Thornmail Graves Build

Thornmail Graves Build.

Thornmail Graves build with runes and items. Thornmail Graves guide offers in-depth how-to play, skill order and tips. Play Thornmail Graves build in League of Legends Patch 26.4!

Author: Wrekah

TLDR

Starting items
Bramble Vest should be final item in your build.
Ruby Crystal should be final item in your build.
Quick Skill Order
Graves ability Quickdraw should be leveled first.
E
Graves ability End of the Line should be leveled second.
Q
Graves ability Smoke Screen should be leveled third.
W
Final items
Thornmail should be final item in your build.
Abyssal Mask should be final item in your build.
Jak'Sho, The Protean should be final item in your build.
Sunfire Aegis should be final item in your build.
Randuin's Omen should be final item in your build.
Dead Man's Plate should be final item in your build.
Quick Runes
Major rune Grasp of the Undying from Resolve tree.
Minor rune Precision.
Summoner spells
Pick Mark as your Summoner Spell.
Pick Flash as your Summoner Spell.

Thornmail Graves Runes

Resolve
Resolve major tree Grasp of the Undying rune.
Resolve major tree Aftershock rune.
Resolve major tree Guardian rune.
Resolve major tree Demolish rune.
Resolve major tree Font of Life rune.
Resolve major tree Shield Bash rune.
Resolve major tree Conditioning rune.
Resolve major tree Second Wind rune.
Resolve major tree Bone Plating rune.
Resolve major tree Overgrowth rune.
Resolve major tree Revitalize rune.
Resolve major tree Unflinching rune.
Precision
Precision minor tree Absorb Life rune.
Precision minor tree Triumph rune.
Precision minor tree Presence of Mind rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Alacrity rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Haste rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Bloodline rune.
Precision minor tree Coup de Grace rune.
Precision minor tree Cut Down rune.
Precision minor tree Last Stand rune.
Passive
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Attack Speed rune (+10% Attack Speed).
Passive tree Ability Haste rune (+8 Ability Haste).
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Move Speed rune (+2 Movement Speed).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).
Passive tree Health rune (+65 Health).
Passive tree Tenacity And Slow Resist rune (+10 Tenacity and Slow Resist).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).

Optional Summoner Spells

Exhaust

Exhaust

Defensive option. Exhaust for peeling against enemy divers and assassins and protecting your carries.

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost for extra mobility - great for chasing down fleeing enemies or staying on top of slippery AD carries.

Ignite

Ignite

Offensive option if you are feeling spicy. Grievous Wounds + some damage. Good in early fights and you can score some kills, but reduces your going-in potential. Especially later.

Optional Runes

Presence of Mind

Presence of Mind

Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

Looking for another tank build? Check these:
HeartsteelGravesTankGraves

How it works

  1. You rush Thornmail and stack as much Armor as you can.
  2. You become auto-attackers' worst nightmare.
  3. Hit or miss. Works great if the enemy team is full of physical damage and auto-attackers. Less effective against full AP - but still viable since players auto attack anyway.

Playstyle

  1. 🌵

    Rush Thornmail to punish all enemies who auto attack you.

  2. ⚔️

    Stay in fights - the more they hit you, the more they hurt themselves.

  3. 🧰

    Adapt: if they are heavy AP, pivot to regular tank items.

How to play

Thornmail Graves

  1. Graves' Quickdraw (E) grants bonus Armor per stack and 50% of that Armor as bonus Magic Resistance. Dashing forward toward enemies (Quickdraw (E)) grants DOUBLE stacks.
    • So sometimes using E aggressively can be defensive tactic to get more tanky.
    • Also you don't need to directly Quickdraw (E) into enemy team, you can do it a little bit to the side (so it is safer) or towards isolated enemy as well.
  2. Auto-attacks refresh Quickdraw (E) stack duration, so maintain stacks by attacking champions.
  3. You get extra spikey by using Quickdraw (E) thanks to increased Armor (it gives double stacks if you E into enemy direction). So do it!

Getting started

  1. Start with Bramble Vest and Ruby Crystal. Rush Thornmail #1, then keep stacking Armor items.
  2. This build is aimed to counter AD comps. Since you don't know the enemy team before loading in, you need to adapt. If they are heavy AP, you can just fall back to a regular tank build.

During fights

  1. Stay in the middle of fights as long as possible. The more enemies hit you, the more damage Thornmail reflects.
  2. Randuin's Omen is great for engagements - it slows enemies on activation and reduces their crit damage.
  3. Late game, you can consider selling boots for a 6th item - for even more sweet Thornmail damage!

Runes

  1. Remember to consume your Grasp of the Undying procs!
  2. Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

Tips and Tricks

Champion

  1. You do more damage the closer you are to your target.
  2. Use auto attack reset (AA + Quickdraw (E) + AA). If you time it properly, you can have two almost instant AA for big burst damage.
  3. Combo for big damage: AA + Q + E + AA.

Riot

  1. Smoke Screen can be used both to escape and to set up a kill.
  2. Using Quickdraw to get into range and delivering a point blank Buckshot can do lots of damage.

Skill Order

  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    Q
    End of the Line
  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    W
    Smoke Screen
  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    E
    Quickdraw
  • Graves [object Object] ability.
    R
    Collateral Damage

Items

Starting items
Bramble Vest item.
Ruby Crystal item.
Rush this
Thornmail item.
Good tank items
Protoplasm Harness item.
Jak'Sho, The Protean item.
Warmog's Armor item.
Good MR items
Force of Nature item.
Abyssal Mask item.
Spirit Visage item.
Kaenic Rookern item.
Hollow Radiance item.
Good Armor items
Randuin's Omen item.
Sunfire Aegis item.
Iceborn Gauntlet item.
Thornmail item.
Unending Despair item.
Dead Man's Plate item.
Frozen Heart item.
Situational items
Zeke's Convergence item.
Trailblazer item.
Knight's Vow item.
Titanic Hydra item.
For the last fight
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Elixir of Iron item.
Elixir of Wrath item.
Example final build
Thornmail item.
Abyssal Mask item.
Jak'Sho, The Protean item.
Sunfire Aegis item.
Randuin's Omen item.
Dead Man's Plate item.