League of Legends Ultra Rapid Fire (URF) is one of Riot’s most chaotic game modes. There’s practically no cooldown on abilities, mana bars don’t matter, and fights break out every few seconds. More than a decade after its debut, it’s still among the most loved limited-time modes in the game.

This guide walks you through how URF works, which champions are the most broken, how builds change, and top strategies to help you win more often. We’ll also cover the LoL URF rotation schedule, typical event timings, and what to expect when URF or ARURF returns.

What Is URF Mode In League of Legends?

In League of Legends URF, every champion receives a buff called “Awesome Buff of Awesomely Awesome Buffing” that grants 300 Ability Haste, no mana or energy costs, bonus attack and movement speed, and reduced HP costs. Abilities can be cast almost endlessly, so fights break out very early.

Unlike the standard Summoner’s Rift games in LoL, URF also ramps up your gold gain to the point that most games end in under 20 minutes. And much like ARAM, Riot applies its own balance adjustments specifically to prevent a handful of champions from dominating every game.

At the moment, there are two variants of this game mode: URF and ARURF. In regular URF, players pick their champions, but in ARURF, the client assigns random champs with rerolls—similar to ARAM. Naturally, ARURF has become the more common variant in recent years.

How To Play URF Mode In League of Legends?

If you want to learn how to play URF, start by forgetting most of your ranked habits. The mode rewards early aggression and constant risk-taking. You don’t need to farm for 20-30 minutes, as item power spikes arrive much earlier.

That said, wave control still matters, but the lower ability cooldowns make it easier to instantly clear waves and rotate. Also, the base cannon allows you to constantly apply wave pressure. So if the situation presents itself, you can easily take 2-3 towers with a single push.

Compared to Normal or Ranked games in LoL, a good URF strategy has one straightforward takeaway: press your advantage the moment you feel strong and keep fighting on your own terms.

What Are The Best Strategies To Win URF In League of Legends?

The best strategies for URF lean into what the mode exaggerates: range, burst, crowd control (CC), and engage. Poke comps and hard CC champs become much scarier with 300 Ability Haste and no mana cost.

Poke & Siege Comps

Poke comps excel because they can spam long-range abilities without resource limits. Champions like Ziggs, Lux, Xerath, or any other long-range control mage can chunk enemies from safety and instantly clear waves.

With enough vision and discipline, a poke duo will slowly chip towers while enemies struggle to find the right engage.

Assassins & Burst Combos

Champions like Zed, Fizz, or LeBlanc can chain combos every few seconds and have extremely good mobility. They are widely considered among the most frustrating champions to play against in URF, as they are hard to catch.

If your team drafts multiple burst champions, you want to deny vision and use the fog of war to your advantage.

Perma-CC & Disruption Champions

Perma-CC champions like Morgana, Nautilus, or Leona become nightmares with near-zero cooldowns. A single pick can lock someone for several seconds as their CC overlaps. 

Combining champs like Leona with scaling threats like Caitlyn, who can also apply CC with her traps, can provide quick item power spikes for the ADC.

Sustain & Bruiser Frontlines

League of Legends champions like Vladimir or Sylas can easily become a problem in URF if they get an early lead.

Even though healing is nerfed in this mode, champions that can heal themselves with their abilities often become almost unkillable, especially if you play against short-range and low-CC team comps.

League of Legends URF Champion Tier List: Best Champs Ranked

Although URF tier lists are different for every meta, some patterns stay the same. Cooldown-based champions, long-range poke, and hard engage tend to dominate.

Here’s a simple S-tier snapshot by role to help you lock in strong picks early.

What Is The URF Rotation Schedule In League of Legends?

URF belongs to Riot’s rotating game mode pool. It comes and goes during major events, such as the Lunar New Year, Worlds, or anniversaries. With more and more modes being added to the game, URF often runs alongside Arena, ARAM Mayhem, or Brawl. 

Here’s the latest URF rotation schedule:

When Will URF Return In League of Legends?

The ARURF game mode was released on November 19, 2025, and although the end date is still unknown, we can expect the mode to run until the end of the year. There’s a chance that Riot will keep the game mode active throughout the current winter event.

FAQs

How does URF mode work in League of Legends?

URF is a limited-time mode in LoL with no mana costs, massive Ability Haste, and faster tempo, turning every game into constant fights and skirmishes.

What are the strongest champions in URF?

Poke mages, mobile assassins, and bruisers with sustain or CC are usually the best-performing champions in URF. Picks like Xerath, Zed, Fizz, Vladimir, Jax, and Sylas are always a safe bet.

How do URF builds differ from normal builds in LoL?

URF builds skip mana and heavy Ability Haste items. Instead, you should focus on fast damage spikes, survivability, and fun high-impact items.

When does URF return in League of Legends?

URF or ARURF usually returns to LoL during big events or seasonal acts and is announced in Riot’s patch notes and event promos.

Why is URF different from ARURF?

URF lets you pick any champion, while ARURF assigns random champions with a couple of rerolls.