How to win lane as Mel against Graves · 40.63% win rate over 32 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Mel | You poke at 550 with Q's barrage while Graves has only one ability and must walk into range to farm — pure free chip. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | At level 2 your Q+E root can punish a stepped-up Graves, but his shotgun burst answers if he sidesteps the orb — genuinely even. |
| Level 3 | Graves | With his E dash online Graves rolls through your Q poke and onto you, and the True Grit double-tap plus an auto shreds your squishy frame. |
| Levels 4-5 | Graves | His shotgun and lethality scale faster than your Q ranks — he closes on demand and W smoke blinds your autos, stalling your Overwhelm stacking. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Golden Eclipse detonates your Overwhelm on him from any range, clawing the window back even when he kites out of melee — a true coinflip. |
| First item | Graves | His lethality spike with smoke-screen disengage lets him pick the fight, dash in, burst, and roll out before your single root matters. |
| Two+ items | Mel | With your first AP item your Q chains and Golden Eclipse executes him from range before his burst and ADC-tank stats can reset the duel. |
Level 1 is yours: at 550 range you poke with Q's barrage and chip free damage before Graves can do anything with one ability. The real prize is your Level 2-3 window — when he steps into the 525-or-so range his shotgun needs to last-hit, fire Solar Snare and root him, then dump Q on top. But respect the turn: the moment he has his E dash (usually level 3), he can roll through your bolts and onto you, and his True Grit shotgun double-tap plus an auto will chunk your fragile health bar harder than your poke chunks his. Hold W for his primary fire and his smoke.
The full Mel vs Graves 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? Graves vs Mel guide →
All Mel top lane matchups →