Deck of the Day: Akshan Draven

Counting the hours until the next expansion is live? Take this fun Draven list for a spin - it will help pass the time.
  • Origins

Hey everyone, Sorry here! For today’s Deck of the Day, I’m going to feature an Akshan Draven list, a Shurima Noxus combo archetype.

Since the release of Akshan players have experimented with him a lot, and being such a versatile champion, he found a home in many different archetypes.

Akshan Draven that I’m going to feature here is a combo deck that utilizes the buff spells of Noxus. I saw the list while playing on the competitive ladder and I simply had to give it a shot.

This archetype has been previously tested with Riven, focusing on Reforge for the Heavy Blade Fragment with an Overwhelm keyword, as well as for the damage buffs.


  • Gameplan

This Shurima Noxus combo deck heavily relies on Draven as a win condition, whereas Akshan acts as a supporting champion that summons a value-oriented landmark Warlord’s Palace.

Once Akshan is leveled, he summons Warlord’s Hoard that will offer us three choices on a Sentinel’s Hoard, all of which are useful depending on the situation. But usually, you’d want to pick Shield of Sentinels for the Spellshield to prevent your opponent from shutting down your Draven later in the game.

You’re always trying to mulligan for these 3 units: Akshan, Draven, and Draven’s Biggest Fan. The latter 1-drop is crucial to tutor Draven, so if you already have a Draven in hand or onboard you might opt to save your Draven’s Biggest Fan in case you need another Draven.

Akshan and Draven work very well together, the Spinning Axes Draven generates help progress Akshan’s landmark countdown. This makes it easier to level up your Akshan and at the same time start working on progressing the second landmark – Warlord’s Hoard.

Leveling up Draven is an important part of the plan, and you’ll find it pretty easy to do in this deck. Draven needs to strike twice with a Spinning Axe equipped on him – casting Whirling Death or Grappling Hook while he already has a Spinning Axe will give you that second strike to level him up in one single turn.

Once Draven is leveled he’ll gain the Overwhelm keyword which will help us with pushing extra damage. Survival Skills will keep our Draven alive if your opponent tries to remove him with a damage spell. The Spinning Axes come in handy to discard the Survival Skills – keep in mind that this combo will protect the strongest unit so make sure it’s your Draven!

Shaped Stone, Elixir of Wrath, and The Absolver are all damage buffs to help you close out the game with one attack. Whirling Death can also remove a blocker allowing you to push extra damage with your Overwhelm unit.

Now sometimes you might find yourself just a little short of finishing off your opponent, this is where Ruined Reckoner comes into play. Ideally, you want to play that the spell she generates, Midnight Raid, on the unit with the Overwhelm keyword.

  • Verdict

I have found the playstyle of this deck to be very entertaining! It requires you to plan your steps very carefully. Draven’s Spinning Axes are an important aspect of the deck and casting them at the wrong times can end up ruining your plan.

This is obviously is not a Tier 1 deck but I’ve managed to get a Prime Glory running it in the Last Chance Gauntlet this season, beating popular decks like Azir Irelia and Sivir Zed. Opponents that don’t run removal cards present a perfect playground for Draven to show off his skills.

Overall if you’re looking to have fun and play something out of the current meta, I believe Akshan Draven could be it!

Sorry
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Alaa "TricksterSorry" Yassine is a competitive Legends of Runeterra player. His passion for card games ignited in his youth with favorites like Yugioh and Pokemon. Currently, he dedicates himself to achieving professional excellence in Runeterra, while also creating informative video and written content for the Runeterra community.

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