[Top 3] TFT Best Graves Builds That Are Powerful

Updated:

22 Sep 2023

Graves is back to TFT with his huge shotgun as a Tier 1 champion, but with the ability to be the main carry in many comps.

Graves doesn’t only deal a high amount of damage; he chills the enemies, reducing their attack speed.

In this article, we will mention the combos to place Graves in, his best items, and how to make sure you take out your enemies with the shotgun.

Don't die, yet! Heh, that was only a warning shot.

Graves is a great pick in early rounds as he shares 2 critical traits, which are the Bilgewater that allows him to deal huge damage.

And the other trait is the rogue, which turns him into an assassin, knocking out the backlines of the enemy.

Graves’s stats, traits, and items are all to be discussed down below to make sure you get the best outcome by placing him on your team.

Best Graves builds in TFT Set 9.5

Graves’s stats:

Cost: 1 Gold
Health: 700 / 1260 / 2268
Mana: 30 / 80
Armor: 40
MR: 40
Ability Power: 100
DPS: 36 / 64 / 116
Damage: 55 / 99 / 178
Atk Spd: 0.65
Crit Rate: 25%
Range: 1

Graves’s traits:

1. Bilgewater

Bilgerat attacks and Abilities mark enemies. The mark stores a percentage of damage dealt to the enemy by Bilgerats.

Marked enemies are struck by a cannonball after 1.5 seconds, dealing the stored damage plus a flat value as physical damage.

3 90 + 30% damage dealt
5 125 + 50% damage dealt
7 300 + 65% damage dealt
9 650 + 150% damage dealt; nearby enemies take 50% of cannonball damage

2. Rogue

2 When a Rogue falls below 50% Health, they briefly become untargetable and dash to an enemy within 4 hexes (preferring enemy backline).
4 Additionally, a Rogue's first attack on an enemy bleeds them for 60% of their max Health as magic damage over 2.5 seconds.

Graves’s ability

Image

Smoke Grenade

Graves launches a smoke grenade toward the current target. It explodes on impact dealing physical damage to adjacent enemies, leaving behind a smoke cloud that Chills them.

Chill: Reduce Attack Speed by 30%

Chill Duration: 3/3.5/4 sec
Damage: 220/220/230%

Carousel priority:

These are the components you would need to focus on since the very first circle in order as you will need them to build up the required items for the team in most of the comps you will find bellow:

Graves’s best items

1. Bloodthirster

Damage heals the holder for 20% of the damage dealt.

Once per combat at 40% Health, gain a 25% maximum Health shield that lasts up to 5 seconds.

2. Titan’s Resolve

Grants 2% Attack Damage and 2 Ability Power when attacking or taking damage, stacking up to 25 times. At full stacks, grant 25 Armor and 25 Magic Resist.

3. Sterak's Gage

Once per combat at 60% Health, increase max health by 20% and gain 35% Attack Damage for the rest of combat.

Best comps for Graves

3. THE UNSEEN BLADES

Synergies:

4 Rogue
3 Ixtal
2 Zaun
2 Bastion
2 Sorcerer

This comp is a default reroll, where you should be saving up to 50 gold while purchasing copies you get in the shop.

The comp revolves around the rogue trait being your main damage dealer, protected by the bastion trait, and backed up with Silco in the backlines.

Also, the Ixtal is a great trait; you need to keep an eye out for its elemental spots to get advantageous.

Best team for this build:

1. Graves is the first one you will obtain as a Tier 1 champion, but he is a must as he is your first Rogue member, which turns the champions into assassins.

2. Qyiana is your second rogue member and one of the main damage dealers; she also shares the Ixtal trait with Milio and Neeko to summon the elemental spots, empowering anyone who stands on them.

3. Ekko, the 3rd rogue member and 1st Zaun, is your main damage dealer if placed on an Ixtal hex and got the Zaun buff.

4. Katarina is your 4th rogue, which would be dealing a lot of damage to both the front and back lines.

5. Taric is a critical pick as he shares both the bastion and sorcerer traits, making him the tank beside Neeko.

6. Neeko shares both the Ixtal and bastion traits, which makes her a great pick.

7. Silco is the main secondary damage from the backlines, sharing the Zaun and sorcerer traits to deal a lot of damage and heal his team with his ability.

8. Milio is a support champion, stuns enemies, and shares the Ixtal trait, but sometimes he can deal impressive damage.

2. IN THE WATER

Synergies:

7 Bilgewater
2 Juggernaut
1 Reaver King
2 Gunner
2 Vanquisher

This comp is one of the strongest since the new set has started, revolving around the Bilgewater trait, which is known for its insane damage.

This is a fast reroll to level 8 with a solid economy to make sure you get as many copies of the champions as possible.

Best team for this build:

1. Nilah is your main damage dealer in this comp in the late game, sharing the Bilgewater trait, which adds extra huge damage.

2. Miss Fortune is your second damage dealer, with her huge range of skills in disarming enemies and sharing the Bilgewater trait.

3. Gangplank is your tier 5 Bilgewater member, sending his huge ship into his enemies faces and dealing tons of damage. He is also the Reaver King, which makes him a ranged champion in the backrows and a melee champion in the front rows.

4. Nautilus is the main damage absorber; he is the huge tank, sharing both the Juggernaut, which increases his defense stats, and the Bilgewater with the team.

5. Darius is the 2nd Juggernaut with Nautilus, and if you have extra damage items, he will be dealing a lot of damage.

6. Twisted Fate is your tier 2 Bilgewater, dealing damage with his cards from the backlines.

7. Graves is Tier 1 Bilgewater, chilling enemies and reducing their attack speed.

8. Illaoi is the 2nd tier 1 Bilgewater, with her high defensive stats on the frontlines making her a good tank.

1. PROTECTING THE BILGEWATER

Synergies:

5 Bilgewater
2 Gunner
2 Bastion
2 Ixtal

This comp is a fast reroll to level 8, making sure to get the Tier 1 and 2 champions to level 3 so you can have a solid formation in the late game.

The comp includes many traits, having the Bilgewater and Gunner traits to rely on in terms of damage.

Best team for this build:

1. Miss Fortune will be the main damage dealer in early and mid-game as she shares the Bilgewater trait, which is easily activated in early rounds and deals tons of damage.

2. Nilah will be the damage dealer in the late game with the Bilgewater trait activated.

3. Graves is a critical pick this time as he shares Bilgewater with most of the team, the Rogue trait with Qiyana, and the Gunner trait with Jinx, which makes him a great fit.

4. Jinx will be dealing some good damage by sharing the Gunner trait from the backlines.

5. Neeko will be a great tank on the frontlines as she shares the Ixtal trait of summoning elemental hex and the bastion trait with Illaoi.

6. Illaoi is a must, as she shares the Bastion and Bilgewater traits.

7. Nautilus is a great tank with his huge crowd control on the frontlines, sharing the Bilgewater trait.

8. Qiyana is a perfect fit, as she shares the Rogue trait with Graves and the Ixtal trait with Neeko. She can also deal great damage as an assassin.