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Gragas Counters: Who Beats Gragas

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Gragas counters are junglers who punish Body Slam, out-range his barrels, or slip out of the Explosive Cask combo. He’s a 125-range fighter-mage whose engage is a charge into the first enemy he touches, followed by a cask that knocks people wherever he likes.

We held each of the five up against his patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates played no part.

Gragas counters: Gragas, the Rabble Rouser, splash art

What makes Gragas strong?

  • Happy Hour (passive): he heals periodically when he uses a skill.
  • Barrel Roll (Q): a cask that explodes on command or after 4 seconds, stronger the longer it waits, slowing enemies hit. Cooldown 10/9/8/7/6.
  • Drunken Rage (W): a 1 second drink, then damage reduction and magic damage on his next attack to everyone nearby. Cooldown 5.
  • Body Slam (E): charges into the first enemy unit he meets, damaging and stunning everyone nearby. Cooldown 14/13.5/13/12.5/12.
  • Explosive Cask (R): a thrown cask that damages and knocks back enemies in the blast. Cooldown 100/85/70.

The Gragas play is famous for a reason. Body Slam stuns, Explosive Cask throws the target back into his team, and Barrel Roll slows whoever is left. He’s also tankier than he looks: Drunken Rage reduces damage taken every 5 seconds, and Happy Hour heals him whenever he casts. Where does it break? Body Slam stops at the first enemy unit, so a minion or a well-placed teammate in the way ruins it. His damage is mostly magic, from skills with real cooldowns. And a champion who can get out of the cask’s knockback, or punish the charge itself, takes most of his kit off the table.

Who are the best Gragas counters in the jungle?

Taliyah

Unraveled Earth (E) is a minefield that slows, and the mines explode into a stun on any enemy who dashes or gets knocked through them. Body Slam is a dash. So a Gragas who charges across her mines stuns himself on arrival. Seismic Shove (W) throws enemies in a direction she chooses, ideally back into the mines. Threaded Volley (Q) throws rocks as she moves, with a stronger slowing boulder from Worked Ground. Weaver’s Wall (R) builds a very long wall she can surf, which also blocks his path to her carries. Near walls she moves faster, thanks to her passive. Honestly, the mines alone flip the matchup, because Gragas has no way to engage that isn’t a dash, and every dash through that field ends with him stunned.

Nidalee

Nidalee fights from 525 range against his 125. Javelin Toss gains damage the farther it travels, and a hit triggers a Hunt from Prowl (passive), which gives True Sight and bonus Move Speed toward the target. Bushwhack traps reveal and damage. In cougar form, Pounce jumps in a direction, Swipe claws ahead, and Takedown deals more the lower the target’s Health is, a natural finisher after a javelin. Primal Surge heals allies and gives them Attack Speed. Aspect Of The Cougar (R) swaps forms. Body Slam reaches her only at close range, and close range is exactly where a good Nidalee never stands until the target is already low.

Graves

Graves’s shotgun has a habit of knocking things around. New Destiny (passive) fires four bullets per attack that can’t pass through units, and several bullets on a minion knock it back, clearing the way for his own shots. Quickdraw (E) dashes and gives Armor and Magic Resist for several seconds, or two True Grit stacks if he dashes toward a champion, and his attacks shorten its cooldown. Smoke Screen (W) cuts the sight range of enemies in the cloud, so a blinded Gragas has to guess where to slam. End of the Line (Q) detonates after 1 second or on terrain, and Collateral Damage (R) blasts the first champion hit, then explodes in a cone.

Ekko

Ekko’s ultimate lifts him out of the fight, untargetable, and drops him back where he stood a few seconds ago with some of the lost Health restored. Knocked into the enemy team by Explosive Cask? Ekko just goes back, and enemies near the arrival spot take heavy damage. Parallel Convergence (W) creates an anomaly that slows, and entering it shields Ekko and stuns enemies inside. Phase Dive (E) rolls, then teleports to a target on the next attack. Timewinder (Q) slows in a field and hits again on its way back (a nice bit of extra damage). Z-Drive Resonance (passive) adds bonus magic damage and speed on every third hit. To be fair, Gragas can bait the rewind.

Viego

Viego doesn’t need to win the first fight to win the second one. Sovereign’s Domination (passive) turns fallen enemies into wraiths he can possess, healing and borrowing their basic abilities and items, so any skirmish Gragas starts can hand Viego a new body. Spectral Maw (W) charges and dashes, stunning the first enemy it hits. Blade of the Ruined King (Q) adds current-Health damage on hit and strikes twice after an ability, and Harrowed Path (E) hides him in Black Mist with camouflage, Move Speed and Attack Speed. Heartbreaker (R) teleports and executes a champion, knocking nearby allies away. Real talk, Viego thrives in exactly the messy fights Gragas loves to start.

How should Gragas counters play the jungle?

  • Keep a minion or ally between you and him. Body Slam stops at the first enemy unit it meets.
  • Watch the Barrel Roll timer. It gets stronger the longer it waits, and explodes on its own after 4 seconds.
  • Trade between Drunken Rage casts. It reduces his damage taken, on a 5 second cooldown.
  • Position for the knockback. Explosive Cask throws enemies away from the blast, so stand where being pushed doesn’t hurt.
  • Punish the missed slam. At rank 1 Body Slam is a 14 second cooldown, and it’s his main engage.

What items help Gragas counters?

Magic Resist and Tenacity. Treads with Tenacity, Mercury’s in particular, shrink the Body Slam stun and add resistance to the magic damage behind it. Force of Nature fits champions who take a long string of his spells, and Banshee’s Veil can block Explosive Cask. Happy Hour’s healing is modest, so Grievous Wounds is optional. Our LoL items index has the full numbers.

When is Gragas weakest?

When Body Slam misses. It’s 14 seconds at rank 1, and without it his engage is a slow barrel and a cask with a long cooldown. Ranged junglers like Nidalee and Graves punish that window (for what it’s worth, a missed slam usually leaves him standing alone in front of you).

And in the late game, when carries have Magic Resist. His damage comes from skills on cooldowns, so a long fight where his combo is spent favors fighters like Viego. Sure, the cask always matters, and one good knockback into five enemies can still decide a fight he otherwise has no business winning (that’s his whole identity, really).

New to the jungle? Our beginner roles guide explains it. Our guides hub holds more champions, and his skins live on the Gragas skins page. In short, Gragas counters block the slam and dodge the cask.

FAQ

Who counters Gragas the most?

Junglers who punish his charge, out-range him, or escape his combo: Taliyah, Nidalee, Graves, Ekko and Viego.

How do you stop Body Slam?

Body Slam collides with the first enemy unit it meets, so standing behind a minion or an ally blocks it. Taliyah’s mines stun champions who dash through them.

Does Gragas take less damage?

Yes. After the drink, Drunken Rage reduces the damage he receives for a short time.

What is the cooldown of Body Slam?

Body Slam has a cooldown of 14/13.5/13/12.5/12 seconds.

How were these Gragas counters chosen?

Each pick had to punish or block Body Slam, out-range his skills, or escape Explosive Cask, judged from patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates were not used.