Wukong vs Graves
Build vs Graves
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Wukong: Trinity Force, Black Cleaver, Death's Dance, Plated Steelcaps, Maw of Malmortius, Sterak's Gage, Guardian Angel, Youmuu's Ghostblade.
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 Wukong
Tips to maximize your impact
- Nimbus Strike, then Crushing Blow
Engage with Nimbus Strike (E), then Crushing Blow (Q): the dash gives you attack speed, and Crushing Blow shreds your target's armor before your Cyclone (R).
- Stay in close
Stay in close when you fight: Stone Skin (passive) increases your armor and health regen as long as you're fighting champions or monsters.
- Vanish to escape or dodge
Cast Warrior Trickster (W) to escape or dodge a key spell: you dash and turn invisible for a moment, and your clone stays in place to fool the enemy.
- Recast your Cyclone
Recast Cyclone (R) right after the first: the spell can be cast twice, and each spin knocks nearby enemies into the air again.
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 Wukong matchups
Patch 16.21.1