Draven Build Guide by BabyBooBandit

Introduction

Welcome to the League of Draven! This is my first guide on MobaFire, and I hope this guide helps newcomers as well as experienced players. Draven is the newest ranged ad carry to enter the League. He is capable of dealing HUGE amounts of damage when played right, and has a useful skill set. This guide will teach you some important tips and tricks to help you start owning as Draven. If you are looking for a champion that is very fun to play and takes time to master, then Draven is the champ for you.

Please dont down vote this guide without reading the entire guide, and leaving a comment. I am open to any constructive criticism to make this guide the best it can be. With some hard work, I hope to make this the top Draven guide. Thank You!

Pros and Cons

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PROS +Deals a large amount of damage +Viable in Ranked and Normal +Easy to farm with +Global Ult +Built in movement and attack speed buff +Very Fun to play

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CONS -Squishy (Like all ranged carries) -Takes time to master -Catching Axes can be difficult -Relies heavily on positioning -Item Dependent -Very Cocky

Runes

Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage- I choose flat ad quints to give me that great early game damage, and give me an advantage over the enemy carry. You can also choose greater quintessence of desolation for some armor pen. These quints will allow you to shred through the enemy's armor mid to late game. Greater Quintessence of Health are another viable choice if you just feel too squishy.

Greater Mark of Attack Damage- I take flat ad marks to give me high early game damage. The extra damage you receive from these marks and Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage increases the damage of Spinning Axe and all your other skills too. You can also choose greater mark of desolation to give you the armor pen you need mid to late game.

Greater Seal of Armor- You are most likely going to be bottom against another ad carry. I choose these seals to give me advantage over the enemy carry, and help Draven stay alive during fights. greater seal of vitality are another good choice if you feel too squishy early game.

Greater Glyph of Magic Resist- These glyphs prevent you from being bursted down by the enemy ap carry. It is always good to have some extra magic resist, and I use these glyphs on all my ad carries. I have also used Greater Glyph of Attack Speed. These glyphs give you a good if you are craving more attack speed.

Summoner Spells

I take Flash, because it is an extremely useful summoner spell. This spell can be used for chase and escape. Flash towards an enemy to get that last auto attack or spell off to secure the kill. Flash over a wall to escape those certain death situations. Flash is a great summoner spell that has an endless amount of uses.


I recommend Exhaust, because this spell basically shuts down the enemy carry. This gives you a very strong advantage over the enemy carry. It instantly slows and significantly decreases their damage output. This is a great spell, and should be taken on all ad carries.


Some people may prefer to take Ghost over Flash. This spell is also great for chasing and escaping. You will be able to outrun anybody by using Ghost combined with the buff from Blood Rush. Although I prefer Flash, Ghost is still a great choice.


This spell isn't as useful as Exhaust, but it is still a great choice. Use Ignite to kill that tower hugger with only a little health left. Ignite can also be used to take down those annoying tanks. A level 18, Ignite does over 400 true damage!

Skill Explanation

This is Draven's passive. It is similar to his brother, Darius's passive. Each time Draven crits or hits an enemy with Spinning Axe, the effected enemy will take damage over time based on your level. This DoT does not stack like Darius's, but the DoT will reset every time it is activated.


This skill is what seperates the good and the bad Dravens. Spinning Axe will cause Draven's next attack to do bonus damage based on his attack damage. The bonus damage from this skill is extremely good, especially early game. It only cost mana to cast this spell. It does not cost mana everytime you catch an axe and throw it again like Ashe's Frost Shot. This is why it is important to catch your axes. Consistently catching axes will keep you dealing high amounts of damage, and conserve mana. + Spinning Axe lands in front of you when you are running. Use this to your advantage! Immediately after throwing an axe, run backwards to keep the axe from landing near enemies. Or, run towards the enemy after throwing an axe to keep the axe in front of you. This is a powerful way of controlling where your axes land, and will make it easier to consistently catch axes.

+Use Spinning Axe to hara*s and farm. The bonus damage Draven receives makes it easier to last hit minions. Remember that Spinning Axe activates Wicked Blades. This makes it a great skill to hara*s with, and the bonus damage will give you an edge over the enemy carry.

+Once you cast Spinning Axe it will obviously go on cooldown. If you catch your axes until Spinning Axe comes off cooldown, you can press q again to have TWO spinning axes! This means now you have to catch 2 different axes, but now Draven does bonus damage on every auto attack instead of every other auto attack.


This skill gives Draven a built in movement speed and attack speed buff. This buff only last a very short time, but is still very useful. Use the movement speed buff to escape from those deadly ganks, or it to chase down the enemy. Use the attack speed buff to get those last few auto attacks in to secure the kill, or use it to quickly take down a turret. +Catching a Spinning Axe refreshes the cooldown of this skill. Use this when chasing down an enemy. Every time you catch an axe, press W to consistently keep up the enemy champion. Also, use this in team fights and when you are in a 1v1 situation. This will make sure you always have the attack speed buff. However, dont use this when farming. Using your W every time you catch an axe will quickly drain your mana.


This is a great utility skill for Draven. Stand Aside is a skill shot that pushes enemies away from his blades, and slows enemies. This allows you to catch up to the enemy, and take them down. This skill can also be used defensively. Throw this to push enemies away from your dying team mate, or use it to save yourself :). Remember that this skill also does damage and scales off your attack damage. Dont be afraid to use this to get that last hit on your enemy. +When ganking, throw Stand Aside behind your enemy so it pushes them towards your turret.

+When chasing enemies, throw Stand Aside in front of them to knock them closer to you.


This is Draven's ultimate. This is a global skill shot that is similar to Trueshot Barrage. This is a great ultimate that does damage to anyone it hits. After casting Whirling Death, you can press R again to make Whirling Death return to you. Whirling Death does 8% less damage per unit hit, however, the damage resets when Whirling Death changes direction. This is a great skill to get that champ that got away with low hp, and it is useful in team fights too. +After you cast Whirling Death, you can move to change its return path. For example, if your target dodges the first pass of Whirling Death to the right, run to the right and press R again to make Whirling Death return farther to the right. If you move far enough you will hit your target on the return, even though you missed on the first pass. (I hope this makes sense lol)

+When casting Whirling Death on only 1 enemy, press R again almost immediately after it hits your target the first time. This way, the enemy doesn't have time to dodge the return path.

Skill Sequence

+Put a point into Spinning Axe at level 1 and max it first. This is your main source of damage.

+Max Blood Rush next. This skill gives you very good buffs that will help you throughout the game

+I put a point into Stand Aside early and max it last. I find this skill very useful early game, and many of my kills result from using this skill.

+Obviously, you want to put a point into your ultimate, Whirling Death, whenever you can.

Dorans Blade

Before we begin talking about items, I want to talk about an item called Doran's Blade. This item is very situational. It all depends on how your early game is going. If you are absolutely raping your lane, skip the Doran's Blade and go straight to the B. F. Sword. If you are doing good and just feel like you need a little more health, then pick up a Doran's Blade. If you are getting outplayed by the enemy carry, then don't be afraid to pick up 2 or 3, but never more than 3. Doran's Blades sell for a good price, and can help you get your core items later in the game.

Items

+I almost always start with Boots of Speed and 3x Health Potion. This gives you some early movement speed and the ability to stay in your lane if you are getting hara*sed.

+If you are laning with a strong healing support like Soraka, then it is a good idea to start with a Doran's Blade to give you that early damage.

+ Berserker's Greaves are the standard boots on all ranged ad carries. They give you that early attack speed that you really need.

+Rush an early B. F. Sword to give you good damage early game. This will eventually build into your Infinity Edge.

+Pick up a zeal to help you deal damage with your shiny new B. F. Sword. The increased crit chance you get from Zeal will help you activate Wicked Blades more often.

+ Infinity Edge is your first major purchase. This will greatly increase your damage output, and the increased crit chance helps activate Wicked Blades.

+Your next item should be a Phantom Dancer. This will increase your attack speed and the increased crit chance goes great with your new Infinity Edge. Every ad ranged carry should have a t least 1 Phantom Dancer.

+ The Bloodthirster will give you the sustain that you desperately need. This will help you stay alive in team fights, and will allow you to farm for long amounts of time without going back to heal.



+ Frozen Mallet will give some much needed hp and some extra damage. Frozen Mallet will also add a 30% slow to your attacks and who doesn't like that?! This is a great defensive item for an ad carry.

+For my last item, I choose to pick up another Phantom Dancer. Many people will not agree with me on this, but I find that with the hp from Frozen Mallet and the life steal from The Bloodthirster I don't have a problem staying alive in team fights. Picking up another Phantom Dancer is also very situational. If you are dying very fast in team fights, then don't be afraid to choose something else as your last item. Picking up another Phantom Dancer will greatly increase your damage output, and I choose offense over defense.

+If you choose not to pick up a second Phantom Dancer, then I recommend a Guardian Angel. Increased armor and magic resist are never a bad again, and its passive is one of the best in the game. This will help you stay alive in team fights, and is a great item on almost everyone.

Situational Items

This is a great item against an ap heavy team. This item gives you magic resist and a good amount of attack damage. It also has a great unique passive that gives you a shield that absorbs 400 magic damage over 60 seconds. Definitely a great item if you are struggling against ap champions.


Another great item against an ap heavy team. Gives you health , mana, magic resist, and an amazing spell shield. The unique passive is great if you are struggling against those annoying Karthus or Morgana ults.


The idea behind building a Trinity Force is using Blood Rush to proc Sheen for your Spinning Axe. I have tried using Trinity Force once in my build, and I dont recommend it. It is definitely viable though. You deal a good amount of damage, but you have to remember to press W every time you catch an axe. Try it out, and see what you think.


A great defensive item if you are having a hard time staying alive. Gives you a large amount of health, and health regen. Definitely pick this up if you are really struggling throughout the game.


This item is great against heavy ad teams. Gives you armor and increased crit chance, which is always good on Draven. I recommend picking up Atma's Impaler if you decide to get a Warmog's Armor This combo will allow you to survive for a long time, and will give you great damage.


If the enemy team is stacking armor, then definitely pick up a Last Whisper. This item will give you damage and allow you to shred through the enemy's armor.


Another great item to get if the enemy team is stacking armor. This will give you great damage and will increase your attack speed.


This is a great item on Draven. If you need some extra magic resist, then this is a great choice. It gives you extra attack speed, and makes your auto attacks deal bonus magic damage. This bonus damage combined with the bonus from Spinning Axe allows you to deal large amounts of damage.


If you are getting raped by the enemy bruiser or carry, then there is no better item than Thornmail. This will prevent you from dying so fast, and deals magic damage to any ad champ that attacks you. Don't be afraid to pick this awesome item up.

Farming

Draven is a ranged ad carry, so you should be bottom with a good support. However, I have also played Draven in the top and mid lane. Whatever lane you end up in, farming is very important. Use Spinning Axe to easily last hit minions. Focus on last hitting and catching your axes.

Here is a safe way to farm with Spinning Axe.Immediately after throwing a Spinning Axe, run backwards to safely catch your axes. This will keep you away from your enemy, and gives you control of where your axes land.

Summary and Credits

Draven is one of the strongest ranged ad carries in the League. I hope this guide was useful to you. Please leave a comment if you don't agree with something. Thank You so much for reading my guide, and I will be regularly updating this guide to make it the best it can be!

Big thanks to jhoijhoi for her guide to making a guide.

Hall of Fame

If you have success with this build, please send me a screenshot! I will post all of them here.

Change Log

6/10/12 - Published Guide