Team Synergy

Gnar brings a unique dilemma to Mayhem: he is a ranged poker who transforms into a game-changing team fight initiator. He does not fit neatly into standard "poke" or "engage" archetypes because his strongest tool, Mega Gnar, operates on a timer he cannot fully control. This makes him excellent in "catch and burst" compositions but awkward in teams that lack patience. He needs allies who can either lock targets down for his wall slam or cover for him while he waits for his Rage bar to fill.

Core Needs

  • Hard Engage: Mini Gnar cannot start fights. He needs an ally like Malphite or Zac who can force a skirmish, allowing Gnar to transform mid-fight and layer his crowd control on top.
  • Disengage: If Gnar transforms at a bad moment or misses his ultimate, he becomes a slow, easy target. He relies on peelers like Janna or Gragas to keep enemies off him during the vulnerable transformation window.
  • Follow-Up Damage: Gnar's Mega form provides massive area-of-effect crowd control but lacks the sustained damage to kill tanks alone. He needs burst mages or ADCs who can instantly capitalize on his stuns.

Top Synergies

  1. Malphite (The Ultimate Setup)

    Synergy Mechanism: Layered area-of-effect crowd control. Malphite engages with his ultimate, grouping the enemy team. Gnar follows up with GNAR!, slamming the entire disabled squad into a wall.

    Best Scenario: Malphite lands a multi-man knockup. Gnar is already in Mega form or transforms immediately after the impact. He chains his ultimate before the enemies recover, resulting in a 3-4 second stunlock chain.

    Enemy Answer: Quick Cleanse usage, Zhonya's Hourglass, or a support like Morgana casting Black Shield on the primary target before Malphite hits.

    Failure Risk: Gnar transforms too early and gets poked down before Malphite engages, or transforms too late and Malphite dies before the chain CC can happen.

    Recovery: If the chain fails, Gnar reverts to Mini form and uses Hyper to kite backwards while Malphite tanks. Play for a reset and wait for the next transformation cycle.

  2. Yasuo (The Wall Combo)

    Synergy Mechanism: Airborne interaction. Any knockup from Mega Gnar—whether from his ultimate slam or his Wallop (W)—sets up Yasuo for Last Breath.

    Best Scenario: Gnar lands a three-man stun against a wall. Yasuo dashes in and ults, keeping the squad suspended in the air for a massive burst window.

    Enemy Answer: Flashing the Gnar ultimate to avoid the wall slam entirely. If they avoid the wall, they avoid the setup.

    Failure Risk: Yasuo gets caught out and dies before Gnar transforms. Without the follow-up, Gnar’s Mega form is just a tanky bruiser with limited kill pressure.

    Recovery: Gnar should play conservatively in Mini form, using Boomerang to poke and disengage with Hyper until Yasuo respawns or finds another angle.

  3. Orianna (The Ball Delivery)

    Synergy Mechanism: Shockwave combo. Orianna places the ball on Mini Gnar. When he transforms and goes for an engage, she detonates Command: Shockwave simultaneously with GNAR!.

    Best Scenario: Gnar flashes into the enemy team for a wall slam. Orianna ults immediately, grouping everyone tighter and extending the disable duration. This creates a perfect kill zone for the rest of the team.

    Enemy Answer: High mobility champions like Ezreal or Tristana can jump out of the ball's radius before the shockwave triggers.

    Failure Risk: Gnar goes in but Orianna is out of range or hesitates. Gnar gets focused down and dies without dealing significant damage.

    Recovery: If the combo whiffs, Gnar uses his Mega E (Crunch) to hop away toward safety. Orianna provides disengage with her ball speed and shield to facilitate the retreat.

  4. Braum (The Unbreakable Wall)

    Synergy Mechanism: Defensive setup and passive synergy. Braum’s shield blocks incoming poke while Gnar builds Rage. Once Gnar transforms, Braum’s ultimate creates a slow field that makes landing GNAR! much easier.

    Best Scenario: The enemy team tries to poke Gnar down to stop his transformation. Braum absorbs the damage with Unbreakable. Gnar transforms, Braum ults to slow the enemy line, and Gnar lands an easy wall slam.

    Enemy Answer: Flanking assassins or mages who ignore the shield and attack from angles Braum cannot cover.

    Failure Risk: Braum gets poked out of lane early. Without his shield, Gnar struggles to reach the Rage threshold safely against heavy poke comps.

    Recovery: Braum falls back to heal. Gnar switches to a pure poke playstyle with Boomerang, avoiding all-ins until his support returns to the front line.

  5. Miss Fortune (The Bullet Rain)

    Synergy Mechanism: Area denial. Gnar’s ultimate clusters enemies against a wall. Miss Fortune channels Bullet Time on the clumped, stunned targets.

    Best Scenario: Gnar lands a four-man stun. Miss Fortune ults immediately. The enemies cannot move out of the cone because they are stunned, resulting in massive damage or a team wipe.

    Enemy Answer: Hard engage on Miss Fortune before Gnar transforms. If she dies or is forced to channel defensively, the combo falls apart.

    Failure Risk: Gnar whiffs the ultimate and enemies scatter. Miss Fortune wastes her cooldown or gets interrupted while trying to hit mobile targets.

    Recovery: Miss Fortune stops channeling and repositions. Gnar uses his remaining Mega cooldowns to peel for her, buying time for the team to reset.