League of Legends has a vast array of equipment, each with its own unique effects. Today, we will analyze the “Ripper”, commonly known as the Blue Buff Knife, and by the end, you’ll understand why many ADCs opt for it.
Introduction to the “Ripper”
The Ripper costs a total of 3400 gold.
Attributes: +70 Attack Damage, +20% Critical Strike Chance.
Passive Effect: +10% Cooldown Reduction; can gain additional cooldown reduction from crit chance provided by other sources; crits restore 3% of maximum mana.
This item is not cheap, priced the same as Infinity Edge, and it provides the bearer with significant attack damage, critical strike chance, and excellent cooldown reduction.
In the current version, database insights show that more and more players of champions like Tristana, Kog’Maw, and Draven are using it, which is quite strange. We will explain how this situation has come about in simple terms.
Analysis of the “Ripper”
Reasons for Selection
First, we need to clarify which champions require the Ripper.
Let’s start with champions that do not need the Ripper, such as Caitlyn, Jinx, Vayne, Spear of Vengeance, and Twitch.
Then there are champions that can opt for the Ripper, typically including Wheel Mom, Tristana, Xayah, and Draven.
The key to choosing the Ripper lies in whether you are willing to trade attack speed & crit chance for more skill cooldown reduction and early game power.
Crit-based ADCs now favor building Bloodthirster, then moving to Electric Knife – Infinity Edge – Fire Cannon, which grants strong immediate combat capabilities, including wave-clearing ability. If opting for the Blue Buff Knife, some of these advantages must be sacrificed, and we need to ensure there are sufficient reasons for our choices.
Wheel Mom: Sivir relies more on her W skill’s late-game bonuses, which not only grants attack speed but also has a ricochet effect, allowing it to hit backline targets and crit. More cooldown means more W activations.
Tristana: Tristana’s Q skill provides an additional attack speed boost lasting 7 seconds, which is sufficient to destroy most backline champions but may not be enough against frontline champions.
Draven: Draven heavily relies on his Q and W skills to enhance his damage output. Frequent skill usage can greatly deplete his mana, which is why we often see Draven’s mana not in a healthy state.
Xayah: Xayah is the most skill-dependent ADC, needing to refresh her passive through skills to generate more feathers, allowing her E skill to have more impact.
Comparison of Effects Between Choosing and Not Choosing
As mentioned, many champions can enhance their auto-attack effectiveness through skills, and many rely on the bonuses provided by these skills. However, these skills often have long cooldowns, and improper activation can significantly reduce our damage output in the first wave of team fights, potentially ending the fight before a second wave can be executed.
Using Tristana and her Q skill’s power, let’s illustrate the difference between building three items and choosing the Ripper.
Electric Knife – Infinity Edge – Fire Cannon Build:
In this build, max level Q skill provides 110% attack speed, with a cooldown of 16 seconds and a duration of 7 seconds, followed by a 9-second wait before reactivation.
Blue Buff Knife – Electric Knife – Infinity Edge:
In this build, max level Q skill provides 110% attack speed, with a cooldown of 11.2 seconds, duration of 7 seconds, and only a 4.2-second wait before reactivation.
Assuming the team fight lasts 30 seconds, with the Ripper, our Q skill can be active for 21 seconds; without it, only for 14 seconds. If the team fight lasts only 20 seconds, the Q skill’s benefits from both builds are comparable.
Kog’Maw follows a similar pattern; we will analyze his W skill in conjunction with his build.
In this build, max level W skill has a cooldown of 17 seconds and lasts 8 seconds, requiring a 9-second wait before reactivation. Build: Rageblade – Hurricane – Bloodthirster:
Build: Rageblade – Hurricane – Blue Buff Knife:
In this build, max level W skill has a cooldown of 11.9 seconds, lasts 8 seconds, and only requires a 3.9-second wait before reactivation.
In a team fight lasting 30 seconds, the Blue Buff Knife allows Kog’Maw’s W skill to be active for 24 seconds, while the standard build only allows for 16 seconds.
Draven, Sivir, and Xayah’s choices are similar; they aim to use skills to enhance their damage output during team fights. However, as we mentioned at the beginning, this item is as expensive as Infinity Edge, and we need to sacrifice something. This build is more suitable for the current meta, where tanky champions are prevalent, as we require sustained high damage output.
If Draven chooses the Blue Buff Knife, it means sacrificing the Bloodthirster as the first item, which will reduce his dueling and self-protection capabilities. Therefore, it is not necessarily a must-have item, but when it appears on the right champions and in the right team composition, it can offer significant benefits.
That concludes the analysis of the Ripper and what benefits this item can provide. Contrary to popular belief, it may not be as useless as many think; in fact, it could be making a comeback.