Previous Versions of Dragon
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The Dragon in League of Legends has always been a significant objective to take and control, but the most recent version of Dragon has seen a slight decrease in importance. The first iteration of the Dragon gave gold to the entire team that killed it, making it an important early game objective to give your team the gold lead. However, the impact of Dragon in the late game was almost negligible as the gold it gave would not really help too much when both teams had all their items. The second major change to Dragon saw it changed to the more recent stacking Dragon where every additional Dragon gave a team advantages all the way up to the fifth Dragon. This changed the impact of Dragon from the early game to the late game as teams wouldn’t not really be affected by giving up the first few Dragons. The impact of Dragon was simply shifted from one part of the game to another while still remaining ineffective in parts of the game.
The Changes
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The most recent change to Dragon will result in the objective being important throughout the entire game. Riot’s newest update introduced Elemental Dragons and the Elder Dragon. The Elemental Dragons spawn for the first 35 minutes of the game and are one of four different types, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. After killing one, the next Elemental Dragon will spawn in 6 minutes. Each one gives a significant buff advantage to the team which kills it and also the buffs can be stacked. Some other features to note are that the Elemental Dragon spawns are random with the type of Dragon spawning shown on the Dragon Pit. The symbol for the next spawning Elemental Dragon can be seen through the Fog of War. Also, only three types of the four Elemental Dragon will spawn every game.
Infernal Drake (Fire):
The Fire Dragon is the most similar to the previous Dragon in that it deals AOE damage and performs in a similar manner. This Elemental Dragon gives champions increased damage versus other champions in increased ability power and attack damage. The first one gives 8%, while the next gives 16%, and the third 24%. Slaying the Elder Dragon improves the stacked buffs by an additional +50% of the original percentage.
Ocean Drake (Water):
The Water Dragon gives a bonus in health and mana regeneration if the champion has not been damaged in the last few seconds. Of all of the dragon buffs, this Elemental Dragon gives what could arguably be the buff with the least immediate effect, although it is extremely useful for poking and sustaining in lane. The Water Dragon’s attack also slows down its target’s movement speed by 30% every 2 seconds which could potentially inhibit a team’s ability to disengage when trying to take this Dragon.
Cloud Drake (Air):
The Air Dragon gives a movement buff to the team that slays it. This helps champions move around the map much faster and also outmaneuver the opponent in team fights. The Air Dragon is also the fastest of all the Dragons in both movement and attack speed. It has the fastest attack of all the dragons and can also chase enemies the fastest.
Mountain Drake (Earth):
The Earth Dragon helps teams take objectives faster, be that turrets or neutral monsters. The buff grants 10/20/30% additional True Damage against Epic Monsters and Turrets. The Earth Dragon is also the hardest of all the Dragons to take because of the higher health, armor, and magic resist as compared to the other Elemental Dragons.
The Elder Dragon:
The Elder Dragon spawns in after 35 minutes and is the second strongest monster on Summoner’s Rift after Baron Nashor. The Elder Dragon enhances all previous stacked buffs, especially if a team has taken Elemental Dragons previous to killing it. The Elder Dragon has high attack, armor, health, and magic resist making it extremely hard to take, but the rewards for taking it are massive.
How the New Dragons will Change the Game
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The new Elemental Dragons will clearly shift the meta of the game. Dragons are now relevant throughout the entire game rather than only at certain points. It is very likely that teams will be more inclined to fight earlier around the Dragons and continue for the entire game. This adds a bloodier factor to the game which viewers should find more exciting. Additionally, the random types of Dragons spawning introduces a randomized element to each game. The team that best adapts to which Dragons spawn in their game will become better overall.
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