Duskblade of Draktharr is still challenging to balance even after the patch 13.10 update. Thus, Riot is making changes again in an effort to make it simpler to play against.
Duskblade of Draktharr has always been a threat to League of Legends since its debut in early 2016. The original Zed ult-like Duskblade strike would leave a mark on the opponent champion it struck before detonating.
After that, a variation that could detect surrounding stealth wards persisted for a while. It’s passive, which gave a champion extra damage after becoming unseen for at least 1.5 seconds.
Up to the item’s revamp in late 2020, this version would not be changed. After then, if a champion was defeated, the Nightstalker passive would grant them 1.5 seconds of invisibility.
With patch 13.10, this was transformed into untargetability. In patch 13.17, Riot is currently developing further significant adjustments to Duskblade of Draktharr.
Duskblade of Draktharr changes in patch 13.17
- Now destroys incoming projectiles when triggered
- No longer makes the target immune to damage that’s already on them like DoTs
- Still immune to targeted and free targets spells and not immune to turret shots
According to Spideraxe Twitter post, all projectiles in the air or headed towards the untargetable champion will now be destroyed by Duskblade’s untargetability. Basic attacks and targeted skills fall under this category.
This is balanced by the fact that it will no longer interfere with the damages of any effects already present on them. So things like Teemo or Cassiopeia poison will still deal damage to you. You will still be immune to skillshots, but against turret shots are no more.
These modifications appear more significant than they are when put in writing. While marksmen will be slightly irritated that their infrequent basic attack now misses its target, it is a great QoL upgrade for any champion who is dependent on damage over time. Overall, this shouldn’t significantly alter how Duskblade is used or countered.
These modifications are being considered for the PBE in conjunction to the upcoming nerfs for Duskblade in patch 13.16.