Kassadin is extremely weak before level 5, so Gragas dominates the whole early lane with Barrel Roll (Q) poke and Body Slam (E).

Gragas interrupts Katarina's ult (Death Lotus) with Body Slam (E), and his Drunken Rage (W) self-heal shrugs off her dagger harass.

Gragas's Barrel Roll (Q) outranges Annie's stun range, letting him poke safely, and his tankiness wins short trades.

Gragas cuts off Akali's shroud burst with Body Slam (E), and his tankiness plus W sustain survives her combo to punish the all-in.

Gragas dodges or knocks away Zed's all-in with Body Slam (E), and survives with Explosive Cask (R) knockback and his tankiness.

Ziggs pokes from outside range with Bouncing Bomb (Q) and shoves the wave fast, denying Gragas any window to engage.

Vel'Koz chips Gragas down with long-range Q/W skillshots before he can ever close into Body Slam range.

If caught by Lux's Light Binding (Q) she chains ult for huge damage, and her long-range poke keeps Gragas from closing.

Getting hit by Zoe's Sleepy Trouble Bubble (E) leads to lethal poke, and her long range harasses Gragas one-sidedly.

Vladimir dodges Gragas's E-R combo with Sanguine Pool (W), and out-sustains and out-scales him to flip the lane.