How to win lane as Illaoi against Gnar · 54.99% win rate over 902 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Gnar | Gnar-favoured: at level 1 his Boomerang and superior auto range let him poke while you cannot yet close distance. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Skill: level 2 is a coinflip — he still out-ranges you but you're one level from W, so trades depend on his rage timing. |
| Level 3 | Illaoi | Illaoi-favoured: with W Harsh Lesson you can dash onto mini-Gnar and punish his lack of escape. |
| Levels 4-5 | Illaoi | Illaoi-favoured: levels 4-5 your tentacle count grows and W cooldown drops, so every gap-close chunks him. |
| Level 6 | Illaoi | Illaoi-favoured: R Leap of Faith punishes any Mega Gnar all-in with an instant tentacle ring. |
| First item | Illaoi | Illaoi-favoured: first item turns your tentacle field into sustained DPS that Mega Gnar can't brawl through. |
| Two+ items | Illaoi | Illaoi-favoured: at 2+ items Gnar's fragile frame folds in any fight fought inside your tentacles. |
Level 1 favours Gnar — his Boomerang Throw and long auto range let him poke you while you have no way to close the gap before W at 2, so respect the mini-Gnar poke and just farm.
The full Illaoi vs Gnar 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? Gnar vs Illaoi guide →
All Illaoi top lane matchups →