How to win lane as Gnar against Heimerdinger · 50.28% win rate (179 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Mini-form poke out-ranges his turrets and the boomerang clears them. Zone him and transform-all-in once he's low.
Track: Heimerdinger's E — CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (11s cooldown). His self-peel stun. Dodge it.
Read from Gnar's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Heimerdinger.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Gnar | Before his nest is up Heimer is a squishy ranged target — your Mini autos plus a Boomerang out-trade his single turret and W rockets at level 1. |
| Level 2 | Gnar | The third Hyper hit (bonus magic damage and a move-speed burst) plus a Boomerang let you chunk him hard while his turrets aren't stacked — his weakest window. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Volatile and skill-dependent: you spike when Rage lines up for a Mega Wallop, but you're a liability stuck in Mini while his nest and E minefield zone you off the wave. |
| Levels 4-5 | Heimerdinger | Once two turrets are planted his E minefield stun plus rocket poke out-zone Mini Gnar — trade only around the minefield's cooldown, never facecheck. |
| Level 6 | Gnar | If Mega is up, GNAR! pins the dash-less Heimer into a wall for the longer stun and a kill — bait his Flash first, since it's his only escape. |
| First item | Heimerdinger | His completed turret nest matches your Mega spike — without Rage banked his zoning out-trades you, so only commit on the E minefield's cooldown. |
| Two+ items | Heimerdinger | Full-AP Heimer with a three-turret nest and his ult-upgraded turret out-sieges you; your form-dependent burst falls off while his nest scales, so close early. |
Levels 1-2 are yours if you are fast: before he stacks a turret nest Heimer is just a squishy ranged champ, and your Mini autos plus a Boomerang and the third-hit Hyper proc out-chunk his lone turret and rockets. Never walk up while CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade is up — 11s at every rank, and a direct hit stuns you for a full turret focus. Bank the early lead, last-hit at Boomerang range, and respect that his poke out-ranges yours the moment two turrets are down.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Gnar's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Gnar vs Heimerdinger 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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Nobody on paper — a 50.28% win rate over 179 games makes this a coin flip decided by play, not champion select.
Yes — Gnar vs Heimerdinger is a genuine skill matchup: 50.28% win rate, and the favour swings window to window rather than being set at champion select.
No hard counter either way — the Gnar vs Heimerdinger win rate is 50.28%, an even lane decided by execution.
Gnar takes Grasp of the Undying on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Bone Plating) vs Heimerdinger.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion (vs his poke) and back for Core component + boots (≈1300g). Build Stridebreaker (stick + waveclear) first, then Sterak's Gage, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Heimerdinger vs Gnar guide →
All Gnar top lane matchups →
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