I know, it's strange. I read up on how Reinbeast got nerfed because his self-shield was considered too powerful in the arena, yet UDK can still be a major problem for early game players. Still, if it's any consolation, as you progress UDK becomes less and less of an issue, and you'll soon be able to take great delight in one-shotting him. :)

So since you made this thread five months ago I have to ask: what are you trying to beat UDK with, what do some of these fights you're struggling with look like?

UDK - until later stages of the game - remains very much a knowledge check as well as a build check early on.

That may be true, but the OP is correct about Reinbeast which is comparable with UDK, really strong early/mid game easier as you progress.  There is also the Stoneskin which everyone sticks on UDK at slow speed which wasn't around when they nerfed Reinbeast

I don't have a problem with UDK and I detest this attitude of - get good or learn etc.  It's obviously a big issue for newer/early gamers as Reinbeast was - imo the OP is correct and he should be nerfed

That wasn't OP who used that Reinbeast example. :) That said, those are two very different examples. Also,  Regen UDK is much much much more of the thing we were seeing in early game (Bronze/Silver Arena), not Stone Skin. If we're talking later game arena: on the list of problems in Arena he's far down on the list. He can be frustrating in conjunction with much bigger culprits - like Stoneskin, Tarichka, etc.

To the second half - and why I'll never fully get behind the nerf UDK train - I think people should have to learn and improve to excel in arena. It's why I'd rather take the approach of seeing what someone is doing, figure out if they can improve their process in any way and go from there. 

Not going to try to convince anyone of what they should or shouldn't do but still think trying to be constructive where we can makes the most sense. I don't see UDK ever getting nerfed so we might as take that constructive approach.

My bad, it wasn't the OP who brought in Reinbeast

I get your point, but it's easy to forget the trials of new players - my lads been playing a while, started after the UDK giveaway, he loves the game, is ftp, only 13 but has researched loads and does really well but at his level UDK is a problem, and it shouldn't be.  Why? because so many early/early mid have him and don't need to do anything much to him to win the arena battle, obviously as players get better teams he becomes less of an issue but until then there is a problem

Couldn't agree more here that he becomes less and less of an issue. Eventually he is a solveable problem and the forums here can help, imo.

Then, at the very top of the game, he really makes Taras and Marichka tougher. I definitely have to have a comp dedicated to beating Taras/Marichka/UDK and Lockout (Yumeko/Warlord) in G4 Tag and Pushing Plat.

So in silver , all 10 teams always have udk and when you refresh you always get 10 more teams with udk ? 0.o

I fail to understand how a champion , any of them , can be an issue in a game mode where you , the attacker , pick your fights .. 

Is it the passive that he heals whenever your team heals ? (bring less heals/smaller heals or none)

Is it the a3 ? (bring block buff,steal buff,remove buff,ignore shields)

Is it the a1 or a2 ? 

What's so OP about him with details would be nice or at least the reason why you simply just dont ignore those teams and pick your fights ..

as a guy who experienced deathknight as an early game player ill explain why UDK became such a huge issue to people, hes strong yes but can easily be killed with the right tools, the reason we saw a lot of "plz patch udk" threads is for one reason and one reason alone, he was given as a free champion to everyone, now most mid game and end game players dont have an issue with this, they have a decent arsenal of champions to deal with it, but now start to picture the early / early mid game players that are against this guy, it is literally impossible at this level to kill him unless you pulled very specific champions early in the game, and the chances are the other early/ early mid game players will both have one each, and it ends in a looping battle, they should never launched a champion such as UDK to all players, if we look at artak for example which is the same scenario, sure hes game changing, but hes not exactly making peoples lives literal hell in the early stages arena to a point where you just simply cannot kill him and have never ending battles with 2 UDK provoking each other for 30 mins.

TLDR , by plarium giving out UDK they filled the majority of early / early mid game arena ranks with a champion that most people just simply do not have the tools to kill.