Udyr's Suggestions

I've always been a fan of Udyr; his lore, his versatility and his uniqueness (not having an ultimate and you have varied playstyle) make this champion fun to play. However, Udyr felt lackluster for a time until Riot decided to update his kit few patches ago. The changes they made was a good step into the right direction but Udyr still miss something, not something big but something. Riot recently mentioned there's additional changes/adjustement they plan to do and I think it could be a nice opportunity to shout out few ideas.

You see, I feel Udyr's kit and theme could go further than what he currently has. Since Udyr's all about about his stances and "becoming one with the spirit", the current kit doesn't reward Udyr's embrace with his spirit animals. I feel Udyr could receive a reward similar to Syndra once he maxed out a particular stance. With Spirit Guard Udyr skin, you can see throughout the game the bond between Udyr and his spirit animal becomes stronger and as a result, a visual change occurs (half animal, half human). This should also happens with his kit.

Having not an Ultimate is one thing and its fine on its own but the drawback Udyr has compared to say Jayce or Nidalee is the stance you do not want to focus won't have synergy at to your choosen playstyle and the few skill points left are partially lost. If you focus on Tiger Stance, Phoenix stance won't receive much from that stance or the item path and vice-versa. I do think there's still some work to make between the maxed stance and the late game not maxed style. But let's go back to be "one with the spirit"; by finally reaching that synergy with its spirit animal, Udyr should unlock a secret power/buff of some sort as a reward.

My suggestion is that once a specific stance is maxed, Udyr will receive an additional bonus/effect when it goes into that stance. Here's few suggestions based upon animal martial arts

One with the Tiger

• Gain a short increased movement speed burst towards enemy hit by tiger stance bleed damage.
• Reduce slow effect on Udyr in Tiger Stance.

The trademark of a tiger is its ability to move with power, grace and balance. When the tiger moves, it is always with characteristic feline poise. When it attacks, it moves inside or around the opponent's stance, never allowing an opponent the chance to recover. The tiger instinctively attacks the vital areas. I think increased movement could be one way to express tiger style mastery.

One with the Turtle

• Gain % Damage Reduction for 2 seconds.
• Increased Tenacity % for shield's duration.

Since this stance is all about defense, a defensive stat increase could do the trick.

**One with the Bear **

• After the first hit (which stuns your opponent), your next attacks will slow your opponent (as long as you are in Bear Stance).
• When you stun your opponent, reduce % Armor and/or Magic Resist for 2 seconds.

The idea behind this is the Bear Stance is trading grace and balance for brute strength. Bear style can also be deceitful, appearing defensive and harmless at first but once being underestimated, counter attack and reveals its true nature. The defense reduction can be interpreted by being deceitful, hitting at weakness spot with strong physical assault. I've suggested also Magic Resist reduction for synergy with Phoenix stance. 2 seconds is the time required to switch to either your offensive stance (tiger or phoenix). The slow suggestion is the bear style has many takedown or movemen restrictive techniques, which would make sense by applying a slow debuff.

One with the Phoenix Increased burning aura's wide. 360 degree phoenix strike. Bonus Health damage scaling? (with or w/t maxed skill)

Tiger stance is more for single target, Phoenix stance is for AoE. These suggestions could be one way to express that particularity. When entering in this stance, Udyr could release large fiery waves for his aura's duration. One option could be on its phoenix strike, it released a fiery wave, not just in front of him but all around Udyr. Also, perhaps by giving a health damage scaling (not % max health damage bonus) as well keeping AP ratio could be something to consider?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Perhaps Riot may have something else in mind for Udyr? Hope for the best.

Regards.