How to win lane as Graves against Illaoi · 53.85% win rate over 13 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Graves | Your 4-shell point-blank spread out-bursts her single Q tentacle slam at level 1 before any field exists — own the first window. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | She has one slam, you have one shell burst — yours edges it, but with no E charges yet and no field for her, it is a genuine coin flip. |
| Level 3 | Illaoi | With two or three tentacles down and Test of Spirit (E) online she forces you to flee your own spirit while the whole field free-hits you — concede this window. |
| Levels 4-5 | Illaoi | True Grit armor is useless against stacked tentacle slams plus E damage from her full field — do not trade inside her nest at 4-5. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Leap of Faith spawns a tentacle ring, but Quickdraw or Collateral Damage lets you exit the field while she's all-in committed, so the level-6 fight is even. |
| First item | Illaoi | Even with your first item, her placed-tentacle field still out-sustains a stand-still trade — she edges any fight you take on her ground. |
| Two+ items | Graves | Eclipse/Youmuu's dash-and-burst lets you skirmish her on open ground away from tentacles, reclaiming tempo as the hyper-mobile carry. |
Level 1 is mine — my 4-shell point-blank spread out-bursts her single Q tentacle slam before any field exists, so if she walks up to last-hit I can E in and shred her. The moment she's level 3 with two or three tentacles down everything flips: her Test of Spirit (E) rips my spirit and I have to sprint from my own copy while the whole field beats on me. Don't greed last-hits next to her placed tentacles — take the CS with Q from range and only commit when I'm standing on clean ground.
The full Graves vs Illaoi 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? Illaoi vs Graves guide →
All Graves top lane matchups →