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Nasus Counters: Who Beats Nasus

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Nasus counters are top laners who punish him early, poke him from range while he farms Siphoning Strike stacks, or cut his Life Steal. He’s a 125-range fighter whose Q grows stronger with every last hit, backed by a heavy slow, an Armor-shredding flame and a sandstorm ultimate that makes him bigger and tougher.

One question picked them: who stops the stacking, based on his patch 26.21 ability text. No win-rate data was used.

Nasus counters: Nasus, the Curator of the Sands, splash art

Why is Nasus hard to counter?

  • Soul Eater (passive): grants him bonus Life Steal.
  • Siphoning Strike (Q): a strike that deals damage and permanently increases future Siphoning Strikes when it kills the target. Cooldown 7.5/6.5/5.5/4.5/3.5.
  • Wither (W): ages an enemy champion, slowing their Move Speed and Attack Speed over time. Cooldown 15/14/13/12/11.
  • Spirit Fire (E): a flame at a location that damages and lowers the Armor of enemies standing in it. Cooldown 12.
  • Fury of the Sands (R): a sandstorm that damages nearby enemies and gives him Health, Attack Range, Armor, Magic Resist and a shorter Siphoning Strike cooldown while it lasts. Cooldown 120/100/80.

Nasus is a clock. Every kill with Siphoning Strike makes the next one hit harder, permanently, and by the late game a single Q can take a big chunk of anyone’s Health. Wither keeps you from running, Spirit Fire lowers your Armor, and Fury of the Sands makes him tankier and gives him more range. So the answer is obvious, right? Don’t let the clock run. Pressure him early, poke him while he’s trying to last-hit, and make each trade cost him Health that Soul Eater’s Life Steal can’t fully recover. His 125 range and lack of any dash make that easier than it sounds.

Which champions are the best Nasus counters?

Jayce

Shock Blast (Q in Cannon Stance) fires an orb that damages everyone near where it detonates, and fired through Acceleration Gate it gains speed, range and damage. That’s poke from far outside 125 range, every time Nasus walks up to stack a minion. Hyper Charge (W) maxes his Attack Speed for several cannon attacks. When Nasus finally commits with Fury of the Sands, the hammer’s Thundering Blow (E) knocks him back a short distance, and swapping stances with Mercury Cannon (R) is only a 6 second cooldown. Hextech Capacitor (passive) adds Move Speed on every swap, which helps against Wither’s slow.

Teemo

From 500 range, every Teemo auto carries Toxic Shot (E) poison, an impact hit plus four seconds of ticking damage. Nasus has to step forward to last-hit, and every step costs Health. Blinding Dart (Q) blinds him for its duration, which hurts a champion who fights with his weapon. Move Quick (W) adds Move Speed and a sprint that isn’t stopped by taking damage, a way out of a Wither chase. Noxious Trap (R) mushrooms slow and poison, and Guerrilla Warfare (passive) turns Teemo invisible when he stands still. Honestly, it’s one of the more frustrating lanes Nasus can get.

Gnar

Mini Gnar’s Boomerang Throw (Q) damages and slows on its way out and back, and catching it reduces the cooldown, so he pokes Nasus from 175 attack range with little downtime. Hyper (W) rewards repeat hits. Once Rage Gene (passive) fills, Mega Gnar arrives with Wallop (W), an area stun, and GNAR! (R), which throws enemies in a chosen direction and stuns those who hit a wall. Hop (E) leaps and bounces off units for extra distance, a good escape from a Nasus with his ultimate up. Thing is, Gnar’s Rage timing decides the trades, not raw damage.

Darius

Darius bleeds his targets with every attack and damaging ability (his passive, Hemorrhage), up to five stacks, and five stacks means a huge Attack Damage spike. Nasus likes short trades between last hits; Darius makes every trade a long one. Apprehend (E) pulls enemies in and passively lets his physical damage ignore part of their Armor, Crippling Strike (W) slows, and Decimate (Q) heals him based on champions hit with the blade. Noxian Guillotine (R) leaps to a champion for true damage that grows with bleed stacks. To be fair, a late Nasus with his ultimate up can turn this around, so Darius has to win early.

Kennen

Kennen’s 550 range and fast Thundering Shuriken (Q) let him poke Nasus off the wave, and every hit adds a Mark of the Storm. Three marks stun (that’s the passive). Electrical Surge (W) adds marks from attacks and on activation, so stuns come up often. Lightning Rush (E) makes him pass through units with bonus Move Speed, which is how he gets away from Wither range. Slicing Maelstrom (R) strikes all nearby enemy champions for magic damage, and Fury of the Sands’ bonus Magic Resist is only active while the storm rages. Put simply, Kennen keeps the Siphoning Strike counter low by keeping Nasus away from minions.

How do you play the lane against Nasus?

  • Trade when he goes for a last hit. Siphoning Strike only stacks when it kills the target, so every minion he Q’s is a moment he’s committed.
  • Respect Wither. It slows Move Speed and Attack Speed over time, so the longer you stay in range, the worse it gets.
  • Step out of Spirit Fire. It lowers the Armor of enemies standing in it, which makes the next Q hurt more.
  • Back off during Fury of the Sands. It gives him Health, range, resistances and a shorter Q cooldown while active, then it ends.
  • Push the wave when you can. Fewer last hits for him means fewer Siphoning Strike stacks.

Which items counter Nasus?

Grievous Wounds and Armor. Soul Eater gives him bonus Life Steal, and Wounds cut every point of healing it provides. Bramble Vest applies 40% Wounds for 3 seconds whenever attacks hit you, for 800 gold, and Thornmail adds more Armor and Health to the same effect. Plated Steelcaps give 25 Armor, partly offsetting the Armor that Spirit Fire takes away. Frozen Heart adds Armor and reduces the Attack Speed of nearby champions, stacking with Wither’s Attack Speed slow in reverse (yours against his). Damage dealers can bring Executioner’s Calling or Mortal Reminder for Wounds. Every option is in our items database.

When is Nasus at his weakest?

Early. Siphoning Strike starts with no stacks, Soul Eater’s Life Steal can’t keep up with sustained poke, and he has no dash to reach a ranged champion. In practice, the first ten minutes decide how scary he becomes. Every minion he doesn’t Q is one less stack.

He’s also weaker outside his ultimate. Fury of the Sands gives Health, Attack Range, Armor, Magic Resist and a shorter Q cooldown, but only while the storm lasts, and it’s a 120 second cooldown at rank 1. Is it worth fighting him during it? Rarely. Long story short, wait it out, then re-engage.

Learning top lane? Our guide to LoL roles explains how farming and trading work there. Other champions are a click away in the guide directory. Want his skins? They’re on the Nasus skins page. Playing random champions on one lane is a different story, told in the Nasus ARAM guide. In short, Nasus counters stop the stacking before it starts.

FAQ

Who counters Nasus the most?

Top laners who pressure him early or poke from range: Jayce, Teemo, Gnar, Darius and Kennen.

How does Siphoning Strike stack?

Siphoning Strike permanently increases the power of future Siphoning Strikes each time it kills the target. Its cooldown is 7.5/6.5/5.5/4.5/3.5 seconds.

Does Grievous Wounds work against Nasus?

Yes. Soul Eater gives Nasus bonus Life Steal, which is healing, and Wounds reduce it.

What does Wither do?

Wither ages an enemy champion, slowing their Move Speed and Attack Speed over time. Its cooldown is 15/14/13/12/11 seconds.

How were these counters chosen?

We looked for kits, per patch 26.21 ability text, that punish a champion who needs last hits and has no dash. No match statistics were used.