How to win lane as Graves against Mordekaiser · 39.39% win rate (33 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Buckshot the brawler — point-blank shells hurt more than his trades and your E resets the spacing.
Track: Mordekaiser's R — Realm of Death (140–100s cooldown). The isolated 1v1 is his whole kill threat — track it always.
Read from Graves's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Mordekaiser.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Both pick one ability with a weak opener, so the level-1 trade comes down to mechanics — last-hit at range and stay out of his isolated-Q bonus damage. |
| Level 2 | Mordekaiser | His E knocks you in and Q punishes you while isolated, out-trading your single-ability point-blank shell burst before you can reload. |
| Level 3 | Mordekaiser | With E online he pulls you into auto-and-Q range where W's shield/heal out-sustains your spread no matter how hard it hits up close. |
| Levels 4-5 | Mordekaiser | His stacking W sustain plus AP scaling beats your defensive layer — True Grit's MR softens but never negates his magic damage, so the extended fight is his. |
| Level 6 | Mordekaiser | Realm of Death banishes you into a stat-stealing 1v1 your E charges and W smoke can't escape — this is his single hardest window. |
| First item | Mordekaiser | His first AP item plus R keeps winning the isolated shadow-realm duel faster than your Eclipse spike can flip the lane. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Once your first item is online and his R is down, your Q poke, E repositioning and reload-timing finally open a fightable window — pure skill from here. |
Level 1 is genuinely a coin-flip on mechanics — you both have one ability and weak openers, so last-hit with the tip of your Q powder trail and don't stand isolated, because his Q slam hits harder when no other enemy is near you. The moment he gets E, respect the knock-in: it pulls you toward him into Q-and-auto range where his W shield/heal out-sustains your point-blank 4-shell burst. Don't try to win short trades — your spread is heavy up close but he heals it back with W, and your True Grit stacks MR that softens his AP without ever stopping it.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Graves's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Graves vs Mordekaiser 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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Mordekaiser — Graves wins only 39.39% of 33 games, so Graves plays this as the disadvantaged side.
Not really — Mordekaiser holds a real statistical advantage (60.61% win rate), so Graves is the one working uphill.
No — Mordekaiser counters Graves (Graves wins only 39.39% of games). Play it as the disadvantaged side and lean on the windows in the plan.
Graves takes Fleet Footwork on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Coup de Grace, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Bone Plating) vs Mordekaiser.
Start Doran's Blade + 1 Health Potion and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Eclipse / Hubris first, then The Collector, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Mordekaiser vs Graves guide →
All Graves top lane matchups →
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