If you have quick snowballing early game teamcomp, it is much better to take plates than individual drakes, which are weaker than in last season. If you think that you can win in under 20 minutes, you should put your focus on plates rather than 4% dmg from infernal...
Now if you have rather midgame-lategame comp, go for it, souls/elder are really strong.
(if you want different soul, there is always an option to let the final drake go)
hell no drake like wind and water one are just broken 10% cd ult is freaking big same with the free hp regen it help a lot during the laning phase than after for teamfight
if you can manage to funnel 15 plates onto 1 champ that champ can 1v9 after
Nowadays when I do jungle, I just trade the first drake for Rift unless we are just stomping to the point that I get it for free. Not a single person ever wards Rift in my elo, and if you have any idea the enemy jungler is botside its 100% free. I mean only a skuttle spawn is why people even check the thing. I try to get them both every game.
screw the plating. dragons are more important. each lane could get 3 platings each but if you ignore the drakes and let enemy take 2 drakes (the time between first spawn to platings falling) that is enough to trigger terrain shift and a head start to the dragon soul, which depending on what it is will waffle stomp you.
