Graves Draw Your Sword Guide - The Melee Burst Build in ARAM Mayhem
Graves in ARAM Mayhem combined with the Draw Your Sword prismatic augment transforms into a melee powerhouse with massive AD, lifesteal, and attack speed bonuses. This guide covers data analysis, optimal builds, and gameplay tips.
Champion Overview
In ARAM Mayhem, 
Graves is a unique marksman — his passive 'Double Barrel' fires two bullets per auto-attack, dealing double damage at close range. This makes him one of the best carriers for Draw Your Sword: after sacrificing range to become melee, every auto-attack unleashes devastating burst at point-blank range.
Draw Your Sword Deep Dive
Draw Your Sword is a Prismatic augment that transforms you into melee, granting massive Attack Damage, Health, Attack Speed, Lifesteal, and Movement Speed — scaling with the range you sacrifice. Graves' base range of 425 (relatively short) still yields substantial bonuses:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Augment Name | Draw Your Sword |
| Rarity | Prismatic |
| Core Mechanic | Become melee, gain massive stat bonuses |
| Key Bonuses | AD / HP / AS / Lifesteal / MS |
Graves' passive nearly doubles his auto damage at close range. Combined with Draw Your Sword's AD and attack speed bonuses, every auto becomes a mini shotgun blast. Always pick this augment!
Recommended Augment Pairings
The community-recognized golden trio: Draw Your Sword + Slow And Steady + Back To Basics. Here are the best augment pairings:
| Augment | Rarity | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Slow And Steady | Gold | Converts attack speed into AD — Graves doesn't scale well with AS, so the converted AD makes every pellet hit like a truck |
| Back To Basics | Prismatic | Seals ultimate for 35% ability damage + ability haste — Q and E damage skyrocket with ultra-short cooldowns, becoming an infinite-dash warrior |
| Upgrade Collector | Silver | Enhances Collector's execute threshold, scaling up with each kill — snowball potential |
| Vampirism | Gold | Extra lifesteal stacks with Draw Your Sword's 20% built-in lifesteal — terrifying sustain when all pellets hit |
| It's Killing Time | Gold | Extra AD and attack speed — if paired with Slow And Steady, the AS also converts to AD for double-dipping |
| Bread And Butter | Gold | Empowers basic attack damage, perfect synergy with multi-pellet passive — every auto hurts more |
| Executioner | Gold | Extra damage to low HP targets + ability reset on takedown, finish with pellets then E-dash to the next target |
| Shadow Runner | Silver | Extra movement speed helps melee Graves close the gap, compensating for lost range |
Recommended Item Build
Melee Graves goes lethality + crit build, one-shotting squishies:
| Item | Priority | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The Collector | Core | Lethality + Crit + execute, finish off targets after pellet burst — even stronger with Upgrade Collector augment |
| Infinity Edge | Core | Crit damage amplifier — combined with Slow And Steady's converted AD, crit pellets delete targets instantly |
| Youmuu's Ghostblade | High | Lethality + active MS boost, maximizes engage potential in melee form |
| Bloodthirster | Recommended | Maximum lifesteal stacking with Draw Your Sword's built-in lifesteal — terrifying sustain when all pellets connect |
Why Graves is the Best Carrier
While many marksmen can use Draw Your Sword, Graves has unique advantages:
1. Passive Shotgun Mechanic: After going melee, all pellets hit at point-blank range for devastating damage. Unlike other ADCs who just become "normal melee", Graves becomes a "face-shotgun".
2. E Dash: His E provides a dash + ammo reload, solving chase and survival issues. E usage skyrockets after going melee.
3. W Smoke Screen: W creates a slow + nearsight zone — drop it at your feet after diving in, enemies can't see you while you unload.
4. Naturally Short Range: 425 range means he already fights up close, so the melee transition feels natural.
Gameplay Tips
When playing melee Graves in ARAM, the core strategy revolves around E mobility and passive burst:
1. E is Everything: E dash reloads one shell on use — with attack speed bonuses, you can E→AA→AA in rapid succession. E also stacks armor, making you tankier.
2. W Smoke Screen Engage: Toss W into the center of the fight before diving. It slows enemies while giving you a vision advantage. Melee Graves in smoke is nearly invincible.
3. Point-Blank R: R at close range deals massive damage. Release it point-blank then immediately follow with autos to delete squishies. The knockback can also interrupt dashes.
4. Positioning Tempo: Don't rush in first. Wait for frontline to engage, then E in and sustain through lifesteal. ARAM's narrow lane is shotgun paradise.
5. Ammo Management: Attack speed is high after going melee, but Graves still reloads. Use E to quickly refresh ammo and keep DPS flowing.
Data above is based on the latest patch statistics, updated daily. Visit Graves' champion detail page for the most current augment data and win rate rankings.