Gangplank vs Volibear TOP Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

Back to matchup selector

Champion

Opponent

RoleGenerate matchup

Gangplank

VS

Top

Volibear

Gangplank vs Volibear

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Overview

Gangplank aims to control the lane with barrel zoning and poke while scaling into a powerful side-lane threat.
Respect Volibear's early lane pressure and avoid giving him free melee access to prevent snowballing.
This is a scaling versus snowball matchup where Gangplank must survive early pressure and reach critical barrel and item spikes.

Trading pattern

Initiate trades by poking with (Q) and threatening barrels to zone Volibear before he can close melee range.
Only extend trades when you have a barrel chain ready or (W) up to cleanse Volibear's crowd control.
Punish Volibear's missed (Q) or (E) by stepping forward to apply barrel pressure and short trades.

Danger windows

Volibear is dangerous when (Q) is available to force melee contact and stun; avoid standing in range without barrels.
Be cautious when (W) is down as crowd control from Volibear can stick and lead to all-ins.
After level 6, respect (R) which enables tower dives and committed fights under turret.

Early game

Use (Q) to safely farm and poke while maintaining barrel zones to deter Volibear's melee engages.
Avoid extended trades before barrel chains are set or (W) is available to cleanse (Q) stun.
Play around (Q) cooldown by stepping back when it is ready and punishing after it is used.

Power spikes

At level 6, use (R) to influence skirmishes globally and slow Volibear's all-in attempts.
Post critical item spike, leverage barrel damage to decisively win trades and zone Volibear from fights.
Respect Volibear's level 6 (R) dive threat and his first bruiser or tank item durability by avoiding extended fights without setup.

Win conditions

Control the lane with well-placed barrels and (Q) poke to deny Volibear easy melee engages and scaling.
Survive early pressure by using (W) to cleanse stuns and avoid extended trades without barrel chains.
Scale into critical barrel damage and use (R) to impact fights globally, winning side lanes and teamfights through superior zoning and pressure.