Darius vs Gnar TOP Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Gnar

Darius vs Gnar

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Overview

Darius is a lane bully who must pressure Gnar early to deny him safe scaling and extended poke windows.
Use high lane pressure and pull threat to force Gnar into unfavorable melee trades and prevent him from safely using mini form poke.

Trading pattern

Use (E) to pull Gnar when he steps forward, then chain auto and (W) to maintain pressure.
Prioritize landing outer (Q) for healing and damage to sustain longer trades.
Avoid short trades that end before you stack your passive; extended trades with full passive stacks maximize your damage.

Danger windows

Be cautious when Gnar's Rage is near mega form and (E) is available to engage or disengage.
Avoid extended trades when (E) is on cooldown, as Gnar can kite and poke safely.
Respect Gnar's mega form hard CC (W) stun and (R) wall stun, especially near terrain where he can maximize crowd control.

Early game

Start aggressive to force Gnar to respect your (E) pull and avoid free mini form poke.
Keep wave near your side or center to bait Gnar into your pull range for extended trades.
Avoid pushing without vision to prevent ganks due to your low mobility.

Power spikes

Level 6 unlocks (R) execute and reset potential; stack passive before committing to all-in for lethal trades.
First bruiser item increases your durability and damage, enabling longer fights and better all-in windows.
Respect Gnar's level 6 (R) mega form with wall stun; back off before he transforms or fight after it expires.

Win conditions

Force extended melee trades near your pull range to build passive stacks and threaten lethal (R) executes.
Deny Gnar safe mini form poke by controlling wave position and punishing his (E) cooldown.
Snowball lane kills through all-ins after stacking passive and using (R) resets, then apply side-lane pressure to leverage your juggernaut strength.