Preyta: Rain Hell from the Dragon's Back

Build and Guide Preyta: Rain Hell from the Dragon's Back

Cheat Sheet
Skill Build

With ups and downs for each ability, it's best to level them up in tandem with each other. Alternate your main two skills and drop a point into Disciple of the Plague when possible.

Items

Orb of the Magi

Flashy Boots

Zweihander

Hecade's Diadem

Staff of Nuul

Holy of Holies

Arcana

Attempt to focus on Ability Power and Magic Pierce arcana for the most part, but opt for any slight boosts in survivability like HP, HP per second and Cooldown Speed as secondary bonuses every now and then.

Talents

Roar, Sprint, Heal

Introduction
It's probably been said a million times before with countless other characters, but Preyta is the very definition of a harass-style mage. Capable of firing a blast from the other side of your field of vision without much warning, he can knock targets back into its path, reset his cooldowns at will for a second burst and then turn his auto-attacks into small, yet rapid, AOE bombs.

With all this stacked onto the impressive movement speed brought on by riding a frikkin' dragon, Preyta can weave in and around the battlefield raining hell on targets who can barely even see him in the corner of their screens.

Skill Build
Not climbing particularly high on the difficulty scale, part of that is likely due to Preyta's simplistic passive ability. Rather than having the rest of his abilities be dictated by a complicated passive, Flying Dragon is just that – his flying dragon. Always on its back, this ability simply sees Preyta's movement speed be the centre of attention.

Plague Spectre is essentially what you see Preyta casting during his load-in animation. Once tapped, he'll begin charging a blast that will travel along a long, wide path after 2 seconds, striking anything caught within for its maximum damage potential. Without his Ultimate in effect, Preyta is locked in place during the cast, but can cancel the ability early to have it travel the same distance but with reduced damage. With his Ultimate active during the cast, however, Preyta can move freely once it's been activited, letting him herd his target into its path like sheep or simply keeping up the offensive if the aim was a little off.

Poison Gas Bomb is an instant cast ability that simply tosses out an explosive blast on the target location with next to no travel time. The sudden boom damages those caught in the blast and knocks them back relative to their position at the time – perfect for keeping enemies from retreating, knocking them back into the path of Plague Spectre or into range of a tower if they've gotten a little too close for comfort. There's even a 50% slowdown effect in place to suit its crown it a 'Control' spell. With his Ultimate activated, the bomb becomes a set of Nether Spikes that stun those hit too.

Some of the most fun you can have with an Ultimate ability comes from Preyta's own – Disciple of the Plague. Once activated, each of his other two skills are immediately reset and benefit from added effects mentioned up above. Preyta's auto-attacks climb astronimically by having their speed increased by 10%, range increased so 'significantly' that it doesn't give a solid number, and causes AOE Magic damage that, when paired with Zweihander, will become your main source of damage in a team fight. Preyta's already impressive movement speed is further boosted by 10% and gains a base 500 damage shield for its duration, making it easy to lob a bunch of spells at your targets before rushing in to bombard them with AOE auto-attacks.

Already enjoying a modest 6 second cooldown, Plague Spectre won't ever get down lower through natural means. Items and Arcana picks will reduce it slightly, as will the Sage Golem buff, but slotting points into there will only increase its damage output.

Posion Gas Bomb, on the other hand, starts with a base 14 second cooldown – and that's a little too long for most. As a harassment character, having this be reduced to 9 at max level without item or arcana in effect is somewhat more manageable. Put for its smaller damage footprint and limited use-case scenarios, it still feels best to keep Preyta even in his ability choices for the most part.

Levelling all of Preyta's abilities in tandem with one another should allows cooldown and combos to stay relevant without sacrificing on available damage output early on. Disciple of the Plague refreshes these at will, too, meaning cooldown reducution isn't a major selling point. However, it's on a fairly lengthy cooldown itself, making it only ready and able to reset your other two skills once every 3-4 rotations in the late game phase

Talents
You likely won't see the appeal until the mid-game phase itself, but Roar is by far the most powerful Talent Preyta can carry into battle in the right hands. Further boosting his Attack Speed by 60% is our main goal, but the 10% additional Attack Damage certainly helps. This is best activated during Disciple of the Plague when Preyta's auto-attacks become fast AOE blasts scaling with his growing Ability Power thanks to Zweihander. He's purpose built to jab his opponent's from a distance before surprising them with a secondary barrage and a bunch of powerful auto-attacks, and Roar makes 5 seconds of that onslaught sheer hell on earth.

Sprint as a secondary choice may raise some eyebrows, but turning Preyta's movement speed up to Mach-5 simply amplifies the benefits opened up by his naturally impressive gap-closing. Helping him overtake champions like Zephys who might otherwise evade his smaller casts, Sprint is already a great choice for limiting the downtime on any one lane by enabling Preyta to more quickly travel between lanes with aggressive enemies, keeping them at bay with his long-range casts and threatening control spells.

Then to keep health in check, we look at Heal. A simple enough choice, Heal is a good pick for those who want to play aggressively without running too much of a risk. Taking Heal works boths ways; it's good to pop when you're up close with your team delivering backup, but just as handy when you're firing from a distance as a way to give your allies a quick pick-me-up or to buy a little more time for your own skills to recharge.

Items
Starting off just the same as most other casters, Orb of the Magi is the best-case scenario for Preyta's early playstyle. Shaving off 10% from his mediocre cooldown times and granting him more manageable mana over time, the stacking Ability Power and HP accumulated over the next 5 minutes should keep him from feeling ineffective if creep farming isn't going to plan. Flashy Boots are chosen by most for the additional cooldown time, but more aggressive players might opt for Enchanted Kicks for bonus Magic Pierce early on.

Zweihander and Hecate's Diadem are arguably Preyta's bread and butter picks, catapulting his damage potential both in and out of his Ultimate state. Zweihander offers increased mana on top of its strong 180 Ability Power bonus and allows his auto-attacks to ramp up in speed and scale from his Ability Power – something that will prove incredibly useful with the naturally increased speed and range delivered through Disciple of the Plague for a short period of time. With Roar on top, Preyta plays with a 5-10 second window of catastrophically powerful auto-attacks in a team fight situation, with Hecate's Diadem aiding that further with a big boost to Ability Power that, again, scales to his auto-attacks. Magic Pierce on top is a bonus.

Staff of Nuul and Holy of Holies will be your late-game choices for obvious reasons – even more Ability Power, 10% extra Cooldown Speed and a big boost your Preyta's HP. You'd be wrong to think Staff of Nuul offers a minuscule 40 Magic Pierce. Just like how Hecate's Diadem offers a fixed percentage boost to Ability Power, Staff of Nuul offers a strong 40% increase to Magic Pierce on top of what's been gained through item picks and available arcana.

Arcana
Preyta loves nothing more than to shed HP from a distance before charging in to burn through his enemies in a surprise encounter, and a bunch of researched Arcana picks can certainly help with that. As tempting as Magic Life Steal sounds on just about any magic user, Preyta's longer cooldowns and trickier aim doesn't make him the best candidate for this.

If you're playing with the great dragon rider on a free rotation or trial card and have little arcana to your name, Talisman, Life and Disruption compliment the item build focused on throughout this guide. Ability Power and Magic Pierce help auto-attacks burn through enemy HP pools, while some added HP keeps survivability on the agenda in a more predictable way.

Tier 2 choices could be a mixture of Corruption and Surge in Red slots for those looking to tick both auto-attack boxes with Magic Pierce and Critical Chance, but sticking with Corruption helps us steer away from RNG being the deciding factor in a fight. Looking at Blue choices, the Ability Power and Magic Life Steal is there for everyday use, but Alacrity  could prove useful if you're the type to drift through lanes thanks to bonus HP and movement speed. Green picks should look no further than Corrosion; a solid focus on both Ability Power and Magic Pierce are all Preyta could ever ask for.

As for Tier 3 arcana, Hex and Violate are clear winners in the Red and Green slots, with Blue being a little more situational. Benevolence could be a major factor for those who refuse to leave the battlefield, as Preyta's impressive movement speed can mix with higher health regen to create a champion who rarely needs to stop roaming the battlefield. On the other hand, Devour would continue to compliment Preyta's dependence on Ability Power – though his impressive range shouldn't need too much of this on top of what's already aquired through items and other arcana.

Early Game
Rolling into bottom or mid lane suits Preyta just fine. Whether he's facing off against single or dual champions in his lane, lining up and firing Plague Spectre isn't as hard is first seems. It's casting field is both wide and long, allowing for it to charged up a flung across from almost one tower to the next. Aim to cover as much ground as possible by lining it up in a light diagonal space across the lane when pushing up, and try not to be too fast on the trigger. Most opponent's slide into its path when farming minions, but feel free to fire early if you're just looking to strike fear into them for the most part.

Poison Gas Bomb is a little trickier to abuse. You won't be able to use it to keep your opponent within range of a fully charged Plague Spectre for the most part, but being able to cast it without stopping – and while travelling in any direction – makes it a great 'fly by' strike whether you're using it to knock an enemy back into the fight or keeping them away from you and yours.

Unless you're a master of the brush, killing an opponent during the early phase isn't always the priority. Instead, you're aiming to slow down their progression by keeping them away from minions long enough for you to climb well above them. If you're paired with a similarly aggressive ally, it's possible to have a low HP opponent retreat to their tower and finish them off with a fully charged Plague Spectre from the edge of the jungle intersecting with their tower; but that takes a little bit of guesswork sometimes, as you can't see the entire range of your strike. Still, it's possible and feels great when executed, but focus on staying far out in your opponent's field of view so that a fully charged Plague Spectre isn't too difficult to land.

Mid Game
Depsite his impressive movement speed, sticking to a single lane with Preyta feels far more beneficial overall. Heavily suppressing one lane feels more effective than slowing down two or three and should increase the viability of grabbing the few kills needed to keep the money flowing.

Focus your efforts on your given lane for a little while longer and use your Ultimate ability right after your first two abilities to quickly reset them for the second coming. You'll be enjoying a shield real soon, so start by charging up Plague Spectre in an obvious place – preferably with your opponent close enough (and in range) so that they barely notice what's going on. Once they're hit, knock them back and slow them down with Poison Gas Bomb before quickly resetting the two with Disciple of the Plague. With movement not possible during the charge, tap Plague Spectre again and quickly stun your target in place with the spruced-up Poison Gas Bomb.

You can run circles around the target at this point while still firing out auto-attacks. Once Plague Spectre hits them with a fully charged blow, there's little reason they'll still be alive. If they are, however, you should have more than enough time to keep on their tail with Plague Spectre coming off cooldown yet again during the dash. Just keep up the auto-attacks whenever possible and stay moving to make things more difficult for anyone looking to spoil the fun.

If team fights are already becoming a main focus, save this whole plan for those situations. Use your high movement speed to charge into the fight and whittle down the team by throwing Plague Spectre in from a distance. Poison Gas Bomb will typically blow a few opponents away from the fight, but with some foresight and patience, it's a great way to single out one or two and bring them closer to your team for a true battle. If 3 or more are commonly grouping together, make the most of Disciple of the Plague by launching a volley of auto-attacks their way.

Late Game
With cooldown times and mana barely an issue, Preyta's focus on harrassment turns into something a little less focused on killing, and more on halting his opponent's movements. Team fights remain the same with a 2-hit combo being quickly refreshed by his Ultimate and quickly followed up with long-range AOE auto-attacks. But it's closing into the enemy base where things start to change a little.

Preyta's moveset allows him to turn the range of a tower against the enemy team, closing off both sides with the path of Plague Spectre. Casting this diagonally across from the left or right side forces the other team to either wait patiently as their tower is chipped away by the his allies, or risk crossing the path on the shorter side and risk being prime targets for AOE abilities and powerful magical blasts from afar. Creating this bottleneck while retaining his movement through use of his Ult means Preyta can, on occasion, nudge any enemy bold enough to defend their tower further toward his team with Poison Gas Bomb.

Killing off jungle creatures is easy enough when there's little else to do, but keeping up the pressure by staying mobile on the battlefield is where Preyta excels. Big river monsters aren't really his main focus when alone, but both red and blue Jungle buffs won't go to waste with his unique skillset. Keep on top of these if no other champion is making good use of them, but roam around similar to a jungler when things are little quiet. Preyta is more than capable of taking on most characters in a 1v1 situation, and with his Ult combo ready and waiting, most will trip up when it comes to predicting how, where and when he'll strike.

FAQ/Tips
Plague Spectre can be fired prematurely if you're certain a target won't stay in its path for long or when you need to make a quick escape.

Disciple of the Plague refreshes Preyta's other abilities, rendering them usable immediately after they were last activated. Use up both before activating this skill to maximize damage output.

Tower or ally in danger? If you're certain the bonus effects of Disciple of the Plague won't help, using it solely for the bonus movement speed boost could make all the difference.

Preyta's auto-attacks become his main source of damage when Disciple of the Plague is in effect – they become long-range, fast AOE missiles. Focus on positioning yourself to maximize each attack in a group during this time.

Matchups
Countering Preyta isn't as simple as running into him with a bigger group than before – he can make a quick getaway. A mixture of Ability Power, Magic Pierce and Cooldown Speed reduction means Preyta rarely struggles to find a viable target. With his ult in effect, he's looking to hit as many targets as his can while weaving in and out of the fight or rooting them in place long enough to rain hell upon them with both Plague Spectre and his boosted auto-attacks. But staying separate isn't always best course of action either, as he can quickly catch up to those looking to break out from the pact.

So what do you do? Getting as close as possible in the shortest amount of time is typically your best best whether you're alone or with a friend – it helps to maximize your time on the target, makes dodging Plague Spectre a simple game or left or right, and means even taking Poison Gas Bomb to the face shouldn't knock you out of range straight away. Those with a quick stun should look to waste Preyta's time by baiting Plague Spectre and silencing Preyta toward the end of its lenghy cast. Before and after that, strong auto-attacks – especially with something like Frosty's Revenge in effect – should help keep him and his dragon in place long enough to burst him down. He can't stand up to much, so being nimble and fast will be your best chance.

When paired up with Preyta in lane, make his life easier by keeping tabs on whether Plague Spectre is being aimed – or try to keep your targets in place to help him aim yourself. Any champion capable of applying proximity-based magic pierce during a group fight will be Preyta's best friend, but anyone trained in the art of control should look to group the enemy team up as much as possible. Just about every ability thrown out by this masterful magician can quickly burn down a group of unfortunately close enemies.