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Gangplank

the Saltwater Scourge

BClassic SRTopFighterPre-rework kit
Patch 26.19 · updated 2026-09-23

Quick build

AD Bruiser

Full build
TopClassic SR9/21/0 masteries
Max
FlashTeleport

First buy

  1. Doran's Shield
  2. Health Potion

Core

  • Trinity Force
  • Ninja Tabi
  • Infinity Edge

Loadout

Top · AD Standard · 9/21/0 masteries

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Overview

Difficulty
Difficulty 6 of 10
Class
Fighter
Released
· original roster

Base stats

Health
576+81
Mana
255+40
Mana regen
1.44+0.14
Attack
57+3
Armor
23.8+3.3
MR
31.25+1.25
Move speed
345
Range
125
Attack speed
0.651+2.75%

Abilities

P, Grog-Soaked Blade

Pre-rework

Description

Basic attacks poison the target for 3 seconds, dealing 4–21 magic damage per second based on level and slowing by 7%. The poison stacks up to 3 times.

Build

This build as its own page: AD Bruiser (Top)

TopClassic SR
Max
FlashTeleport

  1. First buy

    1. Doran's Shield
    2. Health Potion
    Alternative start:
    1. Cloth Armor
    2. Health Potion, 5 of them

    The Doran's Shield start above is 100 health and 10 regen; this one is 15 armor and 750 health of potions.

    Alternative start:
    1. Boots of Speed
    2. Health Potion, 4 of them

    Parrrley only reaches 625 units. Against a top laner who stays outside it, Gangplank buys the speed to close.

  2. Early

    • Sheen
    • Phage

    Toward Trinity Force.

  3. Core

    • Trinity Force
    • Ninja Tabi
    • Infinity Edge

  4. Late

    • Ravenous Hydra
    • The Black Cleaver
    • Guardian Angel

  5. Full build

    • Trinity Force
    • Ninja Tabi
    • Infinity Edge
    • Ravenous Hydra
    • The Black Cleaver
    • Guardian Angel

Runes & masteries

9/21/0 · Top

AD Standard

Marks
  • 9× +2% Critical Damage
Seals
  • 9× +0.25 Gold / 10 sec.
Glyphs
  • 9× 0.1% Cooldown Reduction per level
Quintessences
  • 3× +4.5% Critical Damage

Page total

Cooldown Reduction per level
+0.9%
Critical Damage
+31.5%
Gold / 10 sec.
+2.25
Summoner's Wrath (1 of 1 ranks)Summoner's Wrath1 / 1 ranksImproves the Summoner Spells Exhaust, Ignite, Ghost, Surge, Rally, and PromoteFuryFuryUp to 4 ranks+1% Attack Speed per rankSorcery (1 of 4 ranks)Sorcery1 / 4 ranks+1% Cooldown Reduction per rankButcher (2 of 2 ranks)Butcher2 / 2 ranksBasic attacks deal 2/4 bonus damage to minions and monsters
Deadliness (4 of 4 ranks)Deadliness4 / 4 ranks+0.166/0.333/0.498/0.664 Attack Damage per levelBlastBlastUp to 4 ranks+0.25/0.5/0.75/1 Ability Power per levelDestructionDestructionUp to 1 rankIncrease damage to turrets by 5%
HavocHavocUp to 3 ranksIncreases damage dealt by 0.67%/1.33%/2%Weapon Expertise (1 of 1 ranks)Weapon Expertise1 / 1 ranks+8% Armor PenetrationArcane KnowledgeArcane KnowledgeUp to 1 rank+8% Magic Penetration
LethalityLethalityUp to 2 ranks+2.5%/5% Critical Strike Damage (5%/10% for melee)Brute ForceBrute ForceUp to 2 ranks+1.5/3 Attack DamageMental ForceMental ForceUp to 3 ranks+2/4/6 Ability PowerSpellswordSpellswordUp to 1 rankDeals 5% of your Ability Power as magic damage on basic attacks
FrenzyFrenzyUp to 1 rankGrants 10% attack speed for 2 seconds after landing a critical hitSunderSunderUp to 3 ranks+2/4/6 LethalityArchmageArchmageUp to 4 ranksIncreases Ability Power by 1.25%/2.5%/3.75%/5%
ExecutionerExecutionerUp to 1 rank · CapstoneIncreases damage dealt by 5% to targets below 50% Health

offense9

Summoner's ResolveSummoner's ResolveUp to 1 rankImproves the Summoner Spells Cleanse, Heal, Smite, Barrier, and FortifyPerseverance (3 of 3 ranks)Perseverance3 / 3 ranksGrants up to +2/4/6 Health Regen per 5 seconds based on missing HealthDurability (4 of 4 ranks)Durability4 / 4 ranks+1.5/3/4.5/6 Health per levelTough SkinTough SkinUp to 2 ranksReduces damage taken from monsters by 1/2
Hardiness (3 of 3 ranks)Hardiness3 / 3 ranks+2/4/6 ArmorResistanceResistanceUp to 3 ranks+2/4/6 Magic ResistBladed ArmorBladed ArmorUp to 1 rankDeals 6 damage to any enemy monster that attacks you
Unyielding (2 of 2 ranks)Unyielding2 / 2 ranksReduces damage taken from enemy champions by 1/2RelentlessRelentlessUp to 2 ranksReduces the effectiveness of slows by 7.5%/15%Veteran's Scars (1 of 1 ranks)Veteran's Scars1 / 1 ranks+30 HealthSafeguardSafeguardUp to 1 rankReduces damage taken from turrets by 5%
Block (1 of 1 ranks)Block1 / 1 ranksReduces damage taken from champion basic attacks by 3Tenacious (3 of 3 ranks)Tenacious3 / 3 ranksReduces the duration of crowd control effects by 5%/10%/15%Juggernaut (3 of 3 ranks)Juggernaut3 / 3 ranksIncreases your maximum Health by 1.5%/2.75%/4%
DefenderDefenderUp to 1 rankGrants +1 Armor and Magic Resist for each nearby enemy championLegendary ArmorLegendary ArmorUp to 3 ranksIncreases bonus Armor and Magic Resist by +2%/4%/6%Good HandsGood HandsUp to 1 rankReduce time spent dead by 10%Reinforced ArmorReinforced ArmorUp to 1 rankReduce damage taken from critical strikes by 10%
Honor Guard (1 of 1 ranks)Honor Guard1 / 1 ranks · CapstoneReduces damage taken from all sources by 3%

defense21

Summoner's InsightSummoner's InsightUp to 1 rankImproves the Summoner Spells Teleport, Flash, Clarity, Revive, and Clairvoyance.WandererWandererUp to 3 ranksGrants +0.66%/1.33%/2% increased Movement Speed when out of combatMeditationMeditationUp to 3 ranks+1/2/3 Mana Regen per 5 secondsImproved RecallImproved RecallUp to 1 rankReduces the cast time of Recall by 1 second
ScoutScoutUp to 1 rankWards gain 25% increased vision range for the first 3 seconds after placing themMastermindMastermindUp to 3 ranksReduces the cooldown of Summoner Spells by 4%/7%/10%Expanded MindExpanded MindUp to 3 ranks+4/7/10 mana per levelArtificerArtificerUp to 2 ranksReduces the cooldown of activated items by 7.5%/15%
GreedGreedUp to 4 ranksGrants an additional +0.5/1/1.5/2 gold every 10 secondsRunic AffinityRunic AffinityUp to 1 rankIncreases the duration of neutral monster buffs by 20%VampirismVampirismUp to 3 ranks+1%/2%/3% Lifesteal and Spell VampBiscuiteerBiscuiteerUp to 1 rankStart the game with a regenerative biscuit that restores 80 Health and 50 Mana over 10 seconds
WealthWealthUp to 2 ranksIncreases starting gold by 40/75AwarenessAwarenessUp to 4 ranksIncreases Experience earned by 1.25%/2.5%/3.75%/5%Strength of SpiritStrength of SpiritUp to 3 ranksUp to +1/2/3 Health Regen per 5 seconds for each 400 Mana you possessExplorerExplorerUp to 1 rankStart the game with an Explorer's Ward.
PickpocketPickpocketUp to 1 rankGrants 5 gold (melee) or 3 gold (ranged) each time you basic attack an enemy champion (5s cooldown)IntelligenceIntelligenceUp to 3 ranks+2%/4%/6% Cooldown Reduction
NimbleNimbleUp to 1 rank · CapstoneGrants 3% increased Movement Speed

utility0

Skill order

Max order››
Skill order by level for AD Bruiser
Lv123456789101112131415161718
Q1Q at level 14Q at level 45Q at level 57Q at level 79Q at level 9
W3W at level 314W at level 1415W at level 1517W at level 1718W at level 18
E2E at level 28E at level 810E at level 1012E at level 1213E at level 13
R6R at level 611R at level 1116R at level 16

Matchups

Strong against

  • SionSionRemove ScurvyRemove ScurvyWActive: Gangplank eats a large amount of citrus fruit, instantly removing all crowd control affecting him and healing himself. cleanses the Cryptic GazeCryptic GazeQSion's stare terrifies a single enemy, dealing damage and stunning them. slow that Sion's lane control runs on; without barrels the edge is thinner than it once was.Full matchup page
  • NasusNasusRemove ScurvyRemove ScurvyWActive: Gangplank eats a large amount of citrus fruit, instantly removing all crowd control affecting him and healing himself. shrugs off WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration., but the edge is thin: early ParrrleyParrrleyQActive: Gangplank fires his pistol at the target enemy, dealing physical damage. Parrrley can critically strike and applies on-hit effects, including Grog-Soaked Blade. If Parrrley kills the target, Gangplank gains bonus gold and refunds 50% of the mana cost. Parrrley resets Gangplank's basic attack timer. damage is weak enough that Nasus simply heals the poke back with Siphoning StrikeSiphoning StrikeQActive: Nasus empowers his next basic attack within 10 seconds to deal bonus physical damage. If Siphoning Strike kills the target, Nasus permanently gains 3 stacks, increased to 6 if the target is a champion, large minion, or large monster. Siphoning Strike resets Nasus' basic attack timer. farming.Full matchup page

Weak against

  • JaxJaxWith the barrels gone, early Gangplank has nothing that scares Jax: Counter StrikeCounter StrikeEActive: Jax enters Evasion for 2 seconds: a defensive stance that causes him to dodge all incoming non-turret basic attacks and take 25% reduced damage from all area of effect abilities sourced from champions. Counter Strike can be recast after 1 second, and does so automatically after the duration. Recast: Jax deals physical damage to nearby enemies, with the total damage increased by 20% for each attack dodged, up to a 100% increase, and stuns them for 1 second. wins every melee exchange and Jax only grows from there.Full matchup page
  • OlafOlafWith the barrels gone, Gangplank has no early bully phase left, and Olaf's true-damage trades run him down from level one.Full matchup page
  • PantheonPantheonAegis ProtectionAegis ProtectionPassiveInnate: Pantheon gains a stack of Aegis Protection when he lands a basic attack or casts an ability, up to a maximum of 4. Upon reaching 4 stacks, he consumes all stacks and gains Aegis Protection. Aegis Protection: Pantheon blocks the next incoming basic attack from an enemy champion, large monster, minion, or the next incoming shot from a turret. Can only block damage exceeding 40–100 pre-mitigation damage. Stacks of Aegis Protection cannot be gained during the blocking, also he cannot gain 2 Aegis Protection at the same time. eats the ParrrleyParrrleyQActive: Gangplank fires his pistol at the target enemy, dealing physical damage. Parrrley can critically strike and applies on-hit effects, including Grog-Soaked Blade. If Parrrley kills the target, Gangplank gains bonus gold and refunds 50% of the mana cost. Parrrley resets Gangplank's basic attack timer. harass for free while Spear ShotSpear ShotQActive: Pantheon hurls his spear at the target enemy, dealing them physical damage. Certain Death causes Spear Shot to deal (100% + Infinity Edge 25%) bonus physical damage. trades back; Gangplank never wins the exchange.Full matchup page

Classic vs modern5 recorded kit changes

Source kit

League Classic

5 changes

Compared with

Current League

Classic

Grog-Soaked Blade

Gangplank's attacks apply a poison that deals magic damage per second, increasing with level.

Current League

Trial by Fire

Every few seconds, Gangplank's melee strike will set his opponent on fire.

Classic-specific behavior

Classic's passive stacks five times and is applied by Q; by 2013 the maximum had already been cut to three stacks (5→4 in V1.0.0.121, 4→3 in V1.0.0.123) and Q had stopped applying it, so Classic's passive is an older-than-2013 configuration inside an otherwise 3.11 kit. Whether the in-game cap really is five stacks remains open.

Coming from current LeagueThere is no Powder Keg; the kit is auto-attack plus Parrrley to keep a stacking slow on someone while running them down, so bruiser builds, not barrel-crit burst, are correct.
Remembering Gangplank in 2013Cannon Barrage damage is random per cannonball, not a reliable teamfight nuke.

It is possible to get hit by five in a row or dodge all of them.

Base-stat shifts12
Base health
Classic: 576Current League: 630
Health per level
Classic: 81Current League: 114
Base mana
Classic: 255Current League: 280
Mana per level
Classic: 40Current League: 60
Base attack damage
Classic: 57Current League: 64
Attack damage per level
Classic: 3Current League: 0
Base armor
Classic: 23.8Current League: 31
Armor per level
Classic: 3.3Current League: 4.7
Base magic resist
Classic: 31.25Current League: 32
Magic resist per level
Classic: 1.25Current League: 2.05
Base attack speed
Classic: 0.651Current League: 0.658
Attack speed per level
Classic: 2.75%Current League: 3.2%

Skins

  • Gangplank

  • Spooky Gangplank

  • Special Forces Gangplank

  • Captain Gangplank

  • Dreadnova Gangplank

  • Pool Party Gangplank

  • Classic 2009 Gangplank

History & Notes

Released 2009-08-19, one of the original forty champions. Classic ships the pre-rework kit, frozen at patch 3.13.24. The modern game plays a different champion, compared under “Vs. modern”. Riot's next 3 balance steps after the freeze are listed below.

Changed after 3.13

  1. V4.5
    • Stats, Base armor increased to 20.5 from 16.5.
  2. V4.18
    • Cannon Barrage, Damage now applies in waves to the whole zone once every second from random damage zones at random intervals.
    • Cannon Barrage, Cooldown changed to 125/110/95 seconds from 120/115/110.
  3. V5.5
    • Grog-Soaked Blade, Fixed a bug where slow immune targets were also unaffected by the DoT.
Contributors
Reio