Udyr Overview Infographic
We put together an Udyr overview infographic that has the best builds, runes, strengths, weaknesses, combos, skill orders, counters, synergies and anything else that you need to quickly learn the basics of Udyr. Make sure to share with your friends and check back here to get the latest updates. We will be updating this infographic as changes happen so check back often!

Who is MetaSolaray
Aaron, 27 years of age, currently playing with summoner names MetaSolaray, Mistikos, Umetadyr. Over 246 games as Udyr, he peaked at 626 LP in Challenger with 3 Million mastery points on Udyr. He has a KDA ratio of 2.82:1 with a 56% Win Rate in NA. He was introduced to League by an old friend who wanted him to begin practicing the game by myself. Picking up Udyr was an accident of finding that one build that he truly connected with for top lane.
Table of Contents
Why to Play Udyr
Before we start on the Ultimate Guide to Udyr we first want to tell you why you should play him. His overall strengths and weaknesses are as follows:
Strengths
- Few Mechanics
- Extremely Flexible Builds
- Great at Split Pushing
- High early game damage
- High dueling power
Weaknesses
- Easily kited by high mobility and CC champs
- Mana hungry in the early game
- Weak when behind
- Item Dependent
- Difficulty in closing gap to targets
Udyr Counters
These champions give Udyr a hard time in game due to having a kit that can stop Udyr from doing what he wants to do. Here are some of the biggest issues and how you can try to overcome the challenges they bring.

Fiora
Fiora is considered a counter because her kit counters the abilities of Udyr. Her Q(Lunge) can be used to hit your vital point while gaining back HP and also she can parry your Bear Stance with her W(Riposte) which will negate the stun giving her the ability to neutralize your initial damages. You can bait out her Riposte by running at her in bear stance before side stepping when she throws riposte and stun her once it's down. When both of these are on cool-down, it is easier for you to gank the lane and kill her. Never face Fiora on a duel if you are not sure you have a lead on your items as well as back to follow you up whenever possible.

Jax
Jax is considered a counter because he has the ability to hit you faster with his passive(Relentless Assault) and dodges your damage with his E(Counter Strike) which he will reverse the dodged ones and revert it back to you. Jax works best at shredding tank champions in the late game phase. You can avoid hitting him in his counter-strike with Bear stance, stun him afterwards even if you have toe at the stun to win in duels. Use Medyr style and deal more damage to him early on while Phoenix Udyr can provide support and protection to his team later in the game.

Zilean
Zilean is considered a counter because he locks down enemies and slows their movement speed. Zilean can stun enemies with his Q(Time Bomb) when he places 2 consecutive bombs perfectly in one opponent. He can also slow you down with his E(Time Warp). This is very difficult for Udyr to face as he requires to move around so he can engage in the right position. You can beat this champion by dodging his bombs and stopping his movement before he can react. The cryophoenix build can also help you close the gap easily and burst him down with magic damage. You may also go into the Phoenix Udyr build so you can take more hits and still have better HP than Zilean at the end of the fight.
Udyr Synergies
These champions work well with Udyr and should be considered being picked alongside him if possible. Here are some of the biggest synergies and how you can abuse them.

Zilean
Zilean works well with Udyr because of his E(Time Warp). Udyr requires the movement speed to play around the best position for him to engage in the enemy. Zilean’s ability to place a Q(Time Bomb) to his teammate and speed them up can be a great help. Also, his ultimate(Chronoshift) can ensure you that running aggressively to the enemy team will keep you alive no matter what.

Orianna
Orianna works well with Udyr because she can create amazing plays with her ball. Orianna can command her ball to E(Protect) and speed up Udyr. Udyr can then go into the middle of the enemy team where Orianna can activate her ultimate(Shockwave) which can deal with a huge amount of damage. This is a great synergy that can combine plays while also protecting one another.

Ornn
Ornn works well with Udyr because he has a great CC that can help Udyr reach his opponents in time and lock them down with his stun. Using his W(Bellows Breath) and R(Call of the Forged God), Ornn can engage and setup perfect placement so Udyr can deal damage around enemies effectively. Tank champions like Nautilus, Malphite, etc can setup amazing crowd control will help Udyr do his job as a fighter in the team striking opponents with his stances.

Yuumi
Yummi works well with Udyr as she provides everything a bruiser like him needs to lock down in fights. From her high healing & shielding to the attack speed and area of effect root CC. The bonus adaptive force AD will give you even more killing power throughout the game. Even though the numbers are odd with Yuumi, she an effective steroid for this champion.
Udyr Summoner Spells
Udyr’s recommended Summoner Spells are Smite and Flash because this is the main spells used for every jungler in League of Legends.
Udyr Runes and Keystones
Udyr has a vast variety of styles. He can use different runes to achieve his goal in team composition.
Udyr’s recommended runes are Press the Attack, Triumph, Tenacity/Alacrity, and Coup de grace on Precision as primary and Nimbus Cloak with Waterwalking on Sorcery as secondary because you want to maximize Udyr’s attack speed with this build that is why you are running with PTA. Choosing between Tenacity and Alacrity will vary according to the composition of the enemy team. If they are CC heavy type of team, then Tenacity is more reliable in that match. Triumph and Coup de grace is just a cherry on top to help Udyr sustain while dealing more damage to low health enemy. Your secondary runes are utilizing ways of escaping. Whenever you use a spell you gain movement speed. Also, Waterwalking provides the extra boost of running you need when rotating around the river. This is the major rune build for almost all games in any situation.

If you are going to face enemies with multiple slow abilities and have the potential to scale harder than your team, you can consider using Aftershock, Shield Bash, Conditioning, Unflinching on Resolve as primary and Triumph with Tenacity on Precision as secondary because your team needs a front liner who can soak in damage from the enemy. Udyr can be a distraction towards opponents that kite through your team your E(Bear Stance) can be used to outmaneuver them and your W(Turtle Stance) can be your protection as it works well with Shield Bash. Your R(Phoenix Stance) can damage nearby tanks that want to face your team. This build can help you sustain damage while also dealing damage as a Phoenix Udyr. You will be that tank fighter your team composition needs at the moment.

Both will be using +10% Attack Speed, +9 Adaptive Force, and +6 Armor to maximize his base stats.
Udyr Builds
Udyr’s recommended items change depending on the situation, however, the following items will give you a good idea of what to build in different situations.
Starting Items

Udyr starts with Hunter’s Machete if he wants to deal the most damage to monsters while he is farming in the jungle. This item gives him lifesteal and bonus experience assisting him to earn more gold as fast as possible.

Udyr starts with Hunter’s Talisman if he wants a build that focuses on Phoenix Maxed Play-styles. Though Udyr works way better using Hunter’s Machete, this maximizes Phoenix's AoE clear and gives a smoother transition into the smite upgrade should you be delayed or lose blue.
Core Items

Stalker’s Blade - Warrior is core on Udyr due to his high AD ratios and his kit lacks of early game mobility. By using the chilling smite on an enemy champion, you can close the gap quickly for a (E)Bear stun before following it with a high damaging (Q)Tiger Strike. The additional cool-down reduction will help you manage your stance dancing more effectively. You also choose Skirmisher’s Sabre - Warrior which focuses on marking the target and reducing their damage while you gain a burning effect on your basic attacks as true damage over 2.5 seconds. It will depend on the composition and the situation of the game.

Trinity Force is core on Udyr because this item provides all the stats Udyr needs such as mana, attack speed, AD, HP, and movement speed in a single item slot. The sheen also proc provides you high burst on engages and consistent damage in longer duels.

Sterak's Gage is core on Udyr as it is a powerful tool for Tiger Udyr due to taking advantage of champion's base AD & scaling perfectly with many of his build paths. The shield provides a strong counter to burst allowing Udyr to survive in the middle of intense mid-game team-fights allowing you to sustain longer and crush your enemies in brawls. The tenacity it provides in addition will allow you to itemize more effectively in today's high crowd control comps.
Boots

Use Mercury Treads if you want an early magic resistance and added tenacity as your enemy has high AP mage and CC that can hold you down. This will help Udyr move efficiently when enemies have a way to lock you down.

Use with Ninja Tabi if you want an early armor for your build while also reducing incoming basic attacks. This will help you deal better with AD champions in the top lane while having an cost-effective armor item.
Offensive Situational Items

If you want to shred the enemy, you can build Black Cleaver because the item gives you 400 health, 40 AD, and 20% cool down reduction. It can also shred up to 24 % of the enemy’s armor and it gives you the phage proc whenever you use your abilities which will help you stick to your target.

If you're against heavy burst AP composition that instantly kill you, you can build Wit's End because it adds on-hit effects that works well with Udyr. It also brings large amount of magic resist. It does not only sustain you but also give movement speed to increase bulk while still building damage.
Defensive Situational Items

If you're going to face mages like Teemo, Cassiopeia, Azir, and Singed who use either damage over time spells or low cooldown spammable spells you can build Spirit Visage because it increases healing from turtle stance and runes and items that synergize well with Udyr’s kit. This will reduce the impact of their trading windows against you while also giving you more CDR to your stats.

If you're against enemy team comps that have either two or more critical focused champions like Yasuo & Tryndamere or a fed enemy crit ADC then take Randuin's Omen to reinforce your bulk. The reduction in their critical strikes will increase your defenses especially for any damage absorbed by your W(Turtle Stance). The AoE slow allows you to counter engages from front-line bruisers or lock down squishiest who are out of position for your team to follow up with. You can also build Thornmail which prevents sustain champions from lifestealing off of you and provides additional damage for duels. Can build up to bramble vest and stall if needed.
Full Build Example
An example full build for Udyr can consist of
- Stalker’s Blade – Warrior
- Ninja Tabi
- Trinity Force
- Sterak’s Gage
- Dead Man’s Plate
- Spirit Visage

This is the most recommended build path to Udyr as you’d to be in the middle of the fight running around having enough health, armor, and resistance taking hits for the team while also dealing tremendous damage when you close the gap. Choosing either Stalker’s Blade/Skirmisher’s Sabre with your Warrior can work great in targeting champions in the enemy team that deals the most damage. Your ninja tabi can be your defense early on while you do not have enough gold to build better items. It can also be replaced with Mercury’s Thread if you want additional tenacity if the team has more CC skills to use. Trinity Force and Sterak’s Gage is the go-to item build that gives you both offensive and defensive stats to face the enemy in the mid-game phase. At this moment, you have enough AD to destroy enemies in team fights but this is not enough as some compositions have front-liners that only build tank items which would be a difficult situation for you. That is why your last slots should be focused on how to increase your resistivity to survive in the game. Dead Man’s Plate and Spirit Visage are the normal routines as they can provide movement speed, health, health regeneration, and cool down reduction which Udyr’s needs in every fight. You can also swap this to the situational items if the enemy’s composition needs to be dealt with another different item.
Udyr's Abilities
Passive - Monkey's Agility


Monkey’s Agility is the most misused part of Udyr’s kit, providing a lot of your unseen power, wave clear, safety, and gank power. Providing 5 MS and 10% per stack for five seconds, proper stance dancing is required to maximize the benefit – for this will mean the difference between victory or defeat, in the early game match-ups. If you’re struggling to use this, practice keeping a mental countdown in the practice tool to get a feel for maintaining your stacks. Udyr’s base mana costs go down with each level, making his abilities all cost less as the game drags on. This is also followed up by the late game buff for Udyr, at levels 16, 17 & 18 you’ll be able to further power up any stances you desire with a 6th point if they’ve already have 5 points allocated in them.
Q - Tiger Stance


Udyr increases his Attack Speed for 5 seconds.
Persistent Effect: Udyr’s first attack and third attack will perform a Tiger Strike which deals physical damage + attack damage over 2 seconds. If a target is affected by Tiger Strike, a new application of Tiger Strike will hit the enemy once more. Tiger Stance is the most common ability used on jungle Udyr in the current meta. With the heaviest up front single target burst, it is one of the most powerful early game abilities due to the double tiger dot level 1 special. This ability increases your AS, and every three hits afterwards. This dot damage is done in four parts over two seconds and often times at lower elos, causes people to Flash away and still die to your dot damage.
W - Turtle Stance


Upon activation, Udyr gains a shield that absorbs damage plus his ability power for 5 seconds.
Persistent Effect: Udyr’s first and third attack will heal him fro 2.5% of his maximum health and increases by 1% for every percent of Udyr’s missing health. Turtle Stances is used for sustaining long skirmishes where Udyr’s need to keep harassing his opponents with his combos. Welcome to the stance that makes all of those “ Udyr JUST survived” videos. Turtle Stance provides a scaling shield per level, that provides a 2.5% max health heal for the first AA then every three after. Currently there are two styles of maxing this ability, maxing it 2nd usually done for Phoenix Stance maxing styles of Udyr and maxing it after Bear Stance. Some Udyr players will even take three points in Bear Stance and then start maxing W especially when games go south.
E - Bear Stance


When activated, Udyr’s movement speed increases and ignores unit collision.
Persistent Effect: Udyr first hit to an enemy champion stuns them for 1 second and will reoccur to the same champion after 5 seconds. Bear Stance is the bread and butter of escape and mobility for Udyr, providing a huge boost in your map mobility for the rest of your kit. While it’s tiny dash helps with flow, it’s more than enough to secure kills and get stuns on targets who Flash away. Putting this ability into your rotations is vital for your success.
R - Phoenix Stance


When activated, Udyr’s unleashes pulsing waves of fire which will deal damage to enemies around him.
Persistent Effect: Udyr’s first and third attack will sweep flames to enemies that are in front of him dealing magic damage. Phoenix stance is the king of fast jungle clearing and a hallmark to the era of feral flare. This stance provides 4 seconds of AoE burn around you and a powerful burst every third auto attack after your first when entering the stance. When you have a phoenix cone ready try to place yourself in a way that the cone will strike multiple targets as the base damage even when going full tank can catch many enemy champions off-guard.
Ability Skill Order
The skill order for Udyr is different depending on the user of this champion as he is a flexible champion.

A more advance style for aggressive Udyr as well as the Medyr bruiser style of Udyr instead maxes Q > E > W. The early game mobility gained from your bear stance will allow you to move between camps and rotate on objectives quicker to maintain the early game pressure and tempo. Your goal is to remain active on the map and when you’re not pressuring the enemy moving between camps as effectively as possible.

Phoenix’s cinderhulk buff has given it powerful AoE threat at all times in the game, meaning that increasing your tankiness with a W(Turtle Stance) second maxed will make you more durable and able to dish out constant Area of Effect magic damage to the enemy team. Teammates who can enhance your mobility will keep you a threat whichever form of bruiser Udyr you are building into.
Udyr Power Spikes
A powerspike is when a time champion reaches a level or builds an item that makes them a lot stronger than other champions in the game. Udyr’s Power spike is when he reaches level 3 – 4 and acquires 3 stances early on. Udyr may focus on dealing damage to foes or be a fighting tank in the front line because he wants to utilize his ability to go around the map and settle things with his own hands. Either slashing enemy champions or Making them feel the eternal flames around him. He also gains more power when he completes Trinity Force and Sterak’s Gage because of the pure strength and tenacity the 2 items can give to him in the mid game phase. If he is going to build into a tank fighter, then acquiring tank items like Randuin’s Omen, Frozen Heart, Spirit Visage, etc, combined with his Cinderhulk will provide him the strength to be in front soaking some hits for the team.
Udyr's Combos
4AA Q + Q
This combo is used at the early level when you are focusing your Tiger Stance and double dotting. Then quickly reapplying it. Double Dotting is the term used when you auto attack a target with either tiger or phoenix then reactivate the same stance to apply a second burst of damage. In the early game this can result in over 300 damage from just two auto attacks.

4AAQ + W
This combo is used to sustain early damage from camps and also having a shield and healing after a long fight early in the game.

W + E + Q
This combo is used to stance dance and build up your passive as you get closer to a target. Swap between W(Turtle Stance) & E(Bear Stance) to appear in the enemies vision with a shield up to absorb their opening burst before closing the distance with bear. Once you’ve hit your stun shift into your tiger stance to begin dishing out the damage.

Q + W + E
This combo is used when you are about to gank and prepare your passive having the most damage before initiating the fight. You are going to click Tiger Stance far away then Turtle Stance to get the second passive then quickly activate your Bear Stance to close the gap towards the target.

R + W + E
This combo is used when you are about to gank and prepare your passive having the most damage before initiating the fight. This is similar to the previous combo but you are emphasizing the pulsing wave damages of Udyr in these fights. You are going to click Phoenix Stance far away then Turtle Stance to get the second passive then quickly activate your Bear Stance to close the gap towards the target.

4AA Q + R + W + 2AA E
This combo is used when you have all your abilities in play and you want to clear your jungle camps as fast as possible and also optimizing your passive(Monkey’s Agility) and his 2-second global cool-down.

Udyr must focus on his Auto attacks and maximize the stances properly to his advantage. Stance dancing plus double dotting will help you learn the ways of the Udyr. The damage per second (DPS) of Udyr can go up a notch when you know when to activate his abilities for his auto attacks to gain powerful effects. Also, practicing orb walking which is hitting the opponent and moving to a position will help you stay on top of the enemy champions.
Udyr Jungle Path
These routes will be used when maxing his Q(Tiger Stance) which will deal high amounts of damage while clearing the fastest way possible.
Udyr will go Red Brambleback – Wolves – Blue Sentinel – Krugs and take this route because he wants to utilize red buff’s additional damage while also taking as much experience and reach level 4 then create map plays around the top and mid side of the map or just steal farm from the red side of the enemy’s jungle camps.


Udyr will also go Blue Sentinel – Gromp – Wolves – Raptors – Red Brambleback – Krugs – Scuttle and take this route because he wants to farm as many a possible and either reset and take his items back the base or create map plays in mid and bot side of the map. This can also be a route to steal jungle camps on the blue side of the enemy.

Udyr will also go Blue Sentinel – Gromp – Wolves – Red Brambleback – Invade/Gank – Raptors – Krugs and take this route because Udyr takes a few monsters down and reach level 3 then try to create map plays around the mid and bot side then quickly go back to 2 more camps to maximizes the experience.

Udyr starts Blue Sentinel – Gromp – Wolves – Red Brambleback, this clear provides a safe form of mana sustain due to the machete start and allow you to get your single target camps on a re-spawn cycle for greater experience gain. Use this start to throw junglers used to red starts only with an invade or a gank on an unsuspecting laner to begin your snowball. When you reach level 3 you can either gank, invade enemy blue, or resume power-farming for a 3:15 level 4 clear.

These routes will be used when maxing his R(Phoenix Stance) which will need more camps and utilize the pulsing waves around Udyr that will deal damage to many camps nearby.
Phoenix Udyr starts Red Brambleback – Krugs – Raptors – Wolves – Blue Sentinel – Gromp. With the amount of area of effect clear in your kit you’ll want to farm your red camps first and foremost as often as possible. This will get you the experience you’ll need down the road to out-level and out-stat your enemies with Udyr’s super base stats. Level your phoenix twice as level one phoenix is useless in the damage department.

Udyr will go Red Brambleback – Krugs – Raptors – Wolves – Blue Sentinel – Gromp – Scuttle and take this route because he wants to take as many camps as he can while gaining areas around the rift herald side of the map. This can turn into a gank in either the mid or the top lane depending on how overextended the team. He may also go to the red jungle side of the enemy and steal a few camps while waiting for the other jungler and for you to counter gank them.

Udyr will go Red Brambleback – Krugs – Raptors – Wolves – Blue Sentinel & Gromp – Scuttle and take this route because this is way faster than the previous one as you are using the potential of R(Phoenix Stance) and damaging both the Blue Sentinel and the Gromp. After you’ve cleared them, you’ll be looking at the scuttle to also place vision around the Rift Herald and then either gank top or mid side when possible or just take more experience around the enemy’s red jungle camps.

How to Play Udyr
Early Game
In the early game phase, Udyr should understand the compositions of his team and as well as their scaling. This will give you the correct option on what route to go in the jungle. When you determine the current match-up, choose the ally that have late game capabilities. Teammates like Vayne, Jax, etc can increase your chances of winning the game. Farm as much as possible and use your stances to activate Monkey’s Agility to clear camps. This will speed up the time you need to gain gold in your area. You can then try to take control of their jungle. When you predict the route of the enemy jungler, you’ll be able to beat him as Udyr is a great at 1v1 even without items. This is due to the fact that every stance give me damage, protection, and speed. Which most junglers lack 1 or 2 of these in the game. Udyr’s goal early on is to create leads for the team and recognizing the potential of your composition. You can play right around the map and take jungles and be where you want to be. Let your teammates hold the enemies as you charge in lane. This will give you the opportunity to stun them with Bear Stance or take out their summoner spells. Get Oracle lens and Control wards to gain vision around the rift. With Udyr gaining information to where the enemy jungler is, he can hunt down the jungler. Negating his movement and reducing the pressure he can do in the early game.
Mid Game
- Split Pushing – When trying to split push, determine if you have the time to clear the waves and be effective in that area. Team-fights may happen on the other side of the map and a jungler must be there. Talk to your team about holding on the area and distract the enemy team. This gives you time to split push as he is great in taking down structures in a short amount of time. Enemies will try to collapse on you. This is the perfect opportunity to show your skills by using Bear Stance. The boos to movement speed will provide you the stats to reach your teammates. You can always use the damage of your Tiger Stance to chip away the HP of turrets. Putting pressure to the enemy before an objective can help you take it for free.
- Objective Control – As a jungler, you are always required to take big objectives like Rift Herald and Dragons on the map. Communice with your teammates and ward the areas around these objectives. This will provide you the information your need to deal with the enemy team. You can focus on the objective and smite it before the enemy jungler does. If they attempt to fight, try to focus on their ADC. Attack them as they will deal the most damage in their team. Your Bear Stance will be able to hold them while your teammates follow up. If the ADC is able to move out of reach, do not chase them. Instead, focus on enemies that are close to you. Doing this will maximize the damage potential Udyr has and strike his claws to other targets. Reducing their numbers will give you a better chance to take the objective.
Late Game
Udyr Tips and Tricks
- Try to counter jungler as Udyr early in the game as he great at dueling with his Q(Tiger Stance)
- Ready your E(Bear Stance) whenever walking in the river to quickly stun enemies roaming
- Don’t dive towers as Udyr doesn’t a long duration CC
- Stun ADCs whenever possible
- Dodge skill shots faster by activating your passive
- Focus one lane and use your kit to snowball them
Udyr Gameplay
These below videos are great game play examples for how to play Udyr.
Frequent Mistakes/Noob Traps
Similar Champions To Udyr
Listed below are some champions you can use to replace Udyr as they show the same versatility and jungle pressure. When he isn’t available either banned or picked by the enemy team. This will give you a variety to choose from. Safeguarding your LP from going down and keeping your games awesome.

Lee Sin
Very slippery, Early game pressure and Versatile. Lee Sin is the blink monk that sees everything. He has the ability to get close to you so quickly that once you've noticed it, you are already dead. He uses his fist to damage you and then kicks back to his allies.

Olaf
Amazing early damage, Ability to not get CC'd and Chase potential. Olaf is the champion you want to choose when your sole focus is to charge in and attack. He throws axes and smacks you hard. This champion is unstoppable by all means necessary. If you want this kind of playstyle, pick him.
Comment below what you liked or should change about this build. Remember to rate it and share it if you found it useful. Good luck on the rift!
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