Garen vs Poppy TOP Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Poppy

Garen vs Poppy

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Overview

Garen should manage a medium-pressure lane focused on short trades and passive health recovery to outlast Poppy's tank durability.
This matchup is a control vs control lane where Garen must avoid giving Poppy easy access to terrain for her wall stuns and anti-dash field.

Trading pattern

Initiate trades with (Q) to silence Poppy and prevent her from using (W) defensively.
Follow up with (E) spin damage and disengage before Poppy can counterattack or use (E) to stun against terrain.
Punish Poppy when her (W) is on cooldown or when she is away from walls, reducing her stun threat.

Danger windows

Be cautious when approaching near walls where Poppy can land (E) stun and follow up with (W) damage reduction.
Avoid dashing or using (Q) aggressively when (W) is available to block your engage.
Watch for (R) knockaway after level 6, which can interrupt your all-in or disengage attempts.

Early game

Use early waves to position away from walls to minimize (E) stun threat.
Prioritize short (Q) silence trades followed by (E) damage, then back off to recover passive health before Poppy can retaliate.
Avoid extended trades before level 6 as (W) can absorb burst and punish longer fights.

Power spikes

At level 6, use (R) to execute low-health Poppy targets after chipping her down with short trades.
After first bruiser/tank item, leverage increased durability to absorb Poppy's damage and reset trades with passive.
Respect Poppy's level 6 (R) knockaway as it can disrupt your engage or force you out of fights.

Win conditions

Win lane by consistently landing (Q) silence trades combined with (E) damage to chip Poppy into execute range with (R).
Use passive health regeneration to outlast Poppy's poke and avoid extended trades that favor her tankiness.
Force fights away from walls to minimize (E) stun threat and capitalize on your burst damage and execute potential.