Jayce technically counters Briar. Your job is to find timings between his stance swap and Melee form E. D Shield or Blade based on preference. If you want to aggro find chances, go Blade. E start and look for short trades at level 3 to set up an ignite all in. Don't take a lot of poke damage for free. It's okay to miss minions if you're getting kills
Kai'Sa
Early lane, look to not take too much damage for free. Start E for CS, then Q second. Q auto for PTA proc level 2, then full all in level 3 is always kill. Any build wins this one. W1>Q>Auto>W2 for short trades and all in with ultimate wins. Look to hop walls with W and buffer E early for decent short trades.
Yasuo
Yasuo is a weird matchup. If you choose the fights, the matchup seems free. If you misstep even 1 frame too far sometimes he one shots you. I like to fight for level 3 kills by Q'ing him for PTA proc level 2 then W1>auto>Q>auto>W2 ignite. If he plays very defensively then sometimes you can be given no real chances outside of random situations you create or the lobby creates. Buffering E into his knockup Q3 is ALWAYS the correct play. Fully charging E can be useless, sometimes taking a half charge for a slow is better since windwall blocks it. Overall, Yasuo favored but isn't impossible by any means
Taliyah
100% a lane counter matchup. BUT IS NOT JUST FALL OVER AND DIE. If you can ever bait her W or E, use that timer for a huge punish. W1>Q>W2>R fast combos are very good because it confirms your R while denying her WE combo. Go E level 1 and try to farm for free. Once it hits time to side lane (After Quest) just fast combo for free wins even when behind. Any build works but tankier builds work best since you have to get CC'd at times.
Talon
Early lane, bait him to W then find a timer to get Q>Autos then play for W>Q ignite kill OR take E then play for level 3 kill depending on health amounts. Talon can fight you early so be careful. Later into the lane, try for fast combos and early E's and see what he does. If he just runs away, let the W ride for longer. If he fights then try to E his Q. Hitting ultimate on him is a FREE KILL. I like Titanic since it can reveal him by damaging other things he's near
Ahri
Technically if Robots played this game, this matchup would be unplayable given she can E you during Q. Do your best to change up your W>Q timings to dodge this interaction. But, it can be very free if they aren't consistent. Go for E start, Q level 2, if you get a PTA proc, kill her at level 3 then snowball. Titanic is good in this matchup because pushing the wave with W1>Q on minions then roaming is HUGE.
Sylas
You should be able to kill levels 2 or 3 by starting Q and trading well then all in with W>Q. The real terror of this matchup is he can E2 ( chains ) your Q, which DRASTICALLY reduces your damage. So be careful feeding into that. One of the rare times that building anti heal has value but likely ignite should be enough. Any build works, Spirit Visage is huge vs him. When going to side lane, starting with ultimate is likely a free kill. Be careful of junglers in this matchup, people play towards Sylas often
Aurora
You can either choose to go D Shield + Second Wind + Revitalize to just scale and chill with full health OR good ole. Q PTA proc level 2 and all in when he W is down. Try to W her when you're in a minion wave so your W doesn't instantly cancel. Trying to predict where she is going then be in a bush for E > Full combo is VERY GOOD into this champion. Be careful of her just going to teamfights and being huge there, try to get big pressure in side lanes then ultimate. Not as bad as people think, but you NEED to force her W cooldown then punish it intentionally.
Azir
Extreme matchup since it's Azir skill based. If he does NOTHING but poke and E away from you, then set up ult ganks. There really isn't much for you to do in lane phase if they play perfect (they won't). Do your best to farm without taking damage and look for timers to just W1>Q the minion wave (to lock onto them) then look for a roam. Don't take too long or he DELETES TURRETS. Now in side lane 1v1, this matchup is pretty free, he can't do much with the longer lane and 2 items damage you deal. So, all in all, farm safely, look for quick roams, go to side lane and win.
Akali
Personally, I ban this champion. It's not the hardest matchup BUT my 93 year old grandma could play this champion and win SO. Looking for close up engages and short trades is best, buffer E early and try to knock her away. If that misses, try to juke Q's. Basically all you have in lane phase. Titanic can help this matchup since you can find her in the smoke by hitting other things. If she takes ignite, she basically always kills you. Try to find small outplays / habits the player has and take them a mile. Damage builds usually fair worse since she bursts faster. If you hit ult, BIG WIN FOR YOU!
Yone
On paper Briar should lose, but you do have good interactions if you can force them. Level 1 Q > WQ is usually a kill to snowball. Then you can roam better / play for jg since Yone wants to scale he likely wont walk. Ignite is a must for this matchup 100%. Look to shoot your ultimate at his E snap back location, with good timing you shouldn't get punished. One huge thing to do, if you're going to get ulted by Yone, use your E towards a wall. HUGEEE disruption in his combo.
Annie
Annie is a weird matchup. If she is doing really sneaky stun combos from 2 stacks, it's going to hurt. If she's killing minions with Q often. You can find some sneaky engages. You do have to be careful of getting bursted out, usually its better to try and go one for one rather than doing half her health and E away. Killing level 1-3 is doable but if she chooses to not interact, not much you can do. Buy Merc treads ASAP and you can do a lot of work. Hitting ultimate is free win, high damage builds beware
Cassiopeia
This matchup is pretty bad because her W will stop you from casting W1 and Q. Best situations you can get are NON TELEGRAPHED W1>Q's with minimal running between the casts and buffer E's into her regularly and buffer E into her ultimate. She will always look to ultimate your W1 or R. These things you just accept and PRAY. I tend to build tankier to live throughout her CC combo, then try to kill.
Corki
Most Corki's don't have the ability to push forward for autos while hovering W backwards. But If you fight one that can do that... good luck it will hurt. Mostly just look to short trade and get a read on when he will W then use your E right then and disengage. Chunk him out then full kill with ignite. Side lane just go forward and it's usually good. Be careful taking too much damage for specific minions, health matters more than gold
Galio
Galio matchup is very interesting sometimes. If he goes FULL AP ELECTROCUTE, you have to be very smart about your approaches. He will try to knock you up during your W1>Q and he will likely win the engage. BUT if you W1 his engage, you DESTROY him. If he goes a tanky build, BotRK can bring you a free win. Reach a point where you're tanky enough to deal with his combo then play for damage items. Buffering your E into his dash or Ult engage is VERY GOOD. Also you can ultimate where he ults and the timing is super easy
Aurelion Sol
Mostly this matchup is pretty free, don't let him get free mana flow bands without punish. When he gets Rylai's he can try to outplay by kiting you. Mostly you just go forward and demolish him
Akshan
Akshan is a lane bully that does win the matchup. But you can burst him in all ins if you save your health enough. Try to not take a ton of damage before level 3 and play your trades. He can predict your engage and prep his swing, if this happens try changing your timing/predictability. You can bodyblock his swing by being melee on him. I try to W1 towards him, see if he wants to use E then press Q. This is BIG for the matchup. After level 6, ultimate should be a free kill if you cancel his E
Naafiri
This matchup seems like it would be bad because her W. Reality is, if you W1>Q and get Naafiri's W. You have a window to W1>Q again before her cooldowns are back. So, create your own windows for engage. Try and hide your W1>Q within other animations (like killing minions.) Use your E on her Q's or her ultimate to try and put her into a wall. Main thing in this matchup is sneaky engages and use your E into her W or E.
Zed
Zed matchup usually isn't too bad. Early lane, you can go aggro with Q start (implying he walks up) or just take the free level 3 by E'ing minions. Look to combo him with W1>Q>auto then let the fight go on or if he creates too much distance just E. Reset this situation as much as possible. It's very good if he ults you to just buffer your E directly into a wall for a confirmed stun since he always spawns on the opposite side that he ulted from. Any build works, be careful of him baiting you with W cooldown if he gets snowballing. W>Q in teamfights after his ultimate on a different target is VERY good.
Kassadin
Kassadin is very weak early game. Q start if he is EVER near you. Try to get a lot of damage level 1 and pressure for level 2/3 kill. This is very doable if he ever is near you. If he does nothing but kill minions with spells. This is good for you. Find times to W1>Q him and start draining him of resources. Be careful of jungle at this point. Any build can win this just make sure your combos are clean and look to roam with R
Karma
Depends on what she is trying to accomplish. Try to juke her Q with your W1, she will always W you, when it is about to root you, use your Q that way you are both cc'd at the same time. Helps you with chasing her. This matchup ends up being, you can't kill her if she never messes up but they will. They're karma players lel
Overall, Karma's usually get a lot of ganks and that's another big part of this matchup. Overall, play to kill minions with E and play defensive and look for big combos. Hitting ultimate should be a free kill. Serpents Fang would be a big option here.
Katarina
This matchup is weird.... On paper, she's a melee champ. Try to start Q and do good damage early. Usually Kata will kill minions with Q and not interact. Try to either push the wave super hard and get a bounce back. Then pressure her when the minions are at your turret. Engage on her when she has bad options to jump away from you. She will try to jump to her minions usually. W1>Q is a fine engage but after 6, you have to respect her all in. If you W1>Q>E she can just burst you. Be veryyyy aware of your own cooldowns. The worst part of this matchup is when she roams and gets a triple on your bot lane.
Zoe
THIS MATCHUP IS CRINGE (sometimes doable tho?)
A lot of the time. You will engage on this champion with W1>Q> TRY TO NOT CANCEL EARLY. Because you need greedy W's to deal damage to trade the HUGE burst you will take on the way out. She will always bubble/sleep you when you're E'ing her away. Just accept the D Shield + Second wind to try and live. BUT, there will be times if you engage in your own minions. She won't be able to sleep you. This is very high value given most Zoe's die in two combos. After lane phase, just W1>Q and when the sleep is about to hit, send your ultimate to cleanse the sleep.
Ekko
Ekko is a VERY TOUGH MATCHUP! But it's all about how skilled the Ekko is. He has very high passive damage when he hits multiple spells so try to E during his burst. It's very smart to use your Q to stop him for ultimating! But remember, if he uses his E (the dash and auto) you can predict it and use your E to put him into the wall. Try to minimize early game mistakes because he snow balls very HARD. Try to get good value with your Q early levels and find a big burst with ignite.
Qiyana
This matchup would be impossible if robots played it. Luckily your enemies are silver lel.
Early levels you actually deal more damage than her. Try to dodge her Q through minions. Look for your own Q>E early. The main thing that makes this matchup annoying is her spamming green/grass Q to go invis. Be creative with your ultimate to counterplay this. Ultimate = Win, Miss = lose. Once teamfights hit, it'll be a battle of you disrupting her team and her disrupting yours.
Diana
Diana usually is pretty weak vs Briar but her builds currently are very strong. BotRK is VERY good if you can find it. Q her for big early damage. If she starts the trade you usually lose it so try and be particular with your movement to dodge her Q. E'ing her during her dash is VERY good since it will take her cooldown away. Fast combos help a ton, try to not stack on your team. Win
Xerath
Not too bad. Start E to farm without taking much damage. Be creative with your movement to try and dodge spells then use W1>Q when you close the distance with right clicks. D Shield + Second Wind then look for fast combos. Xerath wants to Q the wave, don't stand there. His W is a BIG slow. Look to bait this. He will E your Q/W1's. This is okay, try to get as much damage as possible regardless. Mercury Treads are VERY GOOD
Vex
BAD! WHY?
Sometimes is playable if the Vex overplays her fear. When the red bar is full, her next spell will Fear. See if you can make her waste this, when she does not have Fear. SEND IT. BIG TRADES. The problem is, your chances to go in are very telegraphed because of this so you're gank prone. Look to just live this matchup and roam with ultimate. During side lane, W1 towards her to bait the fear and shoot ultimate.
Twisted Fate
FREE WIN. E start to farm. Get level 3 without taking much damage. W1>Q MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR W2 right before his stun. Usually you will not get close to him again after his stun. This will be a big part of the matchup. Force your combos on cooldown. Chunk him out, he can't play. Match his ultimates with your ultimate. Really free matchup. Titanic is awesome since you can push the wave fast and roam before him. If you see his ultimate location, try to E him into a wall.
Varus
This champion is broken. Dorans Shield + Second Wind and ACCEPT the bad laning phase but try to scale. Build whatever's best for your team! If you can sideways W his E (the aoe slow) then sometimes you can fight. Try to dodge his spells this way if you want to fight and flash his ultimate EVERYTIME. Sometimes tho, they don't know Briar's damage and you can get sneaky kills. If he buys plated steelcaps early, try to just scale and ultimate him in side lane
Malzahar
The only real way he "beats" you is by not interacting with you until teamfights, then ulting you. Try to W1>Q him, get your damage then walk away. His spell shield can be gotten for free with Titanic damage spread. I like to try to predict when he will ultimate me after my engage and buffer E. This will cancel his ultimate, be aware of this and you can get BIG gains. Regularly just try to farm without taking much damage and find small combos that lead to solo kills. Ward enemy camps for jungler knowledge.
Anivia
Knowledge check on Anivia's side. She has stun that will get you if you engage from TOO far. Try to walk up with creative movement and get a W1>Q in one fluid motion. This can make her unable to reactive the Q stun. Your ultimate stops channeled abilities so it's a good idea to send this if you're out of cooldowns. Try to get close without taking much damage, E for minions and W1>Q>W2>Ultimate for solo kills.
Syndra
Basic matchup of you learning to create opportunities. Try to get her to Q>E stun you, without using your cooldowns. Merc's rush is very good. E for minions and W1>Flash her stun > for full solo kills. If you get her flash, he becomes super gankable.
Fizz
This matchup seems like it would be bad because her W. Reality is, if you W1>Q and get Fizz E. You have a window to W1>Q again before his cooldowns are back. So, create your own windows for engage. Try and hide your W1>Q within other animations (like killing minions.) Use your E on his E's or his ultimate to try and put him into a wall. Main thing in this matchup is sneaky engages and use your E into his combos. Also worth noting, you can SCRAP early levels if you're greedy with your autos + Q
Swain
Swain has short range spells, so if you are close enough to get hit, you could've been HITTING. Look for fast W1>Q's and a good E. Swain will try to engage with E (the pull) if that's down, look to trade. If you engage a fight, Swain will try to E your E. Try to change up your timings, don't fully charge or fully charge. Throw them off with breaking patterns. If Swain ever ults, try to W1>E to build space and Q to wards/minions to build space. Swain ult = don't fight usually.
Dr. Mundo
This matchup is FREE. Fight level 1, always sideways W to dodge Mundo's Q then Q him to break his passive. You can look to E him into the wall after this. Vampiric Scepter first to deal with the poke and minion damage. Then BotRK Black Cleaver and Lethal Tempo. Free win
Morgana
Annoying matchup. Try to get close with movement to bait her to Q. If this happens you can deal a lot of damage with W1>Q, she will black shield your stun but you still deal a lot of damage. Her usual gameplan is push waves with W then support her team with Q/E. Most the laning phase will be you under turret getting poked, D shield + Second Wind and look for rotations. This matchup is pretty easy in side lane since your ultimate should be a free kill even through her Q. Be careful engaging
Kayle
Kayle is a weird matchup. You will engage with W1>Q>W2 and try to E her. She will use her movement speed buff to dodge your E then it's her turn to trade damage back. Be creative with your E's to deny her movement that hurts you. After a trade, get as much farm as possible then look to roam with your prio.
Veigar
Veigar wants to scale and deny your engages. Try to bait him to use cage and PUNISH HARD during this downtime. Start E, farm till level 3 then start cooking your engages. Sometimes it's good to fully charge your E after engages if you think it will hit since he doesn't have good movement options BUT sometimes this can hurt you if he cages well. Look to get very close before W1>Q. You can also, not fully charge E to get walking that extra second earlier. Teamfights, TRY TO E HIS ULTIMATE and use your ultimate to cleanse his cage stun.
Kennen
Kennen is a very traditional melee counter. He wants to get his buffed auto attack to get a electric stack on you. This makes stunning you very easy to look at his champion model in game and look for the shining animation. You can happily look for W1>Q>W2>E's, but if you miss E, you will take A LOT OF DAMAGE. So choose your spots well. Mercury Treads rush is good but it's not enough alone. Usually it's best to take the fight away from him, or get his ultimate for free then punish hard.
Lux
Only use your W1 to dodge her Q and it should be a free win. If you ult her she might full combo you on the way in, that feels bad so check your health first. If you're getting hit with her Q during your W, you didn't get close enough with your movement first. Look for fluid W1>Q's. You don't always have to E early, letting W run for a while is always a good thing. Be careful of ganks and at a certain point she can clear waves without being on your screen. Take the wave and look to be active on the map.
Ambessa
I actually start E more times than not. Her early game damage is real. W1 towards her and let her use some spells to create distance then use your Q that you saved is a decent long trade combo. Outside of that try to just fast combo. Try to W2 late if she shields herself early. Her mid/late game around 3+ items, she can start to kite you while dealing more damage. Be aware of this and start changing targets or punishing her with your team. If she is even a HAIR to far forward in a teamfight, punish hard with Q.
Hi my name is Logan (L0ganJG) Jungle! I have been playing Briar since her release and been one of the highest ranked Briar mains in the world consistently every season. My motivation for learning Briar has given me the peak rank of over 900 LP Challenger in jungle BUT this guide is all about mid lane since I'm currently going for Challenger! (Currently Grandmasters 1/29/2026). This in depth guide will show you the mind of a Briar Mid Main and all the knowledge to succeed in playing Briar.
If you have any questions join me in my stream on twitch where I answer all questions live!
I will link some good videos that will help you too!
{26.05} BRIAR MID. MAGES? HA. BRIAR IS INSANE... STILL UPDATING
Build Guide By L0ganJG
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