Riot name League of Legends’ “first true tank support” champ: Braum, Heart of the Freljord

Braum, the Heart of the Freljord: great circus facial hair.

The frozen peaks of the Freljord have for centuries punished the weak, sez LoL lore. But that’s fine! Weakness is no good in the lanes. Instead, the cruel land has produced a gaggle of pleasantly OP nordlings, of which Braum is the most playable.

He enters Riot’s metagame with the “hopes and adoration of the Freljord’s people” behind him – and far better, a dependable melee support specialism.

“As with all champions, we designed Braum to fill a specific gap in the League of Legends champion pool,” explain Riot. “Specifically, he’s the first true tank support that we’ve created, a champion who takes the hits for their team”.

Braum is a “strong and resilient” support champion best used to enact game-changing plays – or to save his team from overwhelming enemy attacks.

To make use of those strengths, you’ll need to exploit his “symbiotic” relationship with the marksman. Braum can shield his ally using the armor and magic resist-boosting Stand Behind Me, until he becomes a formidable tank in the late game.

“While Braum is undeniably useful on the offense, he’s an absolute colossus when defending,” say Riot. “The additional defenses provided by Stand Behind Me help both Braum and his marksman survive otherwise lethal damage, while [Braum’s E] Unbreakable has the potential to completely shield his ally from all incoming damage when positioned correctly.”

Braum works particularly well with Ashe, Caitlyn and Ezreal – and suffers under the onslaught of Zyra, Vayne or Lulu. Is that useful to you at all?