How to win lane as Gnar against Kassadin · 52.98% win rate over 470 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Gnar | Mini's ranged auto plus a Boomerang wins the level-1 trade against a melee Kassadin who can only shield one packet of damage and has to walk up. |
| Level 2 | Gnar | Hyper's third-hit proc and the Boomerang slow let you land a chunky free trade while he has no Riftwalk to disengage. |
| Level 3 | Gnar | He stays meleed-down — kite with the Boomerang slow and Hyper's move speed, and his short-range Q silence can't save him at this distance. |
| Levels 4-5 | Gnar | Once Rage fills you get Mega Wallop stun into a wall-GNAR! before he has Riftwalk to blink it — your cleanest kill setup. |
| Level 6 | Gnar | Even at 6, a Mega-form Gnar runs down a Kassadin who has to blow Riftwalk just to survive instead of trading back; only Mini form flips it. |
| First item | Gnar | Your first-item Mega poke-and-engage spike still beats a pre-Rod-of-Ages Kassadin — force the all-in before his stacks come online. |
| Two+ items | Kassadin | He out-scales hard: a two-item Kassadin Q-silences your cast and Riftwalk blink-bursts through your kiting, so let your team handle him. |
Kassadin is a sitting duck levels 1-3 — no Riftwalk to escape and a melee range that can't answer your Mini autos or Boomerang. Lead with the Boomerang to slow, walk up and weave autos, and land Hyper's third consecutive hit for the bonus magic damage and a move-speed burst to disengage or stick. His Q shields one packet of your poke and silences your next cast, so bait it with a single auto, then commit the real trade once it's down. Just don't dump your whole Rage bar shoving the wave — you want to enter the all-in in Mega form, not waste the transform on minions.
The full Gnar vs Kassadin 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.
Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.
Playing the other side? Kassadin vs Gnar guide →
All Gnar top lane matchups →