Rell is one of the new champions released during the Pre-Season 2021. However, there was a time when the Iron Maiden almost disappeared, even in low ranks or casual matches, as she proved to be less effective compared to the meta champions at that time.
Nevertheless, overcoming all odds, she has found her rightful place in the Summoner’s Rift. Rell’s toughness is her strongest asset, making her a true Steel Wall in the support role. But Rell’s problem is that she is too tanky yet almost lacks damage, inadvertently creating a disparity as Rell can hardly fit into other roles, particularly top lane, even though she is considered one of the highly versatile champions (with abilities that include knock-up, magic damage, and shields…).
Clearly noticing this disparity, it is no surprise that Riot Games cannot “sit back and watch.” They have implemented changes on the PBE server by reducing the amount of shield, while increasing the damage ratio for her W ability. The E ability – Field Link will reduce damage and defense when activated, but in exchange, the ultimate R will increase the AP ratio.
“We want to slightly reduce Rell’s power, making her focus on maxing her Q ability and weaken the defensive capabilities of her W. The additional AP ratio is merely secondary and does not deal much damage,” said Ray Yonggi, a member of the development team.
This individual also mentioned that Riot’s goal is for all four of Rell’s skills to be balanced, but even with the adjustments, Rell will still have to prioritize maxing her Q early due to its weakness.
Many anticipate that the increase in Rell’s AP, including an additional 40% AP, will give her a total of 110% AP for her ultimate and 60% AP for her Q ability. This means Rell could potentially transition to top lane or even mid lane like Sett or Pantheon.
However, these are just experiments on the PBE server, and detailed information will soon be announced by Riot on February 3rd.