Shake that Axe: Draven Champion Review
Draven, brother of Darius: The Hand of Noxus, is exactly what his title entails: a Glorious Executioner. It’s a very fitting title for a ranged attack damage carry with obscene damage capacity and great mobility. He is, in my opinion, a nice addition to the League.
Let’s start off with Draven’s move set:
Wicked Blades – Draven’s Critical Strikes deal bonus physical damage over time. Spinning Axe also causes this effect even if it does not Critically Strike.
- This passive is very helpful in trying to deal damage to your enemies when you don’t feel like activating your Spinning Axe, especially in the middle of a team fight. Speaking of which…
Spinning Axe – Draven’s next attack will deal bonus physical damage. This axe will ricochet off the target high up into the air. If Draven catches it, he automatically readies another Spinning Axe. Draven can have two Spinning Axes at once.
Draven’s next attack will deal 0.0 bonus physical damage. The bonus is equal to 45/55/65/75/85% of his total Attack Damage.
This axe will ricochet off the target high up into the air. If Draven catches it, he automatically readies another Spinning Axe.
- This is Draven’s main damage dealer in the game and a very efficient poke, which is one of the main things you want from your AD Carry. The only real negative about this attack is the “skillshot” effect that happens afterward, which is attempting to catch it. Being able to maintain the Axe for quite a while takes a whole lot of concentration and it leads you to be out of position so you have to time your attacks very well. During lane phase it’s a godsend for both farming and going after your enemy; during team phase, it can be a bit hectic and you have to place it correctly in order to not let yourself get caught. Overall, it’s a solid ability to have.
Blood Rush – Draven gains increased Movement Speed and Attack Speed. The Movement Speed bonus decreases rapidly over its duration. Catching a Spinning Axe will refresh the cooldown of Blood Rush.
Draven gains 40/45/50/55/60% increased Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds and 20/25/30/35/40% increased Attack Speed for 3 seconds. The Movement Speed bonus decreases rapidly over its duration.
Catching a Spinning Axe will refresh the cooldown of Blood Rush.
- Now this is probably one of the best AD Carry steroids in the game, especially since it isn’t an ultimate. Blood Rush’s attack speed and movement speed buffs can help you out in tight spots and you can get an extra edge combining it with catching your Spinning Axe. The combination of both on any enemy can greatly decrease their life expectancy. And they were only 2 days from retirement.
Stand Aside – Draven throws his axes, dealing physical damage to targets hit and knocking them aside. Targets hit are slowed.
Draven throws his axes, dealing 70/105/140/175/210 (+0.5) physical damage to targets hit and knocking them aside. Targets hit are slowed by 20/25/30/35/40% for 2 seconds.
- Stand Aside is a unique spell in that I don’t really know what to say about it. It’s some crowd control given to Draven but its only use is for escaping or stopping people from escaping, and even then it doesn’t really excel at what it needs to do. The slow and knock back/aside are useful but it’s just a mediocre skillshot that can only do so much. Take another AD Carry like say Kog’Maw, his Void Ooze slow is just that, a slow. But it can serve so many more roles than just a slow. It can cut enemy teams off from running into your team, it can separate running enemies from their team. The only thing that Draven’s Stand Aside really can do is just knock someone aside for a second and slow them for 2.
Whirling Death – Draven hurls two massive axes to deal physical damage to each unit struck. Whirling Death slowly reverses direction and returns to Draven after striking an enemy champion. Draven may also activate this ability while the axes are in flight to cause it to return early. Deals less damage for each unit hit and resets when the axes reverse direction.
Draven hurls two massive axes to deal 175/275/375 (+1.1) physical damage to each unit struck.
Whirling Death slowly reverses direction and returns to Draven after striking an enemy champion. Draven may also activate this ability while the axes are in flight to cause it to return early. Deals 8% less damage for each unit hit (Minimum 40%) and resets when the axes reverse direction.
- This is definitely a sweet ultimate and pretty unique. I enjoy the global part of it, sniping people from across the map has always been something that just gets that fist pump out of you. It’s a great damage dealer, especially for people attempting to run away from you, thinking they’re okay whilst recalling under their turret, or even during a team fight. The 8% less damage for each unit hit is a bit of a hindrance, but the fact that the Ult comes back to you and you can control how and when it does so is very cool.
- Draven’s skills are very scattered but apart from Stand Aside his other skills are more than enough to help you smack people around. He is no Varus. Draven doesn’t have too much utility, but he excels in damage dealing. He’s definitely just as squishy as any other AD Carry if not more so, he has an escape, albeit a quick one but it’s there. He doesn’t have to only rely on Flash, so I mean that’s definitely a plus in his favor, but if you asked me whether or not I should choose Graves or Draven, I’d be choosing Graves in a heartbeat. Maybe that’s unfair…but hey, that’s part of the game am I right? (ba-zing?)
My Masteries are 21/9/0 for the extra armor and obviously the damage output. My runes are also standard AD Carry runes, Flat AD Marks and Quints, Flat Armor Seals and Magic Resist per level Glyphs. Now, for Items, I will start with a regular AD Carry build (Boots and Pots or a dorans blade then another on my 1st trip back) upgrade to Berserkers Greaves, I will usually grab an Early zeal for Draven’s Passive, then an Infinity Edge, Phantom Dancer, Bloodthirster, sell both of my dorans for a Last Whisper and finish my build off with either a Guardian Angel or a Quicksilver Sash depending on how much CC they have.
Overall, Draven is a great addition to the AD Carry party, but would I call him the best? Eh, that remains to be seen. His laning is ridiculously strong but late game you just have to concentrate way too much. The King of AD is still Graves in my book, but he’s a better pick than most out there currently. One thing I can say for certain: Draven truly is a Glorious Executioner on all fronts.