Riot Games keeps old league champions that aren't up to League of Legends' modern standards. Full-scale improvements are crucial to keeping the game fresh and interesting for everyone.
Udyr has had a small and extremely dedicated player base over the years, with only a few notable pro-play appearances that resulted in champion nerfs, and Udyr falling further into disuse. Besides, the Udyr model and kit were markedly outdated, making it almost impossible to stay relevant in the current meta.
Udyr's VGU update has recently been released on live servers, just like Aatrox did with his complete overhaul in 2018. Riot worked to preserve the core of Udyr's gameplay with stance dance, and Udyr's mains were surprised to learn that Udyr has remained an almost identical champion with minor tweaks.
Oldyr vs. Newdyr
Udyr's identity has centered around a slick stance dance and his spirit animalstiger, bear, turtle, and phoenixunleashing their stunning abilities to protect the natural order in the Freljord. Prior to the VGU update, Udyr was a dangerous early-game power-farmer and ganker, making it difficult to catch, let alone punish.
Udyr once again wields the spirit animalstiger, turtle, ram, and phoenix to fulfill nature's will. Although Udyrs lore was modernized, the themes, characters, and plot of his story remain nearly unchanged. Even after the VGU update, Udyr is still a solid early-game farmer and a ganker who now struggles to reach the backline.
Has Udyr lost his soul after his VGU?
The most common fear of almost any main expecting to see the VGU of their favorite champion is a complete overhaul that leaves a champion in such an unrecognizable state that relearning the champion is a must. Udyr mains, naturally, were left unaware of this while waiting to see Newdyr's reveal.
The majority of Udyrs' VGU is focused on reviving the Spirit Walker theme and expanding the already unique champion kit. The only significant change Udyr has seen, besides the visual update and minor tweaks to Phoenix and now Ram Stance, is the Awaken passive, which pushes the champion from a simple statcheck to a more complex champion demanding a level of understanding and skill.
Riot may continue to develop seemingly low-effort VGU updates, which are costly and take up a lot of time, and hopefully release Mordekaiser-like updates that reinforce the champions theme.