New Varus lore highlights general disconnect between lore and gameplay.

This has been a common problem in champion backstories over the years, the lore team writes a backstory that doesn't relate to the gameplay of a champion, or the gameplay side of the champion has little to no relation to the story written for them. Infamous examples would be Lux's old backstory describing her using her light magic to render herself invisible, implying a stealth mechanic in her kit or Aatrox's story describing him as a being who inspired bloodlust in select soldiers who caught his eye (Tryndamere being one of them) yet his actual kit had zero mechanics that brought out anything from his allies, just a simple, selfish diver kit.

Varus's old lore described him as a trained warden for a sacred Ionian temple. From a fortified position he singlehandedly defeated an entire army. Varus's gameplay, whether by intention or not, seems to fit this kind of warrior as he has exceptional range of both his auto attacks and abilities and some of the best waveclear of any adc. While safe under a tower Varus can simultaneously clear waves and harass the enemy team, making him incredibly useful against sieges. His play is efficient and impersonal.

Varus's new lore changes him to a mix of two hunters and a Darkin. The nimble hunters regularly trek through thick wilderness without clear visibility and their success depends on their intimate knowledge of the local flora and fauna. The Darkin is described as a sadistic killer who loves to torment his victims. When you think of a kit for a character that's an almost schizophrenic mix of these three people, you would think of abilities to let you track, trap and assassinate specific targets and mobility to follow them through the twisting paths of the jungle while also staying safe from their allies, maybe a kit like Kindred's or Jhin's. Varus's current kit has none of these elements.

I just think Riot's lore team really needs to consider the gameplay of the champion they're rewriting more often, this feels like the lore of a completely relaunched or new champion but the reality is that it's tacked onto an established and completely unrelated kit.