Naafiri vs Garen MID Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Naafiri

VS

Mid

Garen

Naafiri vs Garen

Updated Jun 5, 2026

Overview

This mid-lane matchup is a medium-agency, medium-pressure snowball fight where Naafiri must chip Garen with (Q) poke before committing to all-ins.
Manage wave states to avoid predictable (W) engages and punish Garen's lack of mobility by isolating him for pack-enhanced burst.

Trading pattern

Start trades with (Q) poke to apply bleed and gauge Garen's defensive cooldowns before engaging.
Commit (W) dash only when Garen's silence (Q) or spin (E) are on cooldown or he is low enough to burst.
Use (R) to enhance chase and secure kills on isolated or low-health Garen after successful poke.

Danger windows

(Q) silence followed by (E) spin creates a dangerous short trade window; avoid engaging when these are available.
Be cautious when (W) damage reduction is up, as it can absorb your burst and punish your engage.
After Garen reaches bruiser item spikes, his durability increases; avoid committing all-ins without prior poke advantage.

Early game

Use early (Q) poke on Garen to chip his health and force him to play around your cooldowns before level 6.
Avoid committing (W) before landing (Q) bleed to ensure a safe all-in window.
Keep the wave in a state that prevents Garen from easily stepping up for his short trades with (Q) silence and (E) spin.

Power spikes

Level 6 (R) is a major spike; use it to increase chase and all-in potential, forcing Garen to respect your engage or lose kills.
First lethality item completion boosts your (Q) poke and burst; pressure Garen aggressively while tracking his defensive cooldowns.
Respect Garen's level 6 (R) execute window by avoiding extended trades when low on health.

Win conditions

Deny Garen free farm by punishing his CS attempts with (Q) poke and crashing waves before he can trade.
Use (Q) poke to chip Garen and wait for his key cooldowns to expire before using (W) and (R) to all-in.
Snowball through picks by isolating Garen with your pack and roaming to other lanes during his cooldown windows.