[Guide] Specific Role: Bruiser (Part 1)
####Last updated: 6/7/14
Hello and welcome to my latest [Guide] post. I’m just your friendly neighborhood Gold player that wants to impart some knowledge about general League knowledge through tips, tricks and experience to hopefully help you or maybe a friend of yours through your games. This guide will be on the general role and actions taken by the Bruiser Role.
#####Would you like to decide what [Guide] comes next? Well you can! Poll Below!
Under level 30? Happy to have you! I’m impressed you’re already looking through the forums. Take a look at my League Basics guide if you want a lighter (and much shorter) list of basic skills to learn, in-game terms, etc.
Don’t like my guides? While I am trying my best I completely understand if you would like something else, so why not try the guides I started from myself at Mobafire.com? But please be sure to tell me what I can improve on before you go! :)
######And after long, long, loooooong last I have this done. Part 2 will be coming later today! ######Note:Hit refresh for the embeds to work if they're currently not.
###Part 1
####1) Bruiser?
####2) Who is a Bruiser?
####3) What do?
####4) Summoner Spells
####5) Runes/Masteries
####6) Champ Select
--- Survivability vs. Damage
--- Diving vs. Peeling
--- Considering the enemy team
###Part 2
####7) Laning Phase
--- Trading
--- Pushing
--- When to go back
--- Predicting Ganks
####8) Teamfights --- Threat generation
--- Disruption
--- When to Dive / When to Peel
####9) Items ####10) Tips and Tricks
1. http://i.imgur.com/DVYcCVe.png Bruiser?
This isn’t actually an official role, but I think most of you probably have an idea of what I mean by ‘Bruiser’. Just in case you don’t, I’m running along the same lines of this post by Kchaosrei. A bruiser is a champion whose purpose is to be in your enemy’s face and do the best they can in the middle of the chaos we call a teamfight. Now this can be accomplished through disruption and tankiness/damage, so bruisers usually have the capacity to do both damage and defense naturally. Hyperbolized, most bruisers can be considered a light tank or a clumsy assassin. Overall though, the lines are blurry between tank, bruiser, and fighter. So if that issue comes up anywhere I’ll be happy to discuss why I consider someone a bruiser. I pride myself on an open mind, so if you feel differently try convincing me!
2. http://i.imgur.com/cMNHWQS.png Who?
######Again, Bruiser is a fluid role, a lot of these champions can also be Light Fighters or Tanks depending on builds.
###Front-loaded
Front-loaded is a term for where a champion’s damage can largely placed in a single normal Rotation. Front-loaded specifically means the majority of the kit’s damage occurs quickly and very bursty. These bruisers tend to be very reliant on combos, positioning and are usually the bruisers that can slide into the fighter/ assassin role easier if necessary.
###Back-loaded
Back-loaded Bruisers are champions who have kits that emphasize damage over time and other forms of sustained damage. These kits usually make up for the lack of burst and reliance on time with increased chase capability and overall higher base damages. As such they usually slide into the Tank role easier if necessary.
3. http://i.imgur.com/DuM4eUu.png What Do?
####Secure your lane
The 'lane' in question is more than likely top (but occasionally Jungle). Bruisers excel at abusing their kit’s high base numbers and emphasize a respectably strong early game. This can be had by high sustain, high damage or high survivability, or a combination of the three. Laning phases are always strong with Bruisers and this strength should be used as best you can, as aggressively as you can manage.
####Dueling
Bruiser’s kits are ridiculously powerful by themselves, but more than likely you’re going against another bruiser (or a mage, that’ll be expanded on later in Part 2:Items), so this natural advantage means less. Smart trading and clever lane pushing will mean the difference between being a force to be reckoned with or playing catch-up.
####Play your advantage
The whole point of getting an advantage in your lane is to make the difference in strength useful to your team. A good way to do this is to make sure you’re not trapping yourself in the lane mentally. Is there a lane that you can help out In time to get back to your lane? Is the jungler appearing elsewhere, meaning you can push gank free? Or maybe the jungler is low and you can kill him at a jungle camp? A perfectly normal trend is to think of top lane as an ‘island’, where visits to and from top are seldom seen. While normal, it’s best if this locked mindset is dispelled as quickly as possible. There are times to not gank and press your lane as well, but we’ll get into that later as well.
4. http://i.imgur.com/DtaqLKp.png Spells
###
Flash
Choice: As with any lane and any champion, Flash is a staple spell and should be used as a default no matter what. In other words, unless you have a good reason to give it up (and there are good reasons) Flash’s usefulness both offensively and defensively is amazingly good. This spell isn’t known as ‘the playmaker’ for nothing.
In play: Keep in mind Flash is a longer cooldown than most champ ults, so use this only when absolutely necessary. Literally a life/death situation. If you are certain that you can get a safe kill, a great team initiate or prevent your own death completely, then by all means hit that key. But choosing not to use it if you feel it might be wasted can be even more useful.
###
Ignite
Choice: This is a great choice against high lifesteal/sustain champs. The healing reduction is an amazing tool against champs like Aatrox and Mundo. This also provides a good bit of sticking damage to high mobility champs like Lee Sin or Renekton that have that oh so frustrating habit of dashing away just before that last. This is a good all-around choice and should do well in blind pink because of it’s versatility.
In play: You have to factor in counter healing and shielding with ignite. This includes health potions. If you wan that kill to actually be secured you have to make sure you are factoring in whatever shields and healing (potions) your opponent has at their disposal. Sometimes, it may even be much more beneficial to use ignite in the middle of a fight if there is a lot of healing to be blocked, like a Mundo ultimate for example. If you’re blocking 50% of that healing, that’s heath they would have gotten otherwise, meaning that the healing blocked can be treated as effective damage. Always think about how ignite can be best used and when. And be ready for that moment.
###
Teleport
Choice: This is good in certain situations and on certain champs. If map control is a priority for you or teleport can synergize well with another ability (Shen) then this is a good thing to grab. You will see this a lot on pre-made 5 battles, so if you have a team ready to go see if your top can manage with teleport in his arsenal. A good teleport can turn some of the worst engages and has the massive bonus of contributing towards your map control, specifically control around dragon and bot lane.
In Play: The biggest thing about teleport is communication, which is a large reason why it’s so much better to use in pre-made teams rather than solo Q. To put it simply there are very few times when you teleporting in by yourself will net any kills, you need teammates to back you up and even more importantly keep them where they are. I cannot count how many teleports I have wasted in solo Q because my allies didn’t realize I was coming in and the targets simply walked away. It can definitely still be useful at times, don’t get me wrong, but there are a lot more opportunities to use it amazingly well if you’re with a competent team.
###
Ghost
Choice: This one is interesting. This spell lets you easily stick to people when used, so more constant damage champs utilize it the best (early game Nasus, Singed). It can also function similar to Flash but, less dramatically so, as both an offensive chase utility and a defensive utility. Most of the time Flash/Ignite will do you better better, but if you’re say….Nasus with teleport, then the extra sticking power will probably be the difference between a kill or not.
In play: The biggest reason Flash is usually preferred over Ghost is because it doesn’t gtfo quite as quick. You’re moving faster sure, but that doesn’t mean much of you’re still in range of the cc spells you’re running from when Ghost is activated. As such you need to make sure you plan a second or two ahead before using Ghost to make sure it’s not wasted. Another reason is that Flash allows wall jumping where Ghost does not, and more than likely your opponent will have Flash. If they do bear in mind Ghost>Flash in nice open areas like lanes where the distance needed to be covered is only Flash’s cast range not that and the distance around the wall.
###
Cleanse
Choice: Most of the time, don’t. There are very few reasons to get this spell. The cooldown is ridiculous and Quicksilver Sash is simply better in all forms (lower cooldown for example). The only true benefit to Cleanse is the added 65% Tenacity after activation that most people don’t realize is there. Combined with any tenacity Item (which always comes to 35%), you will have 100% tenacity for 3 secs. This can be quite useful, but the trick is you need a reason for the enemy team to dump a whole lot of cc on you during those 3 secs without dying. But it’s very hard to find opportunities to use this effectively and more likely than not you could have just avoided it with Flash.
In play: Just get a Quicksilver Sash
###
{{summoner:2}} 
{{summoner:17}} {{summoner:10}} Other
Most other spells will not be useful in a Bruiser role. Their kits usually incorporate some form of cc (lessening the need for exhaust), as well as giving a mertric arse ton of survivability (lessening the need for Barrier) and anything else is a supportive ability that will flat out usually be wasted in a Bruiser.
5. http://i.imgur.com/o1UIhFC.png Runes/Masteries
##Offensive Runes
#####Hybrid Pen
Amazingly useful for most Bruisers. The reason being is that hybrid marks(Quints) fall under specialized marks(Quints) by 3.9(2.31) in armor pen and 2.3(2.1) in spell pen. That’s not a large amount in the long run, but the main reason this is so effective on Bruisers is the fact that the most commonly used Bruisers usually sport high base damages in both Physical and Magic damage. Shyvana’s Burnout, Mundo’s Sadism, Renekton’s Dominus are all examples of high magic damage sources in otherwise AD champs. The flat pen addressing all of these can sneak through their expectantly low MR, as they’ll probably be building armor against you. Just keep in mind this isn’t as useful for someone like Rumble who deals no real physical damage.
#####Armor/Spell Pen
Decent. It can help knock down the armor runes and masteries your opponent is toting. Flat pen is the most useful until you start going against a tank, as it will also amplify your damage against squishy targets.
#####Flat AD/AP
There are a few things that AD/AP will do that pen won’t, like increase coefficients that don’t do damage (i.e. Riven’s Shield, Zed’s W Passive). Personally I prefer to go Pen anyway as that scales better with runes and you’ll be going against armor anyway in top lane, but that doesn’t mean these aren’t useful.
##Defensive Runes
#####Armor
Armor is always useful. A team will always need high AD damage to take towers and other objectives easily. And your job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. Factor in the fact you’ll probably need armor laning as well and you see why armor is wanted. I prefer to get Per Level Armor Seals on my Bruisers to help out my mid-game. If you feel you need even more without switching to flat seals. Flat armor Marks aren’t bad to add on, just keep in mind you’re sacrificing a decent bit of damage with that choice.
#####Magic Resist
I prefer Per Level MR Glyphs more than flat personally. My reasoning is that the time you need MR the most is when mages/assassins start getting their ults at Level 6. Being (hopefully) in a solo lane will mean you stay about at their level, so when Per Level Glyphs surpass Flat (past level 8), these start becoming more useful as normally that’s around the time you should start seeing mids roam consistently.
#####Health
I’ve never been a fan of health runes. The masteries are great but the runes just scale much better with mitigation. Don’t be tempted by the % Health runes, max possible is 9% increased health which would mean +90 health with a Warmogs. Early health bonuses simply get so easily diluted by the high health numbers this game has.
#####Health Regen
Similar to Mana Regen, this is good to have if you have absolutely nothing else, but you have to move away from it because the better you get at trading the less you should need this. Simply put, the need for this stat can be circumvented by skill, so I advise against it.
##Utility Runes
#####Movement Speed
My personal favorite. Move Speed Quints are amazing. That extra 4.5% movement may not sound like much, but it can easily be the difference between being able to walk away from an incoming gank or catch up to a low health opponent for a kill. I highly suggest picking these up.
#####Lifesteal/Spellvamp
Good for resource less champs because it transfers the bonus of no need for resource sustain to their health by a small amount. Although recently nerfed they can still be a boon for staying in lane and helping trades. Personally I don’t use them but depending on your playstyle you may like these better.
#####Gold/10
I would not suggest this, but neither will I say it’s a horrible idea. Some Bruisers have a key item (i.e. Glacial Shroud + Nasus) that exponentially increases their effectiveness, and reducing the time to that item will always help. BUT IDEALLY you shouldn’t need the help and should be last hitting well enough to get there gold-wise quickly.
6. http://i.imgur.com/fZDAJrq.png Champ Select
Let’s talk about choosing the right Bruiser for the situation. This can be to complement your team, or in draft pick doing your best to counter. Sure you may have your favorite and playing champs you’re conformable with is the most important thing, but broadening your range can be very useful. Here I’ll tell you how to best use that range with three major focus points.
Survivability vs. Damage
When choosing a Bruiser one of the biggest questions is if your team will need more damage or more tank. If you’re team is too squishy a well-placed AoE will screw you, but if your team is too tanky then the enemy will just not die fast enough to get kills. Top lane Bruisers, being so fluid in their role’s contribution, is the most easily changed on the fly. But choosing the right champ from the start can make that decision go farther. Riven is hugely damage oriented for example, and will flounder if built tank, but will excel at being an amazing source of damage. On the other hand, Mundo doesn’t do too well built high damage, but can build tanky and keep at someone for an eternity and a half.
This is where experience in other lanes/champs also comes very handy, because that way you can accurately gauge your team’s defensive and offensive capacity, or the opposing team’s lack thereof.
Diving vs. Peeling
The question here is how dive-heavy either team is. You can identify dive reliant Bruiser by them having a reliable gap closer, hard cc to follow up that gap closer and a survivability mechanic or two. Bruisers lacking this (i.e. Nasus, Rumble) are usually better suited for peeling and keeping the enemy frontline off of your backline or simple chasing. Neither side is locked into doing just that, but it’s where that individual champion will perform better, it’s their ideal.
Diving Bruisers play best alongside other divers like Leona, Vi, or Xin because they can follow up on each other. The combined presence of two diving Bruisers in the middle of it all wrecking face is one of my favorite moments in a game. It’s not a guaranteed win by any means, but it’s fun and effective nonetheless. Dive heavy Bruisers also work well with buff capable mages like Orianna, Lux and Morgana to name a few. Anything to get the diver’s damage and survivability up as high as possible because they’re going to hurt quickly and probably die quickly too. Note: Most divers are front-loaded for this very reason. Divers work best against squishy teams and high priority targets with little to no escapes (i.e. Kog’Maw, Jinx, Ashe)
Peeling/Chase Bruisers play best with ranged CC teammates as they usually sport some amazing cc that can be chained (i.e. Wither, I like Nasus sue me!). These guys tend to do be back-loaded and profit from extended engages, so keeping the MVP (adc/marksman) alive will also benefit them in damage. They work best against dive heavy enemies and high mobility assassins.
Considering the Enemy Team
As I hinted to earlier, there is one major factor to consider when picking a bruiser. Enemy mobility. How easily the enemy team can dive or escape should be the defining trait when making a choice between several champions, none more so than Bruisers. Low escapes mean a paradise for dive heavy, high damage bruisers that can wreck a squishy target in a blink of an eye. High mobility, however will be better for soft-cc oriented peeling/chase Bruisers who keep their team alive rather than the enemy team dead.
or 
technically count as bruisers?
