How to win lane as Karma against Gnar · 64.29% win rate over 28 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | I tag RQ Soulflare's delayed zone and slow to threaten first blood, but his Boomerang Throw matches my range and chips back, so the level-1 opener is genuinely even. |
| Level 2 | Gnar | Mini-Gnar's boomerang plus the third-hit Hyper proc out-range my Inner Flame and chip me before Gathering Fire can refund a second Mantra, so the early poke war is his. |
| Level 3 | Gnar | He keeps stacking boomerang and Hyper procs and Hops out of my W tether before my cooldown rhythm comes online, so his ranged mini form still owns Levels 2-3. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | In mini form I out-poke him with Inner Flame and RQ, but the moment Rage fills mega-Gnar's Wallop and GNAR! wall-stun threaten an all-in, so the mid-lane window nets even. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | At 6 I get no spike — Mantra was usable since level 1 — while his transform brings a wall-slam AOE stun, so the level is a wash that lives on his Rage timing. |
| First item | Karma | My first AP/haste item sharpens RQ burst and Inspire's shield-and-speed, so I out-poke his boomerang and reclaim the lane. |
| Two+ items | Karma | Past two items I punish his post-transform mini form with Inner Flame/RQ and the W root, and Gnar can't out-itemize me into the late duel, so I keep the edge. |
Level 1 is even-ish: I tag RQ Soulflare the instant he steps up to last-hit, dropping the delayed Inner Flame zone and a slow for a first-blood-threat poke his boomerang can't out-chunk. But Levels 2-3 are genuinely his — mini-Gnar's Boomerang Throw plus the third-hit Hyper proc out-range my Inner Flame and chip me faster than Gathering Fire can refund a second Mantra. Don't try to win the raw poke war here: eat some chip, farm safely with Inner Flame's edge, and don't burn Inspire chasing a boomerang I can't punish. The lane is mine once my cooldown rhythm and first item come online.
The full Karma 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 Karma guide →
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