Why is Gragas used so much in competitive play?

VoKks9·3/6/2020, 4:25:42 AM·1 votes·2,800 views

Been watching a lot of competitive play lately on youtube and I've noticed that Gragas is picked in every game by one of the two teams playing each other. However, he is listed as an E tier pick with a win rate of only 47.86%, and a ban rate of only 0.34%. So he doesn't seem to be doing very well, and clearly not well enough to use a ban on.

So, what makes Gragas viable at the very top of the food chain, but seemingly completely useless in any type of play below that level?

Edit: Thanks for all the replies to this, I have a better understanding now.

9 Comments

iiGazeii3/6/2020, 4:37:48 AM5 votes

He's able to set up huge plays for his team, but without coordination, those huge plays flop.

Gragas is one of the unfortunate champions whose pro presence requires the devs to keep him virtually unplayable for the rest of us.

5050BS3/6/2020, 4:54:51 AM5 votes

If you know his Kit its Busted. He has fast Jungle Clears. Mobility (can dash walls), CC while being Tanky and does AP and AD Also his Dash knockup has priority over all other dash CC (meaning his will hit first and interupt all others)

Requiemsfire3/6/2020, 5:26:34 AM3 votes

Because the champion is flexible and works with a lot of different drafts. He's like the poker face champion where you can't be sure what that team is looking to draft next.

LanceTheJungler3/6/2020, 6:40:22 AM3 votes

He has a healthy, moderately fast clear. He has good ganks, good engages for teamfights. He doesn't need items to be useful, because runic echoes is so good, and he has so much CC. Which means he can't fall behind which is exactly what pro players want. Especially from a jungler, and especially with how weak jungle is right now ( the champions, not the role ). It's also why Sett Aatrox and Ornn are the most picked top laners. Because you really want to invest as little resources as possible into top lane ( including picks, thats why they are first picked ), so they pick self sufficient top laners that can have big impact in teamfights without being fed.

ScrubLordinat0r3/6/2020, 9:34:13 AM2 votes

Multiple reasons, 1 being his fat man body slam overrides all other dashes that aren't untargettable. The other is a ranged lee sin insec as his ult that hits all enemies.

Mainly its because they don't have to worry about having a support go 0/4 to the enemy pyke and jhin by minute 9. So they don't have to have a carry in EVERY SINGLE ROLL so that if a team-fight happens 1k shut down isnt going to their thresh support.

PhearBunny3/6/2020, 10:50:51 AM2 votes

Gragas is like Lee and Elise in the sense that he doesnt really need ganks to be setup inorder for him to gank. He can counter jungle safely due to his wall jump. He can recover from being counter jungled, or having to concede camps because his wall jumping buys him time to stay in the game. The reason he isnt played as much in solo que is because he cant reset tower aggro like Lee and Elise can.

uncoordinated tower dives are risky when you cant aggro reset the tower. every tower dive in pro is coordinated though, so that problem is avoided completely.