats sites that amalgamated her win rate spanning the entire patch. However, Riot August contradicted this during a stream, stating that Briar's win rate is much higher than generally believed, and that she is already performing considerably better than she did at release.
Current State of Win Rate
In the world of League of Legends, ideal situations portray most champions hovering around the 50% win rate mark. Though there are anomalies and outliers that disrupt the game’s balance, it's rare for champions to significantly deviate from the 50% ratio.
Post-release, Briar's win rate was just above 30%. Judging solely based on win rate metrics, she was far from formidable. It's worth noting that it's not uncommon for win rates to be exceptionally low upon initial release as players familiarize themselves with new champions, which can then lead to overcompensation with buffs.
Rise in Win Rate Stats
Briar did receive minor buffs but it wasn’t large enough to drastically impact her win rate. Nevertheless, Riot August insists that according to internal stats, her win rate is considerably different from what stats sites display.
During a discussion about Briar, Riot August claimed that her win rate was around 46%, marking a 10% upswing as compared to the day of her release.
He pointed out that stats sites often aggregate statistics based on the patch, not just the most recent games, which can skew the data. As a result, only those dedicated to mastering the champion continue to play her, affecting the average win rate.
Despite the controversies surrounding Briar's performance, Riot August had a direct message for critics demanding additional changes: “Skill issue.”