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Can anybody tell me how to play with Gnar

IIAnthonyIl·1/27/2018, 7:12:21 AM·1 votes·3,075 views

I'm a new player to league. I'm familiar some of leagues mechanics since I played a bit of dota 2, not very much though but I got the basics.

Anyways I can't seem to get a build down and I've watched strategy videos on Gnar but their either outdated or aren't in depth. I can do pretty well in the beginning depending on circumstances but once I reach endgame things aren't going very well. I usually just end up dying in a few seconds from a champ before I'm able to do any significant damage.

My main issue is with Ash mostly, I can whittle her down and stand my ground early game but once we reach endgame she does reasonable damage and is always paired with high attack speed and lifesteal, When she hits me with her Q she just keeps regaining most of her health back. Even if I flank her she'll sometimes come out winning. Is there any special items I could get to counter her.

Sorry if what I'm asking is obvious or something. I tried asking in-game and mostly got shitted on for asking for advice so figured I could try here.

8 Comments

VesperNadal1/27/2018, 1:48:19 PM2 votes

Gnar is the WORST champ in the game. I once watched a Gnar lose to an open lane. I have yet to see anyone else play that badly. My advice is to play ANYBODY else.

Deity Excalibur1/27/2018, 1:59:38 PM2 votes

As a toplane main that frequently plays gnar I have lots of tips for you if you're just starting out.

First of all, gnar is NOT a bully. Gnar is simply ranged, which most of the times leads into you poking them into their death. That however, does not make him a bully because unlike bullies, gnar is fairly weak early game.

Why, you ask? His base stats are lower of a ranged adcs one, has about 400 range at lvl1 which scales back to 550 in the late game and is right next to sona for the lowest hp pool of the game. He needs the ranged poke to be able to survive his lane. His mega form is very predictable and gives tons of warnings to your enemies of when to engage and when to NOT engage. While in mini, anything can easily kill you, while in mega, you can kill pretty much anyone, HOWEVER, this doesn't mean you should go rambo on your opponent as you will stick to mini most of your time and you will have to learn how to control both forms and use them to your advantage which comes to my second point.

IN LANE : Mini gnar is used to whittle down your opponent, mega gnar is used to finish him off. NEVER (with some exceptions) should you use mega gnar to whittle down your opponent and mini gnar to finish them off. Why? Between lvls 1 to 9, your hp pool doesn't surpass 1000 at all, even with a ruby crystal and dorans. If you use mega gnar to engage on a full hp camille for example and you get to knock 50% of her hp, you might think thats good, but in reality it isn't. She will easily re-engage on you, killing you fairly easily because without mega gnar you are pretty much defenseless. Sure you can try to fight her back but you will have no means of actually stopping her from attacking you or even dodge her damage. Most likely you also used E to engage on her so no escape tool for you too. You just lost a fight because you used your forms wrong and got caught.

Understanding gnar's weaknesses in lane and your opponents' strength is the main key to making gnar work. Gnar is excellent at taking tanks head on at all stages in the game but that doesn't mean tanks can't kill him, it just means gnar has the tools to win the lane.

Heres a common match up : Maokai You've probably seen pro players taking gnar against maokai and doing fairly well, then you go soloQ and see 0/5 gnars against maokai (as I have). Why is this? Because gnar is weak early game and the pro players know it. You don't try to fight a maokai even-handed, you poke him down from afar, constantly shove his lane so that he has to choose between fighting you or farming minions, manage your fury so that once you're about to transform you can deal a ton of damage while in mini and if he engages on you, stun him and retreat etc etc. Maokai can and WILL kill you if you try to fight him with no fury and no minion advantage against him, not to mention that he can easily make your life miserable if your enemy jungler decides to camp top, so never freeze lane against this champ and most importantly, VISION. item 2055 item 2056 . After finishing item 3071 and maybe toss in a item 3211 , you should pretty much auto win any trades with maokai at any stage of the game aslong as you are not 0/5.

Gnar's rush items are always item 3071 and item 3022 . The rest of the build is usually up to you, being able to adapt very consistently throughout the games. If you're losing and your team needs another tank, go item 3143 item 3193 item 3194 with any pair of boots of your choosing depending on the game (Tabis vs heavy ad, Mercury vs heavy ap). If you're winning hard, you can switch for a item 3153 and still be a teamfight monster. If you're against, say, Tryndamere Nasus or Gangplank , you can instead opt for a split push build, going item 3071 item 3022 item 3072 item 3046 and item 3047 . This build will allow you to decimate your opponents completely and push the lane constantly. These snowball-dependent characters normally cannot do anything to you and you can 1v2 the jungler aswell if you kno he's coming and you manage your fury.

One last thing, after you transform back to mini from mega, you will spend approx. 30 seconds without being able to gain fury. BE CAREFULL! An intelligent opponent may and WILL take advantage of that. Always play extra safe when that happens, only trade or overextend if you're 100% positive you can kill your opponent or he cannot kill you.

There's tons more to say about this champion but it really depends on your experience with him now, go play him and master him, know his limits and try to get used to his rage.

Always remember, gnar is not a bully, you will die if people jump on your face so play smart, ward your bushes and have fun!

Edit : Sorry posted this twice, had to remove lower one ._.

Friendly Ram1/27/2018, 12:37:50 PM1 votes

Ok I'll do my best. Gnar is a top laning adc tank hybrid depending on your form. Normal rush items are item 3071 and either item 3022 / item 3153 into full tank. Ability max is really simple Q/W/E. Is it mechanics or runes you're having trouble with?

Mig891/27/2018, 1:02:27 PM1 votes

Ashe being a kite adc counters most bruisers and tanks late game. Her damage isn’t as high as most hyper carries but the trade off is she is a lot safer. Black cleaver and botrk into tank items gives you reliable damage and I feel it’s gnars job to engage. The goal is to hit mega gnar and cc as many enemies as possible. I don’t consider him a typical carry where his damage let’s him take over but his survivability in a tramfight makes him really good

BigBellBrute1/28/2018, 12:25:27 AM1 votes

Go get the Vod of today's match between Optic and TSM. Don't do it that way.