Draven is the ultimate snowball ADC. His Q spinning axes deal massive bonus damage from level 1, and his passive converts kills into bonus gold. Get kills early or become useless late.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
League of Draven
Passive
Draven gains his fans' Adoration when he catches a Spinning Axe or kills a minion, monster, or tower. Killing enemy champions grants Draven bonus gold based on how much Adoration he has.
League of Draven: earn Adoration stacks per CS. Cash them in on champion kills for massive bonus gold. Don't die with full stacks.
Q
Spinning Axe
AA Empower · Catch Mechanic
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.
CD: 12/11/10/9/8 · Cost: 45
Q empowers your next auto with massive bonus damage. The axe bounces and you must catch it. Catching resets Q cooldown.
W
Blood Rush
MS + AS Steroid
Draven gains increased Move Speed and Attack Speed. The Move Speed bonus decreases rapidly over its duration. Catching a Spinning Axe will refresh the cooldown of Blood Rush.
CD: 12 · Cost: 40/35/30/25/20
W gives MS and AS burst. Resets cooldown when you catch an axe. Free infinite W uptime if you keep catching.
E
Stand Aside
Skillshot · Knockback · Slow
Draven throws his axes, dealing physical damage to targets hit and knocking them aside. Targets hit are slowed.
CD: 18/17/16/15/14 · Cost: 70
E is a skillshot that knocks back and slows. Your only peel tool. Use to interrupt dashes.
R
Whirling Death
Global · AoE · Boomerang
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. Executes enemies who have less health than Draven's number of Adoration stacks.
CD: 100/90/80 · Cost: 100
R throws a global boomerang. It damages going out AND coming back. Execute fleeing enemies or poke in fights.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then W, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — spinning axe | ||||
| 2 | Take W — MS + AS | ||||
| 3 | Take E — knockback | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Whirling Death | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level W | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | Level W | ||||
| 14 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core Build
Duskblade of Draktharr
Lethality + invisibility on kill. Snowball or die.
3100g
Berserker's Greaves
Attack speed.
1100g
The Collector
Execute threshold + lethality.
3000g
Infinity Edge
Q crits deal absurd damage.
3400g
Situational
Lord Dominik's Regards
Armor pen.
2900g
Bloodthirster
Lifesteal + shield.
3400g
Guardian Angel
Don't lose stacks on death.
3200g
Duskblade for snowball. If behind, Kraken → BT → IE is safer.
Runes
Precision Primary
Conqueror
Extended trades with Q catching stack it fast.
Triumph
Heal on kill — you're always fighting.
Legend: Bloodline
Lifesteal.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low — Draven fights at all HP levels.
Domination Secondary
Taste of Blood
Lane sustain.
Treasure Hunter
More gold on kills — stacks with passive.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Draven
01
Early Game
Kill Lane — All-In Constantly
- Q bonus damage makes your autos deal 40-50% more damage than other ADCs level 1.
- Always juggle 2 axes. Two spinning axes = double the bonus damage.
- W resets when you catch an axe. Infinite MS if you keep catching — chase anyone down.
- E interrupts dashes. Use it to stop enemy engage or catch fleeing targets.
- Play aggressive. Every CS gives passive stacks. Every KILL cashes them for bonus gold.
02
Mid Game
Cash In and Snowball
- If you got kills early, you're 1-2 items ahead. Push your lead aggressively.
- If you didn't get kills, you're behind. Farm desperately and try to cash stacks.
- R is global. Snipe low-HP enemies across the map for cash-in gold.
- Don't die with high stacks. You lose half on death. Cash in before risky plays.
- Tower dive with support. Your damage is so high that dives take 2-3 seconds.
03
Late Game
Win Fast or Fall Off
- You fall off relative to other ADCs. Close the game before 35 minutes.
- If ahead, your damage is still massive. Q crits deal 1200+ damage.
- If behind, you're one of the weakest ADCs. No utility, no scaling, just raw damage.
- Position to keep catching axes. If you drop axes, you lose 40% of your DPS.
- E is your only self-peel. One CC = death.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Draven
Draven deals the most auto-attack damage in the game but has no escape. Position to catch axes or die.
1
Position — Catch Axes Safely
Before fight
01
Have 2 axes spinning before the fight.
02
Position so axes land in safe spots.
03
W for MS boost.
Axes land where you're moving. If you're running toward the enemy, axes land in danger. Click backward to redirect axes to safety.
2
DPS — Q Auto Attacks
Maximum damage
01
Auto with spinning axes for massive damage.
02
Catch axes to reset W for infinite MS.
03
R through grouped enemies for AoE.
3
Peel — E Knockback
Self-defense
01
E interrupts dashes. Knock back assassins.
02
Don't chase — let them come to you.
03
Catching axes while kiting is the hardest mechanic in the game.
You can control where axes land by moving in that direction as the auto hits. Master this to keep axes in safe positions during fights.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Draven.
Basic
Juggle 2 Axes
Always have 2 axes spinning. Q → auto → catch → Q → auto → catch. Double the bonus damage.
Advanced
Axe Direction Control
Axes land in the direction you're moving when the auto hits. Click where you want the axe to go.
Basic
Cash In Stacks
Passive stacks are lost on death. Get a kill to cash them in for bonus gold before doing anything risky.
Intermediate
W Reset
W resets when you catch an axe. You have infinite MS as long as you keep catching. Chase anyone down.
Basic
E Interrupt
E knocks back and slows. Use it to interrupt enemy dashes (Leona E, Thresh Q, etc.).
Advanced
R Boomerang
R hits going out AND coming back. For maximum damage, R through someone and let it return for double hits.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Draven struggles against ADCs who outrange him and supports with heavy CC. He excels against weak-laning ADCs he can bully.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Caitlyn outranges you and pokes you while you try to catch axes. Traps under your axe landing spots.
All-in at level 2. Don't let her poke you down. You win the all-in.
Ezreal's E blink escapes your all-in. He pokes safely with Q.
E his blink. Force fights when his E is down.
Jhin's 4th shot trades match your Q damage. His W root sets up ganks.
All-in when his 4th shot is used. He's weakest reloading.
Wins Against
Kog is a punching bag in lane. You kill him in 3 autos.
All-in level 1. He has no escape. Free Adoration cash-in.
Twitch is the weakest laner. You bully him off CS.
Zone him. Auto him when he walks up. Cash stacks early.
Vayne is weak early and you dominate her in lane.
All-in repeatedly. Don't let her scale. End lane 5-0 or fail.