Gnar’s abilities should be maximized quite unspectacularly in the order R>Q>W>E. Your Q is indispensable as a waveclear and for poking and should therefore receive 5 skill points as quickly as possible. After that, the additional damage from your W is more valuable than the lower cooldown on the E. So you only really need to think about whether to take Q first at level 1 to poke your opponent or E to have an escape. In dangerous matchups, E can save your opponent’s life with a level 1 all-in.

The different skill sets of Mini-Gnar and Mega-Gnar are important to mention. While the Q is a skillshot in both cases, which deals damage and slows the opponent, the other two abilities change a little more when you change form. The W gives Mini-Gnar a 3-hit passive, which gives him a lot of DPS in longer trades. As a Mega Gnar, on the other hand, the W deals a lot of AoE burst damage and stuns enemies it hits. The situation is similar with the E: while Mini-Gnar gains additional attack speed and can cover a greater range with the double jump, Mega-Gnar inflicts a greater amount of AoE damage. There is also the special feature that Gnar can only use his ultimate ability as Mega Gnar, which as we know also deals a lot of area damage and offers AoE CC.