How to win lane as Gragas against Malphite · 53.94% win rate over 710 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | You're both weak at level 1, so this stage comes down to clean CSing and not eating his Q poke for free — set the lane up and wait for your level 2. |
| Level 2 | Gragas | Q+W lets you drink W for the empowered max-HP auto and land a Q on him — Malphite's armor stacking reduces none of your magic damage. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Around levels 3-5 the lane is even-ish skill: his Q slow can set up his Thunderclap auto, but your Happy Hour heals it back — punish his cooldowns rather than face-checking blind. |
| Levels 4-5 | Gragas | W max and Happy Hour let you out-sustain his Q poke and Thunderclap autos completely — force the extended trades he can't win. |
| Level 6 | Gragas | E-W-Q plus Explosive Cask is a full all-in on a champ with zero magic resist — Body Slam in, drink W, detonate Q, and heal through his answer. |
| First item | Gragas | Your first AP item (Riftmaker/Rocketbelt) is your power peak — magic burst shreds his armor-stacked HP while he has no MR to respond. |
| Two+ items | Gragas | You still win the 1v1 outright; the only thing to respect is his R unstoppable flipping you into his jungler if you overshove past river. |
Malphite stacks armor, which does nothing against your magic damage, so this lane is yours the moment you can trade. At level 1 you're both weak, so just last-hit and don't waste E chasing — Body Slam is your only escape if his jungler shows. The second you have Q+W at level 2, drink W for the empowered max-HP auto and land a Q on him; his armor doesn't reduce a point of it, and Happy Hour heals back whatever his Q poke chips off. Mind his Thunderclap-empowered autos and the W armor steroid, but neither stops you from winning extended trades.
The full Gragas vs Malphite 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? Malphite vs Gragas guide →
All Gragas top lane matchups →