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Gragas
Patch 16.2.1
TopDifficulty
Medium
Strength
Early
Mid
Late
Win Condition
Win the lane through superior sustain and short trades, then transition into a teamfight monster. Use to isolate high-priority targets or peel for your carries while using to disrupt the frontline.
Playstyle
A high-sustain AP bruiser and disruptor who excels at short trades, wave manipulation, and game-changing displacement in teamfights.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Infinite lane sustain via allows you to outlast most opponents.
- +Unmatched self-peel and disengage using and .
- +Flexible build paths—can go full AP assassin, tank, or hybrid bruiser.
- +Excellent gank setup and follow-up with high-impact crowd control.
Weaknesses
- -Extremely mana-hungry in the early game if is spammed.
- -Missing during a trade leaves you vulnerable and resets its long cooldown.
- - is a double-edged sword that can accidentally knock enemies to safety.
- -Relies heavily on landing skillshots; high-mobility champions can dodge your main damage.
Abilities
Passive healing. Every time you use an ability, you regain health. In lane, use even if you aren't fighting just to trigger this and stay healthy. It has a hidden internal cooldown, so don't dump all spells at once if you need max healing.
Your primary poke and waveclear tool. The barrel deals more damage the longer it sits on the ground. For waveclear, let it sit until it turns red. For champions, use the slow to setup your other abilities.
Gives damage reduction and empowers your next auto-attack. Always press before walking up to trade. The damage reduction is active while you drink and for a short duration after. It costs very little mana, making it your best tool to proc .
A dash that stuns and knocks back the first enemy hit. If you hit a unit, the cooldown is reduced. Never use this to farm unless you are 100% safe, as it is your only escape. It can be used to cancel enemy dashes like Jax Q or Camille E.
A massive explosive cask that knocks enemies away from the center of the blast. This is your most versatile tool. Use it to knock carries into your team, peel divers off your ADC, or disrupt the entire enemy formation.
Teamfight Role
Primary Disruptor/Secondary Engage
You want to sit in the 'pocket'—not quite the main tank, but close enough to the action to punish any enemy who steps too far forward. Use to split the enemy team in half.
If you are playing a full AP build, your role shifts to an assassin. Look for flanks and use the -Flash combo to one-shot a squishy carry.
Combos
Standard Short Trade
(before moving in) -> -> Auto-attack -> -> Walk away
The bread and butter of Top lane Gragas. The reduction keeps you safe, the stun guarantees the auto and hit. Pop immediately for the slow to ensure a clean exit.
The Unreactable Stun
-> Flash (mid-dash)
By flashing during the animation, you instantly teleport the hitbox onto the enemy. It is significantly harder to react to than Flash into . Use this to catch out carries or secure a kill on a low-HP target.
Full Displacement All-In
-> -> -> -> Auto-attack
Start early. Hit , and while they are stunned, throw behind them to knock them back into a pre-placed . This ensures they take the maximum burst damage before they can react.
The 'Bomba' Disruption
(on ground) -> (into the Q) -> (activate)
Position a barrel where you want the enemy to land, then use to launch them directly into it. This maximizes the fermentation time of for huge burst damage.
Power Spikes
| Spike | Why |
|---|---|
| Level 3 | You have access to your full trade combo and sustain. You can now effectively trade with most melee top laners. |
| Level 6 | unlocked. Your kill pressure increases exponentially, and you become almost impossible to gank because you can just knock the jungler away. |
| Level 9 | With at rank 5, your waveclear is elite. You can clear backline minions with a single barrel and start roaming. |
| Level 11 | Second point in reduces its cooldown significantly, allowing you to look for picks more frequently in the mid-game. |
Tips & Tricks
- •You can cast and during the dash animation to hide the start of the throw.
- •Use right before taking a tower shot or a big enemy ability to soak the damage with the reduction.
- •The hitbox of is slightly wider than it looks; you can hit enemies through thin walls if they are hugging them.
- •Don't always pop immediately. The slow lasts longer if the barrel stays out, which can help you chase or escape.
- • healing is based on max HP. If you build health, your sustain becomes oppressive.
- •You can use to knock enemies into your own tower for an easy kill if they overextend.
Common Mistakes
- ✕Spamming to poke at Level 1 and 2.→You will run out of mana instantly and be forced to take a bad back or lose lane pressure.
- ✕Using to engage when you don't know where the enemy jungler is.→You have no escape tools left and are an easy target for a gank.
- ✕Panicking and throwing at a low-HP enemy.→You often knock them away from your teammates, essentially giving them a free escape.
- ✕Forgetting the auto-attack after .→You lose a massive portion of your burst damage, especially if you have Lich Bane or Grasp of the Undying.
- ✕Throwing directly at an enemy's center.→They will be knocked in a random direction depending on their movement. Always aim the center of the cask slightly behind or to the side of them for a predictable knockback.
AI-generated guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached