When Is Serpent's Fang Worth It?
Patch 26.19
Serpent's Fang is worth buying when the champion you're trying to kill has a shield coming. Against a carry with nothing protecting them, Youmuu's Ghostblade or The Collector does a little more damage, and one support shield on that carry is usually all it takes to flip it.
Zed's target needs one shield of about 60 health, or 21 health of shielding a second, before Serpent's Fang out-damages Youmuu's Ghostblade on him. For Zed and Talon every shielding support tested here clears that bar except Morgana, and Kha'Zix only misses with Morgana and Seraphine.
What Shield Reaver does on Patch 26.19
Serpent's Fang 2500g
- 55 Attack Damage
- 15 Lethality
- Shield Reaver: Damaging an enemy champion reduces Shields they gain by 50% for 3 seconds. If they were not already affected by Shield Reaver, reduce Shields on them by 50%.
Youmuu's Ghostblade 2800g
- 55 Attack Damage
- 18 Lethality
- 4% Move Speed
- Haunt: Gain Move Speed while out of combat.
- Wraith Step: Gain Move Speed and Ghosting for 6 seconds.
The Collector 3000g
- 50 Attack Damage
- 10 Lethality
- 25% Critical Strike Chance
- Death: Your damage executes champions that are below 5% Health.
- Taxes: Champion kills grant 25 bonus gold.
Serpent's Fang costs 2500 gold, against 2800 for Youmuu's and 3000 for The Collector (the fights below compare finished items, so that discount is a bonus on top). Its passive does two things when you damage a champion. The first hit cuts the shields already on them by 50%, and for the next 3 seconds every new shield they get is 50% smaller. Each hit restarts that timer, so an assassin who keeps swinging keeps it on. Ranged champions get 35% on both.
How much shield it takes
| Buyer | Instead of | No shield | One shield of | Or a stream of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zed item 3 | Youmuu's Ghostblade | Youmuu's +2% | 60 HP | 21 HP a second |
| Talon item 2 | Youmuu's Ghostblade | Youmuu's +2% | 61 HP | 11 HP a second |
| Kha'Zix item 2 | Youmuu's Ghostblade | Youmuu's +2% | 138 HP | 5 HP a second |
| Draven item 3 | The Collector | Collector +3% | 170 HP | 44 HP a second |
| Jhin item 3 | The Collector | Collector +3% | 155 HP | 22 HP a second |
| Miss Fortune item 3 | The Collector | Even | 8 HP | 3 HP a second |
Measured against the 62 marksmen and mages who have no shield of their own, with a support standing next to them.
The melee assassins cross early. Talon's line is 61 health of shield and Kha'Zix's is 138, and a single Help, Pix! [E] from Lulu is bigger than any of the three. Draven and Jhin are stuck with the ranged 35%, so their carry has to pick up 170 and 155 health of shielding before The Collector falls behind.
Miss Fortune is the odd one. She's within a point of The Collector against a bare carry (-0.0%), so for her Serpent's Fang costs next to nothing and any shield on the other side tips it.
Supports that flip it
| Support | Shield | Every | Per second | Zed | Talon | Kha'Zix | Draven | Jhin | Miss Fortune |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karma | Inspire [E] 389; Mantra [R] 139 | 5s; 24s | 84 | Fang +19% | Fang +13% | Fang +26% | Fang +10% | Fang +28% | Fang +5% |
| Lulu | Help, Pix! [E] 329 | 5s | 64 | Fang +9% | Fang +13% | Fang +38% | Fang +5% | Fang +14% | Fang +3% |
| Lee Sin | Safeguard / Iron Will [W] 240 | 5s | 46 | Fang +5% | Fang +5% | Fang +10% | Fang +3% | Fang +7% | Fang +1% |
| Janna | Eye Of The Storm [E] 371 | 9s | 40 | Fang +10% | Fang +5% | Fang +8% | Fang +4% | Fang +7% | Fang +2% |
| Orianna | Command: Protect [E] 163 | 5s | 31 | Fang +3% | Fang +3% | Fang +7% | Even | Fang +3% | Even |
| Yuumi | Zoomies [E] 210 | 7s | 30 | Fang +4% | Fang +3% | Fang +7% | Even | Fang +3% | Even |
| Renata | Loyalty Program [E] 151; Locket of the Iron Solari 364 | 7s; 60s | 29 | Fang +16% | Fang +3% | Fang +8% | Fang +7% | Fang +10% | Fang +3% |
| Rakan | Battle Dance [E] 168; Locket of the Iron Solari 364 | 8s; 62s | 26 | Fang +17% | Fang +14% | Fang +14% | Fang +7% | Fang +10% | Fang +2% |
| K'Sante | Footwork [E] 212 | 9s | 24 | Fang +4% | Fang +3% | Fang +7% | Even | Fang +2% | Even |
| Annie | Molten Shield [E] 174 | 7s | 24 | Fang +3% | Fang +3% | Fang +5% | Even | Fang +2% | Even |
| Sona | Aria of Perseverance [W] 126 | 6s | 20 | Fang +2% | Fang +2% | Fang +4% | Even | Even | Even |
| Taric | Bastion [W] 184; Locket of the Iron Solari 351 | 12s; 75s | 19 | Fang +17% | Fang +15% | Fang +15% | Fang +7% | Fang +8% | Fang +3% |
| Lux | Prismatic Barrier [W] 160 | 10s | 17 | Fang +3% | Fang +2% | Fang +3% | Even | Even | Even |
| Milio | Warm Hugs [E] 202 | 13s | 16 | Fang +4% | Fang +4% | Fang +4% | Even | Fang +1% | Even |
| Morgana | Black Shield [E] 268 | 21s | 13 | Youmuu's +2% | Youmuu's +2% | Youmuu's +2% | Collector +3% | Collector +3% | Even |
| Thresh | Dark Passage [W] 56; Locket of the Iron Solari 364 | 16s; 67s | 9 | Fang +12% | Fang +12% | Fang +9% | Fang +4% | Fang +5% | Fang +2% |
| Seraphine | Surround Sound [W] 85 | 15s | 6 | Even | Even | Youmuu's +1% | Collector +2% | Collector +1% | Even |
| Leona | Locket of the Iron Solari 325 | 69s | 5 | Fang +8% | Fang +8% | Fang +6% | Fang +3% | Fang +3% | Fang +1% |
| Shen | Stand United [R] 489 | 150s | 3 | Fang +15% | Fang +10% | Fang +7% | Fang +6% | Fang +7% | Fang +2% |
Shields for a level 13 support on a standard build. Each champion's column is at the item slot from the first table, against the same carries, so Talon and Kha'Zix face these supports at level 11.
Morgana is the one support who never helps you. Black Shield [E] only soaks up magic damage, and nearly everything these six deal is physical, so the fight plays out as if she weren't there.
Shen was the result I didn't expect. Stand United [R] is the slowest shield in the table, one every 150 seconds, and it still swings Zed's fight more than Lulu's Help, Pix! [E], which comes 19 times as fast. A fight with an assassin is over in a few seconds, and one big shield landing as it starts is exactly what Serpent's Fang eats. Locket of the Iron Solari works the same way: Leona has no shield in her kit, and her Locket alone flips it for every champion here.
Draven is the pickiest buyer. On the ranged numbers, Lux, Morgana, Seraphine and Sona don't shield enough to put Serpent's Fang ahead for him.
Champions who shield themselves
| Enemy | Shield in the fight | Zed | Talon | Kha'Zix | Draven | Jhin | Miss Fortune |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yasuo | 1010 | Fang +21% | Fang +15% | Fang +15% | Fang +17% | Fang +2% | Fang +17% |
| Camille | 929 | Fang +19% | Fang +18% | Fang +44% | Fang +8% | Fang +32% | Fang +10% |
| Sett | 570 | Fang +11% | Fang +17% | Fang +12% | Fang +6% | Fang +9% | Fang +9% |
| Riven | 906 | Fang +13% | Fang +11% | Fang +31% | Fang +10% | Fang +28% | Fang +4% |
| Mordekaiser | 215 | Fang +4% | Fang +10% | Fang +26% | Even | Fang +8% | Even |
| Shen | 261 | Fang +4% | Fang +9% | Fang +9% | Fang +4% | Fang +8% | Fang +5% |
| Sion | 2444 | Fang +16% | Fang +11% | Fang +27% | Fang +5% | Fang +33% | Fang +12% |
| Skarner | 1394 | Fang +16% | Fang +10% | Fang +16% | Fang +12% | Fang +50%+ | Fang +39% |
| Karma | 918 | Fang +12% | Fang +7% | Fang +13% | Fang +6% | Fang +13% | Fang +5% |
| Lulu | 329 | Fang +2% | Fang +6% | Fang +15% | Fang +2% | Fang +4% | Even |
Shield is what that champion's kit and standard build gave them in Zed's fight.
A support isn't the only source. Yasuo's Way of the Wanderer [Passive], Sett's Haymaker [W], Riven's Valor [E], Mordekaiser's Indestructible [W], Shen's Ki Barrier [Passive] and Camille's Adaptive Defenses [Passive] all put up shields mid-fight, and Serpent's Fang comes out ahead against every one of them for Zed, Talon and Kha'Zix. Across the whole roster Zed prefers it against 48 of the 58 champions who get any shield in his fight, and against none of the 113 who don't.
Shield items count the same way. Immortal Shieldbow, Sterak's Gage and Eclipse all turn up on standard builds and shield their holders in these fights. Kaenic Rookern and Maw of Malmortius shield against magic damage only, so they don't slow a physical assassin down. Protoplasm Harness gives maximum health and a heal when it triggers, which Shield Reaver can't touch, and Moonstone Renewer's copy of a support's shield goes to a second ally, not the one you're hitting.
Pick your champion
All 171 champions in the game as the enemy on their standard build, sorted from the best case for Serpent's Fang to the worst.
| Enemy | Shield they get | Better buy |
|---|
How these were worked out
Every item and champion number comes from the Patch 26.19 game files. Each matchup is a fight played out a fiftieth of a second at a time with the enemy hitting back, run from eight starting points and averaged, and scored on how much of the enemy's health each build removes over the same stretch. Supports cast every ally shield on the champion you're fighting, the first as the fight starts and the rest on cooldown.
More on these items: Serpent's Fang Youmuu's Ghostblade Every item decision
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