Gladiator Draven

Picked up Gladiator Draven from a chest last week and honestly wasn't expecting much from this older skin. After about 40 games though, I'm actually impressed with how it holds up compared to other Draven skins I've tried on friends' accounts.

The Q axes feel way more responsive than base Draven, and the catching animation is probably the smoothest I've experienced. Your W blood rush has this satisfying arena crowd roar that makes you feel like you're actually performing for spectators. But the real difference is the ult, which shoots out these massive golden axes that are impossible to miss in teamfights. During a baron fight yesterday, I could track my ult perfectly through all the chaos and managed to execute their ADC who was backing near raptors. With base skin or even Soul Reaver, I sometimes lose track of where my ult went in messy fights.

Compared to Primetime Draven which everyone seems to love, Gladiator actually has cleaner animation cancels between autos and Q catches. The armor doesn't clutter your view like some of his bulkier skins do, so CSing feels natural. And while it's not pay to win or anything, the golden axe indicators on the ground are slightly easier to spot in river fights than the standard red ones.

Is Gladiator Draven worth it if you main him? For 975 RP when it comes back to the shop, absolutely. It's not flashy like his newer skins but the smooth gameplay feel makes it my go to when I need to pop off in ranked. Sometimes the simple skins just hit different when you're trying to climb.