Gwen is an AP fighter who scales hard with items and destroys tanks with true damage. Her W Mist is her safety net — learn to cast W and center it immediately so enemies outside can't target you. Q center true damage is your kill condition.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
A Thousand Cuts
Passive
Gwen's attacks deal bonus magic damage based on the targets health. She heals for a portion of the damage dealt to champions by this effect.
Q
Snip Snip!
Snip Snip! — Rapid multi-snip burst, final snip deals true damage in center
Gwen snips her scissors in a cone up to 6 times dealing magic damage. Gwen deals true damage to units in the center and applies her passive to them on each snip.
CD: 6.5/5.75/5/4.25/3.5 · Cost: 40
Channel Q fully for maximum snips — the final hit deals true damage in the center. Position so the enemy is in the center.
W
Hallowed Mist
Hallowed Mist — Untargetable zone; enemies outside cannot target Gwen inside
Gwen summons mist that protects her from enemies outside of it. She can only be targeted by enemies who enter the mist.
CD: 22/21/20/19/18 · Cost: 60
Cast W and walk to the center immediately — enemies outside the mist cannot target you at all.
E
Skip 'n Slash
Skip 'n Slash — Short dash with empowered attack speed and AP amplified autos
Gwen dashes a short distance then gains Attack Speed, attack range, and magic damage On-Hit for a few seconds. If she hits an enemy during that time, this Ability's cooldown is partially refunded.
CD: 13/12.5/12/11.5/11 · Cost: 35
E for attack speed boost then Q — the attack speed amplifies Q's multi-snip damage.
R
Needlework
Needlework — Three-hit ranged needle barrage that slows and deals AP damage
Gwen hurls a needle that slows enemies hit, deals magic damage, and applies A Thousand Cuts to champions hit. This ability can be cast up to two more times, with each cast throwing additional needles and dealing more damage.
CD: 120/100/80 · Cost: 100
R from range to proc the first hit, then engage melee for the second and third hits. All three hits slow.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q for maximum true damage output. Then E for attack speed and dash frequency, last W.
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Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter
Doran's Shield
HP sustain to survive early poke before W Mist is available at level 2.
450g
Core
Riftmaker
Omnivamp healing in extended fights. True damage stacks amplify Q center true damage synergistically.
3100g
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Slow on Q snips keeps enemies in center hit zone. HP for durability.
2600g
Liandry's Anguish
Burn damage synergizes with Rylai's slow. DoT during Q channel stacks significantly.
3200g
Situational
Void Staff
Percent magic pen vs MR-stacking enemies.
2800g
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stasis to bait CC while inside W Mist — enemies waste abilities on Hourglass.
3250g
Rabadon's Deathcap
Massive AP amplifier for full-build Q burst scenarios.
3800g
Riftmaker's true damage stacks amplify Gwen's Q center true damage — they synergize directly for massive burst in extended fights.
Runes
Precision Primary
Conqueror
Stacks with Q multi-snips rapidly in extended fights. Full Conqueror healing synergizes with Riftmaker omnivamp.
Triumph
Kill heals during multi-target fights — sustain through consecutive fight phases.
Legend: Alacrity
Attack speed stacks Q snip count faster — more snips means more true damage procs.
Last Stand
W Mist protects Gwen when low HP — Last Stand amplifies Q burst at low health safely inside Mist.
Sorcery Secondary
Transcendence
CDR on kills keeps Q on short cooldown for rapid back-to-back true damage channels.
Gathering Storm
Late-game AP scaling amplifies Q center true damage and R needle damage significantly.
Shards
Ability Power · Health · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Gwen
01
Early Game
Early Phase
- E into enemy for attack speed, then Q fully channeled for true damage center hit.
- W when enemy wants to trade back — walk to Mist center and they can't target you.
- R first hit from range then close for hits 2 and 3 for the slow.
02
Mid Game
Mid Phase
- Splitpush with E+Q damage pattern.
- Your W Mist negates Renekton E1→W stun, Darius E pull, and other melee CC — all targeted CC is blocked by Mist.
- Gwen's power spike at Riftmaker + Rylai's makes her kite-proof.
03
Late Game
Late Phase
- In teamfights, E into their frontline, W to block their CC, and Q channel for massive true damage bursts.
- R to slow anyone trying to escape before your Q channel completes.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Gwen
Gwen's teamfight is built around W Mist safety and Q center true damage. Cast W, walk to the center, channel Q on the priority carry while enemies outside can't stop you.
1
Engage — E Dash + W Mist
Fight opener
01
E dash into melee range of the priority carry — attack speed boost procs immediately.
02
Cast W immediately and walk to the center — enemies outside cannot target you at all.
03
Channel Q with the carry in the center zone for maximum snips and true damage.
W Mist only blocks targeted abilities — AoE abilities still hit you inside the Mist. Dodge AoE manually.
2
Mid-Fight — Conqueror Q Burst
Sustained fight
01
Full Conqueror stacks active during prolonged Q channels — massive healing from Riftmaker omnivamp.
02
R any carry trying to escape — three slow hits keep them in Q center range.
03
Rylai's slow on every snip prevents carries from repositioning out of Q center zone.
3
Cleanup — True Damage Carries
Post-fight
01
Re-cast W if focused by remaining enemies after the first rotation.
02
E onto fleeing targets for an empowered auto to chase.
03
Q channel again on any remaining priority target — Riftmaker true damage stacks up.
Q deals more snips the longer the enemy stands in it — position so the enemy must walk through Q to escape rather than sideways.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Gwen.
Basic
W Mist center blocks all targeted abilities
immediately walk to the center after casting W.
Intermediate
Q center true damage hits only in the snip center zone
position the enemy inside the central hit area.
Intermediate
E gives attack speed that stacks Q snips faster
always E before Q for maximum snip count.
Advanced
R first hit can be thrown from long range
throw hit 1, then close melee for hits 2 and 3.
Basic
W only blocks targeted abilities
AoE from Orianna, Lux, etc. still hits inside Mist.
Intermediate
Conqueror + Riftmaker omnivamp heals massively during Q c...
intentionally take damage to proc both.
Advanced
Rylai's slow on every Q snip keeps enemies in the center ...
rush it second.
Advanced
Your true damage ignores armor and MR
building AP makes you deal true+magic damage that beats any tank.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Gwen is countered by champions who can fight outside her W Mist range and AoE mages whose abilities penetrate the Mist boundary.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Fiora's W Parry blocks Gwen's Q and the true damage proc. Her Vitals deal true damage that ignores Gwen's W Mist protection.
Bait Fiora's W before channeling Q. Her Parry has a long CD early — the window after it's used is your kill window.
Darius's E pull brings Gwen out of her own Mist center. His Hemorrhage stacks regardless of Mist.
W before Darius can E pull — Mist blocks his targeted E if cast first. Watch for his E animation.
Renekton's E dash is not targeted — it passes through Gwen's Mist. His burst in 1-2 seconds beats Gwen's channel setup time.
W before Renekton E1 connects — the Mist doesn't stop his dash but blocks his W stun if he targets after entering.
Wins Against
Gwen's true damage completely bypasses Cho'Gath's massive HP stack. Her Q center true damage melts him despite his Feast stacks.
W blocks Cho'Gath's Q knockup — cast Mist when he aims Q. Your Q center true damage ignores all his HP stacking.
Gwen's W blocks Malphite's targeted Q poke. Her Q true damage ignores his armor scaling.
W blocks his Q — he has no poke against you inside Mist. Your true damage completely counters his armor itemization.
Gwen's W blocks Nasus's Wither targeted slow. Q true damage ignores his armor and HP stacking.
W proactively before Nasus tries to Wither — you're untargetable inside Mist. His kit has no answer to your true damage.