Overview

Grohk is a support Champion that utilises a totem to heal and bolster his allies. As his primary means of attack, Grohk wields a lightning staff that fires a constant beam of electricity in a straight line, dealing damage rapid speed. The rest of his kit revolves around his healing totem (which provides an AOE heal) or his Ghost Walk (which provides temporary immunity). Despite Grohk being one of my favorite Champions, he's not particularly great to play. In comparison to other Support Champions, there are also much better options. 

While his healing totem is good, its static nature of play combined with his relatively lacklustre Ultimate ability and slow Ghost Walk (by default) makes him a vulnerable and at times niche Champion. 

Updated: 13 March 2017

Abilities

Lightning Staff (LMB) - With 75 "ammo" Lightning Staff will continue to fire until the ammo is depleted. Without the ability to reload, the weapon works on a charge system and when its charge reaches zero, Grohk will reload automatically. If you stop firing at any point, the weapon will also recharge back to full. Unless you can secure a kill it's best to avoid draining your Lightning Staff and instead poke, wait for it to recharge and poke again. If you don't, you'll suffer a fairly lengthy reload time where you're particularly vulnerable. It's also worth nothing that the range of the staff is very long, allowing you to usually poke at the enemy from relative safety.  

Shock Pulse (RMB) - As a single projectile, Shock Pulse fires the moment it's used and requires particularly good aiming to land against fast moving targets. If you can land it however, it deals a small amount of damage but slows enemies for 2 seconds. Key to use Shock Pulse is ensuring that it can bounce between targets, with all enemies who receive the bounce also suffering the slow. 

Healing Totem (Q) - Healing Totem allows Grohk to place a small totem at his feet, that heals in a radius around him. The totem cannot move and it can be killed. With a small health pool, it’s actually incredibly easy to destroy. That said, Grohk and his allies can stand in front of the totem to ensure it takes no damage and to utilise the healing it provides to offset any incoming damage. The main thing to remember with the Healing Totem is that you have to use it strategically. With a 15 second cooldown you cannot afford to drop it and have it killed as both you and your team will miss out on vital healing. Try to always place your totem behind ally shielding (Barik’s Barricade or Fernado’s Shield).

Ghost Walk (F) - Ghost Walk is your primary “out” and allows Grohk to turn into a spirit, allowing him to avoid all incoming damage. During this time he also gains a small speed buff and removes all debuffs. What makes it particularly useful is that not only is it a valuable tool for escaping, but it’s great for baiting the enemy. If you want them to use a specific skill, you can ensure that when they do, you avoid all damage and your team can then push forwards. You should be aware that because of its short duration (only 1.5 seconds) you have a very limited time in order to escape or seek cover - remaining on the edge of a fight will help here.

Tempest (E) - Tempest offers an AOE attack that strikes up to two targets, while healing two allies. During its channel Grohk can still be damage but he can move. The fact it only affects two enemies (dealing 200 damage every 0.5 seconds for 3 seconds) does limit its potential as if they turn their attention to you, you'll quickly die. On the flip side, you can also use it defensively when behind your team to ensure you provide a high dose of near instant healing. My best recommendation for Tempest is to save it until there's a large group fight and only use it when you've a front line ahead of you. 

Legendary Card

Building on our loadout favoring Shock Pulse, Maelstrom allows you to lower the cooldown of Shock Pulse every time you deal damage with your lightning staff. It effectively ensures you can maintain Shock Pulse near permanently. 

Loadout

For my personal playstyle, I find Grohk is at his strongest when utilising Shock Pulse. It's his only utility and outside of his Ultimate or when his Healing Totem is on cooldown, he needs the slow that this brings to dictate play. With that in mind, this Loadout focuses on granting Grohk survivability with an improved Ghost Walk but also increasing the radius against and lowering the cooldown on Shock Pulse when you strike enemies. 

Variables: For a Loadout focused purely on support that provides HUGE amounts of healing and sustain, take the below.

Item Shop 

I would strongly recommend you purchase items from Utility and Defense as Grohk. There's little if any requirement to venture into Healing or Attack as your team, for the most part, should be doing the heavy lifting in these areas. 

Please note where multiple options are presented below, the choice remains your own based on the composition you're facing. 

Utility (1st)

Chronos: Grohk relies massively on cooldowns, not just for his own sustain but for the protection of others. Starting at 10%, Chronos eventually lowers cooldowns up to a maximum of 30%. 

Defense (2nd)

Illuminate*: Like many Champions, Grohk is incredibly vulnerable to Skye and she can comfortably burst him down before he can do much about it. A skilled Skye will also delete your Healing Turret incredibly quickly. Taking Illuminate for greater visibility against her (50% by default) works very well. 

*Only if the enemy team has Skye

Haven: Mitigation never hurts and reducing your incoming damage by 10% (by default) is great for Grohk. He's often poked by ranged attackers or harrassed by melee so it provides some much needed survivability when your Ghost Walk is on cooldown. 

*Purchase order

Matchups

These Champion threat Levels (1 being lowest threat and 10 being highest threat) are to help you determine which enemy Champions can cause you difficulty. For Champions listed here, take extra care as they're particularly dangerous for Grohk. 

Tips and Tricks

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Grohk play. We'll continue to add to the list as required and if you have any tips you'd like to share, let us know in the comments below and we'll place them here. 

1. Remember that your totem can be destroyed incredibly quickly. Ensure you body block in front of it or place it behind a shield or barricade.

2. Your totem has a lengthy cooldown, only place it if you know you and your team can utilise its benefits for as long as possible.

3. Your Lightning Staff is often easiest to aim from afar. Up close it’s very hard to land on players when they’re strafing.

4. Always use Ghost Walk when you get low health but remember to try to find cover during its duration expires.

5. Try to ensure you use Shock Pulse when you can affect multiple enemies at once.

6. Although you can fight on the point, you shouldn’t due to your inability to survive long periods. If you can, drop your totem for your allies and move back.

7. Remember your Ultimate ability effects two enemies and two allies. Both at the same time if neccesary, just don't forget you can still be hurt when channelling it. 

8. Try to use Ghost Walk when you expect incoming damage. Your movement speed isn't amazing, even when boosted so it's often ideal purely for immediate mitigation.

9. You can kill players fairly easily as Grohk, especially most flankers, because your Healing Totem provides such high health return. Just sit in your totem and go toe to toe with the likes of Evie. 

10. Be very concious of when you use Healing Totem. Too early and it'll likely be destroyed. Too late and your team may die. It heals over time so try to use it when you and those around you are half health.