I know that many of you have probably seen this video, but it’s so good I had to share it. I’ve played most of my games over the past couple days with a guy named Everett and we’ve been winning a ton. We even took down a high-tier TakashiX/Elementz combo, albeit largely because the rest of their team lacked synergy. In the games that we’ve been able to lane together, we’ve done an absolutely brutal job of zoning our opponents with combinations like Sion/Ezreal. With so much nuking power and Ezreal’s extreme range, we have effectively shut our opponents out of early XP, making the rest of the game very difficult for them.

Zoning is basically using your skills and position to keep your enemy away from creep lines, thereby denying them XP while still farming yourself. It is a rough tactic, and though some champions can counter it, most will struggle if you can do it well. Shurelia does a great job explaining the various aspects of zoning so I’ll save you the trouble.

On a side note, I may start a weekly learning series, in which I cover some aspect of the game, much like this. If you have any questions or a topic you’d like to see covered, drop a note in the comments. I’d also be open to guides if you need help with a specific hero. As always, you can find me in game as “The Wiggin Boy.”

Playing with Udyr on the map right now can be a frustrating experience. Sure, there are the flavor-of-the-week players who pick him because they’ve heard he’s OP, but there are also a lot of good players exploiting his recent buffs for big IP gains. I put together this quick guide to help you shut down your opponent’s Udyr to get a solid win.

It’s all about lane control
I never like to pick toons just in case the other team has an Udyr, but until the nerf comes I think it’s a wise choice. Everyone, and I mean everyone on your team should be rolling with some sort of disable. Get stuns, get snares, get silences (yes, silence prevents stance dance). Take two stuns to your lane and focus your harassment on Udyr. It’s critical to use your spells and auto attacks when turtle form is down. Early on it doesn’t prevent a lot of damage, but it gets tough to penetrate fairly quickly. If he’s playing defensively, you’ll have a very hard time killing him once he reaches level five. That shield only lasts three seconds, though, so get your hits in when it’s down. This forces him to spam shield, wasting the mana he would otherwise use to wtfpwn you. The harassment also keeps him from farming too quickly, which puts his attack speed at unmanageable levels.

If he’s not in a lane, you have to gank him. No exceptions. Udyr has become the best jungler in the game because of the phoenix buff. Unless you want him steamrolling your team, you better get to their jungle and stop his farm. How? Clairvoyance. Someone on your team should spec into improved Clairvoyance. That gives you enough time to see where he is and figure out where he’s going. It’s always a good bet to check Dragon around level five or six.

Mid-game counters
Udyr’s major disadvantage is that he can only close the gap with bear form or flash. Granted, once it’s closed you’re in trouble, so you need to be aware of his map position at all times. Buy sight wards. No one likes to hear that, but it is necessary. Have everyone spend 180g every 5 minutes early game, less if you have a Clairvoyance user. It will help you avoid ganks and slow down his farm.

If everyone is still laning, focus on your farm. Udyr can be killed just like anyone else, and if you outfarm him, you will beat him. Be cautious about lingering too close to enemy towers. If your creeps push too far, back off and go grab a golem buff or check Dragon with 3 people.

Team fights, it’s Udyr first. Your ranged DPS (you better have a lot) should blow nukes and stuns on him in succession. Set up a chain of action (Ashe always opens, followed by Sion, followed by Annie) and burn him down fast. From there you can worry about the rest of the team.

Late game: towers need magnum-sized protection
Udyr becomes a serious BD threat as early as level 11 or 12. If your outside turrets are low, assume that he will BD them. Try sneaking a 5-man BD yourself and then push to inner or inhibitor turrets. If he’s trying to BD you, he’s put his team in a penalty box situation, offering the chance for a strong push. Take advantage of cocky Udyr players by coordinating team attacks while he tries to make his solo game work.

In late game team fights you should focus burst damage on Udyr, just check your greed at the door. Nuking him to 1/4 health might feel like a waste, but it usually sends him running, especially if you’ve been harassing well all game. Really, if they have a farmed up Udyr late game, you’re in trouble. Start at the beginning of this guide and read again if you get to that point.

Post Script: solo players need not apply
I play solo queue a lot, so my heart goes out to those of you with a string of frustrating defeats as a result of careless teammates. You will have trouble with Udyr. Period. Try to get communication started early with your team and you might be able to avoid a few headaches. If they have a smart jungler, you’re going to be in trouble. Coordinating hero choice and summoner spells is the key to beating Udyr, and those things rarely happen in solo play. If you want to be successful against him until his nerf, find at least two other players you can trust and play arranged games.

I have a fairly large base of friends playing League of Legends now, mostly thanks to my shameless plugs every time we’ve spoken over the last several months. Of those people I was the first to hit 30, so I get asked most of the questions regarding strategy, hero choice, etc. The big question of late, though, is what to do when you get into a losing streak.

Games like LoL tend to ebb and flow quite a bit. I often feel unstoppable for as many as ten games, only to turn around and lose the next ten because of sloppy play and unskilled teammates. Things are never completely out of your hands, though, and a little focus can save you a lot of frustration.

First off, take a look at your team comp. It sounds really basic, but it’s a mistake I see from almost every team. You cobble together a few wins and think you must be so skilled you can win with any comp. Not so, and it’s usually the base reason behind a streak of losses. Make sure you have a balance of range, nuke, dps, and meat.

You also need to take a look at lane comps. A balanced team means nothing if you have a lane with no disable. Try to put at least one disable in each lane and if you have spares, pair one lane for ganking. That lane can be responsible for pushing tower first and then roaming to help the team.

Lastly, take a look at your summoner spells and tune them to account for you team’s weaknesses. If you’ll have trouble laning early, consider Fortify on at least 2 champs. Exhaust is great for shutting down the enemy Twitch or Shaco in team fights, and Cleanse can help save you in big team fights. Avoid relying on spells like Flash and Heal because they can quickly turn into a crutch that you’ll be unsure how to play without.

Once you’re back on your feet, try to at least keep a few of these things in mind. If you have a regular team to roll with you can be a little sloppy, but playing pugs, you need every advantage you can get.