It might be a good idea to begin by briefly discussing Volibear in LCS. Recent instances of Volibear play in the professional scene are limited to the attempts of Gambit Gaming's Danil 'Diamondprox' Reshetnikov to bring the bear to the rift in the Cinderhulk meta. Sadly, the bear’s reemergence was met with underwhelming results. Complex junglers, each with access to unique crowd-control capabilities dominate the current jungle in professional play, and perhaps Volibear is a little too simple to fill that role. Do not let this deter you, however, as this is not an article explaining why Volibear sucks in the LCS. This is an article explaining why you can and should use the Thunder’s Roar in solo queue!

One of Volibear’s main weaknesses in the professional scene is his simplicity. In a setting where team coordination, group plays and general strategy are prevalent, he may struggle, but as we all know, solo queue generally features none of the above, even in higher ELOs. Volibear’s simplicity is a lot of what makes him solo-queue viable. We’re not talking about a champion that requires a whole lot of practice, here. Volibear’s mechanics, build and effective playstyles are easy to pick up and execute. In case you’ve never given Volibear a thought or are not familiar with the champion, let me give you a VERY straightforward description of the bear’s skills and then explain why he’s viable.

Passive (Chosen of the Storm): When Volibear gets low (~1/3 max HP), he quickly gets a bunch of HP back (~1/3 maximum). Great for early skirmishes and tower dives, and a reliable safety net in case you get yourself in a less-than-favorable situation.

Q (Rolling Thunder): Volibear runs pretty dang fast for a while (quite a while), and his next auto within that time tosses a champion over his shoulders. This is how you kill the carries, often comboed with a flash. This is also how you look terrifying to the other team, often comboed with an Elixer of Iron.

W (Frenzy): Voli stacks attack speed with each auto attack for three attacks. After three stacks, he can activate W to deal point-and-click damage to an enemy. Damage is based on Voli’s bonus HP, as well as the target’s missing HP. This is how you clear the jungle effectively, secure buffs (comboed with smite) and execute low-HP enemies.

E (Majestic Roar): Volibear slows enemies in a small radius around him, also fearing monsters for a few seconds. This is an underrated gank tool, as the combination of Q and E can result in a powerful CC arsenal. It is also an integral part of your jungle invincibility.

R (Thunder Claws): The storm follows in your wake. Volibear’s auto attacks do extra damage and chain lightning through opponents. (This is how you kill their entire team at once). (Wunderwaffe from CoD Nazi Zombies, but through your claws).

Yeah, Volibear is easy to play. So what am I trying to say?

To put it simply, the meta has never been better for Volibear. The Cinderhulk jungling environment is exactly the excuse you need to lock in this champion. This is, without a doubt, the age of tanks in League of Legends. The Cinderhulk enchantment provides a hearty bonus HP multiplier that synergizes perfectly with Chosen of the Storm and Frenzy, allowing you to gain more HP back in a fight and deal more targeted damage, respectively. Because of Cinderhulk, Volibear scales just as well as any other top jungler in the game. The more HP you stack, the stronger you will be. It is rare that an item is created that fits a champion so well, and it is a syngery of which you should take advantage.

Speaking of items, it doesn’t actually matter what the heck you even build on V-bear! Here is an example of an effective build:

Step 1: Cinderhulk (Any smite will do).

Step 2: Ruby crystal. And another. Maybe one more.

Step 3: Make those plays and GG.

Less time spent in the shop allows you to maximize your time on the rift.

Survivability in the jungle itself and ability to make plays throughout the game makes Volibear viable in virtually any level of solo queue play. For players at any rank, Volibear’s kit allows easy mechanical mastery with a flexible build while minimizing strategic requirements and focusing on simple yet effective ganking. Volibear lets you make plays with room for mistakes, while the opposing jungler struggles to figure out Rek’Sai’s skillset. (That last part might be more common in lower-level ranked play, but you get the point).

Additional notes:

- According to Champion.gg, Volibear’s win rate in solo queue has held above 50% since the release of the Cinderhulk enchantment, and appears to be on the rise as of 5.11.
- Recently (patch 5.10-5.11), top-tier junglers Rek’Sai and Sejuani received nerfs. What better opportunity could there be to experiment with a less conventional pick like Volibear?
- A fool and his head are easily parted.