Anivia vs Gnar Counter Pick

Gnar’s kit runs on a transformation mechanic: Rage Gene builds meter in combat, and at maximum Rage his next ability turns him into Mega Gnar, swapping every one of his abilities for a heavier variant — Boulder Toss instead of Boomerang Throw, Crunch instead of Hop, and so on. Managing that meter without losing track of quiet-form squishiness is part of why Gnar carries a difficulty rating of 8.

Anivia still wins the matchup comfortably, taking 60.0% of 180 recorded games on patch 16.13.1. Her own difficulty rating of 10 is higher still, but Gnar’s level-18 HP of 1,883 is low for a top laner committed to a mixed-damage, transform-dependent kit, and Anivia’s 600 range lets her chip that health away with Flash Frost and Frostbite well before Rage Gene fills up. Crystallize’s wall is also a direct counter to GNAR!, since Mega Gnar’s ultimate throws enemies toward a wall for bonus stun duration — a threat that only exists if Gnar can force Anivia into range of one in the first place.

Both share a magic resist stat close in value (30 for Gnar, matching Anivia’s own base), so itemization doesn’t tilt heavily either way. The winrate here comes down to Anivia’s range letting her fight the matchup largely on her own terms before the mini-form-to-Mega-form threshold is reached. Gnar’s full kit is on his champion page.