Combos · Jungle

Skarner combos

the Primordial Sovereign

3 Skarner combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is Q › AA › Q › W. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Skarner combos

Written guide · based on the official ability texts

The trade

Q AA AA

When: An enemy is within range.

Shattered Earth empowers your attacks, Upheaval throws the boulder, Seismic Bastion gives you a shield and slows with a shockwave.

The slam

Q AA AA

When: An enemy is near a wall.

Ixtal's Impact charges through obstacles; if it hits a champion, it slams them into the next wall, dealing damage and stunning them.

The capture ultimate

When: A carry is visible.

Impale suppresses the enemy champions hit by your tails and lets you move while dragging them: bring them to your team.

Common mistakes

Dragging the enemies toward their allies.
Forgetting Threads of Vibration: it is your source of max-health damage.
Casting Ixtal's Impact with no wall.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Shattered Earth / Upheaval	8/6.75/5.5/4.25/3	30 Mana	400
W · Seismic Bastion	10/9/8/7/6	60/65/70/75/80 Mana	700
E · Ixtal's Impact	22/21/20/19/18	50/55/60/65/70 Mana	1700
R · Impale	120/105/90	100 Mana	625

Official ability descriptions

PassiveThreads of Vibration

Skarner's Attacks, Shattered Earth, Upheaval, and Impale, apply Quaking. At max stacks of Quaking, enemies take max Health magic damage over its duration.

QShattered Earth / Upheaval

Skarner rips a boulder from the earth that empowers his attacks and can be thrown as a powerful projectile.

WSeismic Bastion

Skarner gains a shield and creates an earthquake whose shockwave damages and slows foes.

EIxtal's Impact

Skarner charges forward and passes through terrain. If he collides with a champion or large monster, he'll slam them into the next wall he hits to damage and stun them.

RImpale

Skarner's tails lash forward to suppress enemy champions. Once suppressed, the victims will be dragged along by Skarner as he moves around.

Skill order

Max order: Q > W > E57.9% · 38 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q	●			●	●		●		●
W		●						●		●		●	●
E			●											●	●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 44 games).

Riot's official tips for playing Skarner

Basic attacks apply Quaking. Stick to your target and re-apply it for maximum damage.
Capturing Crystal Spires before attempting neutral objectives or team fights around them improves Skarner's performance in said fights dramatically.
Impale is extremely powerful when you use it to position an enemy so your allies can attack them.

How to play around Skarner's combos

Ixtal's Impact can be stopped by any stun, root, or knock-up. Save a key cooldown if he's coming for a gank!
Impale can be dodged. Use Flash or another ability to get out of reach.
Skarner's sustained damage can eventually take you down. Be careful not to ignore him.

Frequently asked questions

What is Skarner's main combo?

The trade: Q › AA › Q › W. An enemy is within range. Shattered Earth empowers your attacks, Upheaval throws the boulder, Seismic Bastion gives you a shield and slows with a shockwave.

Which ability should I max first on Skarner?

The most-played max order is Q > W > E (38 games, 57.9% win rate).

What is the cooldown of Skarner's ultimate?

Impale has a 120/105/90 second cooldown depending on its rank.

Build, runes and counters: full Skarner guide · every champion's combos · tier list