Overview
How to play Rell effectively requires mastering her unique mount/dismount mechanics and perfecting engagement timing with her crowd control abilities. The Iron Maiden excels as both an initiator and protector, offering powerful team fight potential through strategic positioning, vision control, and strong synergy with burst-damage ADCs like Samira and Jhin.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Rell
Learning how to play Rell effectively can transform your support game in League of Legends. As the Iron Maiden, Rell brings a unique combination of tankiness, crowd control, and team fight potential that can dominate the bot lane when mastered. This champion excels at initiating fights and protecting allies with her magnetic abilities and heavy armor.
Rell stands out among tank supports with her distinctive mount/dismount mechanic, which creates two different playstyles you’ll need to master. Whether you’re a support main looking to expand your champion pool or a newcomer curious about this formidable iron-clad warrior, this guide will equip you with essential knowledge on how to play Rell at her full potential.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore five crucial tips to elevate your Rell gameplay, helping you climb the ranked ladder and become a feared support in the bottom lane. Let’s dive into what makes Rell such a powerful pick when played correctly.
Understanding Rell’s Abilities
Before diving into advanced strategies, it’s essential to understand how to play Rell by mastering her unique ability kit. Her skills revolve around her mount/dismount states, which drastically change her movement speed and combat capabilities.
Rell’s Passive (Break the Mold) allows her to steal resistances from enemies she attacks, making her progressively tankier in extended fights. This makes her particularly effective against other tank champions like tanky Leona builds or heavy frontliners.
Her Q (Shattering Strike) breaks shields and deals damage in a line, with a heal component when bound to an ally. This ability is crucial for countering shield-heavy compositions and sustaining your ADC during laning phase.
Rell’s W (Ferromancy) comes in two forms. In mounted form, Crash Down launches Rell forward, knocking up enemies and transitioning to her dismounted form. In dismounted form, Mount Up creates a shield and returns her to mounted form with increased movement speed.
Her E (Attract and Repel) creates a magnetic bond with an ally, dealing damage and stunning enemies caught between you when activated. This ability provides versatile crowd control options similar to what you’d find when learning to play Thresh.
Finally, Rell’s R (Magnet Storm) creates a gravitational field that pulls enemies toward her, perfect for setting up team-wide crowd control chains or peeling for your carries.
Understanding these abilities and their interactions is the foundation of learning how to play Rell effectively. Now, let’s explore specific strategies to maximize her impact.

Tip 1: Master Your Engage Timing
The first essential tip for how to play Rell effectively revolves around mastering your engage timing. As a champion designed for initiating fights, your W (Crash Down) is your primary engagement tool, but using it at the wrong moment can leave you vulnerable due to Rell’s slow movement speed in dismounted form.
Look for these key opportunities to engage:
- When enemy key abilities are on cooldown (especially CC or escape tools)
- When your jungler is approaching for a gank
- When the enemy ADC is positioned aggressively for last hitting
- After level 3 when you have your full basic combo available
- Around objective spawns to force advantageous fights
Always communicate your engage intentions with your ADC. A miscommunicated engage can quickly turn into a disaster, especially against ranged supports who can punish your slow dismounted form. This coordination is similar to what’s needed when playing Alistar effectively, another all-in support.
Furthermore, consider using Flash creatively with your W for unexpected engages from fog of war or over walls. The official Rell champion page showcases some of these combinations that can catch enemies off guard.
Remember that sometimes the threat of engagement is more powerful than the engage itself. Position aggressively in mounted form to zone enemies away from farm or objectives, only committing when you have follow-up from your team.
Tip 2: Perfect Your Mount/Dismount Transitions
Mastering Rell’s unique mount/dismount mechanics is crucial to playing her effectively. This dual-state system creates distinct advantages and disadvantages that you must navigate carefully throughout the game.
In mounted form, you’ll enjoy increased movement speed, making it ideal for roaming, warding, and repositioning. However, your basic attacks are slower and your engage is on cooldown. Conversely, dismounted form gives you increased armor and magic resist, making you tankier in fights, but severely reduces your movement speed.
Here are strategic considerations for each form:
- Mounted Form: Use for mobility between fights, setting up vision, and positioning for engages
- Dismounted Form: Maximize your time in this form during extended fights to benefit from increased tankiness
Advanced players will time their W (Mount Up) carefully during fights to gain momentary shields and reposition, rather than simply staying dismounted. This technique, sometimes called “W bouncing,” can provide crucial survivability in close fights.
When learning how to play Rell, practice transitioning between forms in the practice tool until it becomes second nature. Remember that using your W (Crash Down) for mobility rather than engagement leaves you without your primary crowd control tool for 11 seconds at level 1.
The rhythm of switching between forms is something that distinguishes great Rell players from average ones. With practice, you’ll develop an intuitive sense for when to change forms to maximize your impact.
Tip 3: Synergize With Your ADC
Understanding which ADCs pair well with Rell is critical for maximizing your lane dominance. Rell thrives with ADCs who can follow up on her engages with burst damage or additional crowd control, creating devastating combos that few bot lanes can withstand.
Top ADC synergies for Rell include:
- Samira: Her passive works perfectly with Rell’s CC chain, allowing for quick Style stacks and devastating ultimates
- Jhin: Can follow up Rell’s CC with his W root and burst damage
- Draven: Provides high early damage to capitalize on Rell’s engages
- Miss Fortune: Her ultimate combos perfectly with Rell’s crowd control
- Kai’Sa: Can quickly follow up with her passive procs on immobilized targets
Communication is key when playing Rell. Before the game starts, discuss your engage patterns with your ADC and establish clear signals for when you’re looking to go in. This coordination is similar to what’s needed when playing Rakan efficiently with your team.
Additionally, use your E (Attract and Repel) strategically by binding to your jungler during ganks or to frontline teammates during team fights when your ADC is safe. The versatility of this ability means you’re not always bound to your ADC, especially in mid to late game scenarios.
Remember that Rell isn’t just about engaging – she excels at peeling as well. Against dive compositions, consider saving your CC to protect your ADC rather than initiating fights, similar to how you might approach playing Braum defensively.
Tip 4: Vision Control and Map Awareness
As with any support champion, mastering vision control is crucial when learning how to play Rell effectively. Her high mobility in mounted form makes her particularly adept at establishing deep vision safely, while her crowd control kit allows her to check brushes more safely than many other supports.
Develop these vision habits to elevate your Rell gameplay:
- Use mounted form’s speed boost to quickly place deep wards around objectives before they spawn
- Coordinate with your jungler to invade and place vision in the enemy jungle
- Always carry a control ward for objective setup
- Use your Oracle Lens strategically to deny enemy vision before engages
- Place defensive wards when behind to spot potential dives
Beyond just placing wards, Rell’s map awareness should inform her roaming opportunities. After pushing the wave with your ADC, look for opportunities to impact mid lane or help your jungler secure Scuttle Crab or invade the enemy jungle. This proactive playstyle is similar to what you’d do when playing Nautilus aggressively.
Remember that your W (Crash Down) can be used over certain walls, creating unique gank paths that enemies might not expect. According to professional Rell guides, these surprise flanks can be game-changing, especially in the mid to late game.
Track the enemy jungler and mid laner when possible, as Rell is vulnerable to counter-engages when her abilities are on cooldown. Proper vision will help you avoid these dangerous situations and set up successful plays for your team.

Tip 5: Team Fight Positioning and Peeling
In team fights, knowing how to play Rell requires understanding your dual role as both an initiator and protector. Your positioning will depend on team compositions and the state of the game, but generally, you’ll want to be at the front line, looking for multi-champion engages.
For primary initiation, look to:
- Flash + W (Crash Down) for surprise engages
- Follow up on other initiation with your R (Magnet Storm) + E (Attract and Repel) combo
- Use Hextech Flashtraption (if taken) for unexpected angles of engagement
- Coordinate with dive buddies like Hecarim or Malphite for devastating combos
However, against teams with strong engage or when protecting a fed carry, consider holding your abilities for counter-engagement. Your E and R are excellent peeling tools, similar to how Nami players use their abilities to disengage fights.
During extended team fights, remember to apply your passive to as many enemy champions as possible. Each champion you hit with basic attacks or abilities will make you tankier through stolen resistances, significantly increasing your survivability.
Position your E (Attract and Repel) bond strategically – in the early phases of a fight, bond with your engage partner, but be ready to switch to your ADC or mid laner if they become targeted. The stun from this ability can interrupt key enemy abilities and save lives.
Remember that Rell’s R doesn’t interrupt channeled abilities but can pull enemies out of position or away from your carries. Use it wisely to disrupt enemy formation rather than hoping for direct damage impact.
Conclusion
Mastering how to play Rell effectively takes dedication and practice, but the impact you can have as this iron-clad vanguard is tremendous. From her powerful engages to her protective capabilities, Rell offers a versatile support option that can adapt to various team compositions and game situations.
Remember to focus on timing your engages perfectly, managing your mount/dismount transitions, synergizing with your ADC, maintaining strong vision control, and positioning strategically in team fights. These five essential tips form the foundation of high-level Rell gameplay.
As you continue to practice Rell, you’ll develop an intuitive understanding of her strengths and limitations. Her unique playstyle rewards forward thinking and decisive action, making her particularly satisfying to master. With her combination of crowd control and tankiness, a well-played Rell can completely change the outcome of games through perfectly executed engages and peels.
Whether you’re looking to climb the ranked ladder or just want to add a powerful engage support to your champion pool, Rell offers a rewarding experience that few other supports can match. So mount up, crash down, and start dominating the bot lane with the Iron Maiden!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rell good for beginners in League of Legends?
Rell has a moderate learning curve due to her mount/dismount mechanics and engage timing requirements. She’s better suited for players who already understand support fundamentals and are looking to expand their champion pool.
What runes work best on Rell?
Aftershock is the primary keystone for Rell, providing additional tankiness when you engage with your CC. Secondary runes typically include Hextech Flashtraption for engage options and Biscuit Delivery for lane sustain.
How do I deal with Rell’s slow movement speed in dismounted form?
Plan your engages carefully and consider building early boots or taking Celerity in your rune path. Always be conscious of your positioning so you don’t get caught out after using W (Crash Down).
Which items should I build first on Rell?
Start with Steel Shoulderguards, then rush Locket of the Iron Solari for team protection and Plated Steelcaps for personal durability. Against heavy AD or AP teams, adjust by prioritizing Frozen Heart or Force of Nature respectively.
Who counters Rell in the bot lane?
Rell struggles against poke supports like Zyra, Vel’Koz, and Blitzcrank who can punish her slow dismounted form. Morgana is particularly challenging as her Black Shield negates Rell’s engage potential.