Highest Ranked Volibear World Showcasing Tri-Force Build
Volibear, the Relentless Storm, has surged in popularity in League of Legends, particularly in the top lane and jungle. His robust kit, featuring a mix of damage, tankiness, and crowd control, makes him a formidable opponent in both solo queue and professional play. This article delves into the highest-ranked Volibear world, dissecting the champion's strengths, weaknesses, and, most importantly, showcasing a Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades build that is currently dominating the meta. We'll explore the itemization choices, rune setups, skill order, and gameplay strategies that make this build so effective, allowing you to channel the storm and climb the ranks with Volibear.
Understanding Volibear's Strengths and Weaknesses
Before diving into the specifics of the Tri-Force build, it's crucial to understand what makes Volibear tick. Volibear's strengths lie in his early-game dominance, strong ganking potential, and ability to engage team fights effectively. His passive, The Relentless Storm, grants him bonus attack speed and movement speed when attacking, allowing him to quickly close the gap on enemies and shred through their health. His Q, Rolling Thunder, provides a powerful engage tool, granting him increased movement speed and a stun on his next attack. This ability is crucial for initiating fights and locking down key targets. Volibear's W, Frenzied Maul, deals scaling damage based on the target's missing health, making him an excellent duelist and objective taker. His E, Sky Splitter, provides a shield and slows enemies in an area, offering both protection and utility. Finally, his ultimate, Stormbringer, turns him into a tower-diving menace, disabling enemy turrets and dealing significant damage to nearby enemies. This ability is perfect for securing objectives and pushing lanes.
However, Volibear is not without his weaknesses. He can be vulnerable to kiting due to his lack of mobility outside of his Q. He also struggles against champions with strong disengage tools or those who can consistently outrange him. Volibear's late-game scaling is also not as strong as some other champions, making it essential to build a lead in the early to mid-game. Furthermore, relying too heavily on his ultimate for engages can leave him vulnerable if it's on cooldown. Effective Volibear players need to be mindful of these weaknesses and play accordingly, adapting their strategy based on the enemy team composition and game state. A key element in mitigating these weaknesses is choosing the right build, which brings us to the core of this article: the Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades approach.
The Tri-Force Jack-of-All-Trades Build: A Deep Dive
The Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades build for Volibear is designed to maximize his versatility and effectiveness in various situations. It aims to provide a balance of damage, tankiness, and utility, allowing him to be a threat in both skirmishes and team fights. The core of this build revolves around the Trinity Force item, which synergizes exceptionally well with Volibear's kit. Trinity Force provides a multitude of beneficial stats, including attack damage, attack speed, ability haste, health, and mana. Its Spellblade passive, which grants bonus damage on the next attack after using an ability, complements Volibear's aggressive playstyle and ability-heavy kit. This makes Volibear's burst damage significantly higher, especially when combined with his Q and W. Furthermore, the Phage passive on Trinity Force, granting bonus movement speed on hit, helps to mitigate Volibear's kiting weakness and allows him to stick to targets more effectively.
Beyond Trinity Force, the build typically incorporates items that enhance Volibear's tankiness and utility. Sterak's Gage is a common choice, providing a shield when taking significant damage and increasing his overall survivability. This item is particularly valuable in team fights, allowing Volibear to absorb more damage and stay in the fight longer. Another popular item is Titanic Hydra, which adds even more damage to Volibear's auto attacks and abilities, while also providing additional health. The Titanic Hydra's passive, which cleaves damage to nearby enemies, enhances Volibear's wave clear and team fight presence. For defensive options, items like Dead Man's Plate and Force of Nature are frequently chosen. Dead Man's Plate provides armor and movement speed, further improving Volibear's engage potential and mobility. Force of Nature grants magic resistance and movement speed, making him more resilient against magic damage threats. The specific defensive items chosen will often depend on the enemy team composition. For example, if the enemy team has a heavy AD composition, items like Randuin's Omen or Thornmail might be more suitable. Conversely, if the enemy team has a lot of magic damage, items like Spirit Visage or Adaptive Helm could be preferred. The key is to adapt the build to the specific needs of each game, while maintaining the core strength of the Trinity Force-centric approach. This flexibility is a major reason why the Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades build is so effective in the current meta.
Rune Choices for the Tri-Force Volibear
The optimal rune setup for the Tri-Force Volibear build typically focuses on enhancing his early-game dominance and sustained damage output. The Press the Attack keystone from the Precision tree is a popular choice, as it synergizes well with Volibear's aggressive playstyle and attack speed steroid. Press the Attack amplifies damage dealt to a target after landing three consecutive attacks, making it ideal for duels and skirmishes. The other runes in the Precision tree often include Triumph, which provides healing and bonus gold on takedowns, Legend: Tenacity, which reduces crowd control duration, and Last Stand, which increases damage dealt when at low health. These runes contribute to Volibear's survivability and damage output in extended fights.
For the secondary rune tree, the Resolve tree is commonly selected, providing additional tankiness and utility. Demolish is a frequent choice, as it allows Volibear to quickly take down turrets, especially with the help of his ultimate. This rune is crucial for snowballing a lead and pressuring the enemy team's base. The other rune in the Resolve tree can vary depending on the matchup and playstyle. Second Wind is a solid option for surviving poke matchups, providing healing after taking damage. Bone Plating offers a burst of damage reduction, making Volibear more resilient in all-ins. Overgrowth grants bonus health as minions and monsters die near Volibear, further enhancing his tankiness in the late game. Alternatively, some players opt for the Inspiration tree as their secondary, taking runes like Magical Footwear for free boots and Cosmic Insight for additional ability haste and summoner spell haste. These runes can provide a slight edge in mobility and cooldown reduction. Ultimately, the rune choices should be tailored to the individual player's preferences and the specific challenges of each game. However, the core combination of Press the Attack, Triumph, Legend: Tenacity, Last Stand, and Demolish provides a strong foundation for the Tri-Force Volibear build.
Skill Order and Gameplay Strategies
The skill order for the Tri-Force Volibear build typically prioritizes maximizing his early-game damage and engage potential. The most common skill order is R > W > Q > E. Prioritizing R (Stormbringer) at levels 6, 11, and 16 is standard, as it significantly enhances Volibear's tower-diving capabilities and team fight presence. Maxing W (Frenzied Maul) first is crucial for dealing significant damage in duels and skirmishes. The percentage health damage scaling makes it an effective tool for shredding through tanks and squishy targets alike. Maxing Q (Rolling Thunder) second provides additional stun duration and movement speed, improving Volibear's engage and ganking potential. E (Sky Splitter) is typically maxed last, as its primary value lies in its shield and slow, rather than its damage scaling. However, one point in E is still essential for its utility.
In the early game, Volibear excels at pressuring his lane opponent and setting up ganks. Utilizing his Q to engage and his W to deal damage, Volibear can often secure early kills or force the enemy laner to burn summoner spells. It's important to play aggressively and look for opportunities to trade damage, leveraging Volibear's strong early-game stats. When playing in the jungle, Volibear's clear speed is decent, but his ganking potential is where he truly shines. His Q provides a reliable stun, making it easy to set up kills for his laners. Coordinating ganks with laners who have follow-up crowd control can be particularly effective. In the mid-game, Volibear's role shifts towards split-pushing and objective control. His ultimate allows him to safely dive towers and secure objectives like turrets and dragons. The Tri-Force build provides the damage needed to quickly take down towers, while the tankiness from items like Sterak's Gage allows him to survive dives. In team fights, Volibear excels at engaging and disrupting the enemy team. Using his Q to stun a key target and his ultimate to disable turrets or zone enemies, Volibear can create opportunities for his team to secure kills and objectives. It's important to be mindful of positioning and peel for carries when necessary. The Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades build allows Volibear to be a flexible threat, capable of engaging, tanking, and dealing damage, making him a valuable asset in any team composition.
Conclusion: Unleash the Storm with the Tri-Force Build
The Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades build for Volibear is a testament to the champion's versatility and potential in the current meta. By combining the damage output of Trinity Force and Titanic Hydra with the tankiness of Sterak's Gage and other defensive items, this build allows Volibear to excel in a variety of situations. Whether you're looking to dominate the top lane, gank effectively in the jungle, or engage in team fights, this build provides the tools you need to succeed. The optimal rune setup, prioritizing Press the Attack and the Resolve tree, further enhances Volibear's early-game dominance and sustained damage output. Mastering the skill order, focusing on W and Q, maximizes his damage and engage potential. By understanding Volibear's strengths and weaknesses, adapting your gameplay to the specific challenges of each game, and embracing the Tri-Force jack-of-all-trades approach, you can unleash the storm and climb the ranks with the Relentless Storm. So, jump into Summoner's Rift, channel the power of Volibear, and show the world what you're capable of. This build, showcased by some of the highest-ranked Volibear players, is a proven path to victory. Now, it's your turn to master it and make your mark on the Rift.