Overview
One part monster and one part small, cuddly, cute guy -- or maybe both of his forms are cute? Who are we to judge? Gnar is a champion whose power revolves greatly about managing his ability to transform into his monster form, which comes with one of the strongest AoE stuns in the game. And in lane, he’s a ranged menace that can bully many champions -- with so many abilities in his arsenal, he’s a pick with a lot of room for mastery. Click here for the latest data on his best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more.
Keys to Remember About Gnar
You absolutely need to play around your Mega Gnar transformation if you want to maximize your capabilities -- this means communicating with your team so that you can dictate when you should or shouldn't fight.
While using your ultimate to sweep enemies into walls will stun them, sometimes it's fine to just pull them back in the middle of the lane if they overstep. Don't be afraid to take risks when you're in Mega Gnar form -- it's your job to start fights!
Strengths
As a ranged champion in top lane, he will have the opportunity to bully many of his melee counterparts in the early phases of the game. One of the drawbacks of most ranged top laners is that they don’t offer type of tankiness when it comes to team fighting, but Gnar can be your team’s main frontliner thanks to the ability to transform into Mega Gnar with his ultimate. It also doubles as one of the strongest tools for stunning multiple people in the game, which means Gnar often finds himself at the start of highlight reels for his teams, even in pro play. He’s a champion with great versatility and impact through all phases of the game.
Weaknesses
Enemies can play around the timer on his ultimate, which means if they are coordinated and able to wait out Mega Gnar, then he’s going to be much less useful in fights when he’s in his base form. And in the early game, he’s fairly easy to kill if you are able to jump on him -- this means playing around his Hop [E], which is one escape tool. Ultimately, Gnar is a champion that has a lot of strength as long as your team can play around your cooldowns, but that’s not always a luxury they can afford.
Game Plan
Early Game: Look to harass enemies with your ranged advantage, especially with Boomerang Throw [Q]. As long as you save your Hop [E] to escape, it will be difficult for enemies to kill you early game.
Mid Game: Play for side lane pressure and do your best to set up your Mega Gnar before big objectives -- if you’re able to take a whole team fight while in Mega Gnar form, your odds of winning will greatly increase.
Late Game: The plan doesn’t change much from mid game. You should have good split pressure thanks to your range, and as long as you can avoid fighting while you’re far from your Mega Gnar form, you’ll be in good shape.