How to win lane as Akali against Graves · 52.45% win rate over 64 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Graves | Graves' point-blank shotgun autos out-stat your Level-1 Q-only kit and his Quickdraw dash dodges Five Point Strike — he wins any early exchange before Shroud exists. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | You get Shroud around 2-3 but he still kites with Quickdraw and chunks you point-blank; trade only at Q range — it's even. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | All three basics are online but his burst autos match your Q poke and ring-empowered trades — it's a skill matchup over last-hits, neither owns it. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Shroud lets you go untargetable and reset his trades now, but his dash and shotgun DPS keep it even until your ult lands. |
| Level 6 | Akali | Perfect Execution turns his cooldown windows lethal: Flip in, cast one passes through, cast two executes off missing HP. |
| First item | Akali | Your Rocketbelt spike plus R and the empowered passive auto blow him up the moment his Quickdraw dash and Smoke Screen are down. |
| Two+ items | Graves | Two-item tanky Graves shrugs your single-target burst and his Smoke Screen blinds your passive auto — he out-durables and out-DPSes you long. |
Graves out-stats you at Levels 1-3 — his shotgun autos hit like a truck point-blank and his Quickdraw (E) dash lets him reposition out of your Five Point Strike, so you can't just walk up and Q him for free. You have only Q and no Shroud yet, so don't trade autos into his burst; last-hit at the tip of Q range and accept the chip. Bait his Quickdraw dash out before you ever commit, because once it and his armor stacks are down he has no clean escape from your eventual Flip.
The full Akali vs Graves report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Graves vs Akali guide →
All Akali top lane matchups →