Ambessa vs Graves
Build vs Graves
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Ambessa: Eclipse, Spear of Shojin, Death's Dance, Plated Steelcaps, Voltaic Cyclosword, Endless Hunger, Maw of Malmortius, Guardian Angel.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Graves's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Graves' shotgun has some unique properties. He must reload when he runs out of ammo. Attacks fire 4 bullets, which cannot pass through units. Non-champions struck by multiple bullets are knocked back.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 13s | 26s | 16s | – |
| 6 | 9.5s | 26s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 6s | 24s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 6s | 22s | 16s | 1m20 |
| 16 | 6s | 18s | 14s | 1m |
| 18 | 6s | 18s | 12s | 1m |
Playing as Ambessa
Tips to maximize your impact
- Weave an auto between spells
Weave an auto between spells: Drakehound's Step (passive) empowers it and refunds energy, while your three basic spells cost 70 each.
- Hit with the edge of your sweep
Hit with the edge of Cunning Sweep (Q): enemies caught by the edge take much more damage, and landing it readies Sundering Slam (Q).
- Short trades with your dash
Take a short trade: Cunning Sweep (Q), an auto, then Lacerate (E) with a dash backward, which adds a strike at the end of the dash.
- Jump on their carry
Cast Public Execution (R) toward the enemy carry: you blink to the farthest enemy champion in the line you choose, nothing can stop you, and you suppress them.
Playing against Graves
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Keep units between you and him
Stay behind your minions or your frontline: the 4 bullets of each New Destiny (passive) auto can't pass through units.
- Hit him from outside his range
If you're ranged, hit him from a distance: his autos only reach 425, and New Destiny (passive) forces him to reload when his shotgun is empty.
- Get out of his smoke
Leave Smoke Screen (W) quickly rather than fighting inside it: the smoke slows you and cuts off all vision outside it.
- Drag the game out
If your team scales better over time, play for time: Graves is strongest in the early and mid game.
Other Ambessa matchups
Patch 16.21.1