Overview
If you wanted to combine two deadly forces of nature into one even deadlier force of nature, then combining a giant bear with thunder would be a great combination, and that combination’s name is Volibear. He’s a big bruiser and tank who is great at starting fights and still being one of the latest to die. Click here for the latest data on his best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more.
Keys to Remember About Volibear
You'll heal a lot with Frenzied Maul [W], so don't be afraid to commit to a fight -- especially because you can stack your passive. Both of these will give you advantages in early game fights especially, and you should use it to try to snowball the game in your favor.
Stormbringer [R] deactivates towers, which makes it really simple for you to tower dive low HP enemy champions, but be careful to not get counter-engaged during this process. Late game, this will be helpful if you are sieging a tower and want to push enemies away from being able to clear your minion wave.
Strengths
He’s a very strong duelist early thanks to The Relentless Storm [P] allowing him to become stronger with each auto-attack. This means enemies should avoid committing to an all-in against you, which will allow you to be the one who plays more recklessly. Frenzied Maul [W] combos well with this as it allows you to heal up some of their return damage, which means Volibear has a lot of staying power when it comes to being able to remain on the map. Once he hits level 6, he can convert these advantages into strong ganks, even if enemies are under their turret, thanks to his Stormbringer [R] disabling them.
Weaknesses
Grievous Wounds reduces his sustain and makes it easier for enemies to burst him down -- despite being a frontliner, he can definitely be burst down if you overextend with him. Early on, enemies who maintain their distance and chip at him from afar will be hard for him to deal with, as his kit revolves around literally just running at opponents with Thundering Smash [Q]. In fights, your Stormbringer [R] value will be lower if enemies properly spread out and force you to pick one target or another -- not only with you be jumping into less targets, the champions you ignore can turn on you instantly.
Game Plan
Early Game: Look for ganks early and often -- you have a lot of kill pressure on lanes that can provide even a little bit of CC for you. Be aggressive with looking for the enemy jungler as well!
Mid Game: With your ultimate up, you have a lot of power in team fights and should not be afraid to take fights. You are a big bear with a big jump. Just do it.
Late Game: You don’t scale well, so at this point you’re more of a body with some CC and utility to your name. Don’t chase for kills -- play to disrupt and help your teammates deal damage.
