How to win lane as Kassadin against Gnar · 58.82% win rate over 17 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Gnar | You have only Null Sphere while his Boomerang Throw (Q) outranges you and Hyper-empowered autos poke for free — you cannot trade at all. |
| Level 2 | Gnar | His second point in Q or W extends his lead while your short-range Null Sphere still can't reach him without eating boomerang poke. |
| Level 3 | Gnar | Nether Blade (W) isn't online yet to refund mana, so you can't even farm without bleeding HP to his kite. |
| Levels 4-5 | Gnar | Maxed Null Sphere blocks one boomerang per trade, but you still lose every all-in — keep weathering and farm under tower. |
| Level 6 | Gnar | Riftwalk (R) is only a survival tool here; it dodges his Wallop-into-GNAR! stun but can't kill him through the kite. |
| First item | Gnar | His first item plus a full Rage bar makes mega-Gnar's wall-stun lethal with a jungler, while your stall item just keeps you alive. |
| Two+ items | Kassadin | With Riftwalk maxed and Nashor's/Rod of Ages online you blink-assassinate his squishies, and his AD poke can't stop scaled Kassadin — the lane finally flips to you. |
Concede levels 1-3 — this is one of your worst openings. Gnar's Boomerang Throw (Q) outranges your Null Sphere (Q) by a mile, and his Hyper (W) passive adds bonus damage on every third auto, so even his hops chip you for free while your only answer is a short-range, mana-hungry Q. Don't walk up to last-hit into the boomerang; soak XP, take the CS you can safely grab, and hold Null Sphere's shield to block his poke rather than throwing it to trade. Watch his Rage bar — never stand in the wave when it's near full or his transform punishes you instantly.
The full Kassadin 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 Kassadin guide →
All Kassadin top lane matchups →