Udyr Counters: Who Beats Udyr

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Udyr counters are champions who refuse to stand still in front of him: ranged junglers and top laners who kite his 125 range, crowd control that stops him mid-stance, and Grievous Wounds for Iron Mantle’s heals. Udyr has four stances on short cooldowns and no gap closer apart from Blazing Stampede’s speed. Kite him and he’s chasing all game.

Five picks follow, chosen kit against kit for his top and jungle roles. We didn’t use win rates.

Why is Udyr hard to counter?

• Bridge Between (passive): four basic abilities that swap stances and can be recast for an ultimate-strength version; after each ability, his next two attacks gain Attack Speed.
• Wilding Claw (Q): Attack Speed and two empowered attacks; recast calls lightning on the target. Cooldown 6.
• Iron Mantle (W): a shield and two healing attacks; recast gives a bigger shield and heals based on max health. Cooldown 6.
• Blazing Stampede (E): Move Speed, and his first attack on each target stuns; recast adds immunity to immobilizing effects for a couple of seconds. Cooldown 6.
• Wingborne Storm (R): a storm that damages and slows nearby enemies; recast makes it track enemies for extra damage. Cooldown 6.

Udyr cycles abilities every few seconds (each one is on a 6 second timer). Blazing Stampede gets him to you, and his first hit stuns. Wilding Claw or Wingborne Storm deals the damage, and Iron Mantle shields and heals him through the fight. The recast versions make each stance stronger, and Blazing Stampede’s recast even makes him immune to immobilizing effects for a moment. So how do you beat that? Stay out of melee range, stack slows, and cut the healing.

Which champions are the best Udyr counters?

Quinn

Quinn fights from 525 range and has an answer for every Blazing Stampede. When he charges, her E bounces off him: in, slow, a brief interrupt, then back out to the edge of her range. Harrier (passive) has her eagle mark enemies for bonus physical damage on her first attack. Her Q clouds his vision. Hitting a marked target speeds up both her attacks and her feet, and her ultimate turns her into a fast flyer for roams. Udyr has to touch her to win. She rarely lets him.

Nidalee

In the jungle, Nidalee is a long-range problem. Javelin Toss (Q) gains damage the further it flies, and a hit triggers a Hunt through Prowl (passive), granting True Sight and Move Speed toward the target. Primal Surge (E) heals allies and adds Attack Speed. Aspect Of The Cougar (R) swaps her into cougar form for Takedown, Pounce and Swipe when it’s time to finish him. Bushwhack (W) traps reveal and damage. Honestly, a good Nidalee invades Udyr’s camps all game and never takes a fair fight.

Karthus

Karthus clears from range and stalls Udyr in fights. Wall of Pain (W) reduces Move Speed and Magic Resist on any enemy who walks through it, which is exactly where Blazing Stampede wants to go. Lay Waste (Q) hits harder on isolated enemies (Udyr diving alone counts, and he dives alone a lot). Defile (E) damages everything around him. Requiem (R) hits every enemy champion after a 3 second channel. And if Udyr does kill him? Death Defied (passive) lets Karthus keep casting in spirit form for a while.

Fiddlesticks

Reap (E) slows every enemy in its slash and silences those hit in the centre, and a silenced Udyr can’t switch stances. Terrify (Q) fears a target, sending him running in the wrong direction. Bountiful Harvest (W) drains health and finishes with execute damage. Crowstorm (R) damages everything in the area. A Harmless Scarecrow (passive) gives Fiddlesticks effigies in place of a trinket. To be fair, Fiddlesticks wants to be unseen to fear; once Udyr finds him, the fight is close.

Kayle

Top lane Udyr hates a scaling ranged champion. Divine Ascent (passive) grows Kayle’s Attack Range and Attack Speed every level, and late game she kites him easily. Radiant Blast (Q) slows. Starfire Spellblade (E) deals bonus damage on missing health. Celestial Blessing (W) heals and speeds her up to stay out of his range. Divine Judgment (R) makes an ally invulnerable when Udyr dives. The catch is the early game: Udyr can run her over before Divine Ascent kicks in.

How do you play against Udyr?

• Kite Blazing Stampede. Its first attack on each target stuns, so stay out of melee range while it’s active.
• Save your crowd control until the recast ends. The empowered E makes stuns and roots slide off him briefly, so wait.
• Burst through Iron Mantle. The recast shield and heal come every few seconds.
• Back away from Wingborne Storm, which slows nearby enemies.
• Bring Grievous Wounds; Iron Mantle’s healing attacks keep him going.

Which items counter Udyr?

His damage comes from attacks, and his sustain from Iron Mantle. Thornmail answers both, returning magic damage when he hits you and applying Wounds that cut his healing. Wilding Claw is an Attack Speed stance, and standing near Udyr in Frozen Heart drags his Attack Speed down by 20%. Boots? Plated Steelcaps, which trim each of his hits by 10% (cheap insurance). Damage dealers can use Executioner’s Calling for 800 gold to apply 40% Wounds on physical damage. The stats are in the LoL items database, with a detailed Thornmail page too.

When is Udyr at his weakest?

When he can’t reach you. Udyr has 125 range and only Blazing Stampede’s Move Speed for gap closing, so slows, walls and long-range champions make him chase all game.

He’s also weak in big teamfights where he gets kited. His stances are strongest in one-on-one duels and skirmishes, and a team that peels well (slows, knock-backs, roots after the recast’s immunity ends) can keep him off the carries. Real talk: he wins duels, not fights.

Still learning jungle or top? The guide to LoL roles explains both jobs, from clearing camps to holding a side lane against a split-pusher like him. Spirit animals and other themes fill the Udyr skins page. For the bridge, read the Udyr ARAM guide. Long story short, Udyr counters kite him, wait out the immunity, and cut his healing.

FAQ

Who counters Udyr the most?

Quinn and Kayle, who kite him from range; Nidalee and Karthus, who fight from range in the jungle; and Fiddlesticks, whose Reap silences and Terrify fears.

Does Blazing Stampede stun?

Yes. Udyr’s first attack against each target during Blazing Stampede stuns them. Its empowered recast briefly blocks immobilizing effects on him.

How often can Udyr use his abilities?

Each of his four abilities has a 6 second cooldown, and each can be recast for a stronger version.

How does Udyr heal?

Iron Mantle shields him and makes his next two attacks heal. Its recast gives a bigger shield and heals based on max health.

How did we select these Udyr counters?

By comparing his patch 26.21 kit with each champion’s abilities, without win-rate data.