Belerick

Belerick boasts exceptional durability, making him one of the hardest heroes to take down. His innate ability to increase HP from equipment and emblems by 30% via Deadly Thorns, combined with his high base durability, allows him to withstand sustained assaults and serve as an unyielding frontline. He also possesses significant magical offense, primarily from his passive and skills, which scale well with his maximum HP and magic power. This allows him to deal respectable damage while focusing on defensive itemization. Furthermore, his kit includes multiple crowd control effects, such as taunts from Ancient Seed and Wrath of Dryad, which are crucial for disrupting enemy formations and protecting squishier teammates. His low difficulty makes him an excellent choice for players new to the Tank role.

However, Belerick's damage output, while magical, is often sustained rather than burst, meaning he may struggle to quickly eliminate high-priority targets on his own. His reliance on taking damage to trigger Deadly Thorns can be a double-edged sword; against heroes with extremely high burst damage, he might be eliminated before his passive can fully retaliate. While he has a movement speed boost from Nature's Strike, Belerick can still be relatively immobile without it, making him susceptible to kiting or getting caught out of position if his skills are on cooldown. His effectiveness heavily depends on his team following up on his crowd control initiatives.

Belerick's passive, Deadly Thorns, is his core damage and resilience mechanic. For every 50 damage taken, he has a 25% chance to retaliate with Magic Damage equal to 55 plus 5 per hero level, along with 1.8% of his Max HP. This triggers every 0.4 seconds, making Belerick a constant threat in sustained fights. Crucially, his HP from equipment and emblems is increased by 30%, amplifying his tankiness. This passive demands Belerick actively absorbs damage to maximize his output.

His first skill, Ancient Seed, releases vines that deal 200 flat plus 50% scaling (Total Magic Power, Magic) and slow. After a delay, they erupt, dealing another 200 flat plus 50% scaling (Total Magic Power, Magic) and taunting enemies for 1.2 seconds. This skill is vital for initiation, peeling, or locking down targets, forcing them to attack Belerick and trigger his passive. Its excellent scaling with magic power means even a tank build contributes significantly. It also deals 80% extra damage to minions for wave clear.

Nature's Strike, Belerick's second skill, provides an 80% movement speed boost and enhances his next basic attack. This enhanced attack deals 300 flat plus 60% scaling (Total Magic Power, Magic) and slows by 60% for 1.4 seconds. It also recovers HP equal to 240 plus 10% of his lost HP, offering crucial sustain. Each Deadly Thorns trigger reduces this skill's cooldown by 1 second, encouraging aggressive engagement. Use it for quick engages, disengages, or to recover during skirmishes.

Belerick's ultimate, Wrath of Dryad, conjures spreading vines that deal 100 flat plus 30% scaling (Total Magic Power, Magic) four times and taunt enemies for 1.5 seconds. This is a powerful teamfight initiator, forcing multiple enemies to focus Belerick, thereby maximizing Deadly Thorns triggers. The taunt disrupts abilities and isolates targets, while Belerick gains significant durability during its duration, making him incredibly hard to burst down.

Belerick's recommended build focuses on maximizing his durability and enhancing his magical damage output, which scales with his health and magic power. The first item, Cursed Helmet, is crucial as it provides Magic Damage over time to nearby enemies, scaling with Belerick's Max HP. This synergizes perfectly with his passive, turning his tankiness into a constant source of damage, especially against multiple foes.

Next, Demon Boots are selected for their passive, Mysticism, which restores 4% Mana upon killing or assisting in killing an enemy minion. While Belerick isn't overly mana-hungry, this ensures he has enough resources for sustained skill usage in the early game, allowing him to constantly pressure lanes and engage.

Twilight Armor is a critical defensive item, offering a unique passive called Twilight. This passive reduces excess damage taken from a single instance beyond 800, making Belerick incredibly resilient against burst damage from assassins or mages. This directly enhances his ability to survive and trigger his Deadly Thorns passive more effectively.

Thunder Belt is an excellent hybrid item for Belerick. Its unique passive, Thunderbolt, causes his next basic attack after casting a skill to deal extra True Damage based on his extra HP and slow enemies. This provides Belerick with additional damage and crowd control, leveraging his high HP pool to make his basic attacks more impactful after using his abilities.

Following this, Blade Armor further amplifies Belerick's counter-damage potential. Its unique passive, Bladed Armor, reflects physical damage back to attackers when struck by basic attacks and slows them. This makes him a nightmare for enemy Marksmen and other physical damage dealers, punishing them for focusing him.

Finally, Oracle significantly boosts Belerick's sustain. Its unique passive, Bless, increases all received Shield and HP Regen effects by 30%. This enhances the healing from his Nature's Strike and any other regeneration sources, making him even harder to take down and allowing him to recover quickly between engagements.

Belerick's playstyle revolves around being a durable frontline who disrupts enemies and deals damage through attrition. Given his high durability, don't be afraid to initiate teamfights or soak up damage for your team. Your passive, Deadly Thorns, thrives on taking hits, converting incoming damage into magical retaliation. Position yourself strategically to absorb enemy attacks, especially when your ultimate, Wrath of Dryad, is available to taunt multiple targets and amplify your passive's effectiveness.

Utilize Ancient Seed to initiate engagements, slow enemies, and most importantly, taunt key targets. The taunt is invaluable for interrupting enemy channels or isolating a squishy damage dealer. Combine it with Nature's Strike for quick engages or escapes, and to sustain yourself with its HP recovery. The cooldown reduction on Nature's Strike from Deadly Thorns triggers encourages you to stay in the fight and keep taking damage.

In the laning phase, leverage Ancient Seed's extra damage to minions for efficient wave clear and use its taunt to control enemy heroes. Your high durability allows you to trade effectively, especially when your passive is active. Remember that your damage is magical, so even as a tank, you contribute significantly to teamfight damage over time. Always be aware of your team's positioning and use your crowd control to protect your carries or set up kills for your allies.

Understanding Belerick's matchups is key to maximizing his impact on the battlefield.

When paired with Rafaela, Belerick becomes an even more formidable presence. Rafaela's healing and support abilities enhance Belerick's already high durability, allowing him to sustain longer in fights and trigger his Deadly Thorns passive more frequently. DPS heroes with recovery abilities like Rafaela are perfect matches, as they add to Belerick's survivability, enabling him to deal more consistent damage.

Belerick excels at shutting down squishy damage dealers like Miya. His ability to taunt and lock down targets with Ancient Seed and Wrath of Dryad, combined with his inherent tankiness, allows him to dive directly onto these fragile heroes. The strategy against such targets is to not retreat; instead, rush to their face, forcing them to either flee or be eliminated, securing a significant advantage for your team.

However, Belerick can struggle against heroes who deal a very high amount of burst damage, such as Gusion. Against these types of heroes, his passive, Deadly Thorns, may not be as effective because he might be eliminated before he has enough time to convert the incoming damage into retaliatory damage. It's crucial to play more cautiously against high burst damage dealers and rely on your team's support to mitigate their impact.

Imagine a teamfight erupting in the mid-lane. An enemy Marksman is positioned aggressively, trying to poke your allies. As Belerick, you see an opportunity to initiate. First, activate Nature's Strike to gain a burst of movement speed and close the gap quickly. As you approach, use your enhanced basic attack on the Marksman to deal 300 flat plus 60% scaling (Total Magic Power, Magic) and apply a significant slow. Immediately follow up with Ancient Seed, aiming to hit the Marksman and any nearby enemies. The initial vines will slow them, and after a short delay, the seeds will erupt, taunting the Marksman for 1.2 seconds, forcing them to attack you. While they are taunted and focusing you, your Deadly Thorns passive will be constantly triggering, dealing retaliatory Magic Damage. If multiple enemies are grouped, activate your ultimate, Wrath of Dryad, to taunt them all for 1.5 seconds and deal 100 flat plus 30% scaling (Total Magic Power, Magic) four times, further amplifying your passive's damage and locking down the enemy team for your allies to follow up. This sequence maximizes your crowd control, damage absorption, and passive damage output.

To master Belerick and dominate the battlefield, focus on these key decisions:

• Prioritize Durability: Build items that maximize your HP and defensive stats to enhance your passive, Deadly Thorns, and ensure you can consistently absorb damage for your team.
• Initiate with Purpose: Use Ancient Seed and Wrath of Dryad to taunt key enemy targets, disrupting their formations and peeling for your carries. Your taunts are your most potent crowd control.
• Sustain Aggression: Leverage Nature's Strike for mobility and crucial HP recovery. The cooldown reduction from your passive encourages you to stay in the fight and keep taking damage to maintain your presence.
• Punish Attackers: Position yourself to be the primary target in teamfights. Your passive, Cursed Helmet, and Blade Armor will turn enemy attacks into retaliatory damage, making them regret focusing you.