Hey guys! I'm back again, still hoping that Udyr will do better this season!
That remains to be seen, but with all the new items, it looks like Udyr may have a chance.

This WILL be a lot like my old guide, but I'm going to start from scratch (since most of you dont want a rehash neways). This will be my thoughts at first, and as I playtest, my opinions will be posted.

Udyr himself has not changed much so go look at my old guide if you want basic tips:
http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/thinking-as-udyr-the-jungle-king-171371

A little bit about myself. I've been playing League since....i forget. Before season 1, but not during closed BETA. First champion i played was Sion and i failed miserably haha. was the first champion i got good at (because i love skillshots). I followed AP cookie-cutter builds and such. Then came out and I loved him. I started playing AD characters so i could round out my roster a little bit more. was the first carry I became well versed with (well...decently versed with). Then I started playing 3v3s with friends during season 1 as and had a generally fun time with that. But since 5v5s are more enjoyable in my opinion, and i did not like Akali 5v5 as much, i picked up as my main. The big bird was awesome! Then finally came my love for the jungle in the form of . He was the king of the jungle with dodges, shields, etc. Jungling was strange to tackle at first (esp w/o runes in S1), but he quickly became my main. Later, was a support i instantly loved playing with during this time. I tried AP mid with , , and . That was aight, but laning is boring to me. It just isnt as fun. So going back to the jungle, I started playing and . But Udyr will always be my favorite champion.

Udyr is the king fallen from grace. Still a strong jungler, he has everything a textbook jungler needs:
His phoenix form has one of the fastest clear times (in all 3 jungle seasons).
His tiger has very good scaling and applies very strong damage
His turtle provides great sustainability in all phases of the game in all types of situations
His bear is a fearsome CC for multiple targets and a mobility buff

He is a manly tanker/bruiser depending on your build.
As a jungler, he is versatile and adaptable.

He does everything a jungler does, and does it well: clearing quickly, map mobility, ganking potential, counterjungling power, and sustainability.

As a toplane, he is very hard to push out. His defenses make him much like an immovable object.

Despite these strengths, he has some problems to keep in mind:
- he has no real gap closer. only a movement speed buff (making it really hard as every new champ gets leaps, stuns, etc.)
- spamming his abilities (because of their low cooldowns) can drain an inexperienced Udyr's mana
- he gets kited because he has no ranged capabilities
- after the initial bear stun, enemies can simply ignore you if you are not a big enough threat

WTH....the new masteries are all wonky....the Utility tree still seems to suck early on so i dont wanna invest in it.
There's a lot in the first few tiers of defensive that i really like. However, i might try a 15-15-0 build later.
But for now let's try....

OFFENSIVE

• is obv. ATK Damage...
• is obvious. Jungle fastarrr
• Invest the rest of your points in .

You COULD take a point from Fury and put it in Deadliness, but since the loves it when you attack more, i'd rather not. It's up to you.

DEFENSIVE

• is the only obvious one in my opinion.
• over since you shouldnt get that low (leave it for or ).
• is optional, but we'll see how much lack of all those lovely gp10s hurt.

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• is a MUST.
• as well.
  This sucks cuz now to take these masteries, junglers HAVE to invest in the defensive tree. just like they HAVE to get the freakin machete. Ah well, what can ya do.

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• but looks pretty enticing.
  Udyr relies on his movement speed too much, but he also needs to be tanky. Take your pick.
  looks freakin weak and is too situational.

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• looks awesome since i expect to build buttloads of health
• is also LOVELY on Udyr, but with all the tenacity/ccreduction I'm going to be building, I'm forgoing one point for testing.

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• ...why not.
• is meh now, is too weak IMO, and ....no.
• At this point it doesnt matter...just get too.

Runes Precision Fleet Footwork Phase Rush

Ad reds (and AD quints if you like) work wonders. Tiger's Dot has such a nice AD ratio, it's almost a shame to not have attack damage runes. Attack speed reds work (but then again, attack speed runes work for most junglers).
Health quints work as well. It just depends on your playstyle.
Armor yellows are my personal favorite out of all runes. They help against creeps, camps, and ad champs. They are all around good runes to have all throughout the game. (and you can use them for other characters, which makes them very cost effective)

As for blues, magic resist per level is my choice. Udyr has a great health pool and a turtle stance shield. However, a bursty mage can screw over an Udyr who is not prepared. Wits End helps, but you have to get some attacks in first. Especially early game when you only have merc treads, those magic resist runes let you gank much more freely. Mana regen per level work or attack speed for Phoenix . Other blues just dont appeal to me for Udyr.

Runes Precision Fleet Footwork Phase Rush

Attack speed red and quints . Those phoenix waves make you clear the jungle in seconds. Other runes pale in comparison by far. Phoenix already gives you an AD buff, and the point of phoenix is to get those 3 hits off quickly.
Health quints work as well. It just depends on your style.
Yellow (see tiger)
Blue (see tiger)

Hunter's Machete + 5x Health Potions are now EVERY jungler's new startup speed boost and 450 effective health. I suggest building it into Spirit of the Ancient Golem but we'll see.

Trinity Force is still a grand item on Udyr. We still seek to build it and this piece is not that expensive for what it gives you.

This allows you to start diving into fights. Early on, you have decent damage enough especially with your buffs. You want to be prepared to transition...into the sexy Runic Bulwark

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What looks good atm?

New Opportunities:

• Spirit of the Ancient Golem to build from machete. It's the tanky way!
• Zephyr has all the stats Udyr wants, and the passive is KILLER
• Mercurial Scimitar though it's a BF item, has a nice active + MR stats
• Muramana has potential. IDK how good it is on Udyr tho.
• Runic Bulwark...finally it's here

Old Favs

• Trinity Force
• Frozen Mallet
• Frozen Heart
• Madred's Bloodrazor
• Wit's End
• Ionian Spark
• Randuin's Omen

[based largely on Stonewall008's analysis]

TO FEAR

These guys still rape the jungle. They have a squishier first run though. See if you can eat them early on...

EQUALS

Mwahahaa! Lee Sin's fall from grace! He is slightly slower, though still just as unpredictable. However, you aren't as disadvantaged against him as before. Maokai...Fear him. He has your potential now. Not quite as fast, but just as deadly. Olaf's as fast/faster than you now, though he is EXTREMELY squishy in the beginning. Either capitalize on this or get CHOPCHOPCHOP'D.

POTENTIAL

Darius is scary. His speed got faster (stupid AOE DOT). He has really nice damage and at LV6 you can only hope to escape as Udyr. He's annoying, and let's see how good he is early game...(i have yet to face jungle darius with jungle udyr). Jarvan IV is my new favorite jungler. I may be a bit biased, but he has maneuverability and good CC. That ult is awesome for teamfights. The matchup is definitely interesting. Elise i may be giving her too much credit, but she's been fun to experiment with. little spiderlings can tank the damage, so she'll have plenty of pots leftover from jungling undisturbed. She DOES fall off late game though.