Kindred vs Graves
Skill matchup
Build vs Graves
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Kindred: Kraken Slayer, The Collector, Lord Dominik's Regards, Plated Steelcaps, Infinity Edge, Trinity Force, Hexoptics C44, B. F. Sword.
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 Kindred
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hunt your marks
Hunt the targets of Mark of the Kindred (passive), jungle monsters included: each successful hunt empowers your basic spells, and every 4 hunts, your range increases.
- Fight inside Wolf's zone
Activate Wolf's Frenzy (W), then fight inside its zone: Dance of Arrows (Q) has a much shorter cooldown there.
- Three autos after your E
Cast Mounting Dread (E), then land three autos on the same target: the third sends Wolf, who strikes based on their missing health.
- Save your team with your R
Cast Lamb's Respite (R) to save your team or deny an objective: nothing inside the zone can die, allies, enemies and monsters alike.
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 Kindred matchups
Patch 16.21.1