Skarner Wild Rift Tips — Expert Guide, Combos & Game Plan (Patch 7.2d)

Skarner Wild Rift Expert Guide

Standard engage combo

3 to close the gap + drag towards a wall (CD reset -35%), ultimate to stun up to 3 targets, 1 for the 3 empowered AAs during the stun, 2 to survive

1v1 all-in combo

2 AA

3 AA

1 for the empowered AAs, 3rd AA deals max HP damage, recast the 1 for the boulder (slow), dash if the enemy flees, ult as a finisher

Team engagement combo

Use the ultimate first to grab multiple targets, drag them into the allied team, use the empowered AAs, and use the shield to absorb incoming damage

Ixtal’s Impact (3) wall reset: when Skarner dashes whilst dragging a target and slams them against a wall, the cooldown of ability 3 is reduced by 35% — ALWAYS aim for the nearest wall to reset the dash more quickly
Shattered Earth (1) 3rd auto-attack: Ability 1 empowers 3 consecutive auto-attacks — the 3rd auto-attack deals 9% of the target’s maximum HP as physical damage plus a 40% slow — the auto-attacks must hit the SAME target to complete the sequence
Impale (Ult) multi-suppression: the ultimate suppresses up to 3 champions simultaneously — target groups of nearby enemies to maximise the number of targets, particularly in a choke point
Threads of Vibration (passive): auto-attacks and abilities apply stacks — at 3 stacks, the enemy takes X% of their maximum HP as magic damage — keep up the pressure on the same target to build up stacks

Ixtal’s Impact with no wall in sight: dragging a target away from walls does not reset the cooldown and leaves Skarner with no escape route — identify a wall before engaging and aim the dash towards it
Impale (Ult) on your own: the ultimate is far more effective with the team behind you — do not use the ultimate when solo diving; wait until your allies are in position to capitalise on the crowd control
Shattered Earth interrupted: if Skarner switches targets between the three empowered auto-attacks, the stacks do not count towards the final 9% max HP — always complete all three auto-attacks on the same target

Impale can hit targets with certain active invulnerabilities [to be confirmed in WR] — check interactions with Sivir’s Spell Shield and Vladimir’s Pool
The boulder from Upheaval (re-cast of ability 1) also slows — use it to peel for your ADC if an enemy dives
Skarner is particularly strong on maps with lots of walls and terrain (jungle, lanes) — the cooldown reset on ability 3 occurs more frequently in dense areas

Skarner is generally played as Jungle. The early goal is to protect lane tempo and reach the first strong setup.

Skarner is usually punished by forcing its first defensive or spacing tool too early.