Ambessa vs Graves

Ambessa
vs
Not enough games
Graves
Heavy AD damageHigh burstSplit pushSustained DPS

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

Doran's Blade
Health Potion

Core build

Eclipse
1
Spear of Shojin
2
Death's Dance
3

Standard

Boots of Swiftness
4vs Slow
Voltaic Cyclosword
5

Summoner spells

FlashDot71%
FlashTeleport29%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Voltaic Cyclosword
Endless Hunger
Maw of Malmortius
Guardian Angel
PrecisionPrecision
ConquerorConqueror
TriumphTriumph
Legend: HasteLegend: Haste
Last StandLast Stand
ResolveResolve
Second WindSecond Wind
OvergrowthOvergrowth
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Graves's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

New Destiny (P)

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

LevelQWER
313s26s16s–
69.5s26s16s1m40
96s24s16s1m40
116s22s16s1m20
166s18s14s1m
186s18s12s1m

Playing as Ambessa

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. 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.

  2. 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).

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Drag the game out

    If your team scales better over time, play for time: Graves is strongest in the early and mid game.

Patch 16.21.1