On Thursday evening, Riot Games’ YouTube channel released a video titled “Trials of the Poro”, an adorable animation which proved to be a hidden announcement for a never-before-seen new champion, Braum. A post on the official league of legends website released the video with the tag “Braum” and under the Champion Preview category, leading many to the conclusion that this will be the name of the axe-wielding man seen at the end of the video.
The short animation begins with a poro, seen normally in the ARAM map Howling Abyss, running after a snack in the middle of a battle. After dodging some falling weapons, the adorable creature appears to be doomed as a hail of arrows falls from the sky. A massive man (presumably Braum) steps in to save the poro, taking dozens of arrows in the process. He laughs, saying “Next time, you get my back!” to the shuddering puffball, with his majestic mustache fluttering in the wind.
While the video doesn’t give away any specifics, Braum’s capability of surviving a rainstorm of arrows suggests that he might be a good fit for support or jungle. Riot hasn’t released a pure tank in quite some time, so the mustachioed giant is a welcome sight for many LoL players who’ve been looking for a beefier character to try out. Given that the trailer is only a short preview, it could be some time before the community is given any more details, but more info should be available very soon as Braum hits the PBE.
YouTube comments raised the possibility of Braum being influenced by forum creation “Angus“, an overly-masculine comedic champion design which surfaced on the General Discussion board in 2012. Many posters on YouTube as well as the League of Legends forums were in high hopes that at least a costume would be offered for Braum, given the massive popularity of Angus when his design made quite a splash two years ago.