Nasus

Overview

Nasus is the ultimate late game monster — a champion who starts the game as a punching bag and ends it as an unkillable juggernaut that one-shots towers and deletes anyone who stands in his way. The entire Nasus game plan is built around one number: Q stacks. Every last hit with Siphoning Strike gives him permanent bonus damage on that ability, and by the time he reaches 300, 400, or 500 stacks his Q is hitting for more damage than most champions deal in an entire combo. The thing about Nasus is that patience is his greatest weapon. He does not need to win lane — he just needs to survive it, farm his Q, and wait for the game to come to him. Against most opponents who cannot kill him before he scales, he is quietly one of the most reliable win conditions in the entire game.

Strengths

• Q stacking creates virtually unlimited late game scaling — there is no ceiling to how strong he can get given enough time
• Wither W is one of the strongest single-target slows in the game, reducing both movement speed and attack speed dramatically
• Ultimate Fury of the Sands gives him massive bonus health and AoE damage that makes him nearly unkillable in short fights
• Excellent split pusher since his Q destroys towers fast and Wither allows him to duel most champions who try to stop him
• Spirit Fire E provides AoE damage and armor reduction which helps his team in teamfights around objectives

Weaknesses

• Extremely weak early game before stacks — lane bullies can make his laning phase a nightmare and prevent him from farming Q
• Very easy to kite since he has no gap closer and relies on Wither to catch people, which only works on one target at a time
• Completely useless if he falls too far behind on stacks — a Nasus with 150 stacks at 30 minutes is not a win condition
• Struggles heavily against ranged champions who can poke him down and deny Q stacks without taking return damage
• Needs time — games that end before 25 to 30 minutes are usually losses since he has not had enough time to reach his power spike

Early Game

Nasus early game is a patience game. Your only goal is to last hit with Q as many times as possible while taking as little damage as possible. Do not trade unless you are forced to — every trade you take is damage that forces you to back and lose Q stacks. Against lane bullies like Darius or Garen, play under your tower and use Q to last hit at range when safe. Do not be afraid to sacrifice some CS to avoid dying — a death means lost stack time which is far more damaging to your scaling than missing a few minions. Ghost and Teleport are both strong summoner spell choices. Teleport lets you back when low without losing too much and return quickly. Wither at level one gives you an emergency peel tool if the jungler ganks.

Mid Game

Mid game Nasus is in a transition period. With 200 to 300 stacks and his first couple of items he starts to become a genuine threat in duels and split push. This is the stage where you want to apply side lane pressure rather than grouping with your team — Nasus in a 5v5 teamfight before he has enough stacks is not very effective. Use Teleport to join fights at objectives when necessary, but spend most of your time farming stacks and split pushing towers. Wither makes you an extremely difficult 1v1 for most champions at this stage. When the enemy sends two or three people to deal with you, your team should be taking an objective on the other side of the map.

Late Game

Late game Nasus with 400 or more stacks is an absolute nightmare to deal with. His Q hits for so much damage that he can delete towers in four or five hits and chunk most tanks significantly in a single Q. In teamfights activate your ultimate immediately when you engage — the bonus health and AoE damage make you nearly unkillable for the duration. Use Wither on the most dangerous carry or the champion that is trying to kite you. Focus on walking through the enemy team rather than trying to duel specific targets. Your mere presence forces the enemy team to respond which creates space and opportunities for your team elsewhere. A split pushing Nasus with 500 stacks is a legitimate game-ending threat that must be answered.

Tips & Tricks

• Always last hit with Q on every possible minion — missing a stack is more costly than taking a small amount of damage to get it.
• Prioritize Q stacking on cannon minions and siege minions since they give three stacks instead of one.
• Use Wither on the champion who is trying to kite you in a teamfight rather than the first enemy you see — saving it for the right target is crucial.
• Activate ultimate at the start of a fight, not when you are already low — the bonus health is calculated when you activate it so you get more health at full HP.
• In lane against ranged champions use Spirit Fire E under the wave to force them off the minions and zone them away from denying your Q stacks.

For official ability details and lore, visit the official Nasus page and the Nasus Wiki.