League of Legends Graves Guide: Best Build, Runes & Combos

Graves is a powerful AD jungler in League of Legends known for his fast clears, strong dueling, and unique shotgun-style auto attacks. With high mobility, burst damage, and great scaling, Graves can snowball early leads into total map control. Whether you’re looking to farm efficiently, dominate 1v1s, or pressure lanes nonstop, Graves has the tools to carry. In this guide, we’ll cover the best build, runes, items, and combos so you can master Graves and become a relentless force in every game.

Graves Abilities Overview in League of Legends

Passive – New Destiny
Graves uses a shotgun that fires in a cone, dealing damage to all enemies hit. He reloads every 2 shots and cannot cancel his auto attacks. Each auto also knocks back minions and monsters slightly. This passive gives him a unique playstyle focused on spacing and timing.

Q – End of the Line
Graves fires an explosive shell that deals damage on impact, then explodes after a delay or when it hits terrain, dealing bonus damage. Great for poke, burst, and jungle clears when used near walls.

W – Smoke Screen
Graves throws a smoke canister that deals magic damage and creates a cloud that obscures enemy vision and slows them. It’s great for disrupting fights, escaping, or confusing enemies in tight spaces.

E – Quickdraw
Graves dashes a short distance, gaining a stack of bonus armor. Hitting enemies with autos reduces its cooldown. This is your main reposition tool and helps reload his passive faster. It can also be used to kite and dodge skill shots.

R – Collateral Damage
Graves fires a powerful explosive shell that knocks him back slightly and deals heavy damage to the first enemy hit, then explodes in a cone behind them. It’s perfect for finishing off targets or dealing massive burst in fights.

Mastering Graves means understanding spacing, reload management, and weaving in autos with abilities for smooth, deadly combos.

How To Play Graves In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells for Graves in League of Legends

The best summoner spells for Graves depend on your role, but Flash is always essential. In the jungle, Flash + Smite is the standard setup, giving you the mobility to reposition and the ability to secure objectives. For solo lanes like top or mid, Flash + Ignite is ideal if you want to play aggressively and secure early kills, while Flash + Teleport is better for scaling and map control. Ghost is a niche option in top lane for extended chases but is generally less reliable than Flash. Overall, Flash is a must-have on Graves, and your second spell should match your lane and strategy.

Best Runes for Graves in League of Legends

The best runes for Graves focus on enhancing his mobility, sustain, and dueling power. Go with Fleet Footwork as your keystone in the Precision tree for healing and movement speed in trades and jungle clears, followed by Triumph for clutch healing on takedowns, Legend: Alacrity for faster reloads and smoother kiting, and Coup de Grace to secure kills more easily. For the secondary path, take Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight from Inspiration to save gold and reduce cooldowns. This setup is consistent across both jungle and top lane, giving Graves strong early game presence and great scaling throughout the match.

Best Build For Graves In League of Legends

The best build for Graves revolves around stacking lethality and sustain to maximize his burst damage and mobility. Start with Youmuu’s Ghostblade as your mythic for early lethality and out-of-combat movement speed. Follow it up with The Collector for bonus crit and execution damage, then build Lord Dominik’s Regards to shred tanks. For survivability, add Bloodthirster or Maw of Malmortius depending on whether you need lifesteal or magic resist. Finish your build with Edge of Night for a spell shield that lets you dive safely. For boots, go with Plated Steelcaps against AD-heavy teams or Mercury’s Treads if facing AP and crowd control. This build makes Graves a slippery, hard-hitting threat that can carry fights through smart positioning and burst trades.

Best Combos To Learn for Graves

The best combos to learn for Graves focus on weaving autos between abilities and using terrain to amplify your damage. A basic trade combo is Auto → Q → Auto, which gets two shotgun shots in before and after the ability. For burst, use E → Auto → Q → Auto, where Quickdraw (E) reloads one shot and gives armor, helping you kite and duel. If fighting near walls, try Q → Auto → E → Auto to instantly trigger End of the Line’s explosion for max damage. In close combat, the full burst combo is E → Auto → Q (into a wall) → Auto → R to finish off enemies with Collateral Damage. Always position your Q near terrain to ensure the second detonation hits fast and hard. Graves shines when you smoothly weave autos between spells and use your passive reload timing to out-trade opponents.

Conclusion

Graves is a dominant and flexible pick in League of Legends, capable of clearing fast, dueling hard, and carrying games with precision. By using the right runes, itemizing for burst and sustain, and mastering his combos, you can control the pace of the game whether you’re in the jungle or a solo lane. His unique shotgun mechanic rewards good spacing and timing, making him a deadly pick in the hands of a skilled player. Stick to the strategies in this guide, and you’ll be one step closer to mastering Graves and climbing the ranks.