Meet League of Legends’ future bane, Renata Glasc

Amid the excitement surrounding Renata Glasc’s champion trailer and kit reveal, some could find traces of annoyance. However, dread should be the emotion of choice upon taking a closer look at the champion.

Anything works and can be “OP” in solo queue, especially at the lower tiers. However, League of Legends relies on some semblance of balance at the highest levels; after all, LoL will never be “perfectly balanced” as some champions fulfil specific purposes better than others.

However, the end-all be-all that Riot Games are about to release at the support role will likely send the meta into a berserk state. Indeed, although some of Renata’s skills are balanced and healthy for gameplay, others are outright game-breaking.

W – Bailout

Renata Glasc grants an allied champion or herself ramping Attack Speed and Move Speed toward enemies. If the ally gets a takedown on an enemy champion, the buff duration resets. pic.twitter.com/Lb6kzcqec9

— League of Legends // UK, IE & Nordics (@LoLUKN) February 1, 2022

W – Bailout, aka Chemtech Drake Soul

What do you mean by “that isn’t how it’s called?”

Riot Games may have reached their own limits in ideas for Attack Speed (AS) boosts, and they have decided to break the game on a fundamental level. Indeed, Renata Glasc’s W – Bailout lives up to its name by giving a Chemtech Drake soul on steroids in addition to the AS boost.

For those who remember Tahm Kench’s low-cooldown W – Devour casts on allied champions to bail them out of bad situations, Renata Glasc’s W can be more obnoxious. A well-timed W cast can be more potent than a Zilean Ultimate – Chronoshift as an AD carry or a dashing Akali on the brink of death could stay longer in a teamfight and keep attacking.

Although the ability gives a “bailout” button to an overextended carry in need of a reset that will give them even more power (see: Jinx, Katarina) or not, it also threatens to be more oppressive than Chemtech Drake’s Soul ability. Chemtech Soul’s effect provided a “borrowed time” mechanic like Sion’s passive, but Renata’s W provides a chance to escape death by scoring a takedown.

And it’s not an Ultimate. Speaking of which…

R – Hostile Takeover

She sends out a cloud of chemicals that causes enemies to go Berserk, increasing their Attack Speed & forcing them to basic attack anything around them. Berserk enemies prioritize attacking their own allies, then neutral units, then her team, then herself. pic.twitter.com/6j3SsTtA4o

— League of Legends // UK, IE & Nordics (@LoLUKN) February 1, 2022

R – Hostile Takeover of Your 20/0 fed AD carry

Time to watch a fed Draven one-shot his support Lulu. Don’t mind Renata Glasc, she’s eating popcorn.

Renata Glasc’s Ultimate is as exciting as is it dreadful for the higher tiers of League of Legends gameplay, forcing opponents to pick champions to circumvent her or to pick splitpushing compositions (or die trying).

Rather than surfing the waves of a Nami ultimate, opponents would need to watch out for pink gas clouds that would cause an AD carry or a fed top lane fighter to go at their own teammates. Dumbs may have humorously illustrated the point, but the urge to wince at the sight of Rekkles autoattacking his Karmine Corp teammates is at an all-time high.

The Renata incident… pic.twitter.com/idPs6dcf88

— Dumbs (@DumbsYT) February 1, 2022

Counters exist, but they do not compensate for the trainwreck about to occur in the LEC, the LCS, and the LCK (the LPL is irrecoverably hectic as it is). Gangplank’s oranges and “Olaf being Olaf” will keep top laners and junglers out of harm’s way if they pick them, and AD carries can buy a Quicksilver Sash later, but Renata will still wreak havoc in the meantime.

Anything short of a Sylas counterpick might become unreasonable—and hilarious as we watch a Last Man/Woman Standing brawl take place, 1v9 style, except everyone attempts to 1v9.

Ultimately, unless the meta shifts brutally out of having a support role, Renata Glasc might have more staying power than Thresh—and it doesn’t hurt to have such a good Q – “Handshake” to slap champions around by using their own teammates. No matter the meta, she will be an amazing, must-pick or must-ban support.

The theme is there: Renata Glasc will make you fight your teammates against your will, and that is fundamentally wrong. As such, one question remains, as I wish that Revive/Teleport Karthus still existed to clean up the ensuing mess: “Why is Renata Glasc?”