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 |
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.