In the early days of League of Legends, one stat dominated the minds of mages, supports, and ability-based champions: CDR, short for Cooldown Reduction. It was a key factor in how often champions could use their abilities, and mastering CDR was essential for optimal performance. But in recent years, the stat has been reworked and rebranded, leaving many players — especially newer ones — wondering: What exactly is CDR in League of Legends, and does it still exist?
Here’s a closer look at what CDR was, what replaced it, and how its legacy still shapes the game today.
What Was CDR?
Cooldown Reduction (CDR) was a stat that reduced the time a champion had to wait before reusing an ability. If a skill had a 10-second cooldown, 20% CDR would reduce that to 8 seconds.
The stat capped out at 40%, later increased to 45% with certain runes, and was particularly prized by champions who relied heavily on spell rotations rather than auto attacks — think Lux, Thresh, or Lee Sin.
CDR could be built through:
- Items like Morellonomicon, Black Cleaver, or Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Runes like Transcendence
- Blue Buffs or jungle objectives like Elemental Dragons
The goal? Cast more, wait less, win faster.
The Shift: From CDR to Ability Haste
In 2020, Riot Games overhauled the item system and with it, replaced Cooldown Reduction with a new stat: Ability Haste.
Unlike CDR, Ability Haste scales linearly and has no hard cap. This means you can now stack as much Ability Haste as possible, with diminishing returns per point — 100 Ability Haste equals a 50% cooldown reduction.
Why the change?
- CDR had diminishing returns that were confusing to many players.
- The cap created build limitations.
- Riot wanted to create a more intuitive and scalable system for ability users.
Today, Ability Haste is the new standard, but many veteran players still refer to it casually as “CDR.”
How to Build Ability Haste Today
While CDR as a term is outdated, the goal remains the same: cast your spells more often. Here’s how to build Ability Haste in the current meta:
- Core Items:
- Lucidity Boots (+15 Ability Haste)
- Cosmic Drive, Black Cleaver, Manamune, and many more grant varying amounts
- Runes:
- Transcendence in the Sorcery tree offers Ability Haste at level 5 and 8
- Ingenious Hunter in Domination enhances item cooldowns
- Buffs/Objectives:
- The Blue Sentinel (blue buff) grants cooldown reduction via Ability Haste
- The Chemtech Drake offers team-wide Ability Haste as a soul bonus
Who Needs Ability Haste Most?
Champions who rely on short cooldowns benefit the most. That includes:
- Mages like Syndra or Orianna
- Fighters like Riven or Hecarim
- Supports who spam heals or crowd control, like Lulu, Nami, or Thresh
The faster you can rotate abilities, the more you can control fights, survive trades, or dish out damage.
CDR in Pro Play and Meta
Even though the term has been retired, the concept of cooldown management is more important than ever. In pro games, Ability Haste influences every decision: when to engage, when to kite, when to rotate. Champions with high uptime can turn skirmishes with well-timed ultimates or utility spells.
Whether you’re a solo queue jungler or a competitive mid-laner, managing your cooldowns efficiently — and building the right amount of Ability Haste — can be the difference between a win and a respawn timer.
Final Thoughts: CDR May Be Gone, But Its Spirit Lives On
While “CDR” as a stat is no longer present on the scoreboard, its legacy continues through Ability Haste — a more refined, scalable, and accessible system. If you’re returning to the game or learning from scratch, just remember: more Ability Haste means more plays, more impact, and more fun.
So next time someone says “I need more CDR,” you’ll know exactly what they mean — even if the game doesn’t call it that anymore.
Written by:
Christian