Kinda crazy that Riot added a story to Gragas’s lore page the DAY BEFORE we uploaded this video. Go check it out, it definitely adds more depth to his character: universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/story/champion/gragas/
Qiyana next please. The place where she came from, Ixtal, is a meso-american based sophisticated kingdom who hid themselves from the world within the jungle with powerful magic, clearly is too interesting and rich in lore for her to be looking like.. whatever she is right now.
What I like is the new lore doesn't necessarily invalidate your design - if anything it sets the stage for your ice lore really well, if you take that story as something that happened before Gragas finds the ice shard.
The ice shard is in his barrel. it's kept in his drink because it never melts, well it does but it doesn't & it helps him drink from the barrel forever. Because of that shard he also kind of gets similar abilities to beings known as the ice born basic cold immunity
Just based on the original lore, I would have made him a Berserker's apprentice of sorts. They get drunk before battles so they can basically blackout before murdering people. But since Gragas can't get drunk, he'd be working to find the perfect brew to join the higher ranks.
@@finalpixel224 you know we could integrate the true ice in the story. (ice that never melts and that can only be utilized by iceborns which gragas is(?) )
As much as I love the design, and the lore, hes missing that fun spirit that the OG Gragas had. I'm fine with the dark tones of the True Ice's corruption, but to turn him into a character that feels nothing at all as apposed to grinning, merrytime Gragas of old seems like a big jump. Of course, opinions. I enjoyed the new take either way. Just seemed a bit far from the little personality Gragas had to begin with.
As I understood he still has his euphoric highs and happiness, when he is drinking the dark ice shard. Just his normal self is kind of emotionless, and only thing that provides him any emotion is the corrupted flask he carries along. Also it sounds like he could be from Piltover. His size could be a chemical accident, and the corrupted ice shard could be, because the corrupted ice spawned when Lissandra tried to freeze down the Watchers aka Void, the shard could be literally corrupting him as the void. His lows and explosions of spreading the dark ice could be subconsciously void using him as a vessel to break free in Freljord. Similar to what Malzahar does. But Gragas's case is much more complex, aka alcohol and flask.
@@DiamondRedYeahBoai I suppose. I guess it's just offputting that gragas now has depth. Maybe I need to actually look more into this than keep the surface level.
@@chumisfum5337 it's weird. I know. But his interactions in this form would be so interesting... He could be depressed, euphoric, utterly drunk and everything in between. Emotionless even. Maybe his interactions could change throughout the game? As in start he is utterly emotionless, and the more he uses his abilities and dies the more euphoric and bombastic he becomes.
@@DiamondRedYeahBoai I like the character, it just doesnt remind me of gragas. But I'm never apposed to reworks causing character development. They did it with Pantheons rework.
liked the appearance and the “purple ice” since we seriously have too many ice champions honestly. i see him as an engage support where the alcohol bombs slow or stun. alcohol potions can be given to allies to temporarily buff them. And an Ulti that makes players move opposite where their mouse clicks.
OOOH control switching would actually be so interesting Although it would reverse his current player base to be more heavily low-rank players than the current spread of high to top-level players, as an Ult like that is potentially useless against someone who faces it constantly
The ult drunk-like effect sounds super cool, but, because it's such a powerful hard CC, it has to be harder to use, not like malphite's ult, with a circle area and you just click, but maybe you have to channel it like fiddlesticks's, and it doesn't drop a barrel on top of everyone and inmediately cc them, but more like lillia's ult, you channel it, avoid getting it cancelled, and then it quickly but not instantly spreads to the enemies based on champion position, similar to how you react to a brand comboing in a teamfight, or a varus ulting the frontline, where you gotta move away to not spread the fire, but in this case you gotta move away to hopefully avoid the powerful brew's scent to cc you.
MF actually got that redesign over 6 years ago but people wanted sexy pirate lady rather then the badass pirate captain so thats what we get, she cannonically looks like her captain fortune skin splash
Riot is smart, why redesign when you can sell it as a skin? Want a sexy pirate lady? Use her original. Want badass pirate queen? Cough up them coins, ye landlubbers.
@@ThatsPrettyFunnyMan But they didn't, the model is still base fortune just with new textures so she is more or less the same, but i love the splash, plus its the look they use in new media outside of the cards in Legends of Runeterra
"But his massive constitution prevented him from reaching a divine state of intoxication." The kind that only blackout drunks and Steve Urkel can have.
The thing about Gragas is that his gameplay is some of the most sucessful there is, so any changes in that department is a huge risk where the reward might not be. His Q, E and R are very iconic abilities, the combos and playmaking potential for them combined isn't something likely to change. Lore and design? Yes, he is a mess. But his kit is so good that despite being an old champion, there is one department were Gragas is holding up very well.
What is I think a very important thing about Gragas in game is his physicality - he slams you with his belly so hard it knocks you up, gives you a slam and then he throws an exploding casket of god knows what on your face and blows you up. This is even more prominent since in the current version gragas is a burst champion once again (long gone are his full tank days of his AP ratios getting nerfed to the ground). He totally is a rowdy drunk barbarian. He should stay that but he needs a motivation to stay in the Ashe team and so forth. Like if you make him into a nice granddad you gonna defeat his whole identity not as a character (he has no story and no real motivation) but as a champion. For example the Voli rework didnt make him less of a rampaging animal, it made him more of that!
The nice grandad trope can be a whoop-yer-ass-from-monday-to-sunday grandad if you ever been outside the western hemisphere, couching moron hidden badass but subverted to a degree
I was about to comment something similar. The artistry is great as always, but I feel they really lost the flavor of his character in the rework. At his core, Gragas is a funny barrel throwing man who rams people.
I really like the curse concept because it explains his erratic and inconsistent behavior. He’s a jolly, creative, meticulous liquor aficionado, but his humanity is slowly draining so that he has these fits of irrational rage as he loses control
Personally, I think the whole "Gragas is a drunk" story wouldn't be so horrible if, as you stated, his story wasn't so rushed, because Gragas can be viewed as relatable, there is a MULTITUDE of people who would do anything for a drink, but the issue is they made his story way to one note. Even other stories where characters have a one track mind have the characters do more than JUST that one thing as they journey. Not to mention the number of contradictions within his lore. Dialing down his boorishness and more clearly defining his character is the right call, but I personally think the drunken aspect of his shell of a character has potential.
@@chakradarrat8832 I did, but even then, as Jack said, it's a much darker take on Gragas' story, and I personally would prefer an improvement upon his current jolly and wild story as opposed to making yet another dark character. There is already so many of those within the game that Gragas could be used to balance it out. I'm not saying he can't have some solemn and dark experiences/undertones, but I don't want him to be just another monster (in terms of his behaviors) in the game, he could be serious without being outright malevolent.
gragas being more dark would be pretty good imo. It would give him alot more lore other then ''obese drunkard''. Jax's lamp has more lore the gragas ffs
I know it was a joke but the whole "he wants to see God" bit made me think that a cool direction to take Gragas could be more shamanistic. He'd be a Freljord native, an Iceborn (in Universe it says he's a Freljord champion, his lore says he's not but doesn't say where he's from, so I'd say just make him Freljordian) who uses powerful brews to grant himself visions of higher powers, communicate with the Gods of Freljord through visions, taking on the sagacious qualities of the brother gods and the compassion of Anivia. I dunno, tattoos and seeing God just reads shaman to me. Great videooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really liked the darker take on his story. What makes it even sadder than it already is, what with his friends and loved ones waiting for hours to make him feel better only to have him never return, is that due to the corruption it could have affected his ageing to some degree in his new madness (or at least that's how my headcanon of this fan lore goes). And in the time, all the friends and family he had set out on this journey in order to properly connect and have fun with, all may be long dead. They never saw their son, brother or friend return after disappearing without a trace, and went their whole lives not knowing of the unfeeling creature he'd become. Also love how his existence is similar to Evelynn's just in a different way. As soon as someone meets Evelynn, they're brought to the highest pleasure one could experience before being murdered brutally. When someone meets Gragas, they have the time of their lives in pure drunken ecstasy before waking up the next morning to experience the chaos and destruction that ensued. If they wake up at all. It's kinda a far cry to his original character but it's much more meaningful, thought out, and in-depth than the Gragas in game. And that's coming from someone who loves Gragas EXTREMELY.
I would have loved to see him based more on the alchemy side of brewing. The foraging for ingredients, the maniacal way to brew in different fires or shards of ice. There is a whimsical element to it. But give him the obvious intelligence for which they claim he has.
I'm pretty surprised you didn't use Obelix, a secondary character from the Asterix comic, as inspiration. Obelix and Gragas are very similar character concepts, but Obelix is far more charming, developed, and "appropriate".
I like to imagine with Jack's design that Gragas uses his magical barrel almost like a mortar cannon to launch big chunks of boozy ice at people instead of pulling infinite barrels from his ass
2:23 in MF's case, that outfit in the ruined king game is actually her captain fortune skin and actually her correct look lore-wise after she beats gankplank and become captain fortune
@@nathanrichardsonn4460 I can't argue with your logic, but are you telling me that Gragus doesn't look like Gimli had his head slapped on to a sumo wrestler to you?
@@lucasAA927 He isn't from the Frejlord tho, can someone be an iceborn even if they come from somewhere else? Also even if he isn't an iceborn, I'm pretty sure the hope "joke" is that he is so fat and full of alcohol that it naturally keeps the cold away, like seals and other Arctic animals having a lot of fat in their body
@@hyuga9034 Yes. Sylas almost died touching True Ice because of it's 'raw magic'. Also Trundle wielding Bone Shiver indicates that you don't have to be a human to be granted Iceborn status.
Opinion: I appreciate the work put into this and it's a really well made video. But I actually prefer the Gragas we have now. I love his simplicity and overall nature! Not anything needs to have a weird story behind it. He's just a badass dude that literally wants to get drunk. That's it and it works. He carries a big cask around meaning he loves to drink anytime anyplace and all the time. He is massive in size (based on artwork - not in game model) and a huge belly stomach that he loves to show off. His tattoos - beard -eyebrows - cosmetics they all scream "come at me , idgaf ". His design is so amazing by being so simple ! And he also has that fascinating mystery about himself that makes you wonder what his story is. Maybe it's just me or maybe I missed the point of the video, but He is far from boring to me.
I actually love the way TF2 looks, it’s an exception to what I was saying about updating the visuals of your old game! I made a video about it a while back, check it out if you’re another TF2 fan!
Holy crap... from his lore and his initial design I was absolutely shocked that the final transformation turned out so well! Please continue to make these videos and provide the love and care that these characters deserve after being forgotten about by their own developers for so long.
"voices make ears hurty, *Enslaved Souls Of Innocent Genocide Victims* make it No hurty! : )" God, I loathe everything about Seraphine. And the thing is- If Riot had *actually* made her a manipulative, Sociopathic narcissist who would do *anything* for her spotlight and fame as her lore first implied, (albeit, accidentally...) I wouldn't hate her nearly as much. Because then she would be *interesting.*
He suffers from the same problem a lot of old champions do: even with a well-designed, well-rendered skin, his animations and voice acting are still so dated and awkward.
@@josiebianchi3481 RUMBLE INTENSIFIES : I mean just look at his badlands baron skin, it still uses the animations from the bipedal mech when the baron skin uses tank treads. Also if you see this subjectively, I vote for you to make rumble not look like Doctor Eggman
I haven't played LoL in years, but when I did Gragas was one of my characters. I am attracted to silly and fun designs. So while I loved a lot of the past redesigns, I think this one really misses. You guys did hit on some themes earlier in your discussion that I would think would fit better: Mirth and Artisan. What if he was an exwarrior that was a bar keeper and master brewer in retirement?
Jack: Gragas has no lore, Riot: proceeds to release a Gragas short story after Jack finished recording and all Jack:.......... That aside, I was waiting for this work of art since a while..
I can’t believe it, but hey- maybe this means Gragas will be receiving some love this coming year! Or maybe it’s just because they gave him a new skin.
Subjectively im not too keen on this idea. I liked the idea of him being more care-free and fun spirited so the sadder take on his backstory and visuals wasn't as interesting to me. But I do like the overall idea of actually showing the shard of true ice.
Actually, something that can be drawn as far as comparisons go to the Ice King from Adventure Time, as they are both seemingly goofy characters harbouring a corruptive ice-based artefact, with a shade of alcoholism symbolism in there (maybe more obvious in RE-Gragas here).
THIS WAS FANTASTIC. It was a great twist, that i didn't think of and it is fun to have a little darker version of a usually goofy, jolly looking character. Great lore and a great look that pays homage to the old design while keeping it fresh. That was a problem i had with the other design. I feel like they strayed too far from the original design, or didn't pay enough attention to the original design. Great work
Well, i don't blame you guys spending over half the presentation grinding in his absence of lore: it is all a cobbled patchwork of years of lore snippets from when the Institute of War was a thing.
I’m really looking forward to more of these! I hope you do Qiyana. Her early concept art made her look like a badass battle princess but what we got was pretty disappointing. Also, it’s really nice to see 3 of you guys talk about character designs. I would really like a livestream or a podcast just about you guys talking about character design or anything in general :)
I adore this series! I think there are many champions deserving of redesigns, if I may suggest them: Caitlyn, Zilean, Ashe, OH MY GOD ASHE, Kassadin for sure, Olaf and finally, I think Nocturne can be done so so much with that's not Shadowman made of Shadows.
The design is really neat, especially with the owl theme you suggested, but... well, there really isn't anywhere for Gragas' story to *go* with this new bio. He's a wandering spirit/myth in the Freljord. What does he want? What would motivate him to do anything? Sure, you have characters like the Kindred that are just wandering spirits without an ultimate goal, but Kindred has a clear motive: they are Runeterra's psychopomp, so they will naturally look for the dead, and try to preserve its sanctity; so they have a clear conflict with someone like (for example) Mordekaiser who is looking to defy them. This new Gragas has nothing like that: he's achieved his goal, but what would drive him to fight somebody? He wants to party? Okay... that doesn't really tell us anything about who he is. He's also missing the fun, silly component that old Gragas had. We have enough dark and edgy champs, and we've been getting more of them as time has gone on. Why not make the drunkard the fun one? Also being a drunk feels tacked-on for the sake of keeping a connection to old Gragas.
imagine if gragas was some sort of like, dionysus-type being. thatd make him a more interesting character in my opinion then a human fat stereotypes edit: i watched more of the video LOL
The question is: does every character need to have some award winning, tear-inducing tragic backstory to fit in league? I dont think so. With how vast the league of legends world is, it is to be expected that some weird guy with a strange life-quest end ups in the rift. That's why I dont find the part about getting cast out because blablabla useful nor needed. But well, it is something subjective.
in my opinion, every playable champions in League of LEGENDS should feel like they are actual Legends. A normal guy just looking for some booze should be in Legends of Runeterra and be a side character.
@@nitram.9621 yes. What they do, how they behave and their uniqueness is what makes someone a legend. A normal guy who is a drunk looking for beer ingredients is not a legend. I'm sorry but it just doesn't make much sense.
Yeah i agree. I think is original "fun" is completely lost with this rework. If they would like to give a reason for him wanting to be drunk it could be connected with a religion or something like that (i'm picturing something like the priest in Vineland saga for example). Making him a victim of corruption disallow him a lot, in my opinion, and makes his love from drinking something evil and shameful that can only be justified by "he's doing this against his will". This final rendition, without the soppy corruption parts, and with a bit of fun (and some indications of the religion, if we would go by that) would result best, to please new players and not alienate the older ones. I also find his current kit fine and didn't like the ideias they had for new abilities but that's more of a full subjective topic
I think its a great concept and there is some real atristic talent going on in this video. that being said, I do feel the angle is too dark. LoL is fulled to the brim with corrupted creatures, wielders of terrible weapons or powers and old creatures. If anything I would like him to be jolly.
This one is the best. I love it. I think the darker tone is optional, thought. He could be a wandering brewer, bringing joy despite the true ice influence, just happy to finally connect with people.
The design is very cool in appearance but I think I agree with others when I say that it seems to be missing the fun and merry side of Gragas that makes him such a great character. This might be something easy to miss if you don't play the champ maybe. I like the idea of incorporating true ice and snow more into his look, but I think it would be a lot more fitting to have Gragas become something more akin to Braum - a Freljordian Folk-Hero type character whose drunken antics and acts of bravery have earned him a place in Freljordian legends. In particular, I think you could draw a lot of inspiration from figures like Cayden Cailean (from Pathfinder lore), who is a God of Drunkenness who ascended to divinity accidentally while they were blackout drunk, and can't even remember how they became a god in the first place. Tweaking that a bit and finding a unique story in it could lead to a personality a bit more in line with Gragas' current design while also tying it to the lore. I just think that the corrupted version of Gragas is a bit too dark and cynical, comes off a bit too much "alcoholism monster" and not enough "cheery keg-thrower"
“I appreciate his beard as a barrier between me and him” Dang Clair, casting those firaga spells like no one’s business 😳 But for reals, this was such a drastic shift in this character I can’t stop loving his redesign. Y’all could make your graphic novel or story if u wanted to!
I got inspired from your idea of a gragas reimagining so here's my redone bio > Gragas was once a great brewer of fine alcohol, kind and caring for his customers, always finding new ways to impress with his ales, wines and beers, with his constitution lending him plenty of time for trial and error to achieve the perfect brew. At the eve of a grand festival in his home village, Gragas found himself unable to concoct appropriately delightful drink, finding them insufficient to satisfy the people. A sage from afar offered the use of magic to enhance the strength of the Brew. He, reluctantly, agreed and the sage got to work. Little did he know, the magic of the sage came from none other than the Frost Witch's citadel of true ice, a mere shard of that accursed place found its way into the barrel, from whence the enhanced brew would be served. The true ice's corruption spread like a plague from every cup of brew, infecting the minds of the people. By the festivals end, Gragas stood alone, spared from the icy death, but maddened from the horrors witnessed. He now wonders the Freljord, haunted by visions of what he allowed to happen, carrying the barrel of abhorrent drink with the shard of ice within, so that nobody else discovers it and succumbs to the effect.
if I had to change something in this lore I wouldn't make him emotionless, rather I would make that because of his build he is the only one that can drink his true ice ale, and because he's really ancient he's lonely. he searches for someone who is as passionate about dirnkind and could drink his ale with him and wouldn't die. that would still make him a happy drunk and that would also explain all his barrel tossing, in a sense he's "sharing his drink", but because no one else can survive it they take damage instead
Low key wish liked him being a more joke character. Like, there are plenty of edgy, corrupted, and serious characters. He definitely had some room to grow, but the humor was nice.
I think there's a place for ironic comedy and simplicity in league of legends. For example, Rammus has it; It's just a Fing armadillo that says "ok". The inhabitants of Shurima are as puzzled by him as we are, believing him a spirit/god and revering him with culture and festivities in his name. Braum has another kind of ironic simplicity. He's just the protagonist and role model of every fable freljordian mothers tell their children when they go to bed, except he's REAL. You can build history and stories around those, even in their simplicity, and even if your proposed redesign is really cool, I think it doesn't need to be as deep as it is.
I would make him a foreingner in frejorld, maybe he is from bilgwather and travel to the freljord searching for brewing materials. There he became friend with the locals who are also brawly and love drinking, maybe his weird tatoos are a sing of the tribe acepting him as a member ( cause they seem like painted and not real tattos like braum). He somehow find the legendary Endless keg ( the barrel with the true ice is the one from the Ornn lore. The one wich the troll used to trick ornn into making him the vault door)
Personally I would rather see Gragas as a merry guy who loves to drink, but also deeply loves the Freljord and it’s people. He’s the Brew Master, an artisan, Druid, and potion maker. He has traveled Runeterra seeking ingredients and brewing methods in order to perfect his grog. He loves to party, but his tolerance is so high he had to create his own grog. His fighting style is based on a form of drunken boxing he learned in Ionia, mixed with his trademark body slams. He brews drinks of many magical properties, including one that increases his strength, as well as the one which creates his explosive cask. While a tragic backstory can give a lot to his character, I dont think it’s necessary. I think he should have some tragedy in his life, but it seems boring to make that his character. My thinking for Gragas is that he is a person who deeply loves people, especially the Freljord. He’s an artisan and a lover of life. He wishes to protect it and believes that all Freljordians should be allowed to thrive. This places him at odds with Sejuani, and aligns him with Ashe. He returns to the Freljord and witnessing the conflict ravaging the land, seeks to end it, and aid the Avarosans with his potions to help level the playing field for those seen as weak. Perhaps Gragas was not always large. Perhaps due to the discovery of some magical power, a frail young brewer became quite imposing. But it comes at the cost of being able to enjoy drink, which sets him on his quest to create the perfect grog.
I'm 100% with you on this. You can create a lot of interesting dynamics with just his wandering brewmaster idea, too! My personal headcanon is that Gragas didn't randomly stumble on a shard of true ice in the wilderness, he won it in a drunken contest against the troll king himself, Trundle! This gives trundle a complex relationship with Gragas, (which he desperately needs more of): Trundle still really loves hanging out with Gragas, but Lissandra kind of wants that shard of true ice back. Also, Ornn brings a TON of potential to Gragas, He's an artisan, after all, and making Gragas a legendary party guy could be a way for him to draw Ornn out of his shell. Gragas' bullheadedness also makes him a perfect fit to embody Ornn as a patron. Braum is already canonically Gragas' drinking buddy, but I'd also love for him to meet Ivern, they'd make a really fun pairing! Ultimately I want a Gragas that loves life, wants to meet people and share his art with the world while leaving a little chaos in his wake... I... I kinda want Gragas to just be League of Legends' Monkey D. Luffy, really.
I really enjoy where you guys went with it, I like the concept. I just want Gragas to really interact with alcohol and drinks because it fits to his style and like some of the comments here, him not being happy or joyful doesn't really make sense. Seeing that he DRINKS alcohol and is basically an Alcoholic on steroids, he would most likely be joyful and happy, cause that makes sense. I think maybe taking the concept of bartending and alchemy and clashing it together would be interesting. He could be this joyful guy with flasks attached to him on his side or maybe dragging on his back as a cape and he mixes them and drinks for the full effect or something of that sort. Not sure. But making him CORRUPT with power and dark, Idk, doesn't go well with me
Holy fuck, this story is amazing, not only is it compelling and tragic, but the fact that its part myth makes it ambiguous how much of it is true and how much it's a lessonf for fredljordian teens to not drink (the same ways fairy tales like little red Riding Hood were meant to teach children not to talk to strangers).
I would have loved if you emphasized the jolly, drink-loving aspect of Gragas in his design. You really focused on the lonely, sad, and corrupted aspect, but I think that kind of erases what people liked about Gragas as a character, that he's here to have a good time and get himself or others drunk. There's definitely ways to make Gragas have deeper, lore while keeping that aspect of him. Maybe he used to be really sad and lonely until he found the ice shard, making him become this merry, constantly drunk party-lover who journeys across the land to spread drink and cheer, similar to what Gragas in the lore does when he meets Ashe's faction, except with less drunken rage and more partying. With that idea, I think it would be awesome if Gragas had some sort of large AoE CC for his ultimate that forces enemies to dance in place for a couple seconds before they all take damage based on how many enemies were caught in the blast (like a ranged Diana Ultimate but with more emphasis on CC), sort of emphasizing Gragas spreading the joys of drink and partying while getting all the enemies drunk off their collective asses.
Amazing Job, what an incredible lore building and design analysis! I think the redesign was quite a dark turn for the character, but it certainly added an intricate and alluring concept. I wish riot saw this video. Well done guys!
Okay so here is how I see it. Visually this looks great, I especially like the arm, updated beard and the little extra cloth over his shoulders. But as others have already said, this new darker version, while quite a cool idea honestly, kinda just goes too far away from what current gragas is. The new story shows that he travels around the Frejlord and possibly even all of Runeterra to gather rare herbs, like the so called Azirs tears, to enhance his drink even more. It also showed that he can be a friendly person but also someone who probably won't step down from a fight, your guys version of the lore kinda takes this away. Not to mention, gragas being just a normal human without too much magic or unnatural stuff to me feels like one of the appealing points of him. That soft corruption from shard is great but making it so he's pretty much a monster or even seen as a deity is quite the step up and could honestly just be used for a completely new and original character. One more thing I want to say, from what I've heard and seen, many many MANY people agree on the fact that Gragas ability set is pretty much perfect and aside from a little modernizing doesn't really need much of a change. I absolutely ADORE the idea for the ultimate with sticking a teammate in the barrel and going down a line with them, it's such a funny and awesome idea and it would honestly fit Gragas, but I'm not sure if changing his ult to this would sit well with those who enjoy him right now. Despite all of this, you guys nailed it again. This is a amazing redesign concept and it was super interesting and Informative to see and hear your perspectives!
This series has such an interesting concept, normally people do fan art of things they like, not things they don't like. Loved this episode. Also, nice music choice on that queen sectonia battle piano cover.
It would be cool to see his team-based skills to be pushed even further. What if you could buy a potion/elixer that represents his brew that gives you some improved stats oved the other potions/elixers? Kinda like how Ornn enhances his allies' items.
Love this Gragas! The tragedy is such a great concept to make Gragas more relatable. Seeking purpose. I imagine him having that crazy, chaotic nature of Rick Sanches during his party shenanigans, a sprinkle of Hagrid and Braum when he encounters new people, jolly, friendly, big, comedic, but when you ask him certain things he becomes vague, frowning towards himself and doesn’t really want tot talk about it. Kind of like a sad Hagrid and the demeanour of the viking father in How To Train Your Dragon when he is an emotional dilemma. He asks certain people to drink with him and refrains from bringing it up with young ones. It’s not stated in Gragas lore but he is a really good friend with Jax so some battle experience is also implied to stand with someone as jax. I somehow get his voice more like Braum but a bit more sickly like Rick Sanches but the drunk Scottish person is a bit overused, even tho Rick isn’t Scottish. The only personal nit-pick is the tendrils of his right arm. It’s a bit to eldritch and makes it look like it comes from a different region, like a mix between void and jungle. Overall 10/10
I think my interpretation of Gragas wouldn't stray too far from what he is now in concept; put simply, he'd be a brewmaster, just this savant-level genius in terms of brewmaking (like certain Pandaren in WoW), except he's always drunk because he personally tastes his own brews. And so you have this drunken oaf who's actually super refined and even friendly despite his appearance. Perhaps he's even amassed a cult-like following in the Freljord, a group that follows him around, interprets his drunken ramblings, and venerates THIS MAN as if he were a god. I think of Gragas as the anti-Braum, equally warm and jolly but not in the same way. As for visuals, I'd put the true ice shard on a piece of jewelry, perhaps a gauntlet, or maybe just straight up braided into his beard. Give him better proportions and a shinier new model, as well as a more coherent Freljord-y colour scheme. Slap some bits of plate on there and some furs, and also make his tattoos match those of champions like Braum or Sejuani. I like the tavern brawler archetype, and I think the drunken oaf who's secretly a master artisan (I know, every fantasy dwarf ever made but I stand by it) is enough of a spin on that to make it interesting. For me, the put-off with current Gragas isn't any part of his concept but just how poorly executed it is as a product of it being over 10 years old. He doesn't need to become a new character, just to be made shiny and new again. At least that's my opinion
I will say that out of all the "boring" champions in League, I think Gragas is the least boring. still love the redesign tho also I want that design at 1:57 to make it into the game so bad holy shit
Does anyone else get a "Sit down, grab some hot chocolate and a blanket to wrap yourself up in nice and tight while I tell you a story next to this blazing fire place" vibe from their splash art.
I really like the redesign. It feels a bit like since you were going the Freljord route you could have looked at the Norse pantheon instead of Dionysus and Bacchus. You have Aegir (Jotun that holds feasts for the gods) or maybe you could go the Freyr route (though he is kinda different he is somewhat Dionysus-like)... Not everything has to be the Greek/Rome gods :P But as I said I really like the redesign. I especially like the corruption thing about his drink consumption. He kinda embodies some of the good and some of the bad parts of drinking. Maybe he could get boons if sharing his drink with teammates and friends while corruption if drinking alone.
The design is very cool. A much more respectful gragas. I would love to have this character in the game. But the lore was a miss. Fat characters don't have to have their story defined by their weight. They can just be fat and have a story.
I think you guys do an unmatched job at explaining the artistic "subjective" side of a characters design. You guys explain things in a way thats easy to understand, yet establishes your detailed points well. I have played league for a long long time and am a die hard Renekton main since day 1. I know Renekton aint the first champion that comes to mind when it comes to outdated designs, but i think that his model and kit do not really nail what Renekton is or can do. I myself have drawn concepts for a potential rework, to build off what hes supposed to be. As he currently is, hes short, mindless, and not exactly what a Crocodile humanoid should do. As i said, you guys explain things so well and so on-the-ball that i would be so honored if you guys did a video discussing a redesign on my boy, Renekton. Its far fetched, but i think he would give you guys lots to talk about.
That made up lore was amazing, like, love me some tragic drama. It almost made me tear up, but it honestly doesn't fit Gragas at all. He could use some visual redesign or tweaking like we have now in wild rift, and his lore page needs a good look too, but he is not supposed nor needs a serious, tragic and complex back story. Not every single champion is meant to be a key part of a runeterran event, some are just some weird, laid back or even goofy characters notable enough due to some quirks of personality or abilities. The recent story they made for Gragas gives him just that. He still is this master craftsman that pursues his magnum opus. He is not evil nor irrationally violent but can turn a building upside down if you mess with him in the wrong way. He needs to retain this carefree, powerfull and wild style.
Honestly, i quite like gragas as it is now, i admit it could have a visual update, but i don't think i would like something so different from the original. A cheerful and belligerent hal-drunk fat man is an idea so fun to me, and it's actual lines, although old and scarse, make me giggle every time. Whit characters like veigar and lulu running arround in league, i don't think is that much of a problem if a champion is made to be funny. "Happy hour. Incoming!" -Gragas
What I always cherished in Gragas was his casual appearance and kit. He looks like a big drunk with a barrel, he is played like a big drunk with a barrel. Simple and effective. Doesn't have to be "ooooh he is corrupted and ooooh strong magic". I enjoy the simple traits that defined him in my mind and miss character creation reminiscent of his : simple idea put into effective design.
Gragas is supposed to be a meme, dude. You're overanalysing him. He's just a guy who wants to get drunk and fight. Not every character needs an overly complicated motivation. Subjectively, of course.
While i agree that Gragas's creation is pretty old, the whole opening video is infuriating to watch. It feels like i'm watching the a kid complaining about the PC his dad built in 2010 is slow and can't handle alot of games compare to his new 2000$ PC he recently built, i mean no crap Sherlock, continuing to complain about won't make your point any better than previously stated.
Thinks changes him into a new character completely and in turn his play style which might not be bad considering he wasn't much to begin with character-wise but I wouldn't want another champion to get aatrox'd the corruption think makes him sound like another somber, haunted champion and I think his character is made more for levity so instead of being corrupted by balestriders he could be imbued with the magic from the true ice shard he drinks from in his barrel and maybe he could be dressed like Braum his belly covered with a half-plate and pants it would make sense because his signature is his keg toss and his belly bump
I was always under the impression that the ropes around Graggas’ limbs were meant to be a kind of peasants’ armor used in pre-sengoku Japan (*that i cannot remember the name of and google won’t help me*), which doesn’ actually protect much but reduces bleeding by acting as a loose tourniquet, allowing one to stay standing longer. Very cost-effective for those who couldn’t afford a proper set of Yoroi and weren’t afraid to throw their lives away.
i dont know why i don't see more comments about the art itself. i am in awe at the openness of sharing yalls drawing processes. love seeing the different art styles and ideas that went into them, you guys are incredibly talented and creative and it makes my heart explode with excitement to have found a channel as interesting as this. gonna watch more stuff of yalls :))
Kinda crazy that Riot added a story to Gragas’s lore page the DAY BEFORE we uploaded this video. Go check it out, it definitely adds more depth to his character: universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/story/champion/gragas/
Qiyana next please. The place where she came from, Ixtal, is a meso-american based sophisticated kingdom who hid themselves from the world within the jungle with powerful magic, clearly is too interesting and rich in lore for her to be looking like.. whatever she is right now.
@@ThatsPrettyFunnyMan Qiyana doesn't need a redesign, she is quite new, and she looks like a spoiled princess, like she should.
What I like is the new lore doesn't necessarily invalidate your design - if anything it sets the stage for your ice lore really well, if you take that story as something that happened before Gragas finds the ice shard.
Leage of legends vid league of legends ad
The ice shard is in his barrel. it's kept in his drink because it never melts, well it does but it doesn't & it helps him drink from the barrel forever. Because of that shard he also kind of gets similar abilities to beings known as the ice born basic cold immunity
Just based on the original lore, I would have made him a Berserker's apprentice of sorts. They get drunk before battles so they can basically blackout before murdering people. But since Gragas can't get drunk, he'd be working to find the perfect brew to join the higher ranks.
You. I like you.
Thats genuinely such a great idea. I actually prefer this to the magic ice direction they went in
I like this so much!!
Oh hell yes.
@@finalpixel224 you know we could integrate the true ice in the story. (ice that never melts and that can only be utilized by iceborns which gragas is(?) )
Original Gragas: I just want to get drunk :D
Subjectively Gragas: Please, I just want to get drunk :(
Original Gragas: _BURP_
Subjectively Gragas: _sigh_
He wants to see god
The light and never look back
When Gragas dances I just have to constantly remind myself that this isn't club penguin
As much as I love the design, and the lore, hes missing that fun spirit that the OG Gragas had. I'm fine with the dark tones of the True Ice's corruption, but to turn him into a character that feels nothing at all as apposed to grinning, merrytime Gragas of old seems like a big jump. Of course, opinions. I enjoyed the new take either way. Just seemed a bit far from the little personality Gragas had to begin with.
As I understood he still has his euphoric highs and happiness, when he is drinking the dark ice shard. Just his normal self is kind of emotionless, and only thing that provides him any emotion is the corrupted flask he carries along. Also it sounds like he could be from Piltover. His size could be a chemical accident, and the corrupted ice shard could be, because the corrupted ice spawned when Lissandra tried to freeze down the Watchers aka Void, the shard could be literally corrupting him as the void. His lows and explosions of spreading the dark ice could be subconsciously void using him as a vessel to break free in Freljord. Similar to what Malzahar does. But Gragas's case is much more complex, aka alcohol and flask.
@@DiamondRedYeahBoai I suppose. I guess it's just offputting that gragas now has depth. Maybe I need to actually look more into this than keep the surface level.
I think Gragas now isn't even that bad, I liked the OG better
@@chumisfum5337 it's weird. I know. But his interactions in this form would be so interesting... He could be depressed, euphoric, utterly drunk and everything in between. Emotionless even. Maybe his interactions could change throughout the game? As in start he is utterly emotionless, and the more he uses his abilities and dies the more euphoric and bombastic he becomes.
@@DiamondRedYeahBoai I like the character, it just doesnt remind me of gragas. But I'm never apposed to reworks causing character development. They did it with Pantheons rework.
Community: Gragas is GROSS.
Gragas: Dancing and Burping Intensifies.
More like
Community: gragas is T H I C C
vmalgaiag
wlraC
,, wtq
@@johnpauljonesisabadass8134 Yes Gragas > any female character > monster character > male character
As a Jhin main I can not like this coment because I would brake the 444
@i like potatoes he must be tired carrying that D U M P T R U C K
as a gragas main, this brings great christmas joy
So in your opinion is he a dwarf?
how do you deal with the burps dude..?
@@thatonekid6677 Bro is used to the blurbs because he heard it too much
@@attonixgreen2868 isn't gragas an 8 foot guy in his added lore?
@@casualboysirius he just looks like a dwarf to me would explain a lot if he was
liked the appearance and the “purple ice” since we seriously have too many ice champions honestly. i see him as an engage support where the alcohol bombs slow or stun. alcohol potions can be given to allies to temporarily buff them. And an Ulti that makes players move opposite where their mouse clicks.
OOOH control switching would actually be so interesting
Although it would reverse his current player base to be more heavily low-rank players than the current spread of high to top-level players, as an Ult like that is potentially useless against someone who faces it constantly
that just sounds a bit like bacchus from smite, who's even more obnoxious than gragas is
The last one is so useless and baf
The ult drunk-like effect sounds super cool, but, because it's such a powerful hard CC, it has to be harder to use, not like malphite's ult, with a circle area and you just click, but maybe you have to channel it like fiddlesticks's, and it doesn't drop a barrel on top of everyone and inmediately cc them, but more like lillia's ult, you channel it, avoid getting it cancelled, and then it quickly but not instantly spreads to the enemies based on champion position, similar to how you react to a brand comboing in a teamfight, or a varus ulting the frontline, where you gotta move away to not spread the fire, but in this case you gotta move away to hopefully avoid the powerful brew's scent to cc you.
So you want to make him Baron Samedi and Bacchus?
MF actually got that redesign over 6 years ago but people wanted sexy pirate lady rather then the badass pirate captain so thats what we get, she cannonically looks like her captain fortune skin splash
Have you seen the models in wild rift? She's the badass pirate queen we all wanted
Can we not just have both?
Riot is smart, why redesign when you can sell it as a skin?
Want a sexy pirate lady? Use her original. Want badass pirate queen? Cough up them coins, ye landlubbers.
@@ThatsPrettyFunnyMan But they didn't, the model is still base fortune just with new textures so she is more or less the same, but i love the splash, plus its the look they use in new media outside of the cards in Legends of Runeterra
i kept reading motherfucker and not misfortune so i was so confused
"But his massive constitution prevented him from reaching a divine state of intoxication."
The kind that only blackout drunks and Steve Urkel can have.
'did i do that'
That's from John Mulaney right?
yes it is : )
this had me ballin' in laughter xD
It’s the one thing you can’t replace
The thing about Gragas is that his gameplay is some of the most sucessful there is, so any changes in that department is a huge risk where the reward might not be. His Q, E and R are very iconic abilities, the combos and playmaking potential for them combined isn't something likely to change. Lore and design? Yes, he is a mess. But his kit is so good that despite being an old champion, there is one department were Gragas is holding up very well.
What is I think a very important thing about Gragas in game is his physicality - he slams you with his belly so hard it knocks you up, gives you a slam and then he throws an exploding casket of god knows what on your face and blows you up. This is even more prominent since in the current version gragas is a burst champion once again (long gone are his full tank days of his AP ratios getting nerfed to the ground). He totally is a rowdy drunk barbarian. He should stay that but he needs a motivation to stay in the Ashe team and so forth. Like if you make him into a nice granddad you gonna defeat his whole identity not as a character (he has no story and no real motivation) but as a champion. For example the Voli rework didnt make him less of a rampaging animal, it made him more of that!
The nice grandad trope can be a whoop-yer-ass-from-monday-to-sunday grandad if you ever been outside the western hemisphere, couching moron hidden badass but subverted to a degree
I was about to comment something similar. The artistry is great as always, but I feel they really lost the flavor of his character in the rework. At his core, Gragas is a funny barrel throwing man who rams people.
I really like the curse concept because it explains his erratic and inconsistent behavior. He’s a jolly, creative, meticulous liquor aficionado, but his humanity is slowly draining so that he has these fits of irrational rage as he loses control
Personally, I think the whole "Gragas is a drunk" story wouldn't be so horrible if, as you stated, his story wasn't so rushed, because Gragas can be viewed as relatable, there is a MULTITUDE of people who would do anything for a drink, but the issue is they made his story way to one note. Even other stories where characters have a one track mind have the characters do more than JUST that one thing as they journey. Not to mention the number of contradictions within his lore. Dialing down his boorishness and more clearly defining his character is the right call, but I personally think the drunken aspect of his shell of a character has potential.
did you check the new story he has?
@@chakradarrat8832 I did, but even then, as Jack said, it's a much darker take on Gragas' story, and I personally would prefer an improvement upon his current jolly and wild story as opposed to making yet another dark character. There is already so many of those within the game that Gragas could be used to balance it out. I'm not saying he can't have some solemn and dark experiences/undertones, but I don't want him to be just another monster (in terms of his behaviors) in the game, he could be serious without being outright malevolent.
@@prah_da_g No, the new story Riot released.
@@mawillix2018 Ah I misunderstood. No, I'll look into it.
gragas being more dark would be pretty good imo. It would give him alot more lore other then ''obese drunkard''. Jax's lamp has more lore the gragas ffs
I know it was a joke but the whole "he wants to see God" bit made me think that a cool direction to take Gragas could be more shamanistic. He'd be a Freljord native, an Iceborn (in Universe it says he's a Freljord champion, his lore says he's not but doesn't say where he's from, so I'd say just make him Freljordian) who uses powerful brews to grant himself visions of higher powers, communicate with the Gods of Freljord through visions, taking on the sagacious qualities of the brother gods and the compassion of Anivia. I dunno, tattoos and seeing God just reads shaman to me.
Great videooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That would be a super awesome characterization for him, I like that!!
I really liked the darker take on his story. What makes it even sadder than it already is, what with his friends and loved ones waiting for hours to make him feel better only to have him never return, is that due to the corruption it could have affected his ageing to some degree in his new madness (or at least that's how my headcanon of this fan lore goes). And in the time, all the friends and family he had set out on this journey in order to properly connect and have fun with, all may be long dead. They never saw their son, brother or friend return after disappearing without a trace, and went their whole lives not knowing of the unfeeling creature he'd become.
Also love how his existence is similar to Evelynn's just in a different way. As soon as someone meets Evelynn, they're brought to the highest pleasure one could experience before being murdered brutally. When someone meets Gragas, they have the time of their lives in pure drunken ecstasy before waking up the next morning to experience the chaos and destruction that ensued. If they wake up at all.
It's kinda a far cry to his original character but it's much more meaningful, thought out, and in-depth than the Gragas in game. And that's coming from someone who loves Gragas EXTREMELY.
I would have loved to see him based more on the alchemy side of brewing. The foraging for ingredients, the maniacal way to brew in different fires or shards of ice. There is a whimsical element to it. But give him the obvious intelligence for which they claim he has.
I'm pretty surprised you didn't use Obelix, a secondary character from the Asterix comic, as inspiration. Obelix and Gragas are very similar character concepts, but Obelix is far more charming, developed, and "appropriate".
I like to imagine with Jack's design that Gragas uses his magical barrel almost like a mortar cannon to launch big chunks of boozy ice at people instead of pulling infinite barrels from his ass
love this idea
2:23 in MF's case, that outfit in the ruined king game is actually her captain fortune skin and actually her correct look lore-wise after she beats gankplank and become captain fortune
Aka business rito didnt want to update her in the game menu lol
It's like they wanted to stick a Dwarf in the game, but Dwarves don't exist in Runeterra.
That’s Ornn buddy
@@nathanrichardsonn4460 I can't argue with your logic, but are you telling me that Gragus doesn't look like Gimli had his head slapped on to a sumo wrestler to you?
Well Yordles can kinda count as dwarves I guess?
@@megarayquaza9054 Nah. They're probably more like Goblins, just cuter.
29:45 As far as I know, Gragas is asumed to be an iceborn, unaffected by any cool, similar to Braum.
He is an iceborn, if he wasn't he would just die from touching the ice
@@lucasAA927 He isn't from the Frejlord tho, can someone be an iceborn even if they come from somewhere else?
Also even if he isn't an iceborn, I'm pretty sure the hope "joke" is that he is so fat and full of alcohol that it naturally keeps the cold away, like seals and other Arctic animals having a lot of fat in their body
@@hyuga9034 Yes. Sylas almost died touching True Ice because of it's 'raw magic'. Also Trundle wielding Bone Shiver indicates that you don't have to be a human to be granted Iceborn status.
Opinion: I appreciate the work put into this and it's a really well made video. But I actually prefer the Gragas we have now. I love his simplicity and overall nature! Not anything needs to have a weird story behind it. He's just a badass dude that literally wants to get drunk. That's it and it works. He carries a big cask around meaning he loves to drink anytime anyplace and all the time. He is massive in size (based on artwork - not in game model) and a huge belly stomach that he loves to show off. His tattoos - beard -eyebrows - cosmetics they all scream "come at me , idgaf ". His design is so amazing by being so simple ! And he also has that fascinating mystery about himself that makes you wonder what his story is. Maybe it's just me or maybe I missed the point of the video, but He is far from boring to me.
LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOO ANOTHER VISUAL REWOOORK!
"Tell that to TF2" Why must you hurt me.
I actually love the way TF2 looks, it’s an exception to what I was saying about updating the visuals of your old game! I made a video about it a while back, check it out if you’re another TF2 fan!
@@Subjectively I was about to say tf2 still looks fantastic
@@Subjectively Woah you made a tf2 video? That's so cool! I can't seem to find it anymore?
"lets fucking gooo" is literally what theyre trying to do with this redesign
Holy crap... from his lore and his initial design I was absolutely shocked that the final transformation turned out so well! Please continue to make these videos and provide the love and care that these characters deserve after being forgotten about by their own developers for so long.
I was half way through drawing my festive Pokémon and got surprised with this treat!
His lore is 6 paragraphs, while Seraphine’s lore can be explained in 5 sentences
"voices make ears hurty, *Enslaved Souls Of Innocent Genocide Victims* make it No hurty! : )"
God, I loathe everything about Seraphine. And the thing is- If Riot had *actually* made her a manipulative, Sociopathic narcissist who would do *anything* for her spotlight and fame as her lore first implied, (albeit, accidentally...) I wouldn't hate her nearly as much.
Because then she would be *interesting.*
I could imagine one of his quotes could be like
“I do have a drinking problem, but it’s not what you think it is”
Luckily his newest skin makes him somewhat nice looking but those voice lines still just ruin him. But yeah he definitely deserves a rework.
He suffers from the same problem a lot of old champions do: even with a well-designed, well-rendered skin, his animations and voice acting are still so dated and awkward.
@@Subjectively yeahhhh
@@Subjectively udyr intensifies
@@josiebianchi3481 RUMBLE INTENSIFIES :
I mean just look at his badlands baron skin, it still uses the animations from the bipedal mech when the baron skin uses tank treads. Also if you see this subjectively, I vote for you to make rumble not look like Doctor Eggman
@@Subjectively He's beautiful as he is. Handsome and strong, and gots the voice of an angel.
I haven't played LoL in years, but when I did Gragas was one of my characters. I am attracted to silly and fun designs. So while I loved a lot of the past redesigns, I think this one really misses. You guys did hit on some themes earlier in your discussion that I would think would fit better: Mirth and Artisan. What if he was an exwarrior that was a bar keeper and master brewer in retirement?
Now that you mention Caitlyn's design I NEED to see her with an updated outfit.
Ay, you got it
Jack: Gragas has no lore,
Riot: proceeds to release a Gragas short story after Jack finished recording and all
Jack:..........
That aside, I was waiting for this work of art since a while..
Are you joking? They did?
@@minedantaken1684 nope he is right there's a short story about graggy boy on universe rn
@@minedantaken1684 its called a well earned tip
I can’t believe it, but hey- maybe this means Gragas will be receiving some love this coming year! Or maybe it’s just because they gave him a new skin.
Subjectively im not too keen on this idea. I liked the idea of him being more care-free and fun spirited so the sadder take on his backstory and visuals wasn't as interesting to me. But I do like the overall idea of actually showing the shard of true ice.
Actually, something that can be drawn as far as comparisons go to the Ice King from Adventure Time, as they are both seemingly goofy characters harbouring a corruptive ice-based artefact, with a shade of alcoholism symbolism in there (maybe more obvious in RE-Gragas here).
THIS
WAS
FANTASTIC.
It was a great twist, that i didn't think of and it is fun to have a little darker version of a usually goofy, jolly looking character. Great lore and a great look that pays homage to the old design while keeping it fresh. That was a problem i had with the other design. I feel like they strayed too far from the original design, or didn't pay enough attention to the original design.
Great work
Well, i don't blame you guys spending over half the presentation grinding in his absence of lore: it is all a cobbled patchwork of years of lore snippets from when the Institute of War was a thing.
I’m really looking forward to more of these! I hope you do Qiyana. Her early concept art made her look like a badass battle princess but what we got was pretty disappointing. Also, it’s really nice to see 3 of you guys talk about character designs. I would really like a livestream or a podcast just about you guys talking about character design or anything in general :)
He's assassin alchemist. He likes the throwables.
I adore this series! I think there are many champions deserving of redesigns, if I may suggest them: Caitlyn, Zilean, Ashe, OH MY GOD ASHE, Kassadin for sure, Olaf and finally, I think Nocturne can be done so so much with that's not Shadowman made of Shadows.
I would of made it similar to Pop Fizz from Skylanders, where his drink mutares his into an angry ice beast due to the crystal
I´ve never played LOL, nor I intend to. But I´ve always loved their characters, art, lore and videos. It´s really something.
I would love to see a Vladimir redesign, today he's just a genereic vampire
He's not even a Vampire
The design is really neat, especially with the owl theme you suggested, but... well, there really isn't anywhere for Gragas' story to *go* with this new bio. He's a wandering spirit/myth in the Freljord. What does he want? What would motivate him to do anything? Sure, you have characters like the Kindred that are just wandering spirits without an ultimate goal, but Kindred has a clear motive: they are Runeterra's psychopomp, so they will naturally look for the dead, and try to preserve its sanctity; so they have a clear conflict with someone like (for example) Mordekaiser who is looking to defy them. This new Gragas has nothing like that: he's achieved his goal, but what would drive him to fight somebody? He wants to party? Okay... that doesn't really tell us anything about who he is.
He's also missing the fun, silly component that old Gragas had. We have enough dark and edgy champs, and we've been getting more of them as time has gone on. Why not make the drunkard the fun one?
Also being a drunk feels tacked-on for the sake of keeping a connection to old Gragas.
imagine if gragas was some sort of like, dionysus-type being. thatd make him a more interesting character in my opinion then a human fat stereotypes
edit: i watched more of the video LOL
The question is: does every character need to have some award winning, tear-inducing tragic backstory to fit in league? I dont think so. With how vast the league of legends world is, it is to be expected that some weird guy with a strange life-quest end ups in the rift. That's why I dont find the part about getting cast out because blablabla useful nor needed. But well, it is something subjective.
in my opinion, every playable champions in League of LEGENDS should feel like they are actual Legends. A normal guy just looking for some booze should be in Legends of Runeterra and be a side character.
@@graycalypso8373 Is it really the backstory that makes the character a legend?
@@nitram.9621 yes. What they do, how they behave and their uniqueness is what makes someone a legend. A normal guy who is a drunk looking for beer ingredients is not a legend. I'm sorry but it just doesn't make much sense.
@@DiamondRedYeahBoai then skarner and reksai, who both are a comatose scorpion and a mindless beast arent legends too, and as thus dont belong in lol.
Yeah i agree. I think is original "fun" is completely lost with this rework. If they would like to give a reason for him wanting to be drunk it could be connected with a religion or something like that (i'm picturing something like the priest in Vineland saga for example). Making him a victim of corruption disallow him a lot, in my opinion, and makes his love from drinking something evil and shameful that can only be justified by "he's doing this against his will". This final rendition, without the soppy corruption parts, and with a bit of fun (and some indications of the religion, if we would go by that) would result best, to please new players and not alienate the older ones. I also find his current kit fine and didn't like the ideias they had for new abilities but that's more of a full subjective topic
I think its a great concept and there is some real atristic talent going on in this video. that being said, I do feel the angle is too dark. LoL is fulled to the brim with corrupted creatures, wielders of terrible weapons or powers and old creatures. If anything I would like him to be jolly.
This one is the best. I love it. I think the darker tone is optional, thought. He could be a wandering brewer, bringing joy despite the true ice influence, just happy to finally connect with people.
every time one of these shows up in my subscriptions a tiny plankton in my brain goes "yess.... YESSSSSS"
The design is very cool in appearance but I think I agree with others when I say that it seems to be missing the fun and merry side of Gragas that makes him such a great character. This might be something easy to miss if you don't play the champ maybe.
I like the idea of incorporating true ice and snow more into his look, but I think it would be a lot more fitting to have Gragas become something more akin to Braum - a Freljordian Folk-Hero type character whose drunken antics and acts of bravery have earned him a place in Freljordian legends. In particular, I think you could draw a lot of inspiration from figures like Cayden Cailean (from Pathfinder lore), who is a God of Drunkenness who ascended to divinity accidentally while they were blackout drunk, and can't even remember how they became a god in the first place. Tweaking that a bit and finding a unique story in it could lead to a personality a bit more in line with Gragas' current design while also tying it to the lore.
I just think that the corrupted version of Gragas is a bit too dark and cynical, comes off a bit too much "alcoholism monster" and not enough "cheery keg-thrower"
“I appreciate his beard as a barrier between me and him”
Dang Clair, casting those firaga spells like no one’s business 😳 But for reals, this was such a drastic shift in this character I can’t stop loving his redesign. Y’all could make your graphic novel or story if u wanted to!
I got inspired from your idea of a gragas reimagining so here's my redone bio
> Gragas was once a great brewer of fine alcohol, kind and caring for his customers, always finding new ways to impress with his ales, wines and beers, with his constitution lending him plenty of time for trial and error to achieve the perfect brew.
At the eve of a grand festival in his home village, Gragas found himself unable to concoct appropriately delightful drink, finding them insufficient to satisfy the people. A sage from afar offered the use of magic to enhance the strength of the Brew. He, reluctantly, agreed and the sage got to work. Little did he know, the magic of the sage came from none other than the Frost Witch's citadel of true ice, a mere shard of that accursed place found its way into the barrel, from whence the enhanced brew would be served. The true ice's corruption spread like a plague from every cup of brew, infecting the minds of the people. By the festivals end, Gragas stood alone, spared from the icy death, but maddened from the horrors witnessed.
He now wonders the Freljord, haunted by visions of what he allowed to happen, carrying the barrel of abhorrent drink with the shard of ice within, so that nobody else discovers it and succumbs to the effect.
Please, PLEASE, P L E A S E, for the love of God, redesign Cho'Gath, or as a matter of fact, every character from The Void
Not everyone. Kha'Zix and Rek'sai are definitley cool Void characters.
SAVE THE CATERPILLAR BOY
He doesn't look like from void... Kog'Maw just has no... Void connection or anything in his design.
@@nobodygoodfr9556 True
SKARNER IS BABY wait is skarner void. MALZAHAR MINIONS ARE BBY
@@snake.sketches Skarner isn't void, he's a Brackern, and looks more void then Kog'Maw
if I had to change something in this lore I wouldn't make him emotionless, rather I would make that because of his build he is the only one that can drink his true ice ale, and because he's really ancient he's lonely. he searches for someone who is as passionate about dirnkind and could drink his ale with him and wouldn't die. that would still make him a happy drunk and that would also explain all his barrel tossing, in a sense he's "sharing his drink", but because no one else can survive it they take damage instead
Low key wish liked him being a more joke character. Like, there are plenty of edgy, corrupted, and serious characters. He definitely had some room to grow, but the humor was nice.
I think there's a place for ironic comedy and simplicity in league of legends. For example, Rammus has it; It's just a Fing armadillo that says "ok". The inhabitants of Shurima are as puzzled by him as we are, believing him a spirit/god and revering him with culture and festivities in his name.
Braum has another kind of ironic simplicity. He's just the protagonist and role model of every fable freljordian mothers tell their children when they go to bed, except he's REAL.
You can build history and stories around those, even in their simplicity, and even if your proposed redesign is really cool, I think it doesn't need to be as deep as it is.
I would make him a foreingner in frejorld, maybe he is from bilgwather and travel to the freljord searching for brewing materials. There he became friend with the locals who are also brawly and love drinking, maybe his weird tatoos are a sing of the tribe acepting him as a member ( cause they seem like painted and not real tattos like braum). He somehow find the legendary Endless keg ( the barrel with the true ice is the one from the Ornn lore. The one wich the troll used to trick ornn into making him the vault door)
Personally I would rather see Gragas as a merry guy who loves to drink, but also deeply loves the Freljord and it’s people. He’s the Brew Master, an artisan, Druid, and potion maker. He has traveled Runeterra seeking ingredients and brewing methods in order to perfect his grog. He loves to party, but his tolerance is so high he had to create his own grog. His fighting style is based on a form of drunken boxing he learned in Ionia, mixed with his trademark body slams. He brews drinks of many magical properties, including one that increases his strength, as well as the one which creates his explosive cask. While a tragic backstory can give a lot to his character, I dont think it’s necessary. I think he should have some tragedy in his life, but it seems boring to make that his character. My thinking for Gragas is that he is a person who deeply loves people, especially the Freljord. He’s an artisan and a lover of life. He wishes to protect it and believes that all Freljordians should be allowed to thrive. This places him at odds with Sejuani, and aligns him with Ashe. He returns to the Freljord and witnessing the conflict ravaging the land, seeks to end it, and aid the Avarosans with his potions to help level the playing field for those seen as weak. Perhaps Gragas was not always large. Perhaps due to the discovery of some magical power, a frail young brewer became quite imposing. But it comes at the cost of being able to enjoy drink, which sets him on his quest to create the perfect grog.
I'm 100% with you on this. You can create a lot of interesting dynamics with just his wandering brewmaster idea, too!
My personal headcanon is that Gragas didn't randomly stumble on a shard of true ice in the wilderness, he won it in a drunken contest against the troll king himself, Trundle! This gives trundle a complex relationship with Gragas, (which he desperately needs more of): Trundle still really loves hanging out with Gragas, but Lissandra kind of wants that shard of true ice back.
Also, Ornn brings a TON of potential to Gragas, He's an artisan, after all, and making Gragas a legendary party guy could be a way for him to draw Ornn out of his shell. Gragas' bullheadedness also makes him a perfect fit to embody Ornn as a patron.
Braum is already canonically Gragas' drinking buddy, but I'd also love for him to meet Ivern, they'd make a really fun pairing!
Ultimately I want a Gragas that loves life, wants to meet people and share his art with the world while leaving a little chaos in his wake... I... I kinda want Gragas to just be League of Legends' Monkey D. Luffy, really.
please... save Jax
he needs a VGU
hi's visual never changed since 2009, just like Amumu
In my opinion jax has a great design, he just needs a much better in game model.
@@chester1143 his face is really well-made, characteristic and recognisable, but wearing a potato sack isn't helping his age
@@tasaro374 idk man i kinda like it, but maybe thats just me.
@@chester1143 you can make a baggy robe so much cooler than what we have now though
@@tasaro374 Yes i agree with you on that one. Im not saying he shouldnt get a VGU, im just saying hes not in dire need of one.
I really enjoy where you guys went with it, I like the concept. I just want Gragas to really interact with alcohol and drinks because it fits to his style and like some of the comments here, him not being happy or joyful doesn't really make sense. Seeing that he DRINKS alcohol and is basically an Alcoholic on steroids, he would most likely be joyful and happy, cause that makes sense.
I think maybe taking the concept of bartending and alchemy and clashing it together would be interesting.
He could be this joyful guy with flasks attached to him on his side or maybe dragging on his back as a cape and he mixes them and drinks for the full effect or something of that sort. Not sure.
But making him CORRUPT with power and dark, Idk, doesn't go well with me
also when is DNDcember I’m hype for that too
There’s gonna be one big video for all the drawings in January.
Holy fuck, this story is amazing, not only is it compelling and tragic, but the fact that its part myth makes it ambiguous how much of it is true and how much it's a lessonf for fredljordian teens to not drink (the same ways fairy tales like little red Riding Hood were meant to teach children not to talk to strangers).
I cannot stand Gragas' constant burping, I hate when he is in my games regardless of which team he's on
I would have loved if you emphasized the jolly, drink-loving aspect of Gragas in his design. You really focused on the lonely, sad, and corrupted aspect, but I think that kind of erases what people liked about Gragas as a character, that he's here to have a good time and get himself or others drunk. There's definitely ways to make Gragas have deeper, lore while keeping that aspect of him. Maybe he used to be really sad and lonely until he found the ice shard, making him become this merry, constantly drunk party-lover who journeys across the land to spread drink and cheer, similar to what Gragas in the lore does when he meets Ashe's faction, except with less drunken rage and more partying.
With that idea, I think it would be awesome if Gragas had some sort of large AoE CC for his ultimate that forces enemies to dance in place for a couple seconds before they all take damage based on how many enemies were caught in the blast (like a ranged Diana Ultimate but with more emphasis on CC), sort of emphasizing Gragas spreading the joys of drink and partying while getting all the enemies drunk off their collective asses.
Oh my God Jane has legs?!
Amazing Job, what an incredible lore building and design analysis! I think the redesign was quite a dark turn for the character, but it certainly added an intricate and alluring concept. I wish riot saw this video. Well done guys!
It's being a celtic Irish stereotype for me
Edit: I mean the original design, it sounds like I’m talking about the redesign but I’m not
or german? given one of his skins as well
Okay so here is how I see it.
Visually this looks great, I especially like the arm, updated beard and the little extra cloth over his shoulders. But as others have already said, this new darker version, while quite a cool idea honestly, kinda just goes too far away from what current gragas is. The new story shows that he travels around the Frejlord and possibly even all of Runeterra to gather rare herbs, like the so called Azirs tears, to enhance his drink even more. It also showed that he can be a friendly person but also someone who probably won't step down from a fight, your guys version of the lore kinda takes this away. Not to mention, gragas being just a normal human without too much magic or unnatural stuff to me feels like one of the appealing points of him. That soft corruption from shard is great but making it so he's pretty much a monster or even seen as a deity is quite the step up and could honestly just be used for a completely new and original character.
One more thing I want to say, from what I've heard and seen, many many MANY people agree on the fact that Gragas ability set is pretty much perfect and aside from a little modernizing doesn't really need much of a change. I absolutely ADORE the idea for the ultimate with sticking a teammate in the barrel and going down a line with them, it's such a funny and awesome idea and it would honestly fit Gragas, but I'm not sure if changing his ult to this would sit well with those who enjoy him right now.
Despite all of this, you guys nailed it again. This is a amazing redesign concept and it was super interesting and Informative to see and hear your perspectives!
ok hear me out "reaching out divine states of intoxication " give me an idea make alcohol ab allagory for god
This series has such an interesting concept, normally people do fan art of things they like, not things they don't like. Loved this episode.
Also, nice music choice on that queen sectonia battle piano cover.
It would be cool to see his team-based skills to be pushed even further.
What if you could buy a potion/elixer that represents his brew that gives you some improved stats oved the other potions/elixers?
Kinda like how Ornn enhances his allies' items.
I definitely like those ideas, especially with having to buy an item, like how you buy cores with Viktor!!!
@@shiedakayn562 I'm pretty sure there's a mechanic like that in smite. If I remember the character who has it is Baron Semedy or however you spell it.
Love this Gragas! The tragedy is such a great concept to make Gragas more relatable. Seeking purpose. I imagine him having that crazy, chaotic nature of Rick Sanches during his party shenanigans, a sprinkle of Hagrid and Braum when he encounters new people, jolly, friendly, big, comedic, but when you ask him certain things he becomes vague, frowning towards himself and doesn’t really want tot talk about it. Kind of like a sad Hagrid and the demeanour of the viking father in How To Train Your Dragon when he is an emotional dilemma. He asks certain people to drink with him and refrains from bringing it up with young ones. It’s not stated in Gragas lore but he is a really good friend with Jax so some battle experience is also implied to stand with someone as jax. I somehow get his voice more like Braum but a bit more sickly like Rick Sanches but the drunk Scottish person is a bit overused, even tho Rick isn’t Scottish. The only personal nit-pick is the tendrils of his right arm. It’s a bit to eldritch and makes it look like it comes from a different region, like a mix between void and jungle. Overall 10/10
23:35
-feral
-spontaneous
-sad
-corrupted
gragas is a more relatable character than we've ever had
I think my interpretation of Gragas wouldn't stray too far from what he is now in concept; put simply, he'd be a brewmaster, just this savant-level genius in terms of brewmaking (like certain Pandaren in WoW), except he's always drunk because he personally tastes his own brews. And so you have this drunken oaf who's actually super refined and even friendly despite his appearance. Perhaps he's even amassed a cult-like following in the Freljord, a group that follows him around, interprets his drunken ramblings, and venerates THIS MAN as if he were a god. I think of Gragas as the anti-Braum, equally warm and jolly but not in the same way.
As for visuals, I'd put the true ice shard on a piece of jewelry, perhaps a gauntlet, or maybe just straight up braided into his beard. Give him better proportions and a shinier new model, as well as a more coherent Freljord-y colour scheme. Slap some bits of plate on there and some furs, and also make his tattoos match those of champions like Braum or Sejuani.
I like the tavern brawler archetype, and I think the drunken oaf who's secretly a master artisan (I know, every fantasy dwarf ever made but I stand by it) is enough of a spin on that to make it interesting. For me, the put-off with current Gragas isn't any part of his concept but just how poorly executed it is as a product of it being over 10 years old. He doesn't need to become a new character, just to be made shiny and new again.
At least that's my opinion
I will say that out of all the "boring" champions in League, I think Gragas is the least boring. still love the redesign tho
also I want that design at 1:57 to make it into the game so bad holy shit
Does anyone else get a "Sit down, grab some hot chocolate and a blanket to wrap yourself up in nice and tight while I tell you a story next to this blazing fire place" vibe from their splash art.
Really looking forward to artists redesigning Seraphine back into Piltover. Shes as out of place and feels like a plain KDA skin ;-;
I'm curious how you guys would redesign Olaf. That guy is the most vanilla viking I have ever seen.
I know we all appretiate the art but DAMN the writing leveled up so much!
I really like the redesign. It feels a bit like since you were going the Freljord route you could have looked at the Norse pantheon instead of Dionysus and Bacchus. You have Aegir (Jotun that holds feasts for the gods) or maybe you could go the Freyr route (though he is kinda different he is somewhat Dionysus-like)... Not everything has to be the Greek/Rome gods :P
But as I said I really like the redesign. I especially like the corruption thing about his drink consumption. He kinda embodies some of the good and some of the bad parts of drinking. Maybe he could get boons if sharing his drink with teammates and friends while corruption if drinking alone.
The design is very cool. A much more respectful gragas. I would love to have this character in the game. But the lore was a miss. Fat characters don't have to have their story defined by their weight. They can just be fat and have a story.
I think you guys do an unmatched job at explaining the artistic "subjective" side of a characters design. You guys explain things in a way thats easy to understand, yet establishes your detailed points well. I have played league for a long long time and am a die hard Renekton main since day 1. I know Renekton aint the first champion that comes to mind when it comes to outdated designs, but i think that his model and kit do not really nail what Renekton is or can do. I myself have drawn concepts for a potential rework, to build off what hes supposed to be. As he currently is, hes short, mindless, and not exactly what a Crocodile humanoid should do. As i said, you guys explain things so well and so on-the-ball that i would be so honored if you guys did a video discussing a redesign on my boy, Renekton. Its far fetched, but i think he would give you guys lots to talk about.
Riot should get this recreation of their characters huhu
That made up lore was amazing, like, love me some tragic drama. It almost made me tear up, but it honestly doesn't fit Gragas at all. He could use some visual redesign or tweaking like we have now in wild rift, and his lore page needs a good look too, but he is not supposed nor needs a serious, tragic and complex back story. Not every single champion is meant to be a key part of a runeterran event, some are just some weird, laid back or even goofy characters notable enough due to some quirks of personality or abilities. The recent story they made for Gragas gives him just that. He still is this master craftsman that pursues his magnum opus. He is not evil nor irrationally violent but can turn a building upside down if you mess with him in the wrong way. He needs to retain this carefree, powerfull and wild style.
How about anivia next? Her kit is fine and she has some really good lore and story that you can work on but her model is really out dated.
Honestly, i quite like gragas as it is now, i admit it could have a visual update, but i don't think i would like something so different from the original. A cheerful and belligerent hal-drunk fat man is an idea so fun to me, and it's actual lines, although old and scarse, make me giggle every time. Whit characters like veigar and lulu running arround in league, i don't think is that much of a problem if a champion is made to be funny.
"Happy hour. Incoming!" -Gragas
He's supposed to be more of a bruiser than a mage. He should look like a tanky bar brawler.
Glad this channel has really taken off this year, your videos are entertaining and incredibly informative!
Riot: WRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN!!!!
we'll know its really good if Riot content claims this video.
What I always cherished in Gragas was his casual appearance and kit.
He looks like a big drunk with a barrel, he is played like a big drunk with a barrel. Simple and effective. Doesn't have to be "ooooh he is corrupted and ooooh strong magic".
I enjoy the simple traits that defined him in my mind and miss character creation reminiscent of his : simple idea put into effective design.
Sadly, there's probably a need for a Seraphine rework and she came out this year
Séraphine doesn't need to be reworked.
@@calebfowler4838 yes she does
I LOVE THE STORY YOU CAME UP WITH ESPECIALLY THE ENDING!!!! AMAZING WORK
Gragas is supposed to be a meme, dude. You're overanalysing him. He's just a guy who wants to get drunk and fight. Not every character needs an overly complicated motivation. Subjectively, of course.
pls make more of these, they are some of the best creative content to watch
While i agree that Gragas's creation is pretty old, the whole opening video is infuriating to watch.
It feels like i'm watching the a kid complaining about the PC his dad built in 2010 is slow and can't handle alot of games compare to his new 2000$ PC he recently built, i mean no crap Sherlock, continuing to complain about won't make your point any better than previously stated.
I literally watched the other four yesterday while drawing. Keep up the great work!
Your kit design is actually incredible. I would love if ennemies AND allies could get drunk when he drops his ultimate though
Thinks changes him into a new character completely and in turn his play style which might not be bad considering he wasn't much to begin with character-wise but I wouldn't want another champion to get aatrox'd the corruption think makes him sound like another somber, haunted champion and I think his character is made more for levity so instead of being corrupted by balestriders he could be imbued with the magic from the true ice shard he drinks from in his barrel and maybe he could be dressed like Braum his belly covered with a half-plate and pants it would make sense because his signature is his keg toss and his belly bump
You should make a video of yourself making an entirely new champion, I would be really intrigued to see what you come up with.
This new lore is so well-written, it’s so compelling and finally INTERESTING and COHESIVE! Amazing job 👏
I was always under the impression that the ropes around Graggas’ limbs were meant to be a kind of peasants’ armor used in pre-sengoku Japan (*that i cannot remember the name of and google won’t help me*), which doesn’ actually protect much but reduces bleeding by acting as a loose tourniquet, allowing one to stay standing longer. Very cost-effective for those who couldn’t afford a proper set of Yoroi and weren’t afraid to throw their lives away.
i dont know why i don't see more comments about the art itself. i am in awe at the openness of sharing yalls drawing processes. love seeing the different art styles and ideas that went into them, you guys are incredibly talented and creative and it makes my heart explode with excitement to have found a channel as interesting as this. gonna watch more stuff of yalls :))