Welcome to my Gangplank guide! My IGN is SaltMining, and I reached Platinum III in Season 6 by playing primarily Gangplank and Kayle in the top lane. Though I mainly play Gangplank in the top lane, the strategies I cover in this article can be applied to Gangplank Mid (or ADC, if that's your thing...). As players climb higher on the ladder, they become more adept at disarming Gangplank's barrels. However, Gangplank's kit has two tricks we can use to catch enemies by surprise: the Triple Barrel and the Phantom Double Barrel.

When (and when not) to use these combos

Usually, there is no need to pull off an "instant barrel" combo (where you link a barrel to an already exploding chain). Regular single barrel and double barrel combos (where you lay down all the barrels you need, and then shoot) almost always accomplish the same goal as a harder combo.

When are regular combos sufficient?

In your average teamfight: Players even up through Diamond fail to keep track of Gangplank's barrels in hectic teamfights. This is where you can melt tanks and carries in a blink of an eye. This is especially true if you hide your barrels in bushes.

Following up on allies: If your allied Malphite lands a 5-man ult, there's no need to waste all three of your barrels for your montage. Just set down one or two barrels and calmly follow up.

Safe poke: Burning all three of Gangplank's barrels on a Triple Barrel means you have to succeed, or else you'll be unable to do damage for the next ~10 seconds.

However, the trademark characteristic of all "instant barrel" combos is how little time enemies have to react. When your barrels are placed correctly, your enemies will have to either dash extremely early, or burn Flash. If your barrel chain is out of the enemy's vision, they may not even Flash in time. In summary, these barrel combos are best used to either catch enemies out of position, or damage someone who is skilled at dodging/playing very safe.

The Triple Barrel Combo

All successful Gangplank players must be able to execute the Triple Barrel. Since you will be laying down the last barrel as it explodes, this combo can hit anyone within your E range. To execute this combo:

1. Place down two linked barrels
2. Shoot the first barrel
3. Lay down the third barrel

The combo has a steep cost: all 3 barrels you can hold. However, this makes it one of the strongest combos you can use:

- Triple Barrel is very sudden. Every time, it appears to be a normal double barrel combo, right until you lay down the third barrel. You can easily punish enemies who don't respect your barrel range, and smart players will stay entirely out of your E range until after you burn your barrels.

- Triple Barrel has a relatively safe range. While the positioning is slightly riskier than a normal combo, you can still reach a little outside of an ADC's attack range.

All in all, the Triple Barrel is a very good sieging and catching tool. Use it when you have extra barrels lying on terrain (so you aren't entirely helpless if the enemy engages on your zero-barrel Gangplank).

The Phantom Double Barrel

The Phantom (or Instant) Double is the hardest combo to execute in Gangplank's kit. To execute this combo:

1. Set down the 1st barrel
2. Walk to maximum Q range (with lower ping and more experience, you can stand a bit closer)
3. Shoot the barrel
4. Place down your 2nd barrel (there is NO TIME to place outside of your E range)

You must place down the second barrel within your Q travel time. There is less room for error than the Triple Barrel, so it is important to stand as far away as possible when firing.

This Double Barrel is most effective in that most players either don't expect it (or may not even know it is possible to execute), or don't think you can pull it off. Like all instant combos, it is very good for catching someone by surprise, even if they have Flash/escape. However, there are several downsides to consider when executing a double barrel:

- You have to be positioned correctly. Almost always, you can't phantom double barrel enemies from a safe distance. (A normal double combo can work, though)

- The combo is very hard and ping dependent. If you fail this in a duel/teamfight, you'll most likely lose, since you've wasted all of your burst damage.

- There is no "range advantage" in comparison to any of the other combos.

I recommend using this combo only when you need to get a fast kill/pick, but only have two barrels available.

In summary, the Phantom Double Barrel is overall riskier (harder to execute, has less range, requires dangerous positioning) than the Triple Barrel. However, if you manage to pull it off, it is almost guaranteed to hit, even against the most skilled players.

Additional Tips

With any barrel combo, it's important to keep laying barrels in bushes as you walk around with your team. Try to keep 2 barrels at hand, with one always recharging. This way, you will always have enough barrels for a 2 barrel combo, but can still execute a 3 barrel if there is already one lying near you.

Barrel Ticks

Practice shooting barrels right as they tick down to 1 HP. This allows you to pull off combos before enemies can disarm them. Remember that the range at which you fire Q influences how long you need to wait. Practice at max range, as well as using melee autos.

Also, there are three different barrel decay speeds, depending on Gangplank's level. Be aware of when you hit level 7 and 13, as your spike in decay speed can catch both you and your lane opponent off-guard.

Level 1-6: Barrels tick down every 2 seconds. Practice at level 1-6 the most. People tend to mess up the hardest at early levels, when the decay timer is long. Also, with such a long recharge cooldown, it's important you don't let your lane opponent disarm your barrels. In lane, you won't be able to use your E for on-demand damage. Instead, you'll be using these to establish zone control in a melee matchup, farm/poke in a ranged matchup, or escape ganks.

Level 7-12: Barrels tick down every 1 second. Around these levels, combos will be easier to pull off, since you won't have to sit around waiting for a 2 second decay timer. You can look to group around these levels - when other lane opponents see you for the first time, they'll usually fail at disarming your barrels, and you can easily pull off combos.

Level 13+: Barrels tick down every 0.5 second. When you're trying to poke at these levels, multiple enemies will auto your barrels simultaneously, making it hard to win the "disarm race". Therefore, barrel positioning and combo execution is much more important than beating enemies to the barrel. Chances are, if someone's disarming a barrel next to you (outside of a teamfight), you aren't setting it up in the right place.

Middle Barrel

This combo is rarely useful, but can be used to bait melee champions into range. Usually, this is most effective in lane, where you do not have to worry about grouped Marksmen/Mages disarming your barrels.

Thanks for reading my Gangplank guide! Remember to practice these combos in custom games, as they aren't easily pulled off on the first try. If you can't get it, try copying exactly what is shown in the videos, and work from there. Good luck on the Rift, and remember, Gangplank is one of the most rewarding champions to master in the game!

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