50.3%
Win Rate
Jungle · Skirmisher
Graves Counters
Graves wins skirmishes with high burst from shotgun-range Buckshot and a blinding smoke screen — ranged poke that outranges his effective attack range counters him hardest.
7.8%
Pick Rate
3.6%
Ban Rate
Moderate
Difficulty
Graves Overview
Graves is played across 1 roles, most commonly jungle. Use the role links above to jump to role-specific counters — the data on this page reflects jungle, his primary role.
How to Counter Graves — Step by Step
Fight him from outside his shotgun cone whenever possible, and punish him early before his item spikes come online.
Best Picks Against Graves
Ranked by win-rate difference in jungle, Patch 14.14.
| Champion | Win Rate Diff | Games | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kindred | +3.7% | 440 | Kites his shotgun range with consistent slows. |
 Nidalee | +2.2% | 420 | Poke damage chips him down from outside his effective range. |
 Sejuani | +2.1% | 390 | Lockdown stops his burst-and-reposition pattern. |
Computed by our stats engine from synthetic seed data, not live Riot match results — same aggregation pipeline that will process real match data once available. See our data methodology.
See the full Jungle counters breakdown, including worst matchups and lane-phase gold data →
Strong Against
| Champion | Why Aatrox Wins |
|---|---|
 Aatrox | Burst and Smoke Screen deny his engage before it lands. |
 Warwick | Wins the burst race before his sustain can stabilize. |
 Vi | Wins most direct early skirmishes with burst damage. |
Graves Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- High burst damage in shotgun range
- Smoke Screen offers strong defensive and vision-denial utility
- Collateral Damage provides real pick-off range in skirmishes
Weaknesses
- Shorter effective attack range than most ranged junglers
- Real item dependency to reach his full power spike
- Vulnerable to sustained poke he can't answer in kind
Abilities Overview
P
New Destiny
Reloads his weapon over time and grants bonus armor penetration on his final shot — rewards timing his burst window.
Q
End of the Line
A shotgun cone attack that can detonate a wall behind enemies for bonus damage — his core burst tool.
W
Smoke Screen
Creates a lingering smoke zone that blinds enemies inside it — his signature defensive and disengage-denial tool.
E
Quickdraw
A dash that reduces its own cooldown on takedown — his mobility and reposition tool.
R
Collateral Damage
A piercing cannon shot dealing heavy damage along a line — his signature pick-off ultimate.
Cross-check current tooltips on Riot’s official Graves page ↗ — abilities can change between patches.
Build, Runes & Setup
Best Items
Kraken Slayer
Reinforces his burst-window attack pattern
Immortal Shieldbow
Survives all-ins while dealing burst
Lord Dominik's Regards
Punishes armor stacking meant to counter him
Counter Items (for the enemy)
Randuin's Omen
Blunts the burst from his empowered shots
Executioner's Calling
Cuts any sustain he picks up from lifesteal items
Runes & Skill Order
Primary: Precision (Lethal Tempo or Press the Attack) → Presence of Mind → Legend: Alacrity → Coup de Grace. Secondary: Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection. Max order: Q → E → W, taking R whenever available.
Playbook
Fight him from outside his shotgun's effective range whenever possible.
Scout his New Destiny reload — his burst window is strongest right after it completes.
Punish him hard early; he has real early-game item and gold dependency to reach his power spike.
Common Mistakes
Trading auto-attacks with him at close range where his shotgun cone hits full damage.
Chasing him through Smoke Screen's blind zone instead of retreating out of it.
Underestimating Collateral Damage's range in a pick-off situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who counters Graves?
Kindred and Nidalee both out-range his shotgun-based attack pattern with sustained poke.
Why is Graves' range so short?
His attacks and Q are all shotgun-cone based, meaning his effective damage range is much shorter than a typical marksman or ranged skirmisher.