Deathfire Grasp: League of Legends' Iconic Burst Item Removed After 13 Years
Deathfire Grasp was a powerful legendary item in League of Legends that significantly impacted burst mage gameplay before its removal in Season 5.
A champion affected by the Doom debuff
Key Features:
- Built from Needlessly Large Rod + Fiendish Codex (3000 gold)
- Provided 120 Ability Power and 10% Cooldown Reduction
- Active Ability: Dealt 15% of target champion's maximum health as magic damage and amplified subsequent magic damage by 20% for 4 seconds
- 750 range with 90-second cooldown
Strategic Value:
- Ideal for burst mages and AP assassins like Veigar and LeBlanc
- Most effective when initiating fights
- Enhanced team damage when multiple allies dealt magic damage
- Damage amplification stacked additively with other percentage-based amplifiers
Removal and Legacy:
- Removed in Season 5 due to balance concerns
- Originally designed to help AP champions counter tanks
- Became problematic as it allowed instant deletion of squishier targets
- Replaced by Luden's Echo as the premier burst AP item
- Briefly returned in Nexus Blitz game mode (2018-2023)
Cultural Impact:
- Inspired "Deathfire Grasp," the second track on Pentakill's album "Smite and Ignite"
- Part of a quartet of "sister items" alongside Randuin's Omen, Shurelya's Reverie, and Youmuu's Ghostblade
- Remains a significant part of League of Legends' item history
The item was permanently removed on patch V13.23 when Nexus Blitz became unavailable.
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