How to win lane as Olaf against Graves · 50.74% win rate over 3,104 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Olaf | No E-dash unlocked at level 1, so Q-slow into autos sticks him and your passive ramps as his shotgun chips you — you win first contact. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | His E-dash and smoke-blind come online and let him reset and kite your Q, but you can still bait-and-punish — genuinely even who gets the read first. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | You have Q-slow plus E true damage to burst, but his E-dash plus True Grit poke can trade back if he kites clean — comes down to baiting his dash. |
| Levels 4-5 | Olaf | Your axe-reset Q perma-slows and W-omnivamp out-sustains his poke once short trades favor you — he can't reset fast enough. |
| Level 6 | Olaf | Ragnarok ignores his smoke-blind and any slow, grants move speed toward him, and E-true-damage finishes — he cannot kite an unstoppable Olaf. |
| First item | Olaf | Your bruiser core (Bramble/Cleaver) plus axe-reset slows is your most oppressive point while his tanky build is still half-finished — dive him now. |
| Two+ items | Olaf | You stay ahead of his item timing in this window — force the all-in before his Eclipse/Maw + E-dash lets him burst-and-disengage from late-game range. |
Graves can't really kite you yet — his E-dash is his only reset and at level 1 it isn't even unlocked, so land Q to slow him, walk on top, and let your passive attack speed ramp as his shotgun autos chip you. The catch is his True Grit autos and smoke (W) blind hurt: don't facetank a full magazine, and don't throw Q from max range where he just side-steps it. Bait the E-dash or the smoke, then commit — once those are down he has no answer to your speed.
The full Olaf 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 Olaf guide →
All Olaf top lane matchups →