LoL’s Newest Champ is a Metal-Bending Iron Maiden – Rell

With the start of a new season just a month away, Riot Games have already started looking towards the future with the direction of their newest champion. Rell is a metal-bending Iron Maiden who has been described by Riot as a ‘dark support’ given her kit and storied past.

In the champion teaser, Rell’s story as a disciple of war, born into the Noxian army by a soldier and an agent of The Black Rose, gave way to her metal-bending powers from an early age. This power is the driving force behind her metal-plated mount in-game.

Although Rell is supposed to be young and brash as one of the few teenage characters in the League of Legends roster, her experience as a ranking member of the Black Rose Academy since eight years old gives her plenty of experience honing her skills.

With the release of Rell in patch 10.25, Rell’s accompanying skin will be joined with a brand new skin line that was mentioned by Riv via Riot Games’ Riot Report this week. The Battle Queen Rell skin will be an all-female skin line that will feature new skins for champions like Diana, Qiyana, Janna, and Katarina on Rell’s release.

Riot Report: Live Q&A w/ the Narrative Lead on Skins: Jared Rosen

Riot’s influence for the new champ, according to Narrative Lead on Skins and Thematic Development Jared Rosen came from a need for new school tank supports within the meta.

“We took inspiration from knights in shining armor, but wanted to change that aesthetic for a sort of ‘dark knight’ character that will use [her powers] to kill you instead of save you.” said Jared Rosen on Riot Report’s Twitch stream Q&A.

With multiple PBE videos already out on the new champion, it’s evident to see Rell’s natural home in the bot lane as a support. Her tether ability with E gives a line of connection between her and an allied champion, giving her kit a similar resemblance to Taric’s kit being that they are both supportive spells that give resistances.

With Rell, the tether between champions becomes a death sentence for enemy champions. When the player piloting Rell presses her E, any enemies caught between the tether are stunned which makes for tactical positioning of the utmost importance when engaging with this champion. Whether or not the rest of her kit can be viable elsewhere is still to be tested.

“I don’t know if there’s gonna be tweaks to her to snap her out of support fully,” stated Rosen when musing over the idea of players naturally taking Rell out of the Support meta. “We designed her to be a tanky Support champion, that was the whole point, but something will happen [with items] in the meta.”

Where does she fit?

At the moment, it seems like design Leads have left the door closed for Rell to be flexed into multiple positions. However, that won’t stop player innovation from utilizing the new items in an attempt to use her kit for more than one purpose.

Whether that be jungle or top, using Rell’s multiple abilities when mounted/unmounted will provide players with a slew of different spell options similar to Kled, but with a lot more resistances and a duo in the bot lane to utilize the rest of her abilities.

In Riot’s eyes, Rell is used best when she is itemized as a super-tank, mounted character that can barge her way into teamfights and provide massive amounts of crowd control and ally coverage through the displacement of her enemies.