Introduction
A lot of people ask me the question: Is Draven a lane bully? When talking about Bottom Lane. And I always say: Yes, he is! Draven is definitely one of the most iconic League of Legends champions and he is one hundred percent a lane dominator.
In this article we’re going to cover Draven extensively, we’re going to talk about his most optimal runes, which items to buy, what your general strategy should be when playing him and some of the key concepts to be successful with him on the rift. Keep reading to become a proper Draven main and dominate bot lane with absurd damage starting from level one.
Draven Overview
Draven is a popular and fun to play ADC. He is very strong in the early game and can win most 2v2s and even some 2v3 too. He needs to do well in the earlier parts of the match otherwise he kind of falls off in the late game, this happens for a couple of reasons but the biggest one is that his spinning axes need to be picked up and he can’t auto attack while doing that so his DPS will never be as high as other champions who can just shoot like a turret.
Runes
Lethal tempo is the number one choice for most Draven players at the moment (Season 13). It provides a stable source of damage in all parts of the match. It’s not as strong in the early game as Press the Attack or Hail of Blades but it’s more consistent, which is what most strong Draven players want, after all Draven already has plenty of damage in the earlier parts of the game and it’s in the late game when he starts struggling.
That doesn’t mean that Hail of Blades is not a viable choice however. Many Draven players still choose Hail of Blades in season 13 so try them both and see which one suits you the most, but also keep in mind what you’re facing and use runes accordingly.
For example: you’re facing a hard lane with two long range poking champions then Lethal Tempo is going to be the better choice most of the time. Likewise, if you feel comfortable in the matchup then pick Hail of Blades and hopefully you and your support can dominate the laning phase.
Items
Essence Reaver is the first big items almost every single Draven should buy; it synergizes perfectly with your W resets and lets Draven players completely forget about any mana issues they might have. Berserker Greaves are an obvious choice so do get them (most likely as their second or first item). After these two items your choices are very narrow with Infinity Edge the most optimal in terms of straight up damage, the massive critical bonus makes Draven really hit squishy champions for brutal damage after just two items.
While this build is perfectly fine for 90% of matches if you want to try something different, then going for first item Youmuu’s Ghostblade is the most interesting item, it enables you to start fighting even earlier, the armor penetration makes Draven start hitting hard (and moving fast too!) really quickly. It’s an interesting idea if you’re dominating the bottom lane with your support partner.
Draven Strategy
We mentioned it earlier but we have to do it again because it’s basically Draven’s entire gameplan. You need to be aggressive and try to dominate the laning phase with Draven that’s his main (and only) viable strategy.
If you try to play Draven like you’re Ashe or other scaling ADC you’re going to have a bad time. If you’re playing Draven, you must find ways to hit both the enemy support and ADC in the laning phase, creating these opportunities should be mostly on your support but you need to be ready to commit and click them to death quickly.
After you get an advantage in the bottom lane, that’s when Draven gets to start his show. Try and set up team fights with your team and always be ready to get close and do damage while not putting yourself in a bad position. Don’t actively engage the enemy, you’re still an ADC but don’t shy away from fights if you feel like you can win, Draven is extremely good at dueling everyone else with his massive damage in the early/mid game so you need to be brave in these duels and carve out opportunities to get kills.
If you fail to get ahead and the enemy ADC gets two items or even more, then the game wil become extremely hard for Draven and his team. Draven’s damage will eventually fall off, when this happens you need to understand that you no longer can play like you did earlier (or in other matches) so you need to play more defensive.
This balance of aggressiveness and risk taking is what differentiates a great Draven from a mediocre one. It’s very common to see hyper aggressive Draven players in pretty much every bracket, don’t be one of those!
Is Draven a Lane Bully
A common term to describe Draven and champions like him is to call them “lane bullies” these champions are aggressive lane dominators that seek to gain an advantage in the laning phase that will hopefully lead his team into a win.
So yes, Draven is in fact a lane bully and he is one of the most obvious ones in the game. His entire design is based on his frontloaded win rate when compared to game length, his great early game stats and his gameplay mechanics like his axes and passive make him a threat when ahead.
Lane bullies are generally one of the most oppressive types of champions in League of Legends, they’re generally great at all levels of play and reward strong players when they outplay their opponents.
I’d recommend Draven to anyone who is looking for an aggressive ADC that rewards players with a strong laning phase and powerful burst damage.
When Should You Pick Draven
While Draven is an aggressive ADC and he does reward high risk play, that doesn’t mean that he is not a viable champion for climbing. In season 13 Draven does well against the plethora of mages, Yasuos and Jinx so you can feel free to first pick him most of the time.
One thing you should keep in mind is that Draven really needs an aggressive support right next to him in the laning phase, playing Draven with Nautilus or Leona is much easier than with Janna or Soraka.
Without an aggressive laning partner playing Draven can be a frustrating experience, always make sure to ask for something with hard CC, champions that can force a fight inside bot lane compliment Draven well.
If you are unlucky and you end up playing with a defensive enchanter type of support then you must still be aggressive and try and find ways to get kills, it’s still possible but it’s going to be harder. Farming and waiting with Draven is not an option so it’s still better than nothing.
Draven Tips and Tricks
Learn how to slow push, use it to dive them on their tower and get kills early. Remember that it’s still worth it if you die while doings this thanks to your passive!
Ward the river after the third wave even if your support doesn’t.
Try and fight even when you think you can’t, you will be surprised the kind of fights Draven can turn in the early game, use your flash to dodge key abilities.
Go into a practice game and learn the axe mechanics well, it doesn’t take that much time and its really worth it to do.
Conclusion
We talked at length about Draven in this article but if there is one thing you got to take from this article is that yes, Draven is in fact a lane bully and he is THE lane bully in bottom lane. The champion was clearly designed with this gameplay in mind, he’s not here to farm creeps and wait until 30 minutes to start doing stuff, with Draven you’re going to start your offensive since the first wave meets in bottom lane.
While there are a lot of crazy champions that have been released since Draven came to the rift, he is still one of the most iconic. He’s a really straightforward champion, he does one thing and he does it well, he wins lanes and then wins games (most of the time).
Picking Draven in the right circumstances can lead to a dominating performance and a snowballing advantage. Consider the enemy team’s composition, your support, and your own team’s composition when deciding whether to lock in the Glorious Executioner. By choosing Draven in favorable situations, you’ll be well on your way to showcasing your prowess on the Rift!