Riftbeast Brambleback

Why it works

At 7 Riftbeast, every Riftbeast grows at the start of combat and again every 5 seconds, gaining damage, attack speed, +5 Armor and Magic Resist, +50 HP and +1 Mana each time, so the longer the fight, the stronger your board. Brambleback uses this best: his cast gives +100% Attack Damage for 8 seconds while ignoring part of the target's armor (improved in 18.5), and when his target dies he leaps to the next one. With the Alpha Mark (Red Buff) his attacks burn enemies and heal him for 5% of his max HP, which keeps him alive in the back row. Elder Dragon takes two team slots but counts as +2 Riftbeast, and his buff executes enemies below 12% HP. Krug at 3 stars anchors the front line – when he dies, he splits into two Kruglettes that taunt enemies.

Game plan

Stage 2

Slam items early and play for a win streak. Murkwolf holds Brambleback's AD items for now; Pebbles, Scuttlecrab, Yorick and Rakan fill the rest of the board. A typical curve is level 4 at 2-1 and level 5 at 2-5.

Stage 3

Level 6 at 3-2 and get 7 Riftbeast active by 3-5 at the latest. With 5 Riftbeast, every third combat fills your next shop with Riftbeasts – use those shops to find upgrades instead of spending gold on rolls. Buy every Krug copy you see.

Stage 4

Level 7 at 4-1 and 8 at 4-2, then roll for Brambleback 2-star, a Brawler or Rakan. Move the AD items and the Alpha Mark onto Brambleback once he is ready. If Elder Dragon shows up, put him on the board right away.

Stage 5

When the board is stable, go to level 9 for another 5-cost. If you are low on HP, you can stay at 8 and keep rolling for upgrades instead.

Early game

When to pivot

If several players are on Riftbeasts, a cheaper option on the same trait is a Pebbles reroll. Before your 5-costs arrive, Rakan is a good extra unit that adds Vanguard and Juggernaut; Sett, Diana and Cinderling are other flexible picks. With a lot of gold and Elder Dragon on board, you can also push for 10 Riftbeast, which gives +2 max team size.