The recent update made a major change to Valir’s mechanics: cooldown reduction (CDR) now affects his Skill 1. This is monumental. Previously, no matter how much CDR you stacked, his Skill 1 had a fixed cooldown timer. That limitation made it hard for Valir to keep up with more mobile, burst-heavy heroes in today’s meta.
Now, with cooldown reduction properly scaling his fireballs, Valir’s poking and zoning capabilities have gone through the roof. And it doesn’t stop there.
Thanks to Temporal Rain, a mechanic that further reduces the cooldown of his first two skills, you can cast spells nearly nonstop in extended fights. This means more area denial, more crowd control, and more burst damage—all while staying safe from the backline.
These two changes synergize beautifully, turning Valir into a zoning nightmare and teamfight specialist who can chain abilities far more frequently than before.
Valir’s rebirth isn’t just theory—it’s already been tested on the big stage. During MPL Philippines, a standout play came from Super Prince, who showcased the new-and-improved Valir in Game 3 against TLPH.
The game featured a key moment: Team Liquid tried to execute a classic diversion flank, but Super Prince read the play perfectly. He used Searing Torrent to push multiple enemies into Kirk’s Avatar of the Guardian—a massive crowd-control combo that instantly shifted the fight in their favor. That single moment not only stopped Team Liquid’s momentum but also ended the game.
As a result, Super Prince was named MVP of Game 3, and Valir was once again the center of highlight reels across the region.
Here’s the winning build Super Prince used to dominate with Valir:
Valir’s Skill 1 (Burst Fireball) has a low base cooldown but high mana cost. This means in longer fights, or even during laning, it’s easy to burn through your mana pool quickly. That’s where Enchanted Talisman comes in:
+20% CDR: A major boost, especially now that Skill 1 benefits from CDR.
Mana regen passive: Keeps you topped up in long trades.
Synergy with Temporal Rain: Helps reach max CDR quickly and enables near-constant spellcasting.
It’s not just a useful item—it’s practically core for sustained presence in lane and teamfights.
This emblem choice enhances cooldown speeds even more. With Temporal Rain, Valir can spam both Skill 1 (Burst Fireball) and Skill 2 (Searing Torrent) at insane rates. When paired with items like Enchanted Talisman and Clock of Destiny or Ice Queen Wand, he becomes a true AoE menace, pushing waves and zoning enemies with relentless fireballs.
Overall, the combination allows for maximum uptime and minimal vulnerability, which is exactly what Valir needs to thrive.
Valir isn’t an all-around pick—you still need to assess team compositions and enemy drafts carefully. Here’s a breakdown of when he works and when he doesn’t:
Enemy jungler is a fighter (e.g., Balmond, Bane, Aulus): These heroes have moderate mobility and are vulnerable to Valir’s knockbacks and zoning.
The enemy comp is frontline-heavy: Valir excels at area denial. Tanks like Gatotkaca, Terizla, or Fredrinn struggle to navigate teamfights when Valir spams spells.
Your team lacks magic damage: Slotting in Valir can balance your team composition.
Enemy has high-mobility assassins (e.g., Ling, Hayabusa, Benedetta): These heroes can close gaps too quickly, making it hard for Valir to position safely.
You lack a solid frontline: Without tanks to peel, Valir becomes a prime target for divers.
Enemies have Purify or Flicker-heavy comps: Escape spells can completely negate Valir’s crowd control.
In one of my own matches, I was just a game away from Mythical Glory, but a teammate on Sun was playing unpredictably. Luckily, the enemy jungler was a fighter, which made it easy to control their frontline with my spells. Had they gone assassin, I doubt I could’ve performed as well.
Even before finishing the full build, the difference was already clear: Valir’s Skill 1 felt spammable. The ability to constantly throw fireballs with very little downtime creates tremendous lane pressure. You can force enemies to retreat or reposition constantly—which opens up opportunities for objectives or rotations.
In teamfights, it’s all about timing your Searing Torrent to knock back frontliners and peeling for your carries. Use the burn stacks from Skill 1 to soften enemies, and when they’re low, finish them off with Lava Burst (Ultimate) for massive AoE damage.
Once you have 30–40% cooldown reduction, Valir transforms into a machine gun of magic—ideal for both offense and defense.
"Magic? No, this is the arcade!"
He’s not wrong. With his new pacing, Valir plays like a high-damage spellcaster in a bullet hell shooter.
After years of obscurity, Valir is finally viable again. Thanks to thoughtful buffs and great synergy between emblems and items, he now has the tools to compete in high-level matches—both in ranked games and the pro scene.
Super Prince’s MPL performance lit the fire. The question is: will you carry it forward?
If you enjoy zoning, spellcasting, and controlling teamfights with precision, Valir might just be the hero for you. But remember—like all mages, he’s vulnerable without protection. Master your positioning, understand your matchups, and let the flames guide you to victory.
