Tank Graves Build

Tank Graves Build.

Tank Graves build with runes and items. Tank Graves guide offers in-depth how-to play, skill order and tips. Play Tank Graves build in League of Legends Patch 26.4!

Author: Wrekah

TLDR

Starting items
Guardian's Horn should be final item in your build.
Ruby Crystal should be final item in your build.
Quick Skill Order
Graves ability Quickdraw should be leveled first.
E
Graves ability End of the Line should be leveled second.
Q
Graves ability Smoke Screen should be leveled third.
W
Final items
Mercury's Treads should be final item in your build.
Jak'Sho, The Protean should be final item in your build.
Unending Despair should be final item in your build.
Warmog's Armor should be final item in your build.
Thornmail should be final item in your build.
Force of Nature should be final item in your build.
Quick Runes
Major rune Grasp of the Undying from Resolve tree.
Minor rune Precision.
Summoner spells
Pick Mark as your Summoner Spell.
Pick Flash as your Summoner Spell.

Tank Graves Runes

Resolve
Resolve major tree Grasp of the Undying rune.
Resolve major tree Aftershock rune.
Resolve major tree Guardian rune.
Resolve major tree Demolish rune.
Resolve major tree Font of Life rune.
Resolve major tree Shield Bash rune.
Resolve major tree Conditioning rune.
Resolve major tree Second Wind rune.
Resolve major tree Bone Plating rune.
Resolve major tree Overgrowth rune.
Resolve major tree Revitalize rune.
Resolve major tree Unflinching rune.
Precision
Precision minor tree Absorb Life rune.
Precision minor tree Triumph rune.
Precision minor tree Presence of Mind rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Alacrity rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Haste rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Bloodline rune.
Precision minor tree Coup de Grace rune.
Precision minor tree Cut Down rune.
Precision minor tree Last Stand rune.
Passive
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Attack Speed rune (+10% Attack Speed).
Passive tree Ability Haste rune (+8 Ability Haste).
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Move Speed rune (+2 Movement Speed).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).
Passive tree Health rune (+65 Health).
Passive tree Tenacity And Slow Resist rune (+10 Tenacity and Slow Resist).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).

Optional Summoner Spells

Mark

Mark

Mark (Snowball) for a go-in tool if you want to be more aggressive and make picks.

Exhaust

Exhaust

Defensive option. Exhaust for peeling against enemy divers and assassins and protecting your carries.

Ignite

Ignite

Offensive option if you are feeling spicy. Grievous Wounds + some damage. Good in early fights and you can score some kills, but reduces your going-in potential. Especially later.

Optional Runes

Presence of Mind

Presence of Mind

Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

Looking for another tank build? Check these:
HeartsteelGravesThornmailGraves

How it works

  1. You play as a Tank.
  2. Your job is to soak damage, disrupt fights, protect your team, and be a pain in the neck for the enemy.

Playstyle

  1. 🛡️

    Be the frontline. Soak damage, disrupt enemies, protect your carries.

  2. 💪

    Jak'Sho rewards you for staying in fights.

  3. 🧰

    Adapt your items to counter the enemy team.

How to play

Tank Graves

  1. Graves' Quickdraw (E) grants bonus Armor per stack and 50% of that Armor as bonus Magic Resistance. Dashing forward toward enemies (Quickdraw (E)) grants DOUBLE stacks.
    • So sometimes using E aggressively can be defensive tactic to get more tanky.
    • Also you don't need to directly Quickdraw (E) into enemy team, you can do it a little bit to the side (so it is safer) or towards isolated enemy as well.
  2. Auto-attacks refresh Quickdraw (E) stack duration, so maintain stacks by attacking champions.

Getting started

  1. Start with Guardian's Horn. Rush #1 Armor item if enemy is heavy on AD, or MR item if heavy on AP. Get Jak'Sho as #2.
  2. You will be more tanky later on, so play more carefully in the early game.
  3. Guardian's Horn is a surprisingly good item for its price. You can keep it for very long time (or even have it as 6th item).

During fights

  1. Your goal is to be in the middle of fights as long as possible - Jak'Sho stacks up with combat seconds.

Adapting

  1. You need to adapt your items to the game. Enemy team heavy on AP? Buy MR. They heavy on AD? Buy Armor. You need some damage? Well buy that.

Runes

  1. Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.
  2. Remember to consume your Grasp of the Undying procs!

Tips and Tricks

Champion

  1. You do more damage the closer you are to your target.
  2. Use auto attack reset (AA + Quickdraw (E) + AA). If you time it properly, you can have two almost instant AA for big burst damage.
  3. Combo for big damage: AA + Q + E + AA.

Riot

  1. Smoke Screen can be used both to escape and to set up a kill.
  2. Using Quickdraw to get into range and delivering a point blank Buckshot can do lots of damage.

Skill Order

  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    Q
    End of the Line
  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    W
    Smoke Screen
  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    E
    Quickdraw
  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    R
    Collateral Damage

Items

Starting items
Guardian's Horn item.
Ruby Crystal item.
Boots
Ionian Boots of Lucidity item.
Plated Steelcaps item.
Mercury's Treads item.
Good tank items
Warmog's Armor item.
Protoplasm Harness item.
Jak'Sho, The Protean item.
Good MR items
Force of Nature item.
Kaenic Rookern item.
Spirit Visage item.
Good Armor items
Frozen Heart item.
Dead Man's Plate item.
Thornmail item.
Randuin's Omen item.
Iceborn Gauntlet item.
Situational items
Knight's Vow item.
Locket of the Iron Solari item.
Trailblazer item.
Zeke's Convergence item.
Situational DMG items
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Wit's End item.
Titanic Hydra item.
Blade of The Ruined King item.
Overlord's Bloodmail item.
For the last fight
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Elixir of Iron item.
Elixir of Wrath item.
Example final build
Mercury's Treads item.
Jak'Sho, The Protean item.
Unending Despair item.
Warmog's Armor item.
Thornmail item.
Force of Nature item.