Gangplank in League Classic: Legacy Kit and Changes

Gangplank in League Classic plays his kit from before the 2015 rework, with Grog-Soaked Blade in place of Trial by Fire. Here is his Classic kit, how it compares to live, and his Patch 26.22 buff.

By the MID.GG editorial team

Patch 26.22 3 November 2026 4 min read

At a glance

Gangplank in League Classic is the pirate from before his 2015 rework. He is a melee fighter built around a stacking passive, a mana-hungry Parrrley and a long-cooldown Cannon Barrage. The first thing a live player notices is the passive: it is Grog-Soaked Blade, not Trial by Fire.

He joined the mode in Patch 26.22, the first Classic entry we have for him. That same patch already buffed him. Browse the rest of the roster on our League Classic champions page.

The Classic kit

Riot has not published a full ability text for Classic Gangplank in the notes we have. The one entry is a balance patch, so the kit below is limited to what that patch touches. The changes are period-accurate numbers and reverted nerfs from his pre-2015 version, which tells you which kit you are playing.

Base stats: the patch raises his base health regeneration and his health gained per level, so he gets tankier as the game goes on.
Passive, Grog-Soaked Blade: a stacking effect on his attacks. Its stack cap rises from 3 to 4, so the passive has more room to build in an extended fight.
Q, Parrrley: his main ranged poke and farming tool. It costs mana at every rank, and that cost now runs 40 to 60 across its five ranks instead of 50 to 70.
R, Cannon Barrage: his ultimate, which has three ranks and a long cooldown. The first rank stays at 120 seconds, while later ranks come back faster than before.
W and E: the Classic notes do not mention either, so we cannot confirm how they work in the mode yet.

How it differs from today’s Gangplank

The biggest confirmed difference is the passive. Live Gangplank uses Trial by Fire, which sets an enemy on fire with a melee strike every few seconds. Classic Gangplank uses Grog-Soaked Blade, which stacks, now up to 4 times. Instead of waiting on a timer, you build it up through repeated attacks.

Q, Parrrley keeps its name in both versions. Live Parrrley shoots a target and plunders gold for each enemy it kills. The Classic notes only cover its mana cost, so treat any extra behavior as unconfirmed. What you can count on is a cheaper Q, which means more poke and last-hits before you run dry in lane.

W and E are where live players should be careful. Today’s Gangplank eats citrus with Remove Scurvy to cleanse crowd control and heal, and places Powder Keg barrels that spread his attack damage and slow. Neither ability appears in the Classic notes. Do not assume your barrel combos carry over until you have checked the kit card in game.

R, Cannon Barrage shares its name with the live ultimate, which has his ship bombard an area to slow and damage enemies. In Classic, its cooldown at ranks 2 and 3 is tuned separately from live, dropping to 110 and 100 seconds. If you want the live kit’s combos and matchups, our Gangplank guide and Gangplank stats and builds cover the current version, not the Classic one.

Key takeawayWhat carries over from live

Only the names Parrrley and Cannon Barrage are confirmed in both kits.

The passive is different: Grog-Soaked Blade stacks, Trial by Fire burns on a timer.
Powder Keg and Remove Scurvy are not in the Classic notes, so do not plan around them.
Classic Parrrley is cheaper to cast, and Classic Cannon Barrage cools down faster at higher ranks.

Classic patch history

Classic Gangplank has received one balance patch since he arrived, and it was a buff. The Patch 26.22 notes describe him as still struggling in top and jungle. They answer with old pre-rework numbers on his passive, Parrrley and Cannon Barrage. The only new idea is the base stat change, which aims to let him survive longer fights instead of relying only on burst. Follow future tuning on our patch notes hub.

Patch 26.22

Riot’s reasoning
The changes restore pre-2015 numbers and add sturdier base stats because Gangplank was still underperforming in top and jungle.

Base Stats

Base Health Regeneration: 5changed to 7
Health per Level: 81changed to 89

PassiveGrog-Soaked Blade

Maximum Stacks: 3changed to 4

QParrrley

Mana Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70changed to 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60

RCannon Barrage

Cooldown: 120 / 115 / 110schanged to 120 / 110 / 100s

MID.GG analysis

This buff targets both staying power and uptime. Higher health regeneration and health per level let him hold lane and stay in longer fights, and the fourth Grog-Soaked Blade stack rewards trading over several attacks. Cheaper Parrrley casts and a faster Cannon Barrage at ranks 2 and 3 mean more poke in lane and more ultimates over a full game.

Frequently asked questions

What is different about Gangplank in League Classic?

Classic Gangplank uses his kit from before his 2015 rework. His passive is Grog-Soaked Blade, a stacking effect, rather than the live Trial by Fire burn. The Classic notes never mention Powder Keg. Parrrley and Cannon Barrage keep their names but have their own Classic mana and cooldown tuning.

When did Gangplank arrive in League Classic?

Gangplank’s League Classic arrival dates to Patch 26.22, the first Classic patch entry we have for him. That same patch buffed his base stats, his passive stack cap, Parrrley’s mana cost and Cannon Barrage’s cooldown. The notes frame these as period-accurate changes from before his 2015 rework.

Does Classic Gangplank have Powder Keg barrels?

The League Classic patch notes do not mention Powder Keg, the barrel ability in today’s kit, so we cannot confirm it is in the mode. The notes describe his version from before the 2015 rework, covering Grog-Soaked Blade, Parrrley and Cannon Barrage. Check the kit card on this page for Riot’s own lines.

Is there a best Gangplank build for League Classic?

No reliable build exists. League Classic has no statistics of any kind, so there are no win rates, pick rates or build data for the mode. The Patch 26.22 notes say the base stat buffs are meant to make him sturdier. That is a design goal, not a tested build recommendation.

Sources

Riot Games: League of Legends Patch 26.22 Notes