Graves Build Guide by FrasLoad

Intro

HI!
My first "serious" build. The last two we´re just to explore how to make a build. But this one is my "masterpiece" so to speak. So!
Graves huh? amazing? oh yea... I don´t have so much to say either than read the whole damn thing!
Vote and comment, be gentile it´s my precious.. Ask questions for improvement and if you wonder anything!

Change Log

First of all HES BEEN NERFED AGAIN!? but it doesn´t matter since he´s the inlaw...
Changes from before:
Starting with Bloodthirster in different comps
Runes more viable due to nerf
And just have fun!

Pros / Cons

Pros

+Insane damage throughout the game.
+Moveablillity compared to other AD Carries.
+His abillities scale great with his AD.
+Easy to last-hit minions with due to his quick respone to shooting.
+Benefiet the team throughout the game, due to his insane damage and moveabillity.
+The "E" spell can be used to rush through walls.
+Hes hates Twisted Fate, just saying.



Cons

-Easy focused, due to his short range.
-Short range.
-Can have a hard lane versus a Caitlyn or Kog etc. (Long ranged Carries).
-Need a good complement of variable items due to which items their team is chosing.

Masteries

I chose the typichal AD carry setup with the 21/0/9 with the point in Utility Mastery, due to the Red buff which, if your jungler approves, will give it to you
The Offense tree is all-out damage, any little point in damage will help him!
Not much to talk about really, pretty straight-forward.

Runes

• : You get exeptionally good bonus out from this, belive your damage with and extra 7, and with the seals, this is be epic.
  
• greater mark of Desolation: Just amazing... the best mark there is. Helps throughout the game with great reduced armor... amazing.
  
• : Shocker? Yea, it´s focused around survival, but great FrasLoad why not armor, you might ask, then i say MR will boost you greater because Graves armor stacks crazy the whole game, i think it´s 73 armor without putting anything into it, starts with 13 >.<, but then again i start with 53MR, and it will smoothen out as the game progress.
  
• Greater Greater Seal of Resilience: Yea, it´s another AD. Well see it this way, you will start with insane AD, and probably if you meet your counter.. Caitlyn and Taric *spit, you´ll need the extra AD to compete
• Greater Seal of Resillience: If you want more sustain and maby have a sligther edge.. go this
• : Option instead of MR, but not preferable.

Summoner Spells

: // Probably the best spell ingame, with an OP carry as this. Flash will be absolute amazing.

space

: // Best suitable for the AD-carry atm, due to the "recent" founding of the usabillity of heal on an AD-carry. Don´t chose anything else but.. if you don´t do ranked there are other options.

space

: // A good Spell in total, but still, Ghost -> Flash? Flash will save you from any kind of trouble, but ghost can help you alot if you chase or fleeing, or need to get to a certain place fast. : // Variable, though heal is more suitable atm.

Abillities

• Gunslinger: Whenever you are in combat your defensive stats increase, armor and magic resist. Stacks up to 10times. Getting nerfed in the next patch but not very drastic to Graves as a champion.
  
  
  
• Buckshot (Q): Alike Ashe´s "Volley" a cone of 3shots, the closer the target is, the more damage.
  
  
  
• Smoke Screen (W): Alike Nocturne ultimate but in a smaller form, a circel format, you throw out a "Smoke-grenade" (or he shoots it because hes badass) and whenever an enemy walks into it they´re sight becomes limited
  
  
  
• Quickdraw (E): What makes Graves so strong together with his other abillities is this one. He strafes in any direction (through objects aswell!). When he strafed, the attack speed is increased for a short amount of time.
  Want to add that each time he shoots it lowers the Cd of Quickdraw by one second!
  
  
• Collateral Damage (R): This is his ultimate, alike Caitlyn´s "Piltover Peacemaker", But now! Graves that son of a ***** decided to enhance the lame, normal, everyday attack into a bomb! he shots a boll at a target in a line, when it hit, the boll explode and deal damage to the enemies behind! .. Badass

Abillity Sequence Order

Item Sequence

• Doran´s Blade : Very good start item, gives you what you early need, if you get problem in lane, go for double doran, tvs 2
  
• Berserker´s Greaves : Not only does the boots almost have the same name (Greaves -> Graves)as the champion. They´re great, can be replaced to other if nescessary, Mercs are really good but since your dps go for Greaves.
  
  
• : Infinity Edge : Just ****ing go for it! Why the hell not? You get everything you need. Maby you have problem staying alive, just one
  
  
• : Phantom Dancer : All the things this item gives is essential for Graves to compete with the enemies AD carry, the movement and crit it´s ... it´s just so beautifal
  
  
• : The BloodthirsterGreat starting item, it´s either this thirster or IE, but if you manage to stack the thirster i think it´s more convinient, and if you play with a Janna it will be a whole different bot lane compared to other.. I suggest that you use Thirster if you use a bot lane with Janna, otherwise go for the IE. - Quickdraw
  
  
  
  [*[ : This is a really good item to go with on your last pick of items.. gives you defense and a second life which is invaluable late game.
  
• : Facing alot of armored guys, and
  just is not enough? Go for this instead or together with it.
  
  

Item Order

Have fun with the items, try different things out, don´t get stuck going the same everytime. But what imo is important get The Bloodthirster early nothing else. (matters, for all you Metallica fans). Calculated that late game with these main items you get 2.4 AS when you use your Quickdraw abillity. Combine that with the amount of crit chance + 300-350AD, oh my.
You might want to depend on buying a because of people want to counter you if you get to strong early.
******ed item ofc, hate it, but if you face people using it, your screwed. Try getting ARMP fast against it : - -
#Note! A quick kill and a good amount of farming might result in 1650g when your first recall. Don´t be shy, buy B. F. Sword It will help you farm efficantly. It´s extremly an advantage over quick boots imo, since the 50dmg will withstand any type of dueling, and you always have you initiating move Quickdraw. If your with a Blitzcrank he´ll do all the work. xD

Situational Items

Viable Item choises, depending on what your enemies at stacking

• : Extra AD + AS, stacking down Armor, great choise, i usually go for this aswell. Usable when the enemy team is stacking a little bit of armor.
  
• : Facing a fed AP-carry in mid? This is your item, together with your this will be just enough to withstand his burst
  
• : Facing alot of armored guys, and
  just is not enough? Go for this instead or together with it.
  
• : Some people loves , and eventually upgrading it. Sure it´s good, I suggest you take this abit later until you got atleast 1-AS item before. Then it will be beast! Awesome stats overall but some items maybee more intressting in a carries point of view.
  
• : Not a big fan of this item for AD carries. But in some cases it might prove to beCan be really efficient, the proc. But is it enough? 4000gold for it? A lit harsh don´t you think? Well, can be good towards late but still got alot of lovely items to build instead. You get that slow on hit, but just get a red buff and you got that sorted.. the AS is already there but ... have fun.. experiment.
  
• : Seen this been used in Tournaments during season one. But imo it doesn´t cut the fine meat for me. Good early if you face a fed AD, you get the survival you need early but Graves can take a few pounches himself so, up to you. Cheap and good. You can build a The Bloodthirster and it will prove to be much more efficient.

Tips and Tricks

You use your Smoke Screen in many different way, escaping, setting up a kill, LoS the support (Line of Sight), important when teamfighting, use it either to set of an area between the AP-Ranged, or you can block of them completley / Ranged-Ap - Melee.
Quickdraw Can we used in many ways, strafe in to the battle, disengaging from it, strafe trhough walls, you name it!

Trick

Trick

What it looks like

Support

This part is where i rank, not in order.

Blitzcrank I´ve been playing alot with this champion. He icon=Rocket Grab the enemy botlane, and stuns them. Instant kill. Two of the strongest burst champions together due to Blitzcrank CC.

Taric Great, just great support Pro:Heal, Stun - Con:Lack slow. What makes Taric so good with Graves is the CC, Graves natural habiat is a stunning (haha) support. My first choice as a support atm. Just amazing burst botlane.

Sona Even though no stun she´s here? why oh why great FrasLoad, you might ask. Heres the answer! Sona can heal - grant movement - Deal insane damage - and make people dance against their will (just like woman do to us men >.<)

Alistar Great CC, can heal all the time. Great pick against a squishy bot-lane.

Janna Best support ingame if played properly! She also has a CC abillity if used right can mean guaranted kill. She can also seperate the enemy botlane with her Monsoon if used right. What aslo makes Janna a super-amazing support is her Eye Of The Storm

Lux Underestimated support, alot of harrass and SNARES, oh god the snares. Maby she should be higher up the Support-scale but she is abit to inreliable, only skillshots etc.

Soraka Amazing heal, if you want to play defensive (which i don´t recommend). You have to do so much yourself with the damage output.

Zilean Good harrass, and a livesaving ultimate, litteraly.

Karma Played with her as a support twice, won both. But she´s abit to nerfed, not the strongest pick if you want to play with a Graves. Can be good due to her movement and shield.. also can nuke a little bit.

Malphite Good, but still not my main choise but scales very good into late with the team.. if you don´t have any tank or off-tank you might concider this your pick!

Kayle Recent founding, can be good.. scales good late-game with her ulti.



Taric-Graves Tip. Playing versus Caitlyn.
Facing a Soraka botlane can sometimes mean trouble, though is you do the key factor is to pop everything except exhaust on her. If you see she flashed with around 4bars and her heal-passive on her.. don´t bougther flash after, the amount of armor she got on is really high. If you then wait for you Flash-E-Q-R combo (flash and use E to get in range and use Q and R really quick and they wont react) and you´ll get the kill. But if Soraka is laning with a Caitlyn, a good Caitlyn always and should always, win lane-phase but you can ofcourse manage this with your strong burst damage. She will always poke you, so when she does stun and burst quickly and use you W to on her aswell so she can´t keep attacking you. Remember to use your W when bursting and move away or you can, if possible kite inside it(run in to it and E to the side when he can´t see you) this gives you free damage on them. Be aggressive early don´t let them towerhump for nothing, make sure if they will towerhump to not push your lane.. only push when jungle is coming lane-gank (by you brushes on your lane) or when you are sure you can dive and kill them. With Taric comes great zoning, don´t let them push you to far up because then you can´t brush-zone them.

Playing versus Kog´Maw
Kog is really bad early game, take advantage at level 1, and you will nearly always win the duels with you botlane versus their´s. Make sure to just fall back as soon as he uses his W. But if your alredy battling him, don´t bougther just W on him, brush him with your support and then stun again. Try to zone him if possible, if his with Alistar this is anoying because they got really good damage and Alistar will always when Taric stuns Kog, W you away. Try to use your early game advantage to suppress him quickly.

Playing Versus Ashe.
Ashe is squishy and really bad early. But beware of lvl 1-3 she´s really strong then. Ashe is a champion which you basically counter botlane, if she´s with Soraka this will be tougher because of her endless harrass with W and more anoying to kill. But then again, try to zone them and get to level 6 before they to. If you and your Taric manage to do that. Go for kill asap.

Solo? - Farming

Yes! He can solo lane. Versus Udyr, Udyr doesn´t stand a chance versus AD carries. The LoS him all the time, because Udyr doesn´t have the movement-speed required to land his abillities, his an easy target.
Maby i overexagerrated with the whole solo-lane, because he can only solo lane well against him and Singed :)