Right from the beginning of season 10, Graves was identified as an extremely promising jungler with new lethality items, especially the Duskblade of Draktharr. However, at that time, the amount of resources received from the jungle was too low, and players preferred champions that could fight strongly at earlier item levels rather than a champion that farms and carries the game later like Graves.
It wasn’t until versions 10.7 and 10.8 of League of Legends, when the resources in the jungle were increased significantly, and the recovery capabilities from jungle items were buffed, that Graves made a strong comeback. Evidence of this can be seen in the crucial matches of the Spring 2020 tournaments, where teams frequently picked or banned this champion, simply because he was too strong.
But the question arises: why Swift Speed? While points like Fleet Footwork, Press the Attack, or even Electrocute seem theoretically stronger, the fact is that these superior rune points are often chosen with Graves. However, in a real match, especially in tournaments, having additional damage from runes is not as important as the ability to move flexibly and kite opponents.
Graves has a unique characteristic of attacking opponents in a rhythmic manner. In one dash, if he executes a full combo of basic attacks twice, Q, and W, along with one dash from his E ability, you will run out of damage. If you use other rune points, opponents may completely suffer significant damage after the first combo and counterattack while you are still busy reloading and your skills are on cooldown. Without flexible movement, it is very difficult to survive in such a situation.
The Swift Speed rune is different; you can simply auto-attack twice, E once more, and auto-attack again to activate this rune. At that point, you gain a significant amount of movement speed and can chase, intercept, or at most retreat if there is danger, while also saving skills for other situations.
Remember that in the current meta, there are many melee champions in the solo lane and jungle, all of which have strong crowd control abilities, so having a substantial amount of movement speed to kite is essential for Graves. When you can “toy” with opponents like that, it becomes very difficult for them to eliminate you without paying a price since you still have damage from previously saved abilities, not to mention teammates arriving just in time when you stall long enough.
Moreover, the rune points in the Sorcery tree are perfect for a jungler like Graves. Nimbus Cloak increases movement speed, Waterwalking provides ganking potential, and Absolute Focus boosts damage… In summary, Graves with Swift Speed is the best choice at this moment.
Regarding item builds, Graves usually has two main build paths: one focused on Lethality and the other on versatility and survivability in team fights. With the Lethality build, you can start with the Warrior Enchantment, then get the Duskblade of Draktharr and the Night Harvester to maximize damage, afterwards you can choose items based on the situation. Items like the Cloak of Agility to block dangerous abilities, the Blade of the Ruined King to reduce armor, or the Galeforce to dispel effects are worth considering.
With a versatile build, after the Warrior Enchantment, the Black Cleaver and the Galeforce are two crucial items that help Graves become much tankier in team fights. After that, depending on the situation, you can choose between defensive options like Thornmail, survivability with Guardian Angel, or pure damage with Infinity Edge.
In conclusion, Graves is making a strong comeback in the current game meta, regardless of your playstyle, he still has a significant impact on the match. He is the new rapid rank climber of the current version.