Reign of Gaming

Bruisers:

Tier 1:  Shen, Olaf, Udyr, Riven, Lee Sin, Renekton, Galio (no change and reason listed), Jax,

Tier 2:  Irelia, Nautilus, Nidalee, Cho'Gath, Yorick, Darius, Malphite, Shyvana, Singed, Wukong, Skarner, Gangplank,

Tier 3: Warwick, Jarvan IV, Nocturne, Fizz, Trundle, Nasus, Dr. Mundo, Tryndamere, Talon,

Tier 4:  Pantheon, Poppy, Blitzcrank, Volibear, Garen

Change Log:

Riven moved up in tier 1 - I feel even in the competitive scene she's stronger then where I had her on my tier list. She's completely annoying in solo queue with the spam dash's and shield and it translates over into competitive play I feel. I had her a bit too low so now I am moving her on up.

Nautilus moved up in tier 2 - I think Nautilus top is pretty good but I am not seeing a lot of competitive teams pick it up yet so I am sort of hesitant on moving him up to tier 1. I like him but I could be just biased in thinking he's better then he really is if no other competitive teams are using him so the top of tier 2 is where he can stay for now.

Gangplank moved down in tier 2 - This champion pretty much is never seen in the competitive scene at all anymore. Makes me kinda sad because I really liked him and I don't think he's as bad as the community can make him out to be. I do feel that a lot of those champions in tier 2 out shine him though so because of that I am moving him down.

Irelia moved up in tier 2 - Had her placed too low. She's still seen a lot of competitive play and has a lot of success still. Simply had her too low.

Malphite moved up in tier 2 - Now I generally HATE Malphite as a champion and I think he's a trash jungler (just imo) but I do feel he is a pretty rock solid top (;3) He's super tanky, got a lot of harass, and setting up ganks with your jungler is very easy with a Malphite in the lane.

Warwick moved down to tier 3 - Now I had him in tier 1 because I felt his lane sustain was great (it is) and his tankyness is awesome (it also is) but there's a big concern about having him top lane that really does lower him down. He can't push his lane very well. He's a single target auto attacker and clearing the wave can take forrrrever sometimes. Yes you can get items like Ionic Spark or Sunfire but even then they don't really fit into WW's build that well. He's not like Shen where he can just AFK in the lane and slow push it in because Warwick doesn't have a global presence and Shen can pop over to any team fight at any time which makes him an excellent split pusher despite not pushing fast. Now Warwick is pretty good in lane but I still feel there are better champions then him for the top lane spot and the added fact that his pushing is really terrible when you're trying to add pressure to a lane. So with all that combined I am moving him down to tier 3.

Darius added to tier 2 - I feel that he's actually not a bad bruiser top lane because of the damage he can dish out early game and the basic "Free kills" as soon as your jungler shows up top lane. His damage out put is CRAZY high and you don't even need to build him super DPS heavy. You can go almost full tank and still dish out a lot of damage, and using your ultimate to finish off anyone who's low. I think he's pretty good so I am playing him into tier 2.

 Question: Why didn't you move Galio down from tier 1 Bruiser Elementz?

 Answer: I don't feel that he isn't a great Bruiser in fact I think he's a great Bruiser. You all assume Bruisers have to go top lane to be viable and that's not the case. Galio's in competitive play a lot of the time build tank and go mid lane so they can have a safer laning phase. They'll throw a Kennen, Vlad, Swain, etc.. Top to be their AP carry while Galio will fulfill the role of the "Tanky DPS" which is exactly what a bruiser is. Yes he can also be played as an AP carry and also goes middle lane but Galio can also take a lot of top lane matches up when being played as a Bruiser. His ability to tank, cc, and dish out damage when built as a tank is still very good so I consider him a bruiser and I think he's definitely tier 1 worthy.

The definition of a bruiser:

- Often a tanky champion who can absorb a lot of punishment but also dish out a lot of damage.

- A champion with high survivability who's also a melee champion. (Nidalee is the exception as she's hybrid)

- Bruisers often solo top as they have high survivability and top lane is the easiest lane to die in. These champions can also be played middle lane or even sent to 2 v 1 bot when running different strategies but predominantly they will be top lane.

- Champions like Wukong, Talon and a few others can be played mid lane and completely counter a lot of enemy AP carries. Bruisers can be played mid from time to time and should be considered when looking at the bruiser tier list.

Don't see a champion listed in the tier list who you consider a good competitive bruiser? It's probably because I don't and other competitive teams don't value them as competitive picks. Want to raise an argument for why a certain champion should be considered for the competitive list just post below and let me know why in a constructive way!

"No one, not even pros, can presume to know everything. Whether they promote or discourage a character is subject to debate at all times. These debates are encouraged in a respectful manner as we're trying to create the best tier lists possible for your enjoyment." Stonewall - Elementz

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