What is Storm Drake Weak To? A Comprehensive Guide
The Storm Drake, a formidable objective in many games, especially popular in the world of League of Legends, possesses unique strengths and weaknesses. Knowing these vulnerabilities is crucial for securing the buff and swinging the game in your favor. Directly, the Storm Drake is weak to sustained damage and coordinated attacks. Its mobility and shield, while significant, can be overcome with the right strategy and team composition. This guide delves into the specifics of the Storm Drake’s weaknesses and provides valuable insights on how to effectively counter it.
Understanding the Storm Drake
Before diving into the weaknesses, it’s essential to understand what makes the Storm Drake a challenging objective. The Storm Drake grants increased movement speed and magic resistance upon slaying it, and its soul, if acquired, provides powerful lightning strikes to enhance your team’s damage output. Critically, the Storm Drake periodically shields itself, mitigating incoming damage. It also moves erratically, making it difficult to consistently target.
The Storm Drake’s Abilities
- Static Field: Grants bonus magic resistance and movement speed near allied turrets.
- Storm Shield: Periodically shields itself, absorbing damage.
- Lightning Bolt: Basic attacks deal bonus magic damage.
- Whirlwind Dash: Dashes to a new location, making it harder to pin down.
Exploiting the Storm Drake’s Weaknesses
While the Storm Drake presents a formidable challenge, it has exploitable weaknesses that smart players can leverage.
Sustained Damage
The Storm Drake’s shield recharges, meaning burst damage, while useful for chipping away, is less effective than consistent, sustained damage. Champions that excel at dealing damage over time (DoT) or auto-attack based damage dealers are highly effective. The shield eventually breaks under consistent pressure, allowing for a window of opportunity to inflict significant damage.
Coordinated Attacks and Focus Fire
The Storm Drake’s mobility can be frustrating, but coordinated crowd control (CC) and focus fire can mitigate this. Stun, root, or slow the drake to keep it in place and then focus all available damage on it. Communication is key to achieving this, ensuring everyone targets the drake simultaneously, maximizing the damage output during the vulnerable periods when its shield is down.
Champions and Items that Counter the Storm Drake
Certain champions and items are particularly effective against the Storm Drake due to their abilities and attributes.
Effective Champions
- Master Yi: His sustained damage output, especially with true damage, is devastating.
- Jinx: Her range and attack speed make her an excellent choice for sustained damage.
- Kayle: Her late-game scaling allows her to shred through the drake’s shield with ease.
- Azir: Can deploy soldiers to deal consistent damage from a safe distance.
- Warwick: His ultimate can lock down the drake, allowing for focus fire.
Useful Items
- Lord Dominik’s Regards/Serylda’s Grudge: Armor penetration allows for increased damage output.
- Kraken Slayer: True damage allows to ignore parts of the shield, dealing damage to the drake faster.
- Runaan’s Hurricane: Spreads damage to multiple targets, accelerating the shield break.
- Items that apply on-hit effects: Synergize well with auto-attack based champions for sustained damage.
- Executioner’s Calling: Reduces healing, although less relevant against the drake’s shield, it can be beneficial if the enemy team attempts to heal it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does the Storm Drake have armor or magic resistance?
Yes, the Storm Drake possesses both armor and magic resistance. While not exceptionally high, these stats contribute to its overall tankiness. Items like Lord Dominik’s Regards and Void Staff can help mitigate these resistances.
2. How often does the Storm Drake shield itself?
The shield duration and recharge time of the Storm Drake vary depending on game time and other factors, but it typically shields itself every 15-20 seconds. Pay attention to the visual cues and cooldown timers to anticipate the next shield and plan your attacks accordingly.
3. Is burst damage effective against the Storm Drake?
While burst damage can chip away at the Storm Drake’s health, sustained damage is generally more effective due to its recharging shield. Bursting the drake down in one go is difficult, making consistent damage output the preferred strategy.
4. Does crowd control work on the Storm Drake?
Yes, the Storm Drake is vulnerable to most forms of crowd control, including stuns, roots, slows, and knock-ups. Utilizing CC effectively is crucial for keeping the drake in place and maximizing damage output.
5. Which champion role is best suited for taking down the Storm Drake?
While any role can contribute, AD carries and sustained damage dealers are generally best suited for taking down the Storm Drake due to their consistent damage output and ability to shred through its shield.
6. How important is vision control around the Storm Drake?
Vision control is paramount. Clearing enemy wards and placing your own allows you to track enemy movements, prevent steals, and prepare for the drake fight effectively.
7. Can the Storm Drake be stolen easily?
The Storm Drake’s erratic movement and shielding can make it challenging to steal. However, champions with high burst damage or execute abilities can potentially steal it at low health.
8. Does true damage bypass the Storm Drake’s shield?
No, true damage does not bypass the Storm Drake’s shield. The shield absorbs all types of damage, including true damage, before the drake’s health is affected.
9. Does the Storm Drake’s buff stack?
Yes, the Storm Drake’s buff (magic resistance and movement speed near turrets) stacks with each subsequent drake kill, making it increasingly powerful as the game progresses.
10. How does the Storm Drake Soul impact the game?
The Storm Drake Soul grants the team the ability to lightning strike low health enemies, substantially amplifying their damage output and making them formidable in team fights and sieges.
11. What’s the best time to attempt the Storm Drake?
The best time to attempt the Storm Drake depends on your team’s composition, power spikes, and the enemy’s positioning. Generally, look for opportunities when you have a gold advantage, favorable vision, or the enemy team is distracted.
12. Can the Storm Drake be soloed?
While challenging, some champions with high sustain and damage output can solo the Storm Drake, especially in the late game. However, it’s generally risky and requires precise execution.
13. How do I counter a team that has the Storm Drake Soul?
To counter a team with the Storm Drake Soul, prioritize staying healthy and avoid grouping too closely to minimize the impact of the lightning strikes. Engage cautiously and focus on eliminating key damage dealers.
14. What should I do if the enemy team is about to secure the Storm Drake?
If the enemy team is about to secure the Storm Drake, assess the situation and make a strategic decision. Consider contesting it for a potential steal, sacrificing the drake to secure another objective, or preparing to defend your base.
15. Are there any map changes associated with the Storm Drake?
Yes, when the third Storm Drake spawns, the terrain around the map will change. Brush will grow, and speed zones will appear, granting increased movement speed to players who pass through them. These changes alter the dynamics of the game, affecting lane rotations, jungle paths, and objective control.
By understanding the Storm Drake’s weaknesses and utilizing these strategies, you can significantly improve your chances of securing this powerful objective and leading your team to victory. Remember that communication, coordination, and adapting to the specific game state are essential for success.