Graves

Playstyle Profile

Graves is a diver — disrupts the backline by committing onto enemy carries

Teamfight Role

Backline Diver

Power Spike

Mid game

Split Threat

None

Backline Access

Low

Graves's Strengths

• Disrupts the enemy backline — Graves's dives force carries to reposition instead of dealing damage

How to Play Graves

Champion-specific pre-match tips

Gameplay tips on Summoner's Rift

Lane Phase

Cast Q against walls or turrets during a trade to force an instant detonation, denying the enemy time to dodge the return damage.

Lane Phase

Angle your basic attacks outside the minion wave when trading, as your passive spread is blocked by the first unit it hits.

Lane Phase

Reset your basic attack timer by casting E immediately after firing a shell to quickly fire two consecutive shots and build early armor.

Mid Game

Maintain your E armor stacks while moving across the map by basic attacking neutral monsters, minions, or plants right before the buff expires.

Mid Game

Drop your W into narrow jungle corridors during objective setups to near-sight approaching enemies and force them to walk blindly into your team.

Mid Game

Fire your ult backwards to vault over thin walls or dodge incoming crowd control when your E is on cooldown and you need an immediate escape.

Late Game

Play front-to-back in major teamfights and focus the closest enemy, as enemy tanks will passively block your shotgun spread from reaching their squishy backline.

Late Game

Cast W directly on isolated priority targets to near-sight them, immediately following with an auto-E-Q-ult combo to guarantee your burst lands before they can use defensive summoner spells.

Late Game

Delay stepping into short range during teamfights until you have fully stacked your E armor by continuously attacking the enemy frontline from your maximum attack distance.

For matchup-tailored tips, download Baron Buff's AI Coach & Companion App.

Gameplay tips in Arena

• Fight near walls for fast Q detonation, keep one E charge for the return burst, and reload behind your partner. R should execute or create space, not begin a full-health trade.
• Build Infinity Edge, The Collector, Lord Dominik's Regards, and Galeforce. Crit and penetration scale close pellets; add Bloodthirster when you must absorb poke before entering.
• Prioritize It's Critical, Thread the Needle, Outlaw's Grit, and Scopiest Weapons. Range and dash defenses let you choose shotgun distance without being trapped there.

Graves Build

This might not be your familiar build. We look at ranked games after each item was bought. If the player or team gained ground in gold, we rate that item higher.

Core

• Hubris
• Plated Steelcaps (Boots)
• The Collector

Situational

• Infinity Edge
• Lord Dominik's Regards
• Immortal Shieldbow
• Terminus
• Mortal Reminder
• Serpent's Fang

Graves Runes

The most popular rune page and summoner spells for Graves in ranked games over the last 30 days.

Domination + Precision · 48.7% WR · 32,673 games

• Dark Harvest
• Sudden Impact
• Grisly Mementos
• Treasure Hunter
• Legend: Alacrity
• Triumph
• Attack Speed
• Adaptive Force
• Health Scaling

Summoner spells

Flash, Smite

Graves Skill Order

The recommended skill order for Graves from ranked games over the last 90 days: the first three skill points, then the order to max abilities.

1. lvl 1: E
2. lvl 2: Q
3. lvl 3: W
4. max: Q
5. max: E
6. max: W

How to Counter Graves

Counter strategies and draft context

understand their unique win condition and draft to directly deny it

• Vulnerable to CC during dives — Graves commits hard and can be punished if locked down
• Champions that match their unconventional playstyle
• Hard-engage picks that force standard team fights
• Waveclear to prevent map manipulation

Graves's Weaknesses

Layered crowd control and peel lock Graves down mid-dive.

Best Synergies with Graves

Team synergies and draft context

A second diver splits enemy focus alongside Graves, since two divers are harder to peel than one. Your unconventional win condition works best with allies who commit to it. Allies who create pressure elsewhere give you room to execute your strategy. A frontline buys time for your game plan to develop.

Draft Context

• Drafts another diver with no backline carry — Graves disrupts, but the team has no sustained damage

Learning Curve

Based on 1.2M+ matches across all ranked elos, showing how Graves's win rate changes with mastery level

Graves rewards dedicated play — meaningful improvement continues well beyond the basics, but getting results requires significant dedication. Expect lower win rates for an extended period before deeper mechanics click into place.

Skill Cap

High

Cost of Learning

Very High