Nunu & Willump Counters: Who Beats Nunu & Willump

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

Nunu & Willump counters are junglers who can leave Absolute Zero before it detonates, or who punish a tank that heals off one bite. Nunu & Willump are a 125 range tank duo with a healing bite, a growing snowball that knocks up, a barrage that roots, and a slowing blizzard that deals massive damage when it ends. The picks that beat them are mobile enough to dodge the setup and strong enough to win the duel after it.

Five matchups, each built from the ability text on both sides. Win rates didn’t come into it.

Nunu & Willump counters: Nunu & Willump, the Boy and His Yeti, splash art

Why are Nunu & Willump hard to counter?

Call of the Freljord (passive): Nunu raises the Attack Speed and Move Speed of Willump and a nearby ally, and Willump’s attacks damage enemies around the target.
Consume (Q): Willump bites a minion, monster or enemy champion, dealing damage and healing himself. Cooldown 13 seconds at rank 1, 9 at rank 5.
Biggest Snowball Ever! (W): a snowball that grows in size and speed as Willump rolls it, then damages and knocks up enemies. Cooldown 14.
Snowball Barrage (E): Nunu throws several snowballs, and when he’s done, Willump roots every champion or large monster hit. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
Absolute Zero (R): a blizzard over an area that slows enemies and deals massive damage at the end. Cooldown 110/100/90.

The gank is the threat. A snowball that keeps getting bigger and faster arrives from somewhere you didn’t ward, knocks you up, Snowball Barrage roots you, and Absolute Zero goes down on top of you while you’re stuck. Consume then heals off whatever’s left. Thing is, almost every piece of that combo has a wind-up: the snowball has to roll, the barrage roots only once Nunu finishes throwing, and the blizzard’s big damage lands at the end. Junglers who can dash out of any of those steps break the chain.

Which champions are the best Nunu & Willump counters?

Kindred

Inside the zone Lamb’s Respite (R) creates, nothing can die until it expires, and everyone in it is healed at the end. Absolute Zero is a blizzard that does its massive damage at the end, so a well-timed Respite on top of it cancels the kill the whole combo was built for. Dance of Arrows (Q) tumbles Kindred out of the slow, and Mounting Dread (E) slows the target before Wolf pounces on the third attack. Her 500 range (the longest on this list) lets her trade with Willump from outside melee distance. Mark of the Kindred (passive) rewards her for completing Hunts, which keeps pressure on a jungler who prefers to farm quietly and roam.

Graves

Quickdraw (E) dashes Graves forward and boosts his Armor and Magic Resist, and attacks lower its cooldown, which makes it a reliable exit from Absolute Zero’s area. Smoke Screen (W) reduces sight range in a cloud, slows enemies caught in the impact (a snowball driver who can’t see is just guessing). New Destiny (passive) fires 4 bullets per attack from 425 range. End of the Line (Q) explodes after a second or on terrain, and Collateral Damage (R) hits the first champion hard before exploding in a cone. In practice Graves clears faster and duels harder early, so he can take Nunu’s camps before the snowball ever rolls.

Kha’Zix

Unseen Threat (passive) marks enemies who are isolated from their allies, and Taste Their Fear (Q) deals increased damage to them. A jungler who wanders the map alone rolling a snowball is isolated a lot. Leap (E) jumps to an area, and its range grows if Kha’Zix evolves Wings, which gets him out of the blizzard before the end. Void Assault (R) makes him invisible, so Nunu can’t aim the snowball at him at all. Void Spike (W) even patches him up when he stands inside its own blast. Honestly, he punishes the exact moment Nunu leaves his team to gank.

Lee Sin

Safeguard (W) rushes Lee Sin to an ally and shields him, then Iron Will grants Omnivamp. That’s an exit from the blizzard and a heal of his own. Sonic Wave and Resonating Strike (Q) close distance on a target hit, dealing extra damage based on missing Health. Tempest and Cripple (E) reveal and slow, and Dragon’s Rage (R) kicks the target back, knocking up any enemies they collide with. Early on, Lee wins most skirmishes against a tank whose damage comes later.

Wukong

Warrior Trickster (W) turns Wukong invisible and dashes him in a direction, leaving a clone behind. Nunu gets a target. Wrong one. Nimbus Strike (E) dashes to an enemy and sends images to hit nearby targets. Cyclone (R) spins his staff, gains Move Speed and knocks up everyone it strikes, which stops Nunu mid-throw. Stone Skin (passive) adds Armor and Health regeneration while he fights champions and monsters (so jungle duels favour him the longer they run). Crushing Blow (Q) reduces the target’s Armor for a few seconds. A tank who relies on Armor? That’s a matchup Wukong likes.

How do you play against Nunu & Willump in the jungle?

Ward the routes a snowball would roll through. It grows in size and speed the longer he rolls it, so the long gank is the dangerous one.
Walk out of Absolute Zero right away. Its massive damage lands at the end, and the slow is the only thing keeping you inside.
Dodge Snowball Barrage. Willump only roots champions who were hit by a snowball.
Bring Grievous Wounds, since every Consume bite, 13 seconds apart at rank 1, is also a heal for Willump.
Invade early. Nunu & Willump want to roam, and a jungler who takes their camps slows that plan down.

Which items counter Nunu & Willump?

Slows and a heal are their tools, so Move Speed and Grievous Wounds do the most. Boots of Swiftness give 55 Move Speed, and Fleetfooted reduces the effectiveness of slows by 25%, which matters in a blizzard that relies on slowing you. Dead Man’s Plate carries Unsinkable, another 15% slow reduction, plus 55 Armor. Executioner’s Calling at 800 gold and Oblivion Orb both apply 40% Wounds for 3 seconds, cutting Consume’s heal. Mercury’s Treads add 30% Tenacity against the barrage’s root, and a carry who gets caught can hit Zhonya’s Hourglass to sit out the end of Absolute Zero in Stasis. Damage-heavy tanks might go for Heartsteel instead. Every stat line is in the LoL items database.

When are Nunu & Willump at their weakest?

Early, before Absolute Zero. Without the ultimate, the gank combo is a knock-up and a root with modest damage, and the counters above win most fights at that stage. Their camps are fair game too.

Window two opens once the blizzard has gone off. Absolute Zero sits on a 110 second cooldown at rank 1 (90 at rank 3), and without it they’re a tank with a bite and a snowball. Real talk: most Nunu ganks that work start with nobody watching the river. Put a ward there.

Want to know how the jungle fits into a team? Our guide to LoL roles explains it. Their skins are on the Nunu & Willump skins page, other champions are in our guide collection, and the Nunu & Willump ARAM guide covers the single-lane version. Long story short, Nunu & Willump counters dash out of the blizzard, dodge the barrage and punish the heal.

FAQ

Who counters Nunu & Willump the most?

Kindred, whose ultimate stops champions from dying inside it; Graves, Kha’Zix and Wukong, who dash or turn invisible out of the combo; and Lee Sin, who wins early skirmishes.