Talk:Volibear/@comment-72.67.130.140-20120427174413/@comment-5057599-20120427193607

I main him, and he's a fantastic jungler. I'm not trying to brag here, but I never failed as a jungler Volibear (actually, feel free to check my recent match history, username: GNeiva, EUW server). First of all, he is EXTREMELY UNDERESTIMATED. It's almost unbelievable. His damage output on w is insane, but a lot of players don't back out when they should because Volibear isn't called Lee Sin or Udyr. Oh well... :D

Then you have his ganks. Oh his ganks... Starting at level 4, with one point in each skill (two in w) you just run at champions with q, slow them with e after the fling and repeatedly AA until you can launch w. They will not be able to escape if they don't use flash before your q connects, and if it does, well, very few champions will survive the combo, with your lane also dropping their attacks.

Now, if you're looking for a super fast jungler who clears and invades like a boss, Volibear is NOT the one for you. His power relies on sustainability and powerful ganks, but in the early game he is a painfully slow jungler, specially if you're used to the Shyvanas and such. I usually finish my first clear at ~3:55 with leash on wolves and blue, which is ~30 seconds above a good Shyvana or Lee... So yeah, he is prone to invasion.

If I had to point out a weakness aside from his early jungling speed I guess it would be a lack of a ganking ultimate, like say Lee Sin. But don't be fooled by the rumours that his ultimate is useless. Volibear's passive and ultimate can make him fight a 1 vs 2 without breaking a sweat, provided they are not much more fed than you. In fact, I recently scored a 1 vs 3 triple kill after being discovered in their jungle. :) On teamfights you are often the initiator. Pop your q and run for the squishys. Most of the enemy teams will blow their CC on you. Wrong move. You are pretty much unkillable on an equally matched 5 vs 5 and your team is now safe to engage. Pop your ult, attack anyone (the bounces will hit every champion) and target your w on their AD or AP carry. At this team your passive should be kicking and their team will consistently commit to kill you. Laugh at them. :D Initiations are never the same of course, and some teams will try to ingore you, but I find that hard to do when a fucking armored bear is running at you.

For masteries I'd say 9/21/0 are the best for him, with the offensive tree going to the 10% ArPen (Duh :P). I find the Juggernaut mastery way too good to trade for Executioner, as it synergises with your passive and w. Yeah, Executioner would mean a lot of extra damage on w, but I don't find it mandatory as I never had anyone escaping at low health. Merc Threads plus Juggernaut means Volibear doesn't take shit from single CC abilities. The utility tree is negligible because I don't find Volibear mana hungry at all, and I always give my buffs away after first or second clear, so I don't need Runic Affinity.

Runes are debatable, except the marks, where you have to take the AS ones. I find it extremly important to have the extra 15% AS to be able to use w ASAP on ganks. The seals and glyphs are standard for any junglers (Flat Armor Seals and MR per level glyphs) and for Quintessences I take the Health per level ones. Yes, they are very expensive (6000 ip for the 3), but they give you 150 hp at level 18, which combined with Fratmogs makes your w one of the most dangerous abilities in the game.

For spells I take Heal and Smite. 'What? Heal instead of Flash? N00b'. Yeah, heal instead of flash. Flash is an amazing spell... But not on jungling Volibear. Your q is a good enough gap closer on ganks and with heal plus passive you are just a master bait (:P). Also, Flash is useless on teamfights (considering it does not fit with your initiation) unless you want to escape or chase; if you're escaping as Volibear it means the fight is pretty much lost, if you're chasing, well, let your teammates use their Flash. I have got so many X for 0 exchange in fights because of heal that I wouldn't trade it for anything.

TL,DR: Volibear is an extremely fun and rage-inducing champion who takes little time to master and pwns like few Champions do. Definitely worth the IP or RP. ^^