Hello Moba Users, This is JG209 bringing you my very own Draven guide.

*THIS GUIDE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED TO SEASON 3. NOT ALL STUFF HAS CHANGED YET. GIVE ME SOME TIME AND IT WILL ALL BE UPDATED. I Havent had much time to test builds out yet. This morning I tuned into Aphromoo's stream and I saw this is what he preferred as of s3. Note this may change as we get more into s3 and as I begin to explore all the new items myself.*

Draven is a very fun ad carry with a very high skill cap. Between Draven's ability to lane and his global ult he definitely makes a great addition to any team.

Play Video /league-of-legends/champion/draven-99

Pros + Has great laning phase abilities + Has a Attack/Movement speed steroid + A GLOBAL ult! + Cooldown can be reset + Extra Damage if properly played + Can do damage over time

Cons - No real escape - No natural sustain - Easy to be focused - May be hard to catch Spinning Axes - Requires multitasking - High Skill cap

• greater quintessence of desolation: // As we all know early game Armor pen. can act as tons of extra damage. Combined with the masteries the effectiveness of these runes allow easier trades and greater damage.
• greater mark of desolation: I opt out of taking Attack speed runes do to the fact that attack speed isn't a must in the start with Draven since his W is obtained at Lvl. 2. I also don't take flat AD runes because of the fact that many ad carries start with some armor from runes/masteries so the damage just doesn't shine through as well as the armor penetration does.
  
• Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist: Since you usually wont immediately be facing magic damage I like to take the Magic resist per level so that as time goes on my magic resist will be greater in the end when I really will need it
  
• Greater Seal of Armor: These are great runes to have as an AD carry. These will provide you with extra survivability when facing another champ that relies on AD.

Flash - Probably one of the best if not thee best summoner spell out there. This allows you to be mobile with a champ that well....isn't very mobile at all. You can use it to escape, chase, gank, go through walls, whatever your heart desires Flash can do it. This one is a must have when playing Draven.

Ignite - This one is pretty standard for the AD carry but just happens to work even better with Draven. Since Wicked Blades already adds a damage over time effect after a Spinning Axe or a crit, stacking this on top will definitely secure a kill. This can also be used to counter against any health regen effects that may be in play.

ghost - Now i know many people dont favor Ghost especially combined with Flash but in my opinion this just adds so much to [[draven]'s play style. He isnt built with much of an escape so having any kind of mobility is a plus. Yes you take away from something more offensive like Ignite but you also are adding another way to escape, chase or get into a good position. His Blood Rush isnt too effective for an escape since it only cools down instantly when you catch a Spinning Axe which more than likely you wont be doing while trying to escape unless of course your kiting.:)

Heal - For those of you who like to play a safer lane then Heal is for you. This will help you to turn the tide of a fight, sustain the lane or survive at low health. I wouldnt generally take this unless you are going against another champ with High AD and your support isn't Sona, Taric or Soraka. Just remember if you choose to take this then remove a point from Resistance and put it on Summoner's Resolve in the defensive mastery tree.

Wicked Blades (Passive): Wicked Blades is a passive ability that activates whenever Draven lands a critical strike or a Spinning Axe-enhanced attack on an enemy unit, causing it to take additional physical damage over 4 seconds.

• Wicked Blades does not proc spell vamp or Rylai's slow.
• Wicked Blades does not pop spell shield.
• Wicked Blades will not damage Black Shield.
• Wicked Blades stacks, although each application of the debuff has its own timer.
• If Spinning Axe critically strikes, only one stack of Wicked Blades is applied.

Put simply this passive is one of the best for an AD carry. At Level 1 your doing 34 damage over time if you hit your Spinning Axe or land a crit. That means early trades can easily go in your favor due to this poison like effect. I've seen many people try to run away with low health thinking they barely made it our safe and then just die from the damage over time of Wicked Blades. If you happen to take ignite the damage over time effect just becomes so massive that many of your opponents will fall to it.


Spinning axe (Q): Spinning Axe is an autoattack modifier that causes Draven's next autoattack to deal bonus physical damage equal to a percentage of his total attack damage. Additionally, this attack will launch an axe that bounces off the target into the air, back towards Draven. If Draven catches the axe as it lands, his next attack will also be enhanced with Spinning Axe.

• Spinning Axe does not pop spell shield.
• If Draven does not move when attacking, Spinning Axe will bounce back towards him, either landing directly on him or to his sides.
• On the other hand, if Draven moves while attacking, Spinning Axe will bounce ahead of him, either directly in his path or slightly off to the sides.
• Spinning Axe will place a visual cue on the ground where it will land. This visual cue is visible to both player teams, although allies see a more prominent marker (a golden sigil)
• If there is another Draven on the enemy team, he will be able to catch your axes, and you will be able to catch his. Catching the enemy's axes will have the same effect as if you caught one of your own.
• Spinning Axe's cooldown begins immediately after the ability is cast. By catching multiple axes Draven may activate Spinning Axe a second time, allowing him to enhance his next two attacks with Spinning Axe.
• Spinning Axe's buff lasts 6 seconds after casting the ability or catching an axe.
• Attacking a turret or other structures will refresh the buff duration, but it will not apply the bonus damage or cause the axe to bounce back.[1]
• While the Spinning Axe buff will only stack twice, it is possible to have three axes running at the same time, by keeping at least one axe in the air at all times, a.k.a juggling.
• Activating Spinning Axe while the buff is already stacked twice will not add another stack, but will refresh the 6 second buff timer.
• Pantheon's Aegis Protection will not only block the attack, but also completely end the ability; meaning there will be no axe to catch.
• Catching an axe will cause the same effect as if the ability was cast; i.e. Draven's next attack after catching it will, again, deal bonus damage and cause the axe to bounce back.
• Note that this effect will repeat itself until Draven fails to catch the axe.
• Increasing Spinning Axe's level while Draven already has an axe in play will affect a re-caught axe; that is, catching an axe will increase its damage to the new higher rank of the ability.
• Unlike most autoattack modifying abilities, Spinning Axe does not reset Draven's attack timer when cast.
• Catching an airborne axe has no effect on Draven's attack timer.
• Spinning Axe enhanced attacks can critically strike. However, the bonus damage from the ability itself is not multiplied by the critical strike modifier.
• Only one stack of Wicked Blades is applied if Spinning Axe critically strikes.

This skill will make your opponent run in fear of being hit again. Provided that you can catch the axe this makes for one of the most effective nuke like skills in the game. At level 18 Spinning Axe is a devastating skill that if caught multiple times within a fight can really do major nuke like damage to an enemy opponent. However the good thing is that you don't have to wait till your 18 for this to work because it becomes immediately effective at Lvl 1. There is no doubt in my mind that this skill has is most effective in the laning phase and during small trades. Great positioning and multitasking is need to keep this skill running but if you do you will be rewarded with the CD for Blood Rush being refreshed EVERY time you catch an axe. Keep in mind that to most effectively use this in a game you must know when to catch the axe and when to just let it go. This skill does wonders for your damage output but can also be the death of you if you spend to much time trying to catch the axe rather than fighting.



Blood Rush (W): Blood Rush is a self-target ability that increases Draven's movement speed for 1.5 seconds and his attack speed for 3 seconds. The movement speed bonus decays over its duration. Catching a Spinning Axe will reset this skill's cooldown.

• Blood Rush has no cast time and does not interrupt Draven's previous orders.
• Catching a Spinning Axe will refresh the cooldown of Blood Rush, regardless of whether the Blood Rush buff is active or not.
• Activating Blood Rush while the buff is already active will cause it to stack, rather then refresh the duration.

This steroid skill provides the perfect edge you may need during a fight. Whether it's mobility or attack speed this gives it to you. Whats great is that this skill is completely spammable as long as you can catch your axe's and it stacks upon itself. Keep in mind that this skill is more of an offensive steroid rather than a defensive skill. Many people assume that since it provides you with movement speed than its a means for an escape. Well put lightly thats wrong since the movement speed only last 1.5 seconds and only refreshes when you catch an axe. Now if your kiting or something like that you may be able to keep catching axe's but when your running for your life you wont be able to throw/catch your axes properly so this skill usually goes onto CD during an escape. You can choose to take Flash and Ghost together to provide yourself with the ability to escape which ultimately is a better option than relying on this for getting away.


Stand Aside (E): Stand Aside is a pass-through linear skillshot that deals physical damage and knocks back all enemy units it hits. Additionally, enemies hit by Stand Aside are slowed for 2 seconds.

• Stand Aside procs spell vamp and Rylai's slow similarly with all multi target spells and abilities with diminished effect.
• Stand Aside pops spell shield.
• Stand Aside will not damage Black Shield but the knock back and slow are negated.
• Stand Aside knocks enemies away to the sides, perpendicular to the projectile's path.
• Stand Aside can hit stealthed champions, but it will not reveal them unless their stealth state is dependent on their movement or location ( Teemo's Camouflage or Akali's Twilight Shroud if she is knocked out of the AoE).
• Bot Champions will attempt to use Cleanse after being knocked by Stand Aside.

Stand Aside can primarily be used for the utility. It provides a nice slow and has really good range. Not really used in fights but is a great tool for chasing and probably the best that you have for escaping. You can throw is to spread out enemies, knock someone further into your team, catch/finish off an escaping foe, or throw it behind you and run for your life(hopefully this isn't doesn't happen). Can also be used to disrupt enemy champions.

Whirling Death (R): Whirling Death is a global pass-through linear skillshot that travels in a straight line across the entire map, dealing physical damage to all enemy units hit. When Whirling Death hits a champion or when Draven activates the ability again, it will reverse its course and return towards Draven. Whirling Death deals reduced damage for each unit it hits, down to a cap, but the damage reduction resets on the projectile's return trip.

• Whirling Death procs spell vamp and Rylai's slow similarly with all multi target spells and abilities with diminished effect.
• Whirling Death pops spell shield.
• Whirling Death will not damage Black Shield.
• Whirling Death will continue in its initial direction for a short distance after hitting an enemy champion; it will not reverse directions immediately upon impact.
• Whirling Death's cooldown begins immediately after the ability is cast.
• Whirling Death can only hit a given target up to 2 times.
• Whirling Death grants vision while in flight.
• Whirling Death can hit stealthed champions, but it will not reveal them. If the stealthed champion is the first unit hit, Whirling Death will still reverse its course.

My favorite of all Draven's skills has to be Whirling Death. Not only does this do tons of damage its COMPLETELY GLOBAL. Yes that means you can cast this from one end of the map to the other however once it hits a champ it does start to slow down then make its way back. What I love the most is its great for finishing off low hp enemies who may have gained to much distance for a regular attack. Since it has the ability to hit a champ up to 2 times you can really mess a team up if used at the right time. I've seen many Draven players cast this at random times or in the beginning of a fight which to me is a bad idea. Unless you are for sure about to be killed or you want to save an ally try to save this till the end of the fight when many enemies are low so that you can secure your team the win in team fights. The other great tool with this is the fact that you can attempt to steal Baron/Dragon with the safety of being across the map. Knowing when to use this and where to cast it is the key to your success with it.

Doran's Blade - With the attack damage, Health and life steal this makes for the perfect starter item for Draven. It ties in with the masteries, runes and skills so well that just using this will allow you so much strength within a lane.

Boots of speed - This is good to get on your first return since you can always use extra movement speed and it can help you to catch axe's a little easier. Spinning Axe is pretty easy to catch while laning so these boots aren't preferred to start with unless you find yourself dropping axe's alot.

Vampiric Scepter - You should also try to get this item on your first return as well due to the fact that it will give you greater sustain.

Berserker's Greaves - Good movement speed and increased attack speed. What more could you ask from a pair of boots? These tie well with Blood Rush and and slightly make up for Blood Rush while it is on cooldown. If you feel the enemy CC is too intense these can be switched up for Mercury's Treads

B.F. Sword - A quite expensive item yet it is worth it when you go back and find that your now able to bully squishy champs with just a few axe throws.

Infinity Edge - This is the most important item to Draven's build. Since Wicked Blades relies mainly on critical hits to activate this is best taken as early as possible. Wicked Blades also activates from an axe throw but ONLY stacks when a critical is hit so the more crits the better. Combine that with the insane damage you'll begin to do after this and you will be a complete monster to the enemy team

Phantom Dancer - The 2nd most important item has to be the Phantom Dancer. Gives you great Attack speed, even more crital chance for Wicked Blades and provides you with the mobility that Draven lacks.

Bloodthirster - Gives you a greater damage output and increases your survivability. Requires you to have full stacks to be most effective but that shouldn't be hard to achieve.

Frozen Mallet - Although this is a situational item it is also a very good overall item for Draven. Attack damage, Large amount of health and a slowing effect will work magic when fighting enemy champs. I usually take this item in my main build but it really just depends on what your facing.

Black Cleaver - This item is also one that I usually take since at this point in the game many enemy champs have already built up armor. This item makes for a great tank shredder since it provides you with Attack damage, Attack speed and most important an effect that lowers enemy armor by 15(stacks up to 45) for 5 seconds after a physical attack.

Last Whisper - Similar to the concept of the Black Cleaver except you don't directly reduce the armor of the enemy champion instead you are granted a massive 40% armor penetration and some more attack damage. This item is great when the enemy team starts to stack lots of armor. If you take this item i suggest you replace Black Cleaver.

Trinity Force - Another great item for Draven with the attack speed, movement speed and critical chance. This item has great passive effects which can all help Draven in any situation however this item is not optimal to his gameplay. While it does cover almost all the key areas your killing potential is lower than it would be with other items out at the moment. My personal play style favors nice strong items rather than ones that only help in minor bits here and there. If you choose to take this item I suggest you replace Frozen Mallet.

Maw of Malmortius - This items really helps out when your constantly facing AP champs. It gives you attack damage, magic resist and a lovely passive which helps you to survive those strong AP spells. This item is also a great pickup with some jerk on the enemy team decides to buy a Thornmail. Since the damage done to you is magic damage this is a great way to counter it.

Wit's End - Probably one of the best anti- Thornmail items for Draven. Since it provides you with magic resist and attack speed. The passive allows you to do magic damage per hit and raises your magic resist by 5 up to 5 stacks. WIN WIN!

Quicksilver Sash - Do you have a problem with someone continuously flashing or dashing so they can cc you to allow their team to give you some good loving while you just sit their and watch. Well then this if for you. This item is mainly taken for its active while it does give you a good amount of Magic Resist the active allows you to remove any debuff from your champion and it only has a 90 cooldown. Its much like having Cleanse except for the fact that after you use the active it will have no effect on any remaining cc. I recommend this item only when facing a team with cc and gap closers because as long as your positioned right you shouldn't have a problem but if someone has some kind of dash or flash they can use to get you then you need to worry.

Guardian Angel - If you are being targeted every single team fight and your team can never get them off you then this is a really good item to get. You get really good armor and magic resist but what is really helpful is the fact that you can come back to life. If the enemy team focuses you first then you will go down but while you wait to be revived the enemy will have moved onto another champ and when they do you can comeback and get back into the fight. This effect of this item is fairly long sitting at 5 minutes so be sure that you avoid meaningless deaths at all cost.

Warmog's Armor - Warmog's Armor is an item that can be used on Draven yet it doesn't fit into his build/gameplay correctly. Don't get me wrong health is always nice and can help when attacking but to be honest this just doesn't have the right synergy for Draven. To me this is outclassed by Frozen Mallet because not only do you get health you also get some attack damage as well as a slow. That means it allows you to be offensive and still have defensive stats. Warmog's Armor is an acceptable item but I suggest you take it under certain conditions due to the fact that it won't provide you with any offensive stat besides for the health.

One thing to remember is that although Draven is equiped with great harassment tools you still need to remember the key point to winning your lane is to have a higher creep score than your opponent. With your runes, masteries and beginning with Doran's Blade you should have no problem last hitting minions. You may need to practice to get a feel for the damage Draven puts out but in the end you will see it isn't complicated at all. If you do feel like you just cant get it timed right don't be afraid to pop your Q and begin using your axes to last hit. This is actually the most effective way of last hitting with Draven since you can readily have your 2nd axe ready to go in case the enemy champ starts to get to close.


This portion of the early game is probably the funnest due tot he fact that there is just so much potential with Draven. His Spinning Axe can put out so much damage on just one hit you can easily deny the enemy champ cs. Try to last hit minions with 1 Spinning Axe already active so when the time is right you can activate the other as well as Blood Rush to deal massive damage to your opponent and more than likely secure yourself an early kill. However keep in mind that you DO NOT always have to trade with an enemy. Yes its fun to take out over a bar of health with just one hit but you have to keep in mind who your enemy support is. Lets say you and your opponent get to close and begin to trade. Well naturally you will more than likely do more damage so you may believe you actually won that trade until Soraka comes from the bush with a heal and you suddenly realize that your now at lower hp than they are. Things like that have to be kept in mind when playing with Draven. Know when to harass and when to just farm.


Draven has no super effective escape so you must make sure your lane is warded properly. You usually wont need to take care of this as your support should handle the warding however there are certain circumstances when you may need to ward yourself so when you do make sure you do in the most effective areas where ganks will usually come from such as the tri-bush or the near the river. Ganks can be the end of any lead you may have in your lane so make sure wards are always placed so that you don't have to deal with an unfortunate death.

If your not familiar with where to ward then here is a general ward map.]
credit to Greenman for his ward map.

This is a vital part of Draven's gameplay. You must constatly keep yourself positioned right or you may fall to being focused down fast. Make sure you keep you Spinning Axe going where you want it to and make sure you are never leading a charge. Using your Blood Rush and Stand Aside can also help you with getting into position or throwing off an enemy position.


It is key that you not blow this. The absolute only time you should aim this at 1 champ is when they are low health and running away or if a teammate needs it to survive. Many Draven players blow this early in the fight to get the upper hand but you shouldn't. Hang onto it wait until the enemy team is bunched up or near half health. Not only will it do effective damage to the enemy team, it acts a morale booster when your team starts to see the enemy lower than they are. Effectively position the ult so that you try to hit the most amount of champs as you can twice.

Now I wanted to go into more detail about the Spinning Axe because while it does major damage to enemies it can also lead to your death. Learning when to let them go is probably the smartest this to do with Draven. You must realize when your axe is going to land in a bad position it is perfectly acceptable to let it go. Its best if you can try to have 2 axes going at once so if one lands in a bad spot you aren't inclined t go after it. The biggest downfall to many Draven players is that they feel so obligated to catch every axe that they are willing to risk their lives to catch it. One time I played with a Draven who was doing relatively good but when we were at the enemy t3 turret one of his axes headed near enemy champs and under the turret yet he still went for it and got good loving from the enemy team. Its instances like this where it is ok to lose the axe.

I will provide example pictures in the near future.

If this guide has worked for you then please be sure to let me know. I'd be more than happy to post results of a match where you dominated using my build. Even if you changed it up a bit but followed some of my advice i am still willing to put you up here so don't be shy i don't judge.

What I've done

• 9/22/12 - Sorry Guys! Due to RL problems I have been putting the update for the guide on hold. Im sorry but the good thing is i still believe this is the optimal guide for Draven. I promise as soon as I can this guide will get updated with more info. Thanks and have fun!!
• 7/2/12 - QSS has been added to the situational items list
• 7/1/12 - Added Draven's champion spotlight for those who arent familiar with his gameplay. Also I updated some item info and added Wit's End to the list
• 6/30/12 - Revised some areas that may have been a bit unclear.
• 6/29/12 - Ward map added
• 6/28/12 - Guide has been posted for the Moba Users to enjoy!
  
  
  Am I done?
  
  Of course I'm not done I still have so much more I want to add to this guide to make it easier for you guys to read and much more effective when you play. I will constantly look at the feedback I get that will hopefully help me to improve this guide.

I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read my guide. Draven by far has brought me some of the most enjoyable experiences in League of Legends. Keep in mind that I am not claiming to be the best out there with Draven. I'm simply trying to master him as a champ. As my skills with Draven grow so will this guide. I hope this guide brought you as much success as it has for me. If you have a question or if i messed up somewhere please feel free to PM me or comment and I will reply within a reasonable time.


Upvotes and any feedback/comments would gladly be accepted:)


Credits to jhoijhoi for her awesome tutorial on how to make a guide, which you can find here.