Gragas Build Guide by Gruck

Intro

Gragas is a Fat durable beast in lane, and a great dmg-dealer!

In this guide I'll show you how to use use him for yours, and your teams great advantage.
This guide will show you the path too achieving great dmg-output and how to maneuver this powerful fat ap-caster.


30.10.11

• updated the Items chapter
• overhauled the guide

17.11.2011

• updated masteries after the Fizz patch

Abbreviations Throughout the Guide

Abbreviated Terms
CC = Crowd Control (Stun, fear, slow, snare, etc)
AP = Ability Power
AD = Attack Damage
MPen = Magic Penetration
CDR = Cooldown Reduction
HP = Health/Health Points/Hit Points
AoE = Area of Effect
MRes = Magic Resistance
MReg = ManaRegen
HPReg = Hit Points Regeneration

Pros / Cons with Gragas

Pros

Good AoE slow with bodyslam
Massive burst from good ap ratios
Great lane sustenance with Happy Hour and Drunken Rage
Free flash every few seconds with Body Slam
Can interrupt enemy teamposision, deal massive AoE dmg with Explosive Cask
Low cooldowns
Great farmer and hard too tackle in lane due too his great dmg and lane sustenance

Cons

Melee autoattacks
Easy to avoid barrel roll, if thrown far.

Masteries

My masteries goes like this:

Gragas needs his masteries to help bring out his massive burst, and also keeping him healty.

With 21/9/0 you get good MPen and ap, as well as buffing ur survivability to good levels with some armor and health.
This really gives you a great advantage early on in lanes vs bruisers and dmg-dealers, wich you are sure too meet if you play top solo or mid.

the reason why you need so much on defencive is too constantly be able too harrass with both
Body Slam and Barrel Roll without being afraid of taking a hit or two. with you passive and these defencive masteries you will be a "pain the the lane", dealing tons of damage and constantly healing up passivly with Happy Hour.

These masteries are also good mid-lategame to keep you not too squishy, since you can get quite wounderable midgame with this build.

A good Gragas is somewhat impossible too take down 1v1 in lane.

Runes

When it comes to runes I like to build them like this:

There are ofcouse many good varities of runes that fit Gragas great, but the reason i have
chosen these runes are; It gives great burst early on in game and gives a solid manaregen together with Drunken Rage for lasting in lane early on.
I choose the Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration and Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power that scale over time, since you get a good enough start-ap from the Greater Quintessence of Ability Power, and Dorans Ring. The scaling runes really pay of later in the game where they scale up to get tree times better then the flat ones late game (at lvl 7 they are allready as good as the flat runes).

I like to be able too spam kegs mid and lategame without depending on the bluebuff.
But ofcourse, you should snatch the bluebuff as often as possible.

Summoner Spells

As for summonerspells i allways go for:


Flash is a great spell for Gragas. it makes you extremely hard too catch together with Body Slam. Its really like having two flashes if you use Body Slam correctly.
Flash can also be used to initiate together with Explosive Cask and Body Slam to catch that guy who sticks around for a bit too long after his team left or just for fun surpriceattacks.

I rarely use Flash for initiation or chasing, since you really need it in bigger fights where you will get targeted. It will increase you chanses for surviving getting targeted greatly. It is important for your team that you get to use ur abilities effectively.

Ignite is a powerfull spell for finishing of those who try to escape Gragas, or for keeping those high selfhealing champs easier too bring down. its also good for using on those champs you know the supporters will try too heal.
Ignite also gives you a great shot at getting kills in lane early game.

jumpig two walls and escaping with 10 hp Gragas? No problem!

Skill Sequence

I tend too go something like this.

It happends that i change the order slightly depending on who I lane against, and how fed I get.
I always get Barrel Roll first, Body Slam second and Drunken Rage third.
The reason is simple.
At level 2, you dont need the extra mana from drunken rage yet, and levelling Body Slam will grant you more dmg as well as the ability to slow. This will increase your lanecontrol and chances for scoring FB greatly. Too keep your mana healty you shouldnt spam bodyslam too much early on, and you shouldnt need to either.
In the start you should only use Body Slam for initiation, or for escaping if necessary.
You shouldnt have a problem farming with barrel roll and auto-attacks, since you allways have the Body Slam as a safety if you need to get away.

If you dont want to go into melee-distance to the creeps, you should use the Barrel Roll to last hit the low hp creeps. it should be possible to do this without hitting all the creeps, and pushing the lane.

At level three with Drunken Rage you should be a real pain, taking reduced damage, dealing extra melee-dmg and regening mana. I tend too get most of my FBs on level 2-3. You should attack like this: use Drunken Rage, Initiate with Body Slam, autoattack, Barrel Roll, auto attack. if you get the chance you follow up with Body Slam, Barrel Roll.
Ofcouse the timing of your initiation is very important.

after level 3 you should max Barrel Roll for max dmg output, taking Explosive Cask on level 6. When you have maxed Barrel Roll, I often level one more Drunken Rage for more usefull MReg, dmg-reduction. Now you max out Body Slam taking Explosive Cask when possible. and at the end finish the Drunken Rage

Items

Start with Doran's Ring. This is a great startitem for Gragas, giving you some ap, good MReg and a usefull amount of health. this helps you alot with keeping you mana healty, boosting you burst and allows you too be more agressive early on.


At the first shopping trip home you should it depends alot on how you are doing what you buy, but you should allways get Boots of Speed and a Sight Ward on first trip home.
Next you should aim for early Sorcerers Shoes and Rabadon's Deathcap. Most often I end up gettin the Boots of Speed, an Blasting Wand and an Sight Ward on the first trip home. If I get a greater amount of gold I get Needlessly Large Rod instead or blasting wand. I prioritize getting Blasting Wand or Needlessly Large Rod before finishing Sorcerer's Shoes.


After you have finished Rabadon's Deathcap and Sorcerer's Shoes, you build after whos on the enemy team. If they stack MR, and you dont feel too threatened by them taking you out, you should go for Void Staff next.
If the enemy team are more agressive and deal alot of dmg, making you feel a bit woulnerable, you should get Catalyst the Protector before your Void Staff.
If they deal heavy ad you can get your Chain Vest after Catalyst the Protector.
in rare cases if you meet a team without high ap output or decent cc you can drop the Banshee's Veil. In that case you should get Sunfire Cape instead of Banshee's Veil.


Now you should have Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Void Staff and Banshee's Veil. Now you build after what you need. most often, you will meet a team dealing both decent ad, and ap. Then you should go for Zhonya's Hourglass and Lich Bane.


You can also consider swapping your Sorcerer's Shoes with Mercury's Treads after getting your Void Staff, as you really dont need the extra mPen you get from Sorcerer's Shoes anymore.

Alternative Items

If you really struggle in lane and are home for a early trip you can get a early Ruby Crystal, later finished too Catalyst the Protector and Banshee's Veil.
if you are really in the gutter, you can finish the Ruby Crystal into a Heart of Gold.

chain armor
If you play against a heavy ad team you should get the Frozen Heart after your Zhonya's Hourglass. Frozen Heart Gives you a great amount of armor and CDR, and at the same time slows the AS on the attackers. This greatly increases you survivability, and maxes you CDR with the bluebuff. You should also pick up an chain armor earlier in the game, after you get Catalyst the Protector.
If your enemy team only got ad you should drop the baneshees veil and get a Sunfire Cape instead.


If you play against a heavy AP team, you should get a Abyssal Scepter right after Banshee's Veil, finishing with a Lich Bane.

Items you really dont need

Gragas dont want is, Gragas dont need it!


really no need to stack Doran's Ring with Gragas. If you play right, you should be able to keep you mana high enough. If you need more suvivability early, get an Ruby Crystal


Seen many use this on Gragas. He really doesnt need this. if you think differently please explain to me why you use it.
Doesnt need the slow(only 15% on his mulitargetspells, Your Body Slam provides all the slow you need.)
Doesnt need the hp ( Banshee's Veil provides enough for gragas as a caster in most games)
You will get better AP from other items.

Early game laning

As i mantioned earlier you should try to harrass your opponent as much as possible. I prefer getting top lane with Gragas, since it makes me less woulnerable for ganks and you can be more aggressive in lane.
You should be able to harrass without pushing the creeps too much. Sometimes its impossible too avoid creeps pushing a bit. If your opponent mingles alot with the creeps, making it hard for you to hit him without pushing, you should after getting Drunken Rage, go into creeps and auto attack him with the extra AD you get. if he runs out of the wave, follow up with Body Slam and Barrel Roll.
If he starts chasing you, you do the opposite; Body Slam for slowing him, and Barrel Roll.

After your first trip home, where you picked up a Sight Ward, you can play more agressivly, killing of creeps and harrassing with Barrel Roll. you can keep pushing hard in lane and being a constant threath using Body Slam if the opponent comes close enough, slowing him and giving you the chanse of dealing dmg with Barrel Roll and auto-attacks.

you should be safe in the bushes if you are pushing in lane, being aware of gank and using your Body Slam to escape, or in worst case Flash if you get caught.

On level 6 you have a massive burst. You should attack like this 1v1: if he is trying to stay away from you, but you get an opportunity, use Drunken Rage, fetch him with Explosive Cask. Then use Body Slam to slow and dmg, auto-attack, Barrel Roll, autoattack, and if CD allows you use Body Slam and Barrel Roll

If he is close and you not completely sure if you can take him down you can start with Body Slam saving Explosive Cask for finishing, or pushing him away from you, or fetching him into the tower if chasing you.

Gameplay

In teamfights you should allmost never let yourself be targeted. find a good location where you are hard too reach, or stand next to a wall, prepered to Body Slam into safety.
The Explosive Cask is great for using in start of teamfight to set the enemy team of position, or for fetching out the dmg-dealers, and at the same time deal massive dmg. spam Barrel Roll as much as posible. if your team gets the upper hand you can go in and help finishing of with Body Slam and auto attacks.
remember to allway use your Drunken Rage as it reduses the dmg you take alot, and gives you some solid AD, as well as filling your mana.

if your team is pushing one lane and the enemy team is defending, you should always look for an opening too fetch a enemy with Explosive Cask, giving you team valuable kills and good pushing-chanses.

Gragas is a great lanepusher, and with a decent ward set-up you should be able to push lanes quite far on your own, without being in a bit risk of getting caught.

Gragas is a great farmer, and are very item-dependent, so throughout the whole game you should always try to farm alot. In the end you should have one of the biggest farms in the game.



Thanks for reading this guide:)

This guide is allways under progress, so please post suggestions in the commentbox if you feel something is missing or can be improved.