He's finally here in the PBE. The new and improved spirit walker Udyr is back. Riot Games have now given him a full VGU for League of Legends fans to play around with in patch 12.16.
With the new VGU comes a whole new batch of abilities for players to get used to. This may seem shocking for fans of Udyr. However, the new abilities still stick to the essence of Udyr and haven't strayed too far from his playstyle. The new Udyr is very similar to how he was pre-rework.
So, let's take a look at his new abilities and which items may be good to build on the reworked champion.
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Udyr abilities
The brand-new abilities from Udyr don't stray too far from his playstyle. Summoners will still have to get up close and personal to be getting that damage out. However, the changes to his Q make him deal more burst damage. Additionally, this could mean that his strength in longer League of Legends fights reduces.
The simplicity of his kit is also still there, which means that newer players hearing about the VGU would have an easier time picking him up. Here are his full official abilities.
Passive - Bridge Between (Awakened Spirit / Monk Training)
Udyr has 4 basic ability stances, each related to a Freljodian demigod. Every ~30s he can Awaken his active stance by recasting it to refresh it and gain bonus effects.
After casting (or re-casting) an ability, Udyr next two attacks gain 40% attack speed
Q - Wilding Claw
Udyr goes into Claw Stance. Gives Attack Speed. Next two attacks deal burst damage.
Awakened: Increase attack speed, plus next 2 attacks arc lightning that bounces up to 6 times (can hit the same target multiple times if they are isolated).
W - Iron Mantle
Udyr goes into Mantle Stance. Gain a Shield. Next two attacks restore health.
Awakened: Refresh the shield, stacking. Recover a large amount of max health over 2s.
E - Blazing Stampede
Udyr goes into Stampede Stance. Gain a burst of movement speed. While in this stance, first attack against each LoL target stuns them.
Awakened: Increase movement speed and gain CC immunity for a brief time.
R - Wingborne Storm
Udyr goes into Storm Stance. Summon a glacial storm, damaging and slowing nearby enemies. Next two attacks increase the storm’s AoE.
Awakened: The storm detaches from Udyr and tracks to the LoL enemy he most recently attacked (and does more damage).
Best items for rework
Many of the League of Legends items pre-rework are still good on the new Udyr. Running Lethal Tempo with Last Stand and Resolve for secondary runes will also still be good with the VGU Udyr.
In terms of items, Sunfire Aegis is still the best start with Udyr. As he is a close combat champion, it helps to bolster his dominance when in the enemies' face. Plated Steelcaps is next in the build path to assist Udyr with his Blazing Stampede (E) in the League of Legends.
Sterak's Gage is another classic Udyr item which works perfectly with his new ability, Iron Mantle (W). Additionally, with the stacking ability, it makes for a brilliant way to regain some health.
Going against a high-damage team can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for an Udyr who takes the brunt of the damage. This is why something defensive like Thornmail is perfect. And after all... you get what you give.
Finishing up with Blade of the Ruined King, Guardian's Angel, or Death's Dance is a great way to build the new VGU Udyr.