7 Best AP Bruisers in League of Legends

The League of Legends Bruiser class of Champions is usually associated with big, brolic meatheads. And when you hear big, brolic meathead, you are more often than not associated with AD Tanks. Well, that is almost true. Though most Bruisers revolve around AD, some use AP as well. 

They are few and far between, but enough for me to cherry-pick them. In this list, we’ll go over the 7 Best AP Bruisers in League of Legends. These are some of the most powerful Champions to play as in this Season. I’ll detail their strengths and highlight their difficulty, so each skill level can find whatever fits them. 

Without further delay, let’s begin with our list. 

7. Malphite

Malphite is a very simple pick. Most new players in the game will choose one of the old League Champions with point and click spells, easy skill shots, etc. Malphite is not an exception, and this simplicity makes him a god in the Top lane. 

You don’t need much practice or knowledge of Malphite to utilize his kit properly. Whether you opt for an AP or Tank path, Malphite’s Magic Damage is no joke. Even with a little boost to his AP, he can almost one-shot squishy targets. And, if you’re in a position to do so, going full AP makes him one of the strongest burst damage Champions ever conceived. 

Whether Riot will opt for remaking this Champion soon remains to be questioned. But, while you still can, I recommend taking him for a spin. I am sure you’ll have a lot of fun. 

6. Rumble

Now here’s a Champion you won’t see often. At least, I don’t. Rumble is one of those off-meta picks that a small number of players main. But, if they are good at him, they can be a very scary opponent to see in the lane. 

Rumble’s laning is where he shines the most. Yes, he has a lot of utility for the late game and team fighting, but the lane phase can severely impact the game’s outcome. He has shields, an over-time burn that hurts if he lands all of it. His E is a reset skill shot, but his Ultimate is a real cake. 

If you go down an over-time damage build (which you should, as Rumble’s kit revolves a lot around it), you’ll shred any tank’s HP in no time. The Ultimate is an over-time burn, something like your W but better. It deals a crap top of AP damage and applies a slow. Pair that with items like Liandry’s, and you’ve got yourself a firestorm of a Champion. 

In contrast to Malphite, Rumble is not an easy pick. So if you like the Champion be sure to practice a lot to learn how to get the most out of him. 

Also read: What is Vertical Jungling?

5. Shyvana

Moving on from the Top lane into the jungle, we have a more common pick than the previous. Shyvana is a great Champion that is super fun to play and master. Her kit works uniquely. The transformation bar filling up is the cooldown of your Ultimate. When you use your R and transform into a dragon, you’re met with three new variations of your ordinary spells. 

This makes Shyvana one of the most versatile Champions to play as. She is notorious for having multiple different builds and ability paths, which are perfectly viable for various situations. Depending on what build you go with, Shyvana can be a tank, a sort of AP Assassin, etc., allowing you to choose and adapt to whatever your team needs at the moment. 

Despite having a lot of spells, variety, and options – Shyvana is not that difficult to play, making her excellent for intermediate players that have gotten to know the game a bit. Pure beginners should stay away until you get more familiar with how situational gameplay works. 

4. Swain

Swain is one of the best bruisers in League of Legends, period. Not only does he have everything it takes to perform the role, but he can sometimes carry the game single-handedly. That is definitely not a thing that you usually see with Bruisers, who are known to deal and tank damage but not nearly enough to carry the game solely. 

His laning phase is straightforward. You farm, pick and choose your pokes and try to keep a distance between you and your opponent. After you hit level 6 you begin unlocking Swain’s full potential. That’s when you should bait fights, depending on who you’re fighting. Try to prolong the fights you bait, as your Ultimate does more damage the longer the fight goes on. This makes Swain also one of the best team fighters. Go figure. 

He is a difficult Champion. Though not that difficult to play, it will take a lot of effort and games to master and learn him fully. If you’ve got the time, do it, and if not – at least learn how to play against him. 

3. Gragas

Our second jungler on the list is the drunken bastard we all love to hate. In recent years, following some updates to his kit, Gragas has certainly become one of the better AP Bruisers in the game. He has amazing CC and team fight potential, incredible damage, and can be a huge tank. 

We’ve all watched those Gragas montages from Panunu back in the day, so there’s not much to be said here. He is a powerful, though situational Champion that can have a lot of impact on games in general. His ganking potential as a jungler is amazing due to combos he can create with his E, Ultimate, and Q. Depending on if you’re more of a tank or a mage, the damage output can vary but is generally good. 

Gragas needs a lot of effort to understand fully. His kit is not that complicated, but some of his best combos are. The practice tool is your best friend here, and learning those combos will increase your win rate with him by a mile. 

Also read: Can Vayne Carry?

2. Mordekaiser

Ever since his rework, which was flooded with controversies, Mordekaiser has become a deadly Juggernaut. Dreaded by both Top players and others alike, he can bash your head in with his giant mace, and you can do nothing about it. 

I like to call this sort of Champion an isolationist class. He revolves a lot around picking off the most important enemy target and taking them into his realm. In there, he can keep them dormant for long enough for his team to win the fight. If he fails to kill them, they can easily be swept up after the fact. His laning phase is also very strong, and there are few picks to counter him in any considerable capacity. He has damage, heals, shields, CC, you name it. 

And, he’s easy to play. Yes, you’ve read it right. Mordekaiser has a straightforward way of being used both in the lane and in team fights. Pressure your enemies, shove them up against the wall and try to pick them off whenever you can. Your Ultimate buffs you a lot, too, making those 1v1s a lot easier. 

1. Lillia

To speak of things I’ve seen this Champion do in recent games would make this article NSFW. And that is an understatement. After her recent buffs and migration to the Top lane, Lillia has become a savage beast, despite her innocent looks. 

Lillia, apart from being a Bruiser, also has a great deal of burst damage. To see the strongest bust damage Champions check out our 7 Best Burst Champions in League of Legends. She can dominate her lane and, most importantly, team fights. Her high base and bonus damage allow her to basically one-shot any Champion class you can think of. The only opposition tanks can pose to her is their survivability. 

To prevent Lillia from snowballing like hell, you have to focus all your jungling capacity on her. This will, however, leave your other lanes open for the enemy jungler to enjoy. Keep that in mind if you want to focus on her completely. She isn’t hard to play or master, especially now, and I strongly recommend you pick her up for some easy Solo Queue boosting. 

Conclusion

Not all Bruisers are the same, nor are they all AD meatheads. AP has its place in there too, and that’s what we’ve shown in this here list. If you don’t like playing AD, make sure to investigate the Champions named above thoroughly, and I guarantee you that you’ll find what suits you. 

Lillia is a peculiar one, though, as a nerf is likely on its way. Whether or not she’ll remain viable in the coming months is to be seen, but while she is, just do it. We forgive you.