Bruisers are one of the most fun classes to play in League of Legends. They have plenty of sustain, and their kits are usually a nightmare for enemies to deal with.
To make the most out of playing this class of champions, it is important to select one that clicks best with your preferences.
This is why I compiled a list of the top 10 best bruisers in LoL. These are some of the picks I found best suited for solo-carrying games while playing with and playing against them in Master tier games.
Check them out.
10. Darius
Darius is definitely one of the best bruisers in League of Legends. He has plenty of base HP, he is easy to learn, and he offers a lot of room for improvement.
Darius has many other pros:
- He has an insanely strong early game
- He is a big threat in team fights
- He can 2v1 most champions
- Finally, he has many versatile built paths
The reason I like Darius a lot is mostly due to his passive. Most of you probably are familiar with it but each basic attack stacks on the enemy, causing them to progressively lose more HP in the form of true damage.
This passive is insanely OP, especially if you are playing below Platinum 4. Each time an enemy walks up, and you are able to get the 5 stacks off, it is certain that you will win the trade.
As you go through the later stages of the game, you will be able to exert more and more influence. You will be able to split or go around the map chasing for team fights and objectives to take.
9. Aatrox
Many things make Aatrox a great bruiser. He has amazing combos, a great lore theme, and an insane amount of healing.
Additionally, Aatrox has:
- No resource requirements such as mana and energy
- Hard CC on 4 abilities
- Good ability to fight ranged matchups
Unlike Darius, Aatrox has much higher entry requirements. To play him well, you will need to know at least the basic combos. Thankfully, learning combos pays off, as enemies will have a much harder time dealing with you than if you were playing Darius.
The most important thing about Aatrox is his healing. That is definitely the thing that makes him one of the best bruisers in LoL. His R heals him, hitting spells and killing people heals him, and on top of everything, you can build a Goredrinker.
Having all this healing will make you a menace to deal with if you are playing Aatrox. You will often find that people are severely underestimating the amount of damage you can do, and this will make you win so many fights for free.
Read Also: Top 10 Best Tanks in League of Legends
8. Pantheon
Pantheon has a little more chill playstyle than the last two bruisers I mentioned. He is, however, as interesting thematically as the other two are.
Here are some reasons to pick up Pantheon:
- Great burst
- Great roaming potential
- Good carry
In the early stages of the game, you will mainly want to make short trades and poke enemies with Q. Once the enemy is low enough, you can go for an all-in. It is also important to note that Pantheon synergizes really well with junglers.
His W is a strong CC spell and coupled with the damage he has. It allows him to easily execute most laners with the help of a jungler. In case the enemy is playing defensively, you can still poke them and go for a dive.
Pantheon gains the most power when he unlocks his ult. This is the point at which you can start making plays around the map with him. Flanking enemies with R is a great way to get team fights started. You can jump and burst a carry and proceed to fight a 4v5 battle.
7. Jarvan IV
Jarvan IV is one of the best bruiser initiators in League of Legends. He can point his flag across any terrain, hit and knock up enemies, and finally, he can surround them with a wall to delay their escape.
Jarvan is:
- Hard to kill
- One of the champions with the best engage
- Able to focus carries easily
- Great early jungler
The power of Jarvan’s early game can hardly be overstated. He is one of the few champions that can start dishing out ganks after clearing his camp. This is why it is crucial to pay attention to your laners.
You will often find gank opportunities where you can score a kill or at least a flash.
In the later stages of the game, there is also so much impact to be made. You can easily focus enemy carries and turn the fights in your favor. You can also protect your carries and allow them to carry a fight.
6. Vi
Vi is a great bruiser champion that I would recommend everyone have in their kit. She is traditionally played in jungle, but I found she is really strong when played in mid lane too.
VI is mostly distinguished by her:
- Simple and strong kit
- Great damage and tankiness
- Point and click R
- Great ability to take neutral objectives
If you decide to play Vi, you can capitalize on her CC, mobility, and armor-shredding potential. As soon after finishing your 3rd camp, you can start delivering ganks to your teammates.
Vi’s Q is a powerful spell for ganking. If you charge it and hold it in front of an enemy, you will notice that they will flash many times. Obviously, this will give you a free flash off, and it will enable you to kill them.
The main Vi strength is her R, which you should make use of as soon as you unlock it. It will help you deliver great ganks, especially to teammates who have CC in their kit.
I would also like to highlight how strong Vi is for objectives. You can take dragons as soon as they spawn, and you can continue to do so for the entirety of a game. Make sure to make use of this tip, especially if you are lower elo. I guarantee it will help you a lot.
Read Also: Top 10 Best Mages in League of Legends
5. Nasus
Nasus is one of my favorite bruiser champions. He kind of gets boring if you play him too often, but he is a great pocket pick.
Nasus has:
- Fun stacking mechanics
- Great damage
- Great HP
To expand on the highlighted parts. Nasus’s defining feature is his stacking. It is a great tool for increasing damage, and it ties in perfectly with his kit. Once you gain enough stacks, you will be in perfect condition to fight anyone on the map.
Another notable thing about Nasus is his W. The spell will slow the hell out of enemies, and allow you to bonk them with your Q. The slow it has starts at 35%, and it goes up as you upgrade it.
Finally, Nasus’s R is something out of this world. This spell makes him increase in size, get bonus HP, and reduces the cooldown on his Q while active. This is a great fighting tool, and it will help you win many fights.
To make the most out of this bruiser. You will want to spend mid to late-game grouped as much as possible. Many Nasus noobs stack for too long, and they miss the most important fight power spikes.
4. Garen
If you decide to play Garen, be ready to be ridiculed by other players. This is a champion that is not respected by many, but he should be.
It is true that Garen is one of the most simple champions in the game, but that is what makes him hard. Since his mechanics are simple, his moves are easily predictable.
He has no redeeming factor that you can rely on, so it forces you to actually learn the game in order to win.
I would suggest reading this article if you want to learn more about top lane fundamentals and how to carry as a top laner.
Overall, Garen has:
- Amazing sustain
- Great execute ultimate
- A simple kit that forces you to learn the game
3. Renekton
Renekton is one of the strongest champions in the early game, and he is most definitely the strongest bruiser. He has plenty of sustain due to his Q, which allows him to turn any trade to his advantage.
Some of Renekton’s key strengths are:
- Unmatched base damage
- Amazing sustain
- Great burst
- Decent mobility
The thing to remember about Renekton is that he is an early-game bully. He rewards playing aggressively and going for kills. The best way to utilize his kit is to have the wave on your side of the map. This will allow you to run down enemies and not give them a chance to escape.
In the mid game, you will mostly want to look to split push and take objectives. A good thing to have would be a Ravenous Hydra. This item will make for a much easier time split pushing.
When there are no objectives to take, it is time to group with the team and start destroying enemies in team fights. When playing Renekton, I always look to save flash for team fights.
This allows me to insta-kill enemy carries, and make the fight a whole lot easier and winnable.
2. Illaoi
Illaoi is certainly a unique champion. She has all the common bruiser characteristics, such as a bunch of HP and AD, but she is played much differently than your traditional bruiser champions.
Here are notable Illaoi strengths:
- Insane damage output
- Great burst
- Fast at destroying towers
As Illaoi, you will mostly want to focus on landing your spells, and this is what makes playing her feel more like playing a mage. If this is something you find appealing, I am going to explain how to make the most out of this play style.
The first thing you will want to focus on is landing Qs. You can make this easy by trying to land it each time enemy goes up to CS. As the lane progresses, you will want to start using your E. Applying the same principle for landing Q will be much helpful.
Landing these spells a few times will defeat any opponent, and this will allow you to create a great lead. To further extend the lead, you should be looking to apply as much pressure as possible. This will draw the attention of enemy jungler.
I can not count the number of times I have won 1v2 fights as level 6+ Illaoi. If you are someone below Platinum, you will undoubtedly have no issues replicating this.
In the later stages of the game, you will still want to keep making use of ultimate, since it is a great team fight tool. A great combo I would recommend is flash R.
You can start your R animation and then flash in the direction of enemies. This will allow you to catch them off guard and win the most important fights.
1. Irelia
The most mechanical bruiser on this list. Irelia is distinguished by her strong early game and amazing combos.
Here are some of her strengths summarized:
- Great at farming
- Amazing early/mid game
- High skill ceiling
- Versatile – can be played mid and top
To make the most use of this champion, you will want to play a clean early game. This entails CSing well with Q, and looking for opportunities to kill the enemy in lane. You will have most success with this after unlocking R and buying a Vampiric Scepter.
The key thing is to last hit minions with Q. This will regenerate your health and stack your passive, allowing for better fights. Make sure you do not push too much since you will not be able to fight the enemy if they are under a tower.
In the mid-game, I would suggest going to a different lane. This way, you can split push and retain your lead. You will be able to duel most enemies. In situations where there are too many enemies, you can simply retreat and let your team create leads on the other side of the map.
As the game starts closing out, you will want to look to a group with your team. There will always be objectives to take, such as Baron and Elder Dragon, and having your team do it without you is a really bad decision.
Conclusion
Bruiser champions are one of the most fun classes you can play in League of Legends. They generally have great sustain, damage output, and reasonably balanced kits.
Depending on your needs, there are many choices. My overall top pick would be Darius, he is great at every elo, and he is simply too fun to play.
