Guide · Top

Gangplank Guide

the Saltwater Scourge

Fighter

Tier A Top

Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge, is a fighter champion that is demanding to master. Across our 722 analysed ranked games, Gangplank is mostly played in Top (90% of its games), with a 50.6% win rate in that role: tier A among Top champions (#7 of 51, ranked by win rate). Gangplank's damage is mostly physical (66%): armor is the best defensive answer against this champion. 16% of that damage is true damage and therefore ignores resistances. Win rate varies with game length: 53.1% in medium-length games (25 to 35 min, 356 games) versus 45.1% in short games (under 25 min).

Averages measured over 652 Top games played with Gangplank, from our ranked Solo/Duo data collection.

Combos and how to play

Gangplank is a fighter whose attacks set the target on fire every few seconds. Parrrley earns him gold if it kills, Remove Scurvy removes crowd control and heals him, Powder Keg extends the damage of his attacks over the area and slows, and Cannon Barrage bombards an area.

Role in team fights

Gangplank sets up the terrain with kegs, uses Cannon Barrage to slow and damage a whole area, then detonates the kegs around the enemies. He uses Remove Scurvy to survive a decisive control.

The keg

E › AA AA › Q

When: An enemy is near a keg.

Powder Keg explodes when you attack it, extends the damage over the area and slows; Parrrley finishes.

The cleanse

W › AA AA

When: You are under crowd control.

Remove Scurvy removes the crowd control effects affecting you and restores health.

The area ultimate

R › E › AA AA

When: A fight is underway at range.

Cannon Barrage bombards an area, slowing and damaging enemies; combine it with kegs to trap them.

The keg under the barrage

E › R › AA AA › Q

When: Enemies are in a narrow area.

Place a keg, Cannon Barrage slows and damages the area, an attack on the keg extends the damage and slows, Parrrley finishes for gold.

Laning phase

Attack a keg to extend your damage and slow the enemies around it. Take last hits with Parrrley to earn extra gold.

Common mistakes

• Placing kegs with no plan to detonate them.
• Using Remove Scurvy with no crowd control to remove.
• Casting the ultimate without calling out the area to your allies.

Riot's official tips for playing Gangplank

• Parrrley applies On Hit effects like Frozen Mallet or Black Cleaver.
• Paying attention to low-health enemies on the map can land you a surprise kill with Cannon Barrage.
• Try placing Cannon Barrage on the path of escape to cut off fleeing enemies.

Build, runes and summoner spells

The most-played core build is Infinity Edge, Essence Reaver, and The Collector (148 games, 52.0% win rate).

Infinity Edge+Essence Reaver+The Collector

148 games · 52.0%

Infinity Edge+Lord Dominik's Regards+Essence Reaver

133 games · 51.1%

Lord Dominik's Regards+Essence Reaver+The Collector

102 games · 51.0%

Summoner spells

Flash + Ignite53.2% · 519 games

Flash + Teleport43.2% · 118 games

Most-played runes

Deathfire Touch + Precision

52.0% · 323 games

Primary tree · Sorcery

Nimbus Cloak96%

Transcendence90%

Scorch99%

Secondary tree · Precision

Cut Down97%

Legend: Haste70%

Shards

Adaptive force97%

Adaptive force99%

Health92%

Deathfire Touch + Resolve

45.0% · 80 games

Primary tree · Sorcery

Nimbus Cloak91%

Transcendence76%

Scorch99%

Secondary tree · Resolve

Bone Plating85%

Unflinching52%

Shards

Adaptive force90%

Adaptive force99%

Health84%

Fleet Footwork + Resolve

46.0% · 50 games

Primary tree · Precision

Absorb Life78%

Legend: Haste80%

Cut Down92%

Secondary tree · Resolve

Unflinching60%

Bone Plating58%

Shards

Adaptive force86%

Adaptive force94%

Health84%

For each row, the most picked rune among the games played with this page (share of games in brackets).

Which items to build against the enemy team?

We sort every game by the enemy team's damage. These are Gangplank's completed items and their win rate in each situation; "▲" marks an item that does at least 3 points better than its usual win rate.

Mostly magic-damage enemy team52.5% · 158 games

At least 50% of their damage is magic

Essence Reaver 53.9%

The Collector 50.0%

Infinity Edge 58.8%

Lord Dominik's Regards 54.2% ▲

Immortal Shieldbow 54.7% ▼

Mortal Reminder 57.5% ▼

The item that stands out most is Lord Dominik's Regards: 54.2% win rate, +5 points versus its usual win rate.

Mostly physical-damage enemy team47.0% · 185 games

Less than 35% of their damage is magic

Essence Reaver 47.5% ▼

The Collector 43.8% ▼

Lord Dominik's Regards 42.3% ▼

Infinity Edge 47.8% ▼

Immortal Shieldbow 59.3%

Mortal Reminder 51.6% ▼

No item clearly stands out in this situation: the usual build remains the reference.

Balanced enemy team51.8% · 309 games

Mixed physical and magic damage

Essence Reaver 51.7%

The Collector 55.7% ▲

Infinity Edge 58.7%

Lord Dominik's Regards 52.0%

Immortal Shieldbow 61.5%

Mortal Reminder 67.2% ▲

The item that stands out most is Mortal Reminder: 67.2% win rate, +6 points versus its usual win rate.

Counters and matchups

Who counters Gangplank in Top

Camille Gangplank: 43.8%16 games

Camille has the edge in 56% of the 16 Top duels against Gangplank. See the Camille guide.

Darius Gangplank: 66.7%18 games

Darius has the edge in 33% of the 18 Top duels against Gangplank. See the Darius guide.

Who Gangplank is strong against

Darius66.7% · 18 games

Camille43.8% · 16 games

How to play against Gangplank

• Parrrley deals a high amount of physical damage. Items that grant Armor can help if an enemy Gangplank is doing well.
• Once Gangplank reaches level 6, watch out for his global-range ultimate, Cannon Barrage!

Win rates measured over direct same-role duels; only matchups with more than 15 games are listed. See all of Gangplank's matchups.

Abilities

PassiveTrial by Fire

Every few seconds, Gangplank's melee strike will set his opponent on fire.

QParrrley

Shoots target, plundering Gold for each enemy unit killed.

WRemove Scurvy

Eats citrus to cure crowd control effects and restore Health.

EPowder Keg

Gangplank uncovers a powder keg at target location. If he attacks it, it explodes, spreading the attack's damage to enemies in the area, slowing them.

RCannon Barrage

Gangplank signals his ship to bombard an area, slowing and damaging enemies.

Frequently asked questions

Full Gangplank page · League of Legends tier list · All champion guides