Wharf Rat

 are the mysterious, magical and most-loved inhabitants originating from the Butcher's Bridge.

Description
Born out of malice, blinded by hate;

Cunning, deceitful; lying in wait,

Malevolent, evil; oh god it’s free,

Coarse, drooling; please don’t eat me.


 * Wharf Rats are equal parts contempt, agility, and sharp pointy teeth.
 * They’re more closely related to sea cobras than rats.
 * No one has survived long enough to see the underside of a Wharf Rat...but it’s probably not pleasant.
 * Wharf Rats have the capability of swimming like a shark or scurrying like a rat, so nowhere is safe.
 * Wharf Rats also enjoy Poro-Snax, but usually it involves eating actual Poros...as snax.
 * If confronted by a Wharf Rat, make yourself appear large. And unappetizing. Or just hope you properly notarized your Last Will and Testament.
 * Dock workers sleep on raised cots to avoid being eaten by Wharf Rats in their sleep.
 * Wharf Rats are the mortal enemies of bilge-lions.
 * The Wharf Rats are armed with poisonous barbs in their tails... though most people don't survive long enough to see them.
 * They were once used to keep the wharf clean of debris. (Seriously, they'll eat anything.)

Origins of the Wharf Rat
By Glyceroll

"The Bilgewater team knew they had a HUGE dilemma early on. They needed a replacement for poros on the Bilgewater ARAM map or the entire event would surely crash and burn quicker than Gangplank’s ship.

The main concern was that the creature had to fill the same niche the poro fills -- providing memorable interactions but not distracting from the actual gameplay. The team needed to bring this creature to life and make it unique enough to stand against the enormous poro fanbase.

A few early iterations of the poro’s replacement were far too cute -- like an octopus that waddled around on its tiny tentacles and walruses. The team needed something adorable, but terrifying, while being aesthetically fitting for the run-down, waterlogged terrain of Bilgewater.

Concept art of the wharf rat, shown below, was a product of early Runeterra explorations (deep dives on the people, flora, and fauna) done by Riot’s Foundations team. It was the perfect choice for Butcher’s Bridge."

Trivia

 * Wharf Rat was designed by Mark Gibbons, Max “Beezul” Gonzales, Jue Wang, Nick “Nickstravaganza” Matthews and Kevin Freeman.

Media
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