With the reworked theme and kit of Volibear announced, we examine why he will be a menace in pro play after his release.

Last night, Volibear’s long-anticipated rework was unveiled in a livestream. We saw his updated look, skins, and lore, as well as some gameplay clips. After the stream, Riot released descriptions of all his abilities, which will go live in a few weeks.

Looking at Volibear’s reworked kit, I think he might be incredibly strong in professional play as a jungler primarily. His kit is a hybrid between Ornn and Leona, fitting both jungle and top lane roles. Let’s go through his abilities to see why Volibear will be high priority in pro play.

Passive – The Relentless Storm
Volibear’s attacks and abilities grant attack speed, causing his basic attacks to deal bonus magic damage to nearby enemies. This is why I think Volibear will be better in the jungle than top lane. His passive naturally pushes the wave, similar to his current ult once fully stacked.

Q – Thundering Smash
Volibear gains speed towards enemies, stunning and damaging the first one he attacks. This ability replaces the iconic flip, but it still provides hard CC, making it useful for secondary lockdowns in combination with his E.

W – Frenzied Maul
Volibear damages an enemy, applying on-hit effects and marking them. Casting this spell again on the same target deals bonus damage and heals Volibear. While losing the execute is a drawback, procing on-hit effects will be beneficial with items like Phage, Karchei’s Shard, or Blade of the Ruined King.

E – Sky Splitter
Volibear summons a lightning bolt at a location, dealing damage and slowing enemies while granting him a shield if inside the blast radius. This is a game-changer, providing a ranged form of engage similar to Leona’s ult. Volibear can initiate teamfights with Sky Splitter, slowing enemies from range before following up with all his other CC.

R – Stormbringer
Volibear leaps to a target location, slowing and damaging enemies beneath him while gaining bonus health. Enemy towers near his landing location become temporarily disabled. This ability is a potent initiation tool, especially for tower diving and setting up interesting pairings like Renekton or Irelia. The bonus health helps in teamfights, making Volibear a formidable tank.

With his ultimate, Volibear essentially gets a free Gargoyle’s Stoneplate and Zz’Rot portal. This flexibility in itemization gives his team unique opportunities to take fights they would normally be disadvantaged in.