Volibear vs Jax — How to Play the Matchup

Another Volibear post, huh. This time, we're looking at how Volibear deals with Jax. So basically, how to go even... or even better. There used to be a video from Mandang on this matchup, but with Jax's Counter Strike changes and various patches, things are a bit different now. Let's get into it.

Just like Darius who has to take Flash and Ignite to have an advantage, Jax also needs a different setup nowadays—runes and starting items included. Let's start with the standard options: Doran's Ring and Doran's Shield.

Doran's Ring is usually the go-to against normal champions so you can shove the wave fast and grab lane priority, while also helping Volibear's mana, which is pretty weak in the early to mid game. But against Jax, you can't shove at level 1, nor can you trade at level 1. Volibear can't push the wave well either, so proccing your passive with the ring is tough. Basically, it's hard to make use of it.

Doran's Shield gives sustain, nothing more, nothing less. But Volibear isn't looking to fight Jax early anyway. Also, given their respective kits, trades are usually very short, so the Shield is practically useless. Again, hard to utilize.

So what about Doran's Blade? It's actually better than both the Shield and the Ring.

Why? In the scenario I'll talk about later, when Volibear and Jax trade and Volibear wins the turn, you can farm minions to proc your passive and actually get more healing than the Shield would give. Plus, compared to the Ring, which only works with your passive and E, the Blade works with Q, auto-attacks, and W too—making it much better against Jax.

To not get dumpstered in trades, Volibear needs to freeze the lane first. In that process, if Volibear steps up slightly, Jax will pop Counter Strike, Q in, and start trading. The key here is: the moment Jax spins Counter Strike, you cast E on your current position. Let's break down why you do this and what other options there are.

First: If Jax jumps in while you're casting E, he hits Counter Strike, and the trade happens—he gets hit by your E too. Since E damage isn't blocked by Counter Strike, it also has a slow, so you can actually reverse the trade angle.

Second: Jax sees your E, stops his Counter Strike animation, and either doesn't jump in, or waits for the E to go off before jumping. If he doesn't jump in, his Counter Strike goes on cooldown, and while it's down, it's your turn. If he waits for your E to finish then jumps, the shield from your E can still mitigate some of his damage.

But even with the shield, there's a limit to how much damage you can reduce, and it's still a one-sided trade.

Here's one more thing Volibear can do.

Jax pops Counter Strike, Qs in, deals damage, and then backs off to wait for cooldowns. This is where the difference from pre-rework Jax comes in. Counter Strike blocks the damage from Volibear's W, but the mark still gets applied. That's when Volibear casts E on the spot Jax is backing off to. Now Jax is slowed by your E and can't escape, and you still have Q. You immediately chase with Q, then land another W (which comes off cooldown from the trade). This way, you don't get one-sidedly beaten in the trade.

At this point, since Volibear just fought Jax, hitting minions a few times procs his passive immediately. Then you use the passive to push the wave and the Doran's Blade healing to gain an even bigger advantage from the trade.

Since Volibear takes initial damage then has to chase to maximize his own damage, it's best to run: Precision: Press the Attack or Lethal Tempo Resolve: Bone Plating, Unflinching

What if the lane is frozen and Jax gives you space? Nothing difficult—just dump your whole combo on him and immediately walk toward your tower. Volibear will start the trade with Q, using the stun to land W or even E. After that, if you back off immediately, even if Jax spins Counter Strike, there are no more attacks to block, and he can't use Q to chase you further.

That's it.

Summary Use Press the Attack or Lethal Tempo (recommended). Presence of Mind is fixed. Take Bone Plating and Unflinching. Buy Doran's Blade as your starting item. Play safe until the wave crashes into your tower at level 3. Once it does, if Jax gives you space, initiate the trade first and then walk toward your tower. If the lane is in the middle or you gave Jax the range for his Q and he jumps in, immediately apply the W mark. After trading and disengaging, cast E on the spot he's retreating to, then chase with the slow + Q to gain the trade advantage. After that, push the wave using your passive, and leverage the healing from both your passive and Doran's Blade to snowball the lead.

That's all.

Feel free to point out any mistakes or ask questions.