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Gnar Build Guide by I Am Goliath

Top GoliathGames' Master guide to Gnar

Top GoliathGames' Master guide to Gnar

Updated on October 17, 2020
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League of Legends Build Guide Author I Am Goliath Build Guide By I Am Goliath 256 16 1,327,828 Views 57 Comments
256 16 1,327,828 Views 57 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author I Am Goliath Gnar Build Guide By I Am Goliath Updated on October 17, 2020
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Choose Champion Build:

  • LoL Champion: Gnar
    Conqueror
  • LoL Champion: Gnar
    Summon Aery

Runes:

Precision
Conqueror
Triumph
Legend: Alacrity
Coup de Grace

Resolve
Overgrowth
Bone Plating
Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None







My other guides:



Hey guys,
My name is Goliath. I've played League of Legends since season 2 and have mained top lane since season 3. I've been high Diamond in every season since season 4, peaking at Master tier. League of Legends has always been the main game that I have stuck with over the years.

Here is my OP.GG for anyone interested.

If you want to see me play, maybe learn a thing or two, or ask me some questions, you can find my stream here. Stop by some time, I'm always down for giving advice and helping you improve.

If streams aren't up you alley, you can also check out my YouTube channel here. I'm going to start uploading informative videos, as well as stream and gameplay highlights.

If you want more general info, like when I upload, or update, a guide, then you can find my twitter here.

If I'm offline on twitch but you still want some pointers or just wanna chill, then feel free to join my discord server and hit me up.












Why Gnar?


If you find playing top lane becoming boring to play or stagnant, then I think you should try giving gnar a shot. His play style is pretty interesting, since he is basically two champions in one. He has both a melee form, and a ranged form, which can make playing him fun and interesting, but also makes for quite a big learning curve. One of his best qualities in my opinion is that, unlike other ranged top laners, he has a very dominant laning phase, but doesn't fall off at all late game.

If you also like playing tank characters then you should also take a look at Gnar. He's a tank that does quite a bit of damage, and has loads of CC. I would recommend playing Gnar mostly if you like winning top lane though, as his laning phase is really strong and safe, while also scaling pretty well, as long as you can hit some good ults later on in the game that is.


TL;DR: If you like being a steroid abusing fuzz-ball that can play both ranged and melee classes, and don't mind a bit of a learning curve, or if you just like throwing giant boulders, then you'll like Gnar.


Pros




+ Good mobility.
+ Good CC (when mega).
+ Strong laning phase.
+ Good engage (when mega).
+ Capable of ranged if mini.
+ Decent damage for a tank.
+ No Mana.




Cons






- Squishy in mini, until full build.
- Bad CC in teamfights if mini.
- no sustain in lane.









Overall Gnar's biggest con is just how vulnerable he is in his mini form, but he does have kiting abilities so it's not always an issue unless you're against something that can stick onto you.

Conqueror
Increases your AD which is nice and the healing once you reach 10 stacks is decent as well, remember even though you're ranged your abilities grant 2 stacks of conquror still, not to mention when you go mega form you do count as meele which means you get 2 stacks per auto attack when in mega as well, so conqueror is pretty good in both forms on Gnar.

Triumph
Not to much to say about this rune it can just be really clutch in certain scenarios and has savved me a lot of times.

Legend:Alacrity
I go for the attack speed rune here because attack speed is really valuable on gnar since his W scales so well into the game, this just increases your DPS by quite a bit.

Coup de Grace
I like coup on Gnar personally, this rune just gives us a bit of extra damage.

Overgrowth
HP is a great stat on gnar and this rune also synergizes well because we build a lot of heavy HP items like Black Cleaver and Frozen Mallet

Bone plating
Boneplating is great on Gnar because you are really squishy when you're in mini form and this really helps against matchups that can jump on you when you're in mini form which are quite a few.



Flash: This spell is kind of a "must" on most champions, and very good when playing Gnar. I typically use it in conjunction with Gnars Ult ( GNAR!); flashing in, then causing a massive stun by ult-ing a team into a wall.
Teleport: I like teleport over ignite on top lane because it allows you to split or join a team fight and it also helps with lane if you get too low you can just recall and Teleport back.


Rage Gene

Range: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
Cost: N/A

Gnar's base movement speed and attack range are increased every level. Gnar generates 4 / 7 / 11 Rage over 3 seconds upon dealing or receiving damage, and 2 / 3 / 5 whenever he damages at least one unit with a basic attack or Boomerang Throw (halved versus non-champions). This Rage decays if Gnar has not dealt, or taken, damage in the last 13 seconds.

At maximum Rage, Gnar will transform into "Mega Gnar" on his next ability cast, or after 4 seconds. Gnar's rage will deplete over the next 15 seconds, after which, Gnar returns to normal and becomes "too tired" to generate Rage for 15 seconds. Gnar retains his current percentile health when he returns to normal.


Rage Gene: Gnar's passive is simply his two forms, and you need to pay close attention to your fury bar and plan ahead of time so you go into mega form at ideal situations.



Boomerang Throw

Range: 1100
Cooldown: 20 / 17.5 / 15 / 12.5 / 10
Cost: N/A

Gnar throws his boomerang forward in a line, dealing 5 / 45 / 85 / 125 / 165 (+1.15 per attack damage) physical damage to all enemies it passes through and also slowing the first enemy hit by 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35% for 2 seconds. Enemies beyond the first take only 50% damage.

Upon reaching maximum range or striking an enemy, the boomerang will slowly come to a stop before travelling back toward Gnar in fixed direction. If Gnar catches his boomerang, Boomerang Throw's cooldown is reduced by 45%.


Boomerang Throw: Your Boomerang throw is your main harass ability in lane and you want to be trying to hit the enemy with it everytime it is off cooldown since Gnar doesn't use mana or energy, Remember if you miss this ability it will fly back towards you so you can use this to curve it to try to hit the enemy, it is also very important to make sure you're catching your boomerang as it reduces the cooldown.



Hyper

Range: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
Cost: N/A

Every 3rd consecutive attack or spell on the same target grants Gnar 30% bonus movement speed that decays over 3 seconds, and deals 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 (+100% of ability power) (+6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 14% of the target's maximum health) additional magic damage. This damage is capped at 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 / 300 against minions and monsters.

Gnar gains Hyper's bonus movement speed whenever he returns to Mini Gnar from Mega Gnar.


Hyper: Remember that your Boomerang as well as your E Hop give you an extra proc for this ability, you will want to try land your boomerang and then follow up with two autos to proc this ability in lane whenever you have the chance.



Hop

Range: 475
Cooldown: 22 / 19.5 / 17 / 14.5 / 12
Cost: N/A

Gnar leaps to a location, gaining 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60% bonus attack speed for 3 seconds.

If Gnar lands on a unit he will bounce off it, traveling further, dealing 20 / 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 (+ 6% of Gnar's maximum health) physical damage and briefly slowing the unit landed on if it was an enemy.


Hop: This is a very cool and unique ability, and great for kiting in mini form. Basically, it's a hop that gives bonus attack speed for the next 3 seconds after used, and if you land on a unit then you hop twice. It doesn't matter if the unit or champion is on your team, so it's a great ability to engage with, or use to escape a gank, since you can just hop on your own minions.

Also hopping on them in mini will apply a stack of your W to them and deal physical damage +6% of your max health as well as slow your target, so this ability can be used for a little bit of extra damage as well.

You can use this ability when you're at 100 fury so you transform into mega as you do two hops in for insane and surprising engage.



GNAR!

Range: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
Cost: N/A

Hyper's movement speed bonus is increased.

Boomerang Throw's cooldown refund on catch is increased to 50/55/60%.

GNAR!: When you're in your mini form you don't really have an ultimate ability, but it has a nice little passive on it that increases Boomerang Throw's catch cooldown refund and Hyper's bonus movement speed.




Rage Gene

Range: N/A
Cooldown: N/A
Cost: N/A

Gnar's base movement speed and attack range are increased every level. Gnar generates 4 / 7 / 11 Rage over 3 seconds upon dealing or receiving damage, and 2 / 3 / 5 whenever he damages at least one unit with a basic attack or Boomerang Throw (halved versus non-champions). This Rage decays if Gnar has not dealt, or taken, damage in the last 13 seconds.

At maximum Rage, Gnar will transform into "Mega Gnar" on his next ability cast, or after 4 seconds. Gnar's rage will deplete over the next 15 seconds, after which, Gnar returns to normal and becomes "too tired" to generate Rage for 15 seconds. Gnar retains his current percentile health when he returns to normal.

Rage Gene: Gnar's passive is simply his two forms, and you need to pay close attention to your fury bar and plan ahead of time so you go into mega form at ideal situations.



Boulder Toss

Range: 1100
Cooldown: 20 / 17.5 / 15 / 12.5 / 10
Cost: N/A

Gnar throws a boulder that stops when it hits an enemy, dealing 5 / 45 / 85 / 125 / 165 (+1.2 per attack damage) physical damage and slowing all enemies hit by 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35%.

If Gnar picks up his boulder, Boulder Toss's cooldown is reduced by 60%.

Boulder Toss: This ability is a giant boulder that you throw that does Area of effect damage to targets hit, and stops upon hitting a target. It has a pretty big hitbox, so it makes a good move for waveclearing and sniping targets.

It can also be used in combination with with your mega form Ult ( GNAR!) and W ( Wallop). If you land a huge ult + W, then you can follow up with a Boulder Toss(Q) for even more area of effect damage.

This ability also applies the slow from Boomerang Throw, and the cooldown can be reduced by 60% if you pick up the boulder after you throw it, similar to Boomerang Throw.



Wallop

Range: 550
Cooldown: 15 / 13 / 11 / 9 / 7
Cost: N/A

Gnar stands on his back legs before slamming his fists into the ground, dealing 25 / 45 / 65 / 85 / 105 (+1.0 per attack damage) physical damage and stunning enemies in a large area in front of him for 1.25 seconds.

Wallop: This ability provides a nice little form of CC. You stun in a small line for 1.25 seconds, which can be used for waveclear, and is great for combo-ing with GNAR!, your ult. After you fling their team into a wall with your ult, just follow up with a big W stun on all of them, and your team can destroy them.



Crunch

Range: 600
Cooldown: 22 / 19.5 / 17 / 14.5 / 12
Cost: N/A

Gnar leaps to a location, dealing 20 / 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 (+ 6% of Gnar's maximum health) physical damage to all nearby enemies on landing. Enemies on the center of the impact area are slowed briefly.

Crunch: Nothing really special about this ability, it just makes the hop easier to hit since you're bigger. Jumping on people with this will still apply the slow to people, and since you're so tanky in mega, you should usually jump in with this ability.



GNAR!

Range: 590
Cooldown: 120 / 100 / 80
Cost: N/A

Gnar knocks all nearby enemies in the specified direction, dealing 200 / 300 / 400 (+50% of ability power) (+0.2 per bonus attack damage) physical damage and slowing them by 60% for 1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75 seconds. Any enemy that hits terrain takes 50% increased damage and are stunned instead of slowed.


GNAR!: This ability can be one of the most teamfight sealing abilities if you can land it well. You fling any enemy champions in range in a direction you choose, dealing damage and slowing them; However, if you fling them into a wall, they take 150% damage and are stunned instead of slowed, which is insane if you can hit multiple targets. Always try to fling them into walls, then can be combo'd with your W to stun them for even longer.

This ability also counts as a knockup, so if you have a Yasuo on your team he can ult off of your ult.

A great place to fight around is dragon pit or in jungles; There are so many walls there that shoving enemies into walls becomes simple. This can be made even easier if you have something like a Jarvan IV to combo with, or if there is an Anivia wall (these abilities count as a wall for Gnar, and will apply the stun.)

This also works with any terrain, so you can fling them into a turret or inhib and it will still apply the stun.



Ability Sequence



> > >

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Q
W
E
Q
Q
R
Q
W
Q
W
R
W
W
E
E
R
E
E


- Starting Builds -





- Defense -

- Aggro -


Doran's Shield + HP Potion

Always start with these if you're against something poke heavy like a Pantheon or Jayce since it pretty heals up all of their Q damage as long as you wait a little bit and get most of the effect out of the hp regen.
Doran's Blade + HP Potion

This is a good start if you think you can be aggro and win lane early on. It also gives you a little bit of sustain, which is nice since you will take some damage from autoing your opponent and having minions turn on you for a bit. I always start Doran's Blade unless I am against heavy poke.










- Core Items -






Black Cleaver + Frozen Mallet + Boots

Once you have these three items you'll be able to kite anyone you want in mini and do a lot of damage, on top of this you'll be very tanky when you're in your mega form, but still somewhat sqiuishy in mini form even though you have a decent amount of HP you'll need to start building resistances after this.




- Full Build -








Boots of Speed




The Black Cleaver

I'd recommend for you to buy these while you're building into your Black Cleaver, since Black Cleaver will take a little bit of time.

All the stats this items give are great for Gnar and makes it very cost effective for out kit, the armor shred is also amazing for not only you but your team as well since you have a lot of AOE in teamfights.




OR


Ninja Tabi / Merc's Treads




Frozen Mallet

Upgrade Boots into Ninja Tabis or Mercury Treads.

This is really really dependent on the game. I usually go for Ninja Tabi, since they're just insanely useful in general, but if the other team has multilple AP's, or have a ton of CC, then I'd go mercs.
Frozen Mallet Really helps us out with kiting and allows us to chase down targets in mini form and pretty much perma slow them, on top of that the stats are also great for gnar. I will say if you're against somebody very mobile like Riven Then I would skip out on this item and get more tanky sooner.







Randuin's Omen




Adaptive Helm

This is usually a solid item on Gnar and I would always buy it if they have a crit ADC in the game, the stats are also very cost effective though and the active can be great synergy with your ultimate, this item can also be extra nice if they have a Yasuo or Tryndamere as well. If the other team has no Crit champions then you can opt for a Thornmail
This is usually my go to magic resist item on just about any tank because usually you can always benefit from atleast one spammy mage spell, if they have no champions that have spammy mage spells then you can opt for Gargoyle Stoneplate or Spirit Visage if you want a bit of extra health regen.










Guardian Angel

Guardian Angel is a great final item at this point in the game since that extra half live can be super clutch at this point in the game, the stats are also pretty decent on this item and it is fairly cheap which is nice since all of our other items are pretty expensive.




- Situational Items -








Thornmail




Spirit Visage

This item can be good if you either really need the grevious wounds passive for your team or if they just simply don't have anyone building Crit.
If for some reason you can't benefit from the Adaptive Helm this item is also viable for magic resists and will give you a bit of extra health regen, but I would always reccomend Adaptive Helm if you can benefit from it slightly.








Gargoyle Stoneplate

This item can be good on Gnar if you want to be super tanky in your mega form, just be warned that it does make you do reduced damage so you will want to get your combo off before you use the active.


Gnar's laning phase is probably the best thing about him; he can harass the enemy laner constantly while still being fairly safe because of his E. Your main focus when laning with Gnar should be landing as many Boomerang Throws (Q) as you can, and getting as many Hyper (W) procs as possible. These Hyper(W) procs will add up and become very useful, especially if you're in a tank match up.

You'll also want to pay close attention to your fury bar at all times, because you may have kill pressure if you're about to turn into mega. I try to always keep this in mind because when you're in mini you do more consistent damage, but mega is great for finishing off a half hp enemy. You can just throw them into the wall with GNAR! (R) and do your combo then they die. Your first item should pretty much always be a Frozen Mallet, and once you get this you can do a ton of zoning in lane, since once you hit one auto they're pretty much perma slowed.

Getting ganked when playing Gnar isn't too big of an issue since you have Hop, your E, for escape, and you can Boomerang Throw (Q) to slow them. One thing to keep an eye out for is when your minion wave is coming, because then you can just use your Hop (E) to bounce off them and double hop away. Another thing to do if you're getting ganked is check your fury bar. If you're close to transforming into mega, and they're going to deep on you, you may be able to fling them into your turret or against the wall near it and pick up a kill or two.

The main thing you have to worry about for Gnar's laning phase in my opinion is how vulnerable you are in your mini form. When you're in mini try your best to kite and play smart, while trying to stay somewhat agro. You're strong since you're ranged and most matchups will be melee, but if they're able to stick onto you they will do a ton of damage. So until you get your items, just be cautious of that.


Team fighting for Gnar is very simple but can be somewhat annoying or hard to pull off, especially when you can't really communicate over voice with your team.

In team fights you really want to be in your mega, since your main goal is just to get a huge ult into a wall, followed up with a W; but this doesn't always work out since your team might be too eager to fight, or you can get engaged on.

The best tip I can give for this is just to really try to manage your fury bar, especially if you're going to Teleport into a fight. Make sure you are very close to transforming or at least over half way if you can, but of course, if your team needs you there instantly, just go anyway. Always atleast try to build up something before you do though.

Another thing to be aware of in team fights is that you have a perma slow with frozen mallet, so make sure you're auto attacking constantly. This is especially strong in mini form.

The ideal team fight scenario for Gnar would be you get a good ult + w combo on 3+ people, then you go into mini and chase down the rest with frozen mallet, while dealing lots of damage from your W procs. Basically, mini-form is really strong if they can't go on you, so you just don't want to start out in that, but it's great for cleaning up a team fight or chasing them down. One last thing to add, don't be afraid to Flash ult, since it can really catch the enemy team off guard. You can get some nasty ults like this, so use it to your advantage.

I mostly play Gnar as an engager, and I kind of feel like that's his job, but I think he can also be played as peel. You can ult enemies off of your adc, stun them, and even slow them with your q, but I think in most games you should be trying to engage in mega, setting up a nice CC chain for your team.


Overall, Gnar is up there in my top three favorite champions to play, mainly because of his uniqueness and complex playstyle. Some people might think tanks are boring to play, especially in the laning phase, but with Gnar you get the best of both damage dealing and pure bulk. You can be that lane bully that does a lot of damage, but can bring a lot to the table in team fights with your mega phase.

Gnar's learning curve is one of the biggest issue when learning how to play him, and makes him a champion that is very hard to master, but in a way I think that's what makes him so fun. He's got so many different combos and things you have to time with your fury meter, but I wouldn't let this get in the way of you trying Gnar. Playing Gnar can be insanely fun once you learn how to use him, and he can feel much more impactful and satisfying when compared to other champions in his role.

I think the hardest thing to learn about Gnar is knowing your limits in your mini phase, and playing smart while still punishing your lane opponent. This is still something I'm trying to get down, even after 3 seasons in diamond. Some lanes will go well with this set up, but sometimes you'll just suddenly die in mini without warning. You might be caught off guard because you don't really even feel that squishy, but always be aware how fragile you can be. This is why kiting is very important to learn on Gnar, especially during laning phase, but if your paying attention you shouldn't have many problems.



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