Smolder vs Draven
You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Draven
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Smolder: Essence Reaver, Black Cleaver, Spear of Shojin, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Rapid Firecannon, Infinity Edge, Lord Dominik's Regards, Guardian Angel.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Draven's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
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.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12s | 12s | 16s | – |
| 6 | 10s | 12s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 8s | 12s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 8s | 12s | 16s | 1m30 |
| 16 | 8s | 12s | 14s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 8s | 12s | 12s | 1m20 |
Playing as Smolder
Tips to maximize your impact
- Last-hit minions with your fireball
Last-hit minions with Super Scorcher Breath (Q): each kill with the spell gives you a Dragon Practice (passive) stack, which empowers your basic spells.
- Poke with your sneeze
Poke with Achooo! (W): the sneeze slows, explodes on champions hit, and each champion hit gives you a Dragon Practice stack.
- Aim for the final tier
Build enough stacks for the final tier of Super Scorcher Breath (Q): it burns its target, and kills a champion who drops below a health threshold.
- Take flight to escape
Escape or reposition with Flap, Flap, Flap (E): you fly over obstacles, bombarding the enemy with the lowest health.
- Call your mom from far away
Cast MMOOOMMMM! (R) to finish or slow from far away: the center of the breath hits harder and slows, and if it hits you, your mom heals you.
Playing against Draven
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Play hard when he drops an axe
Play hard when he drops a Spinning Axe (Q): without it, he loses his bonus damage and the Blood Rush (W) reset.
- Aim where his axe lands
If you have skillshots, aim where his Spinning Axe (Q) falls: he has to go there to catch it.
- Engage after his Stand Aside
If you can engage, wait until Stand Aside (E) is used: it's his only spell to push you back, on a 16 to 12 second cooldown.
- Don't give him kills
Don't hand him kills: with League of Draven (passive), each champion he kills gives him bonus gold based on his stored Adoration.
- Beware his axes at low health
At low health, beware of Whirling Death (R), which crosses the map: it executes a champion below a threshold that grows with his Adoration.
Other Smolder matchups
Patch 16.21.1