Smolder - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
51.6%
Pick Rate
8.1%

Smoldervs Gangplank

AMarksmanMage
Patch26.9
Matches514,344
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedMay 9, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Smolder vs Gangplank is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.9. Smolder wins with a 62.5% win rate (+25.0%) over Gangplank based on 8 games. Gangplank wins the early laning phase while Smolder scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup.

Smolder Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Smolder performs against them. You'll get head-to-head win rates, laning stats, the best build and runes for the matchup, and early vs late game analysis — all based on real ranked data.

Compare against an opponent
Gangplank - 62.5% win rateGangplank(62.5%)
Smolder - 62.5% win rate in this matchup
Smolder
62.5% WR
VS
Gangplank vs Smolder matchup - 37.5% win rate
Gangplank
37.5% WR

Who Wins the Smolder vs Gangplank Matchup?

Smolder wins the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup
Winner
Smolder
Matches: 8
62.5%
Win Rate
37.5%
6.5
CS / min
6.7
785
DMG / min
964
12,453
Gold / game
13,748
191
Heal / min
327
438
DMG Mitigated / min
726
0.3
CC / min
0.4
33.3%
Early Game WR
66.7%
80.0%
Late Game WR
20.0%

Smolder vs Gangplank Matchup Summary

The Smolder vs Gangplank matchup is a decisive matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 8 recent matches analyzed, Smolder wins with a 62.5% win rate compared to Gangplank's 37.5%, giving Smolder a 25.0 percentage point advantage. Game phase dynamics play a critical role here: Gangplank controls the early laning stage, but Smolder outscales as the game goes longer. The matchup shifts dramatically depending on game length — Gangplank needs to press advantages before Smolder reaches their power spikes, while Smolder should focus on safe farming and hitting key item breakpoints. The most significant statistical gap is in sustain, where Gangplank leads by 423 HP/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Smolder players can confidently pick into Gangplank and play aggressively from level 1. Look to establish lane dominance early through favorable trades and zone Gangplank away from CS whenever possible. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Smolder vs Gangplank Laning Phase Breakdown

Gangplank wins the laning phase against Smolder in League of Legends

Gangplank is favored during the laning phase against Smolder, winning 5 out of 5 key stat categories. Gangplank holds advantages in farming, damage, gold income, crowd control and sustain, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
6.5Smolder
6.7Gangplank
Smolder and Gangplank farm at nearly identical rates in this matchup, with only a 0.2 CS/min difference. Neither champion holds a meaningful farming advantage, so lane dominance will come from trading and jungle interaction rather than CS leads.
Damage
785Smolder
964Gangplank
Gangplank heavily out-damages Smolder by 179 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Smolder should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Gangplank's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
12,453Smolder
13,748Gangplank
Gangplank generates a commanding 1,295 more gold per game than Smolder. This substantial economic advantage means Gangplank consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Smolder should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
0.3Smolder
0.4Gangplank
Both Smolder and Gangplank provide similar amounts of crowd control (0.1s/min difference), meaning neither has a significant advantage in locking down opponents for ganks or team fights. Lane ganks are equally effective for both sides.
Sustain
629Smolder
1,052Gangplank
Gangplank vastly out-sustains Smolder, healing and mitigating 423 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Gangplank can absorb significant punishment and remain in lane while Smolder is forced to recall. Building grievous wounds early is essential for Smolder, and focusing on burst trade patterns rather than sustained fights is critical.

Best Smolder Build Against Gangplank

Swiftmarch is the optimal boots choice against Gangplank, providing the mobility and stats Smolder needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Smolder against Gangplank are Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin and Black Cleaver. This combination gives Smolder an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. This build achieves a solid 50.0% win rate across 2 games, proving it to be a reliable item path when facing Gangplank. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Gangplank
66.7%
+33.3% advantage
Smolder early game win rateSmolder33.3%
Gangplank early game win rateGangplank66.7%
Late Game
Smolder
80.0%
+60.0% advantage
Smolder late game win rateSmolder80.0%
Gangplank late game win rateGangplank20.0%

Gangplank dominates the early game (first 15 minutes) with a commanding 66.7% win rate — a 33.3 percentage point lead over Smolder. This lopsided early game means Gangplank can dictate the pace of the lane from level 1, controlling trades, wave state, and river priority.

Smolder is far superior in the late game (25+ minutes), boasting a 80.0% win rate — 60.0 points above Gangplank. Extended games heavily favor Smolder, whose kit and scaling make them a dominant force in team fights and objective control.

This matchup features a dramatic power shift: Gangplank must aggressively press their early advantage and close out the game before Smolder reaches their scaling breakpoints. If Smolder survives the laning phase without falling too far behind, the matchup flips in their favor. Dragon and Rift Herald control are pivotal — the team that secures early objectives can snowball or buy time to scale.

Best Smolder Runes Against Gangplank

Precision rune tree - Smolder primary runes vs GangplankPrecision
Fleet Footwork - best Smolder rune vs GangplankPresence of Mind - best Smolder rune vs GangplankLegend: Bloodline - best Smolder rune vs GangplankCut Down - best Smolder rune vs Gangplank
Inspiration rune tree - Smolder secondary runes vs GangplankInspiration
Biscuit Delivery - best Smolder rune vs GangplankMagical Footwear - best Smolder rune vs Gangplank
100.0% WR

Running Precision primary with Inspiration secondary allows Smolder to press their advantage against Gangplank, amplifying the strengths that make this a favorable matchup.


Smolder matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.9. The table below shows Smolder's win rate, gold difference, and performance stats against every champion in the current meta. Click any champion name to see a detailed head-to-head breakdown including the best Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Smolder matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.9
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
52.23%7837.299413,77349.1%54.4%
52.36%7647.295013,47555.5%50.2%
49.53%6407.296213,89545.8%51.8%
52.12%6147.31,03014,18155.7%49.7%
56.47%5496.91,01713,94257.7%55.7%
57.33%5467.41,04013,89456.4%58.1%
51.75%4567.299613,84748.1%54.2%
57.48%4287.31,08414,58159.9%56.0%
51.39%2517.194013,75551.5%51.3%
55.33%2457.21,04413,56459.3%52.2%
54.87%2267.01,02213,08961.5%48.7%
50.47%2147.21,02913,66554.5%47.6%
54.15%2057.394512,91751.5%56.7%
56.84%1907.097613,57550.5%62.9%
52.41%1877.21,00814,05548.4%54.5%
55.25%1817.31,00613,77663.5%49.5%
48.81%1687.41,00713,76853.4%45.3%
49.64%1397.998613,52458.1%42.9%
59.06%1277.71,01814,14154.4%62.9%
53.17%1267.191413,37154.5%52.1%
58.68%1217.61,12514,90760.4%57.5%
52.43%1037.21,00113,73846.8%57.1%
48.42%957.01,00613,04537.8%55.2%
46.43%847.81,02512,94236.6%55.8%
54.22%836.999014,37460.0%51.7%
49.37%797.11,00613,79558.8%42.2%
51.28%787.41,08014,46841.9%57.5%
39.73%736.984512,81435.5%42.9%
40.00%707.286613,17532.3%46.1%
47.14%707.31,13014,57155.2%41.5%
51.79%567.31,00913,91245.0%55.6%
58.18%557.31,10314,39950.0%65.5%
52.83%537.21,08914,17257.1%50.0%
60.47%437.692112,72560.0%60.9%
45.00%407.485613,22846.7%44.0%
54.29%357.489413,52346.1%59.1%
44.12%347.187112,54733.3%52.6%
50.00%347.395313,21635.7%60.0%
58.06%317.21,17714,77736.4%70.0%
36.67%307.41,02312,96854.5%26.3%
44.83%297.21,00714,66253.9%37.5%
36.00%257.71,04613,23530.8%41.7%
50.00%247.21,01712,99646.1%54.5%
52.17%237.31,11412,25050.0%55.6%
69.57%237.81,08014,69255.6%78.6%
39.13%237.086811,32841.7%36.4%
50.00%207.41,00211,93536.4%66.7%
45.00%207.299312,17736.4%55.6%
50.00%187.11,07213,21740.0%53.9%
47.06%177.591914,13575.0%38.5%
37.50%167.096212,00020.0%66.7%
40.00%157.397012,70528.6%50.0%
71.43%147.61,16915,47375.0%70.0%
28.57%146.41,19110,98033.3%25.0%
42.86%147.21,14111,56244.4%40.0%
42.86%147.878211,62750.0%25.0%
38.46%137.07308,98250.0%20.0%
30.77%137.188811,69520.0%37.5%
61.54%138.01,22113,71640.0%75.0%
23.08%137.079011,45012.5%40.0%
33.33%127.31,00813,6350.0%44.4%
41.67%126.983212,28920.0%57.1%
36.36%117.595414,34040.0%33.3%
45.45%117.11,02512,93450.0%42.9%
54.55%116.098711,29433.3%80.0%
54.55%117.21,12015,10650.0%55.6%
54.55%116.586513,02650.0%57.1%
40.00%107.387911,46850.0%25.0%
60.00%106.91,14314,50333.3%71.4%
40.00%106.982010,7880.0%66.7%
60.00%107.91,10611,320100.0%42.9%
20.00%106.679410,37528.6%0.0%
66.67%96.896114,8410.0%75.0%
33.33%97.872611,99920.0%50.0%
44.44%97.388610,00857.1%0.0%
33.33%97.21,35914,3670.0%42.9%
33.33%97.387110,97333.3%33.3%
50.00%87.773413,49533.3%60.0%
37.50%87.196013,03050.0%25.0%
25.00%86.882314,1870.0%33.3%
37.50%87.31,06713,15033.3%40.0%
25.00%87.184612,30740.0%0.0%
37.50%87.11,14812,7060.0%50.0%
62.50%86.578512,45333.3%80.0%
42.86%77.187813,06350.0%40.0%
71.43%77.482813,12333.3%100.0%
14.29%77.399314,0820.0%25.0%
42.86%77.27086,90933.3%100.0%
42.86%78.41,28117,5890.0%60.0%
57.14%77.398910,33150.0%66.7%
42.86%77.390211,0240.0%60.0%
50.00%66.61,04814,5360.0%60.0%
83.33%66.71,07215,02950.0%100.0%
50.00%65.484612,980100.0%40.0%
50.00%67.81,08414,800100.0%25.0%
33.33%66.893911,58233.3%33.3%
50.00%67.090313,40166.7%33.3%
66.67%66.586510,25375.0%50.0%
0.00%56.81,19713,2780.0%0.0%
40.00%54.885914,9620.0%50.0%
40.00%57.77499,65033.3%50.0%

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Smolder vs Gangplank - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Smolder do against Gangplank in League of Legends?

Smolder wins the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup with a 62.5% win rate compared to Gangplank's 37.5%, a 25.0 percentage point difference. This data is based on 8 recent ranked games in patch 26.9.

How does Smolder do against Gangplank in the early game?

In the early game, Gangplank has the advantage against Smolder with a 66.7% win rate versus 33.3%. Gangplank players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Smolder do against Gangplank in the late game?

In the late game, Smolder takes over the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup with a 80.0% win rate compared to 20.0%. Smolder scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup?

Smolder wins the matchup against Gangplank with a 62.5% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.9. The 25.0 percentage point advantage means Smolder is significantly favored in this lane matchup based on 8 games analyzed.

What is the best Smolder build against Gangplank?

The best Smolder build against Gangplank includes Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin, Black Cleaver with Swiftmarch. This build achieves a 50.0% win rate in the matchup. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Smolder runes against Gangplank?

The best Smolder runes against Gangplank use the Precision primary tree with Inspiration secondary. This rune setup achieves a 100.0% win rate in the Smolder vs Gangplank matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Smolder counter Gangplank?

Yes, Smolder has a favorable matchup against Gangplank with a 62.5% win rate. Smolder strongly counters Gangplank in lane based on current patch 26.9 data.

How do I play Smolder against Gangplank?

When playing Smolder against Gangplank, leverage your statistical advantages by trading aggressively during favorable windows. Play safe early and scale into your power spikes where you outperform Gangplank. Build the recommended items and runes for this specific matchup for the best results.