Back in the older days of League, the player base demanded to receive a new, marksman Jungler, as at that given time, the meta was very linear in terms of which champions could effectively clear the Jungle. This led to the creation of Kindred, the Eternal Hunters, and with that, League of Legends finally started implementing slightly more diversity in both its champions and meta.
However, it wasn’t until the end of 2015 that players were given a new marksman who could pull off Jungling on a consistent basis, and that came with Graves’ rework. Oddly enough, the champion itself was the result of players demanding a more “manly” ADC, which we find quite amusing when we consider the countless memes surrounding the Outlaw’s cigar.
Following the rework, players struggled to find the new Graves a role he could fulfill more effectively than the conventional picks, and the answer would finally be found only years later. With the introduction of the Mythic item system back in Season 11, Graves’ popularity skyrocketed on both the Top lane and Jungle, an aspect which was further supported by professional players.
With Graves being one of the most common picks for the 2021 and 2022 professional seasons, it’s only fair that we provide our readers with an in-depth guide to the Outlaw! Having great sustain, damage, and utility, Graves can very effectively round out team comps which already have sufficient frontline and engage tools, but lack just a bit more presence and counter tools.
These being said, allow us to begin by talking about the ideal Summoner Spells, Runes and items for Graves before we take a look at the optimal Jungle pathing and cleaning strategies!
Stay tuned!
Summoner Spells
Flash + Smite
Despite the somewhat low cooldown on Graves’ Quickdraw (E), he isn’t exactly the type of champion to get away with any other Summoner Spell other than Flash, but new and creative options are always available for experienced players.
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Graves Runes
Figuring out which Runes work best on Graves could so pose a challenge, as the current meta provides quite a few solid picks to choose from.
However, leaving the all-popular picks aside, the Outlaw is played with Fleet Footwork, backed up by Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand, for a balanced mixture of offensive and defensive tools.
As for the secondary options, Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight will offer just a bit more efficiency in terms of gold and ability haste, both being much needed for Graves.
Graves Items
Start: Emberkinfe + Refillable Potion
Mythic: Eclipse / Immortal Shieldbow
Core: Defensive Boots, Lord Dominik’s Regards, Bloodthirster
Finishing options: Death’s Dance, Guardian Angel, Mortal Reminder, Maw of Malmortius
Eclipse seems to be the go-to Mythic choice, as it doesn’t only provide plenty of damage, but is also offering a good amount of Life Steal, a mechanic which benefits Graves greatly. Despite not being a typical Eclipse using champion, it makes for a very effective Mythic option regardless, with the only real alternative being Immortal Shieldbow.
The defensive boots help round out the build in terms of defenses, as the attack speed or cooldown reduction boots don’t really provide that much value to Graves.
Lord Dominik’s Regards and Bloodthirster will further boost Graves’ raw damage output, while also granting extra survivability, which is only more powerful if the build is rounded out with a Death’s Dance and Guardian Angel. As for the other alternatives, Maw of Malmortius and Mortal Reminder are to be built in order to counter the enemy team’s win conditions, which will differ from game to game.
Skill Order
Q > E > W > R
Despite maxing End of the Line (Q) first, Graves players should invest their first Spell Point into Quickdraw (E), as it helps boost the champion’s defensive stats, while it also resets the attack animation. The most important aspect of Quickdraw (E) which makes it so effective against Jungle monsters is the fact that attacking non-minion units refreshes the duration on the armor buff, which in terms mitigates a considerable amount of damage from the monsters.
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The Best Jungle Paths for Graves
Now for the essence of this guide, Jungle pathing with Graves. As always, the optimal way players should approach the Jungle depends heavily on a few external factors, which can facilitate the speed and effectiveness of your ganks and pathing.
Some notable examples are:
- Which laners are going to provide more help in clearing the first camp?
- Counter-jungle opportunities, based on where the enemy Jungler is likely to start and how likely it is for you to have to fight them over control of the River.
- Which lanes are most gankable, depending on the CC and mobility options of both your allies and enemies.
With Jungle ADCs, it is quite important that you kite often, especially with champions such as Graves, whose early game attack speed is quite low, considering the reload mechanic on his basic attacks.
Without further to do, let’s start breaking down the optimal Jungle paths!
Red Side, Red Clear
In the earlier stages of the game, Graves may feel a bit squishy while fighting the Jungle monsters, until the first reset. However, with some help from your Top Laner, players should be able to clear Red Buff without Smite quite comfortably, saving it for later.
From there, head to the Krugs and use Smite on the largest one, clearing the smaller mobs with your End of the Line’s (Q) detonation damage, and the core mechanics behind the Outlaw’s basic attacks. Make sure to also clear the Raptors and Wolves on your way to the Blue Buff, using the same mechanics as previously, keeping the second Smite charge for later.
Since Blue is going to be considerably more resistant, do not hesitate to use the second Smite charge on it in order to aid with your tempo, as it would otherwise take quite a while to slay. From there, turn your attention towards the Gromp and patiently hit away at its HP bar, as there are no shortcuts to be taken here.
Lastly, rush into the River in order to secure the Scuttler, gaining some extra gold, experience and vision for you team.
This clearing route leaves players free to gank either Mid or Bot, depending on which lane is pushed into your favor the most, but do not force it if your Laners cannot respond in time. Since you won’t have too much crowd control, forcing ganks is not really the right decision.
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Red Side, Blue Clear
As with most ADCs starting at the Blue Buff, because of the added assistance of having two allies leashing Blue with you, the route will have players in the Top side River a bit sooner than with the Red Buff start.
Begin by slaying the Blue Buff with your Bot lane, immediately transitioning towards the Gromp. Your first Smite charge should be used on it in order to gain some tempo and health, as the multi-mob camps such as the Wolves and Raports, which are next on the list, will be much easier to kill.
After clearing Raptors, make your way to the Red Buff and use the second Smite charge on it in order to maintain your tempo, as securing the Red Buff would take quite a long time otherwise.
From this position, head towards the Krug camp and using the AOE damage on your End of the Line (Q) and auto attacks, combined with the resistances and buff from Quickdraw (E), clear the rocky mobs too.
Try picking up the Scuttler for some extra gold and vision. However, if Top or Mid seem gankable, you can skip over the Krug camp and Scuttler entirely in order to join the action, returning to your regular pathing afterwards.
Blue Side, Red Clear
This start will largely mimic the Red Side – Red Buff Clear, securing the buff first, then heading for the Krugs, using Smite on the larger mob and finishing the clear of the bottom side of your Jungle through the Raptors.
Cross the Map and clear the Wolf camp, which won’t pose much of a threat considering Graves’ End of the Line (Q) and Quickdraw (E) abilities, which are surprisingly effective on the multi-mob camps.
Having held on to the second Smite charge, it is time to secure the Blue Buff, using the Summoner Spell to execute it once its HP bar drops below the 450 Health threshold.
Before stepping into the River, make one last stop in order to slay the Gromp, which will heal you up considerably.
Once in the River, start hitting away at the Scuttler’s Health bar, without a realistic fear of contests. Having secured the full clear, it is now time to look for a gank on either Mid or Top.
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Blue Side, Blue Clear
Starting with the Blue Buff from the Blue Side is relatively standard and won’t have you taking too much damage, as Smiting the Gromp, combined with the amount of Health it restores naturally, will keep players more than healthy enough for the Wolves.
Transitioning towards Raptors and the Red Buff, players are expected to hold on to the second Smite charge for Red, as the Raptors can be cleared quite safely with Graves.
Once at the Red Buff, secure it swiftly, allowing Smite to execute it. Now players should focus on finishing the early full clear, as the Krugs await just over the wall.
After the Krug camp, simply step into the River to check if the Scuttler is still available, and if so, secure it as well before making your way towards the Mid or Bot lane for a gank.
The Best Tips and Tricks for Graves Jungle
- When playing champions with unique mechanics, as is Graves’ basic attack style, always make sure to carefully read through the description of the ability, which in our case is the Passive. Understanding all of the details surrounding such a core mechanic is of utmost importance, although many players leave it up to their general understanding of League to figure it out.
- End of the Line (Q) might seem like the primary trading tool in Graves’ arsenal, but despite the fact that it deals sometimes disgusting amount of damage, do not rely on it to win the fight for you. Instead, focus on the core ADC mechanics through careful movement and attack patterns.
- Smoke Screen (W) can handicap a wide variety of champions, both ranged and melee. Always use this ability carefully, as it can cripple the enemy’s win condition, but can also be useless of the canister and smoke cloud aren’t well placed.
- Quickdraw (E) is Graves’ bread and butter, since it provides just so many impactful tweaks, on a relatively low cooldown. First of all, Graves can stack armor by hitting non-minions after dashing, but the more important aspect is that Quickdraw’s cooldown drops by .5 seconds for each bullet that hits an enemy, making it an essential kiting tool.
- Lastly, as you probably know, Collateral Damage (R) isn’t meant to be used as a purely offensive ability, since Graves can cross terrain and reposition himself accurately if the player understands how his recoil works, so make sure to adapt to the specific scenario.
Finalizing Thoughts
Throughout the game, Graves needs to be in the right place at the right time, ready to counter gank any of the enemy Jungler’s attempts to impact the Map. For this, players need to constantly track the enemy Jungler in their pathing, making sure to always know roughly which area of the Map they’re looking to gank on.
Overall, the Outlaw wants to enter skirmishes to deal large chunks of damage, applying Smoke Screen’s (W) blind to the high priority carries of the enemy team. Additionally, correct kiting with Graves consists of more than mere basic attacks and dodges, as you are the second line of defense for your ADC and Mid. Always make sure to protect those players, relying on the impressive amounts of Life Steal your items provide in order to survive.
Once you are nearing the late game and a couple of items have been completed on both teams, pick your trades very carefully as the Graves’ damage output and defenses vary significantly depending on who he’s trading with. Champions such as Camille or Xin Zhao might lose out on the early game, but the tides can easily turn based on itemization.
This concludes our Graves Jungle guide, hoping you’ve found it useful. We want to thank you all for reading it as we urge you to keep an eye out on our website, where we regularly upload more League-related content to!
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