How to win lane as Graves against Aatrox · 45.95% win rate over 74 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Aatrox is weak at level 1 — but so are you with one ability and no E mobility yet, so neither of you owns this stage. |
| Level 2 | Graves | Your level 2 second ability lets you dash in for the point-blank 4-shell spread before his Q combo or drain is online. |
| Level 3 | Graves | With Q, E and W you out-trade a level-3 Aatrox: Smoke-Screen-zone his sweetspot and burst him point-blank before his heal-on-hit matters. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Trades are even now — your True Grit armor/MR and E charges grind, but his Q knockups and Deathbringer drain scale right back, so it comes down to who lands their window. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 is contested — your shell-and-R burst is high, but his R-World Ender heal-and-stat spike answers it, so the all-in tips on execution. |
| First item | Aatrox | His Eclipse/Profane Hydra plus R-boosted healing out-spikes your first item — he sustains through your burst and reclaims the lane. |
| Two+ items | Aatrox | His drain-bruiser scaling out-sustains your two-shell magazine in long fights; he wins any extended brawl from here. |
Aatrox is genuinely weak at levels 1-2, so your level 2-3 window is the whole early game here. Once your second ability and E-Quickdraw are up, dash in, dump the point-blank 4-shell spread, and W-Smoke Screen him so the slow and vision-cut make his narrow Q3 sweetspot hard to land on you — then E back out on a stored charge before he Infernal-Chains you in. Do NOT trade into a raised Aatrox Q or stand still when he winds up the third swing; the sweetspot knockup is what locks you in melee for his drain. Last-hit with shells and only commit when your E charge is up to leave.
The full Graves vs Aatrox 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? Aatrox vs Graves guide →
All Graves top lane matchups →