It's only been a short time following the conclusion of the 2020 world championship but Riot Games has its focus set on 2021. Rell, the Iron Maiden, enters the fray as the first champion post-Worlds 2020. Before Pyke, Supports were mostly benevolent and magnanimous characters that provide steadfast reinforcement to their Carry. Noxian, full-metal, and damage-oriented is an odd mix for a Support champion. It's time to take a look at the latest challenger to the Bot lane.

Full-metal release

Unlike Seraphine, the previous champion release, Rell launched with little fanfare and marketing. It could be a potential move towards tempering fan expectations after the botched Seraphine launch. One of the greatest factors that contributed to fans mass-disliking Seraphine's Champion Spotlight was Riot Game's misstep in marketing. Seraphine failed to live up to fans' expectations from Riot's intense marketing. Rell's launch took the completely opposite approach with absolutely no teaser prior to her release.

Riot has launched champions quietly in the past. Rell is not the first champion to suddenly come out of the woodwork. Coincidentally, Rell is the first Support champion to release since Senna and Yuumi back in 2019. It may be an overcorrection on Riot's part but we'll see in the following days if it pays off. What we do know for now is that we have a brand new champion to play in the game.

Go to Rell

Ironically, the horse-riding champion almost felt like she was rushed into the game. However, that does not detract from her massive potential as an initiate-heavy Support. Rell excels at stealing armor from her opponents and dishing out bonus defense and healing to any of her teammates. She has the ability to tether herself to an ally, presumably her AD Carry, similar to Taric's Bastion ability.

Support-mains that love starting fights will love playing as Rell in the Bot lane. They would definitely have to get used to her shifting movement speed and two different forms. Fortunately, Rell has amazing gap-closing abilities that will make starting fights that much easier.

The most recent meta showed favor towards initiate-heavy Support champions. This was why we saw a lot of games with Top champion Sett rocking the Support position. Professionals have even wielded Pantheon as a Support on some occasions.

The key to her amazing skill kit is her ultimate. Rell can pull in enemies within a short radius in order to open them up to follow-up damage. It's not a hard crowd-control ability but it should definitely spice up any team fights in future professional games and in solo queue.

Final Words

It's strange to see three videos from a champion release to premiere within minutes of each other. Rell's trailer video was within minutes of her Champion Spotlight. This is a highly irregular move from Riot games. Currently, there is no apparent animosity from the fans regarding the release so it may have been the correct move from Riot's side.

For the time being, there's no telling how the fans truly feel about the game's latest Champion. We'll be able to grasp a better sense of feedback once the professionals weigh in and we see just how much she is used or banned. Pick up Rell for your Champion lineup if you want a new initiator in the Bot lane.