Does Sunderer and Essence Reaver Stack? Understanding Spellblade Interactions in League of Legends
The short answer is no, Divine Sunderer and Essence Reaver do not stack. Both items share the Unique Passive: Spellblade, and League of Legends prevents multiple instances of the same unique passive from stacking. Instead, a hierarchy determines which Spellblade effect takes priority. In this case, the Spellblade effect from Triforce or Divine Sunderer will always override the Spellblade effect from Essence Reaver. This means if you build both Divine Sunderer and Essence Reaver, only the Divine Sunderer’s Spellblade will activate, rendering Essence Reaver’s Spellblade passive effectively useless.
This might seem confusing to newer players, so let’s delve deeper into how these item passives interact and why understanding this is critical for optimal gameplay.
Understanding Spellblade Mechanics
How Spellblade Works
The Spellblade passive is a common mechanic found on several items in League of Legends. In essence, after using an ability, your next basic attack is enhanced with additional effects, typically bonus damage and/or healing. This interaction creates a dynamic gameplay where players weave abilities and basic attacks to maximize damage output. Different Spellblade items have distinct effects, and understanding these is crucial for building the right items on your chosen champions.
Priority and the Hierarchy
The key takeaway is that unique passives, like Spellblade, do not stack. When a champion has multiple items with the same Unique Passive, the game prioritizes one, overriding the others. With Spellblade, there’s a distinct hierarchy. Mythic items like Triforce and Divine Sunderer have the highest priority and their Spellblade will always take precedence over Legendary items such as Essence Reaver. Therefore, building both Divine Sunderer and Essence Reaver is highly inefficient and should be avoided.
Divine Sunderer vs. Essence Reaver: A Comparison
To better understand why stacking these items is not viable, let’s compare their functions:
Divine Sunderer
Divine Sunderer is a Mythic item, providing 40 Attack Damage, 300 Health, 20 Ability Haste, and the Unique Passive: Spellblade. The Spellblade effect from this item deals 10% target max health physical damage and, if the target is a champion, heals for 88% base AD (+ 2.2% for Melee | 1.1% for Ranged of the target’s maximum health). It’s designed for bruisers and fighters, granting them sustain and the ability to deal percentage health damage, making it effective against tankier opponents.
Essence Reaver
Essence Reaver is a Legendary item offering 55 Attack Damage, 20% Critical Strike Chance, 20 Ability Haste, and the Unique Passive: Spellblade. Its Spellblade effect deals 130% base AD (+0.2 per bonus attack damage) bonus physical damage on hit and restores mana equal to 40% of pre-mitigation damage dealt. It’s favored by champions that rely heavily on weaving abilities and auto-attacks, providing both burst damage and some sustain through mana restoration.
Why They Don’t Work Together
The core issue isn’t that they aren’t both Spellblade items, the issue is that Divine Sunderer’s is a mythic and thus has a higher hierarchy, negating the use of Essence Reaver’s Spellblade passive, essentially making the item provide only stats, making it an inefficient buy. If you are going a mythic like Divine Sunderer, you should be seeking items that do not overlap on passives and provide additional benefits.
When To Build Each Item
Given that you can’t stack them, when should you build each of them separately?
Divine Sunderer – When to Build
Divine Sunderer shines when you need to deal with tankier opponents or require extra sustain. It is best suited for fighters and bruisers. The percent health damage from Divine Sunderer makes it an effective anti-tank choice while also providing healing for extended fights. This item is a great choice for champions like Graves who benefit greatly from its stats and survivability.
Essence Reaver – When to Build
Essence Reaver is best utilized by champions that have a playstyle centered on weaving abilities with basic attacks. Champions such as Rengar and Tryndamere, who make good use of its burst damage and mana restoration, make this an important item for them. Marksmen such as Varus who can reliably get its procs can also benefit, making it a decent Legendary item option. It excels at providing a powerful damage boost when its Spellblade is active.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you have 2 Spellblade items?
Yes, you can have multiple Spellblade items, but only the Spellblade effect from the item with the highest priority will activate. All Spellblade passives on items will trigger the cooldown together, but only one will provide a benefit.
2. Why is Essence Reaver good on Rengar?
Essence Reaver is good on Rengar because one of Rengar’s main damage sources comes from his abilities like Savagery. Increasing the damage of this ability’s empowered basic attack with Essence Reaver’s Spellblade significantly amplifies Rengar’s burst potential.
3. Is Divine Sunderer anti-tank?
Yes, Divine Sunderer is considered an anti-tank item because its Spellblade deals a percentage of the target’s maximum health, allowing you to do significant damage to high health targets.
4. Is Essence Reaver good on Varus?
Yes, Essence Reaver is a strong DPS item on Varus if you can get decent uptime on its Spellblade procs. Its damage output can make it a competitive damage option, especially if you effectively weave abilities and auto attacks.
5. How much does Divine Sunderer heal?
If the target is a champion, Divine Sunderer heals for 88% base AD (+ 2.2% for Melee | 1.1% for Ranged of target’s maximum health).
6. Is Divine Sunderer a mythic item?
Yes, Divine Sunderer is a Mythic item in League of Legends.
7. Does Sheen stack with Essence Reaver?
No, Sheen, from which Spellblade derives its passive, does not stack. If you build Essence Reaver you should never build items with Sheen, because the passives do not stack.
8. How does Divine Sunderer work?
Divine Sunderer enhances your next basic attack after using an ability with bonus physical damage equal to 10% of target max health. It also heals the user if the target is a champion.
9. Is Divine Sunderer better than Trinity Force?
Divine Sunderer offers more sustain and percent health damage, while Trinity Force typically deals more raw damage due to its mythic passive. The better choice depends on your champion and the game situation.
10. What is the best mythic for Graves?
Youmuu’s Ghostblade is often considered the best mythic for Graves as it provides lethality which synergizes well with his kit. Divine Sunderer is also a viable bruiser option for him.
11. Is Trinity Force a mythic item?
Yes, Trinity Force is also a Mythic item in League of Legends.
12. How much damage does Essence Reaver do?
The Spellblade from Essence Reaver deals 130% base AD (+0.2 per bonus attack damage) bonus physical damage on hit.
13. Is Essence Reaver on hit?
Yes, the Spellblade effect from Essence Reaver is applied on hit after using an ability.
14. Why did Rengar get blinded?
Rengar was blinded by his eagerness to hunt and was ambushed by Kha’Zix. This happened after Ponjaf decreed he needed the head of Kha’Zix to be welcomed back into his tribe.
15. What does Kha’Zix get for killing Rengar?
If Kha’Zix kills Rengar, he gains a fourth evolution point, allowing him to evolve all four of his abilities.
Conclusion
While both Divine Sunderer and Essence Reaver provide valuable damage boosts with their Spellblade passives, they do not stack. Understanding the priority system for unique passives is crucial for building effectively in League of Legends. Choosing the right items based on your champion and the game situation is vital for success, and avoid overlapping the Spellblade passive is a key component of building optimally. By avoiding the mistake of stacking these items, you can ensure your gold is being spent efficiently, allowing you to maximize your damage output and sustain.