Gwen vs Garen
Skill matchup
You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Garen
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Gwen: Dusk and Dawn, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Plated Steelcaps, Riftmaker, Nashor's Tooth, Zhonya's Hourglass, Void Staff.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Garen's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
If Garen has not recently been struck by damage or enemy abilities, he regenerates a percentage of his total health each second.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8s | 22s | 9s | – |
| 6 | 8s | 22s | 9s | 2m |
| 9 | 8s | 19.5s | 9s | 2m |
| 11 | 8s | 17s | 9s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 8s | 12s | 7.5s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 8s | 12s | 6s | 1m20 |
Playing as Gwen
Tips to maximize your impact
- Land 4 autos before your Q
Land 4 autos before Snip Snip! (Q): each auto adds a snip, on top of the first and the last.
- Hit with the center of your Q
Land the center of Snip Snip! (Q): in the center, part of the damage becomes true damage and each snip applies A Thousand Cuts (passive).
- Mist against poke
Place Hallowed Mist (W) against poke and ranged CC: enemies outside the mist can't target you, except towers.
- Use all three casts of your R
Cast all three Needlework (R) activations within 6 seconds: the first throws one needle, then three, then five, with growing damage.
Playing against Garen
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Hit him regularly
Hit him regularly, even with a small poke: Perseverance (passive) only regenerates him if he hasn't taken damage recently.
- At range, kite him
If you're ranged, kite him: his kit has no dash, and only Decisive Strike (Q) speeds him up and removes his slows.
- Burst after his shield
Wait for the Courage (W) shield to end before your burst: the spell starts with a shield and tenacity, then keeps only a damage reduction.
- Don't stay low once he hits 6
Once he hits level 6, back instead of staying in lane at low health against him: Demacian Justice (R) deals true damage that grows with your missing health.
Other Gwen matchups
Patch 16.21.1