Aatrox

Difficulty: 7/10

Cloth 4 pots start

This used to be a very hard matchup, but due to a series of nerfs Aatrox has almost become non-existent. This does not mean we can underestimate his strength, however, since eating his full combo of triple Q can lose you the lane instantly. His sustain got a heavy hit as well as his ultimate movement speed as of patch 9.18. In lane, focus on dodging his abilities, especially his W, infernal chains.Do not get pulled by that pre level 6. After level 6 and post sheen, this matchup should become easier. You outscale hard.

Ahri

Difficulty: 9/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

This champion usually does not exist in the toplane, but I want to include it because it is an extremely difficult matchup IF it does end up top. Ahri does hard poke damage pre level 6, and after level 6 with her ultimate it is impossible to catch or kill her, even with your jungler. The best bet is to just scale into triforce and into teamfights if you do somehow have to lane Ahri.

Akali

Difficulty: 7/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Akali, like Aatrox, also got gutted a few times. As of patch 9.18, akali is now a lot easier to deal with but still need to be extremely careful of her Q+ auto. That is most of her damage in her kit pre level 6. Focus on farming until post sheen. Post sheen, everytime she Qs you, you can walk up and trade Q for her auto (if she walks up for empowered auto after Q). When you fall below 40% hp she would most likely try to all in. Before her first part R animation goes out, R immediately and ghost, and wait for her shroud to go out, then either kill her or go even.

Anivia

Difficulty: 5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Niche matchup, but it's basically a farm lane with Anivia in it. If she plays too up, can ask for jungler to gank, but most of the time it is hard to kill her but it’s a free lane to farm since she shoves. During mid game focus on team fighting and blowing up her backline. Hard to split push vs, due to her aoe R that one shots the minion wave.

Camille

Difficulty: 6/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Camille level 1-3 is extremely powerful. Her auto true damage tick takes 1/4th of your hp at level 1. Her W heals her and if she hits her E, that's another 1/4th of your hp. The trick is to stand in the middle of the lane and let it push level 1, even if it means u miss all of the first wave. Make sure you are not standing close to the walls or hook shot will hit and deal massive damage. Post sheen, everytime she uses hook shot just run her down. However, a good Camille player will never use hook shot after nasus hits level 6 with sheen. If that’s the case, just farm it out for triforce. It is in your favor after that.

Cassiopia

Difficulty: 10/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

Champion is pure aids. You cannot fight her and the only way to kill her is to sidestep her R which is not guaranteed. Early game focus on surviving and side stepping her Q so her twin fangs (E) does not do extra damage. Her Miasma is 24 seconds so she cannot spam that. Can try to all in right after she uses Miasma if you are confident you can sidestep her R. Currently as of season 10, this champion is unbeatable as she can now run conq and just literally obliterate you in every way possible. Just dodge or lane swap or something, gtfo out of her lane.

Cho’Gath

Difficulty: 4/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Cho got a bit stronger as of season 10. The glacial augment ap build now makes him hit his ability easier and also provide tankiness for his team. As long as you are not getting hit by every Q it should not be an issue. Just be careful level 6 when he holds R. Can just run him down post level 6 and sheen. Can use ghost to sidestep Rupture, then he just dies.

Darius

PERMABAN

Difficulty: 10/10

Cloth 4 pot start

This is a matchup that should be dodged (In my case I permaban this champion). Jax is actually a worse matchup for Nasus, however if a good Darius ever get a freeze after shoving wave 1 and 2 (will get into it later in tips), the lane is pretty much over. Even your jungler cannot help you unfreeze, as darius just 1 v 2s pre-level 6, and top would be auto loss. Later on it is possible to outscale him, but if he ever gets 5 stacks in a teamfight your team will get crushed regardless of what you do. It’s a permaban because it is annoying and hard to deal with.

Dr. mundo

Difficulty: 2/10

Doran’s shield 1 pot start

Easy matchup. Hide behind minions to dodge his cleaver spam. His W automatically shoves the wave so there is no danger of a freeze. Farm for level 6, if he's too tanky to kill, free stack until triforce and teamfight after. He does not outscale you in teamfights.

Draven

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

If you are laning Draven top, make sure to ask your jungler for help. The champion is disgusting vs Nasus, but with the right amount of help it turns very easy. If you get a single gank early and make it to sheen without dying, Draven should be easy after Nasus hits level 6. Just run him down. He will never win vs you in a split too, so if your team is losing, you can just focus on split pushing.

Ekko

Difficulty: 5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Ekko is a weird matchup. Toplane Ekkos usually take grasp. With the recent buffs Ekko has resurfaced in top as well as more prominently, the jungle. Tank Ekko is now back in season 10. hextech protobelt into zhonyas is still a strong ap bruiser build. The more often seen build would be iceborn gauntlet into almost full tank items. Farm to level 6 and should be a win post 6. After that just focus on teamfighting.

Fiora

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

RUSH BRAMBLEVEST

This champion cannot be fought head on even post level 6 sheen. The worst thing is if she freezes, however most Fiora players get tiamat first item, so it is less likely that the wave freezes. I actually suggest going bramble vest first item instead of sheen, since either way you can’t fight a good fiora anyways, and it is likely you get poked out of lane before 1050 gold. When you get triforce, kindle gem and bramble vest, if Fiora doesn’t have ravenous hydra and triforce yet, you should win the 1 v 1 with around 300+ stacks. At 3 items you should be able to fight her everytime with my runes and set up. It is still hard to split vs a Fiora and dueling her. Make sure to pull her to a wall and hug the wall to hide one of her vitals so she cannot proc her R.

Galio

Difficulty: 5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Very strong R ability. Works like Shen, but a lot less aggressive in lane. Most Galio players look for short trades pre level 6, but Nasus should have enough healing and sustain to shrug it off. Pre level 6, focus on farming and not trading with him at all. Post level 6 and sheen, can look to run him down, but make sure to stop him roaming or ulting his teammates. His full combo actually does a lot of damage, but do not be fazed by that. After using his entire combo, he has zero damage after, so make sure to be confident and go in on him, even if he is full hp and you have 300 hp. He literally does not have a single point of damage until his next rotation of combos come back up. Mid game, look to scale into teamfights once triforce is completed. He cannot match you nor out teamfight.

Gangplank

Difficulty: 7.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Very player dependent. A good GP can poke you out of lane really fast with Q spam and barrel combos and cookies mana flow to regen his mana back. Q is point click which means you can't dodge it, however barrels are dodgeable. Focus on dodging barrels and stalling until either your jungler comes or he makes a mistake after your post sheen level 6. A mistake would be him using his orange for no reason. Remove scurvy (W) has a 22 second cdr on rank 1, while wither have a 15 second cd on rank 1. This is why you can use wither to bait his orange, then wait for wither to be up and instantly all in him.  Later on, Gp can stop a Nasus’s split by barrel spam. Because of this, it is recommended to teamfight and win that way.

Garen

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

After Garen rework this matchup became incredibly hard. Garen’s Q spam is very low mechanic and does a ton of damage. Do not trade vs it at all early and let him shove with spin. If you stall, the lane becomes easier. Just avoid trading vs him ever in the early game, let him shove slowly and be patient. With spin adding conq stacks the new Garen is very hard to out stat. He is tankier than you late game, which isn’t good, since he can stop split and go even with you in 5 v 5. Look to out macro him and try to rotate around the map with Sanguine blade and split.

Gnar

Difficulty: 7/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Very player dependent. If the Gnar player knows how to poke and hits most of his Qs, it would be very difficult to not back before sheen gold. However, if you get your first back in with sheen, the matchup is free post level 6. Later on, the Gnar may build frozen mallet as well as boots of swiftness, which is very tumor to deal with but try avoid chasing him or fighting him after that item. Focus on 5 v 5 after triforce, as thats where ghost flash Nasus shines. Unless Gnar gets a 4+ men R, Nasus should out teamfight him.

Gragas

Difficulty: 4/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Champion is a stonewall. There is hardly an opportunity where  you can kill Gragas. He just has too much cc/ and an ultimate  that can knock you away. Easy to survive and just stack up and teamfight later. In teamfights focus on enemy backline and ignore gragas. He simply exists to be annoying and provide cc for the team (if his toplane).

Hecarim

Difficulty: 5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

This used to be a hard matchup the few patches where Hecarim was giga buffed and could be played basically anywhere. This champion does a lot of healing and burst, so early bramblevest would not be a bad investment. Pre level 6, stack up and stall for sheen. His Q should auto shove the wave which is what you want. Do not fight him immediately post sheen level 6, make sure he gets chunked a little (either by ego tanking a turret shot or taking minion aggro) before going all in. Mid game focus on team fighting with your 2-3 item power spike. He should not be a big issue.

Heimerdinger

Difficulty: 7/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

CAN TAKE TP/FLASH

Do not see this pick a lot anywhere anymore. This is a matchup where the Heimerdinger determines the difficulty of the lane. Bad Heimers drop turrets for no reason and gives you free stacks (while auto shoving the wave to your tower). Good Heimers would simply shove you out of lane and force early backs which is the biggest problem, as you lose econ in losing way too much cs and stacks. The best way to play this matchup is to survive as long as possible before backing, and rushing spectre cloth (1200 gold) wouldn’t be too bad. Would be difficult to all in him, as his R is extremely scary and you can get 100-0ed instantly. Farm up to triforce and teamfight mid game.

Illaoi

Difficulty: 10/10

Cloth 4 pots start

OR

Boots 4 pots start (to juke her E as well as her Qs)

CAN TAKE IGNITE/FLASH

One of the hardest matchups for Nasus in the game at all stages. Illaoi is an extreme lane bully against Nasus. If she hits a single E and pull your soul, you are out of the lane. There is no counterplay because of that patch where Illaoi’s E got buffed and  cannot be removed by damaging her anymore. The only outplay potential is to “JUST DODGE OMEGALUL 4HEAD” but her E is spammable especially when they rush cdr items and max the ability (about every 10 seconds). Post level 6 she is not only ungankable but also impossible to duel. Add onto the fact she can run klepto while destroying you in cs and take your turret plates with no punishment, Nasus will be put too behind to do anything in the early, mid or late game. Ban worthy champ, but is seen rarely. She can also be easily countered by a cc heavy team, so if your team looks decent (that can deal with illaoi), can try to play the matchup.

Irelia

Difficulty: 6/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Irelia flourishes off her passive stacking. This is what differs from good and bad Irelia players. A 5 stack passive Irelia will just nuke you in terms of damage, so do not engage if her passive is gouged. In the early game, level 2 should be well respected. Level 2, Irelia gains access to her E, and if she hits it and stuns you, your basically ded. It does an insane amount of damage with double Q dash + full passive, Nasus will likely be 100-0ed. Keep your distance level 2 and let her shove in. Post level 6 and sheen, just make sure her passive falls off before engaging. At this point, with around 100 stacks, you should have more damage than her, but that does not mean you can disrespect the passive damage. She can also kite you by dashing on minions, so make sure she fully engages or steps up too far before all in. Post triforce you win split and out teamfights her. This matchup is all about how much respect you should have for her.

Jarvan IV

Difficulty: 4/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Usually, there are two types of J4s. There is the electrocute lethality J4, and the normal bruiser J4. Currently this champion is not seen a lot in the toplane, and his damage early isn’t high. Treat it like a tank and farm it out to sheen. Make sure to ping missing if he ever leaves the map. He is surprisingly good at roaming and getting free kills on the map, which is one of the only ways he can win the lane (by getting fed outside lane).  Post 6 and sheen, if he uses flag pull in your direction or makes a mistake in using his escape ability, just all in and kill him. He cannot out teamfight you in the mid game and does not win split.

Jax

Difficulty: 11/10 (DODGE)

Cloth 4 pots start

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO TAKE TP/FLASH (Safer and more reliable in this particular matchup only)

BUILD ICEBORN INSTEAD OF TRIFORCE

Hardest matchup in the game. Only reason I ban Darius is because Darius is more annoying and can freeze harder, as well as the fact that I personally play Jax. This matchup is impossible to play if the Jax is good. His Q is now 8 seconds on rank 1, so he can just hop on you anytime and gap close (and max counterstrike second). Counterstrike is not balanced and the only thing you can do is to tank it out. Wither barely does anything to him, even if you are maxing it second. He will still gap close to you and counterstrike to win. The only window you have at all is around level 6-7 post sheen to all in and kill him when he jumps on you, but that not only requires him to jump on you first (which good jax players wouldn’t do when nasus hits 6 with sheen), it also requires you to get sheen on the first back (insanely hard to do into a Jax). Even if you get a kill in lane, Jax can simply roam and just kill your team. Especially in early levels, if Jax ever gets a skirmish kill on your jungler, your lane is almost certainly lost. He outscales you hard as well, provided he plays early and mid correctly (He wins early, mid and late). It is highly recommended to run iceborn gauntlet (2700 gold) into this matchup if you got balls to go into the game against it, as then it would be harder for him to kill you in the early-mid stages, and easier for you to flip teammates RNG (maybe you get bot difference). He out split pushes, out teamfights and out duels you. (currently with the removal of spear of shojin, this matchup has gotten slightly better late game).

Jayce

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Jayce got hit with a few nerfs in season 9 which is pretty good, considering his stats are indeed quite out of place for a ranged champion (thanks Hashinshin). The matchup did not really change, since his damage mostly stayed the same and his build path still included Black Cleaver most of the time. Level 1, Jayce can zone you out of your entire first wave. It is recommended to use ghost on 1 when he does this and force your way to the minion wave by autoing him (he takes your auto damage as well as minion aggro). It may sound troll, but by doing this it stops him from completely harassing you out of wave 1, you get your xp and get a decent trade, considering you have 4 pots. Ghost cd is 180 seconds, and it is normally never used until at least level 6, so using it early won’t set you back at all. Do not be afraid to use it for benefits early, the cdr is short and it is there to be USED a lot (it is also used to beat the enemy players flash cd, as flash cd is almost double that of ghost, so if you trade flash ghost with someone that has flash, your ghost comes up a lot faster and can be used for an all in earlier before your opponents flash comes up). Post sheen level 6, you should win every all in, and just scale into teamfights later. He doesn’t outscale nor out split push.

Karma

Difficulty: 7/10 (but tumor)

3 Beads 1 pot start

Most tumor matchup for Nasus. There is zero chance you will be able to kill this champion. Her Q also does a lot of poke, so it is likely you get poked out of lane fast. Most Karma players run klepto, and her first two items will be iceborn and spirit visage. She usually gets those items before 15 minutes, while you barely put together triforce. The best way to play this matchup is to avoid fighting her at all. Even after level 6, unless jungler wants to gank her, just focus on stacking and surviving. There is no actual good ways to deal with her, as you cannot split push and does not win in the 5 v 5 component. If they pick Karma just wish your team does well and win that way.

Karthus

Difficulty: 6/10

2 Beads 2 pot start

Very dodge skill dependent. Entire lane phase depends on how many Qs Karthus can land and how many Qs you can dodge as Nasus. Until level 6. On level 6 and sheen you may feel free to run him over anytime you want. The annoying part about Karthus is his R ability, which is a global target and he may get kills for no reason at all. This is why no matter how hard you stomp this lane, he will always be useful in one way or another. It is recommended to rush triforce and then post minute 15, force teamfights in the mid lane or around objectives to stay relevant.

Kassadin

Difficulty: 3/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Kassadin top is niche but sometimes picked as a scaling option. This matchup is really easy, but just make sure to not die at all early (how do you even die?) and make sure the game closes before level 16. Can ask jungler for ganks, as he is very easy to kill pre level 6. Post Kass 6, if he ever uses R once, just punish him by all in. You should win teamfights until he hits level 16.

Kayle

Difficulty: 1/10, then 5/10 after she hits lvl 6

3 Beads 1 pot start

As of 9.17, Kayle got a buff, which turns her level 6 into ranged instead of level 11. This is a huge buff in this matchup. Before this buff, kayle was probably the easiest matchup for Nasus in the entire game. Pre 6, play it out the same way as any other matchup. Stack up and grab sheen. Post 6, she turns into a ranged champion, and her autos surprisingly hurts. She also has some form of kiting tools, and her R prevents her from dying early game (so she scales up). Look for all ins when she pushes up a bit too far from her lane, as her R prevents turret diving. If you go even or have a lead in the mid game, teamfights should be easy, just flank the enemy team through a blind spot (behind them in a bush or ghost in from behind, and sandwich enemy team)

Kennen

Difficulty: 8/10

2 Beads 4 pot start

This champion is a hard matchup for every melee in the toplane. Nasus actually surprisingly does decent into him (the sustain), but extremely player dependent. The biggest issue is his items are all so cheap and effective (protobelt 2500 gold, zhonyas 3000 gold), so he may complete both items before you even reach triforce. Early game hide behind minions and stop his Q damage, which can stop and stall his insane amounts of poke. If you get low, back and get a ruby crystal instead of sitting around low, waiting for sheen gold. This can help prevent you from getting turret dove with the help of the enemy jungler. However this would set you behind in lane and kill potential. Kennen also gains armor during R, so without sheen it’s impossible to 1 v 1 him in lane. Mid game he out teamfights you and the only way to beat him in split is if you are a lot more fed. There isn't really a way to deal with a good Kennen, but most Kennen players make mistakes such as walking a bit too far or using their escape ability (E) randomly for klepto procs, post your sheen and R. Those are windows to all in them.

Kled

Difficulty: 9.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Not sure WHY this champ got a 60% heal reduct on his bear trap (Q) everytime he pulls you in. Since that patch kled got the free executors calling (better actually because it’s 60% instead of 40%), this matchup is now close to impossible vs good kled mains. He simply sets up too many good dives with the enemy jungler (especially something like Elise). The biggest issue isn’t laning itself, it’s the turret aggro reset that makes him broken in lane to deal with. With enough respect, it’s possible to survive the lane by sitting far away from kled and farming with E if needed (make sure to not shove the wave with E), and let the wave crash before Q stacking them. The issue exists at such a point. When a big minion wave crashes, the enemy jungle may come and perform what we call a 100-0 turret dive. The remount mechanic makes kled switch agro after he de-mounts, which means there is no outplay potential when he turret dives you with the enemy jungler. Post level 6, if he can’t kill you he just Rs the rest of your team and you lose slowly that way, through macro. The best thing you can do is to go even in lane and hope to not get dove, since his healing reduction hard counters Nasus as well and all ins are hard to perform.

Leblanc

Difficulty: 8/10

2 Beads 4 pot start

AD leblanc exists to be annoying. Out of every 200 games you may see this played once in the toplane. Her kit makes AD leblanc actually viable in the toplane. The best bet is to farm it up early and stall the lane as long as possible, since her dashes makes it impossible to kill her. Can also rush tabis early game to stop her auto damage and to run away from her chains. Mid game scale into triforce and teamfight, have your team deal with her instead of getting kited for an eternity in a sidelane.

Lissandra

Difficulty: 4/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

When Liss was op during mid season 9, this matchup was around the same difficulty. Liss does not have a good way of getting away from Nasus’s all ins. Her only escape is to scale a terrain with her ice claw, or else Nasus can simply ghost and run her down. In lane, her poke is weak and can be sustained off Qs. She does not have a good way of poking you out of lane, and after level 6 she must play passive if she doesn’t want to be ran over. Farm up to level 6 and sheen, and look for all ins when she uses her escape ability, or if she walks up into melee range of you, drop wither and ghost and run her down. Teamfight be careful to stand back and not get stunned by her, then go all in after.

Lucian

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Lucian top isn’t very good at the moment due to the amount of gap closing champs there are in the toplane. However, Nasus does not really have one except for wither, and it does not take effect until after 6. This matchup would be a 5/10 if you can survive to level 6, but usually it is almost impossible to do. Lucian pre level 6 will just kill you no matter what build you go. Cloth 4 pots can only hold him off, but will not stop him from forcing you to back multiple times in the early game (if your jungler doesn’t help), unless you want to die. By the time you put together sheen, a good Lucian would already be up too much cs and turret plating for you to do anything. Make sure to beg for jungler’s help in this matchup, as if he dies pre level 6, this matchup becomes that much easier.

Malphite

Difficulty: 3/10

Doran’s shield 1 pot start

Malphite recently got a buff to his auto, which makes his auto crit during W. Something to keep in mind, as it does quite some damage. Early game focus on farming, does not really matter what he does, he cannot poke you out of lane. Keep stacking even after level 6, do not try to trade or all in him at all. Even though this matchup is easy, it’s almost impossible to kill him, due to the fact his R can be used both as engage or escape, and he will stack armor and it becomes too hard to run him down. However, he cannot stop you from stacking, so this matchup focus on getting a ridiculous amount of stacks until triforce, and group and teamfight. Look for flanks instead of head on fights, as Malphite R can still be very powerful and needs to be played around with care.

Malzahar

Difficulty: 3/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Annoying to say at least, but easy matchup. He auto shoves lane with his little void creatures, and that was what he was created to do (shove lane). Pre level 6 farm up, post level 6 sheen kill him. Can build a qss early for better access of running him down. However, if you do go qss please do not go kindle gem early. This is because you don’t want to delay triforce at all costs, and building kindle gem and qss would delay it for too long.

Maokai

Difficulty: 1/10

Literally anything start is fine, can even start doran’s blade

Easiest matchup in the game. Historically, the only time Nasus was picked in Worlds or professional games is if enemy team blind picked Maokai. Champion simply add fuel into fire as he lanes Nasus. He has no damage early game and farming a perfect score is very easy to do. Level 6 post sheen run him down, he cannot escape nor deal with you. In teamfights you should already have multiple kills from lane, so you should be near invincible and just end the game that way.

Master yi

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

One of the most tumor champs to play against as Nasus. You are basically playing with three abilities, as W doesn’t affect Yi when his in Highlander (R). Farm it up in the early game but must be careful of his autos, as his damage can completely overwhelm and surprise you, even in the earlier stages. The only way to deal with it post 6 is to rush tabis and try to not fight him, as you will never win those. Try to pull the game to mid game when you have triforce, and try to stop him from gaining too much of a cs lead and turret plating gold. For teamfights, just hope your team can deal with Yi with cc, as you don’t have any to use on him.

Mordekaiser

Difficulty: 7.5/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

Mordekaiser with his passive is a stat check. His damage is a lot more than you expect, and his a good example of an AP bruiser, so his items will be cheaper than yours and he will out stat you in a 1 v 1. In lane, He auto shoves the wave with his aoe Q and passive, so just dodge those if you can and let him shove in. Post level 6 and sheen, do not engage him as he will kill you unless you stack perfectly (around 120 stacks at 7-8, extremely hard to do in higher elos). Try to scale into mid game and triforce, where you will have the advantage in a 5 v 5. There is a special Summoner spell choice you can run into this. It may sound troll, but through my personal testing it works, just not so well mid game. This is the barrier ghost summoner choice instead of flash ghost. Barrier gives even stronger duel power in the early game, and it also prevents turret dives that much better (will get into it in tips). Going barrier actually makes Nasus able to fight Morde a lot easier and earlier. He cannot even escape with flash, as he is very immobile and can be chased down with only ghost. Downside is mid game it would be harder to fight 5 v 5, but you are more likely to win lane hard.

Nautilus

Difficulty: 1.5/10

Doran’s shield 1 pot start

In lane, focus on stacking and be careful of his pre level 6 damage, as it can actually harass you out of lane. Post 6 and sheen, he cannot survive your all in under any circumstances, so simply drop wither ghost R and run him down. Team fight try to not get ultied by him (as that slows you down significantly), but it should be an easy 5 v 5 team wipe regardless, as you should be fed coming out of an Naut lane, either in stacks or kills.

Neeko

Difficulty: 8.5/10

2 beads 4 pots start

Neeko is probably worse than kennen, but at the moment less common and not as strong in 5 v 5 (even though she is still very strong LMFAO). Her stun lasts a century, and her Q does insane amount of burst, and it’s undodgeable obviously if you get hit by her stun. Her decoy ability (W) also makes her harder to catch. They also tend to run glacial augment, and build tumor items such as hextech-GLP, which pretty much immobilizes you and makes it easier for her to hit her stun. In lane, try to survive, and make sure to at least attempt to dodge the stuns, and try to farm under turret and keep up in cs. Post level 6 and sheen, if she misses her stun, should immediately look to all in her, even if it fails, at least trade flash ghost for flash. This lane usually makes Nasus really behind, and coming out of lane down a lot of gold. However, once triforce is put together, it is still advised to teamfight. Team Fights would be determined by how many people she hits with R.

Nocturne

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Not seen a lot, but lane Nocturne is pretty popular in High elo, and there are a few one tricks that exist in high elo playing only Noc top or mid. His lane control and priority is unmatched. He can 1 shot a wave with tiamat and shove in, then look for Rs on the map. Make sure to ping your team that he has R once his 6. In lane, prevent a freeze and look to farm up. This is not a matchup you can fight even post sheen and level 6, so just focus on not getting dove, farming, and keeping up in gold and scale into teamfights. Nasus is a lot stronger in teamfights then Noc is, provided he isn’t put super behind in lane.

Olaf

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Worse matchup than yi. Olaf top is seen a lot more as well. This champion can run you down on level 1, and would snowball too much of a gold difference for you to matter even post triforce. Level 6, ragnarok makes him immune to wither, so again (like yi), Nasus is playing with three abilities. Even if you miss every cs in the first wave, do not walk up for cs, as he will run you down with axe spam. In lane, look to survive and prevent getting turret dove. Do not ask for jungle help as Olaf simply 1 v 2s. Get bramblevest early to stop his insane healing, and rush triforce after that (do not get kindle gem). You outscale hard, so make sure just survive and don’t get behind. At triforce and bramble vest, you will be able to duel him with ease.

Ornn

Difficulty: 8/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Season 10 has made Ornn extremely broken and out stated. In lane, can bait a trade and have Ornn shove the wave (his infernal breath aoe ability). Make sure to not get autoed by his bristle auto, as that does a nice chunk of your hp. Scale into sheen and kill him when he uses his dash ability. Bristle damage is insanely high currently and it has seen no nerfs. It can burst you from literally full hp, and he gets multiple auto resets that apply bristle when he uses R. In lane focus on farming and not fighting him. This used to be an easy lane, but now he is unkillable and poses a kill threat due to his insane base stats and damage. He can build sunfire or iceborn and 1 shot you with ulti in lane. Scale into teamfights if you can't get a lead in lane, ignore him and kill the backline.

Pantheon

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

The new Pantheon rework made him better overall but around the same difficulty as before (Was really hard before as well). His current Q is very hard to miss, and the radius is insane. Also you must watch out for his damage, as his Q may crit and 1 shot you if low. One of the worst things about the new pantheon is that his E can tank turret shots, which makes it disgustingly easy for him to dive you with enemy jungle. Early game focus on farming, scale to level 6 and call mias across the map so your teammates know that his 6 and has access to ultimate. You will be really behind in lane, but outscale hard if you aren’t too behind. Scale into triforce and go teamfight. You will always out teamfight a pantheon after triforce. (unless his 20/0, but then you are getting reported anyways)

Poppy

Difficulty: 6/10

Cloth 4 pots start

OR

Doran’s shield 1 pot start (a bit of extra hp as she does percent hp damage anyways)

I will never understand why Poppy does so much percent hp damage to you. Her two part Q does so much damage for a tank that it’s really surprising riot didn’t label her as a bruiser. We are talking about a champion that can beat jax at full items in a duel (not even joking, Tf blade can confirm). In lane, focus on surviving her Q damage, and be very careful of her wall stun, as that will do half your hp bar immediately. Stand in the middle of the lane (like the Camille matchup), and do not get slam stunned into a wall at all costs. Scale to level 6. With sheen and level 6 it is possible to kill her, but only if her R is on cd or you are confident enough to flash her R. It is recommended to just stack and scale, as you outscale her in teamfights. But if feeling confident, can attempt to kill her if she missed plays or  steps up too far in lane.

Pyke 

Difficulty: 6/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Not seen a lot as a solo laner anymore as of patch 9.19, due to his clear nerf. This matchup focus on farming early. He does not do enough damage to poke you out of lane, but his roams are deadly and should ping jungler off skirmishes and ping mia on the map everytime he is missing. Cannot really kill him even post sheen level 6, as he is too slippery. There isn’t a good way of dealing with him, except to stop him from getting too much gold with R resets (don’t die in lane). In teamfights you don’t have the advantage, so it’s really just 50/50 and up to your team (as you can’t get fed in lane and doesn’t out teamfight). Really have to be careful of his roams, as he can get so much gold off a roam by killing your teammates and snowballing into an unkillable R reset machine.

Qiyana

Difficulty: 6/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Treat it like AD akali. This matchup needs to be played with care, and try to dodge her skill shots as that's one of the only ways to not get chunked too hard. She can use multiple invisabilities in a short period of time, so it’s very hard to kill her. Scale into teamfights, you should be able to 3 shot her post triforce. She cannot really kill you mid game, so she will likely focus your adc. However, you should be able to kill her and her team.

Quinn

Difficulty: 7.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Really hard to stop her roaming. Like a lot of champs on this matchup list, Quinn is one of those champs that flourishes off killing your team more then killing you or laning. Post level 6, she will just never fight you and roam everywhere on the map, most likely getting free kills here and there, come back into lane with bork and make it a hard time for Nasus. In lane, stack under turret and ask for jungler help, as pre level 6 Quinn is easy to gank and kill (not up to you but pinging your jungler sometimes help). Force teamfights after triforce and stop her from perma skirmishing and picking out your squishy teammates.

Renekton

Difficulty: 8.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Very hard matchup, but also very skill/player dependent (renekton is a hard champion to play imo). You can tell a Renekton one trick from just a Renekton player, as their combos and animation cancels will be a lot more smooth and confident. This matchup is extremely hard if Renekton takes press the attack + ignite, as that makes it easy for him to 1 shot you pretty much entire lane phase. In lane, focus on trading with him when your boneplating is up, so he aoe Qs the wave and shoves it into your turret. Make sure you are at full hp most of the time, or enemy jungler can turret dive you (or he can even just dive you by himself). Do not fight post sheen and 6, as you will not win. Must stall to around two cdr items (sheen and gem) and tabis to fight him. Ping junglers off ganks, as Renekton is also one of those champs that can 1 v 2. You outscale hard, and out teamfights as long as his not too ahead.

Rengar

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Impossible matchup. There is almost no chance Nasus can even walk up in lane. Try to force him to shove the first two waves, and stand far away from the three bushes in the toplane (even if that means losing xp). He will be up a huge amount of cs and gold once it gets to mid game (if he plays well), and there really is no counterplay to stop it. Make sure to not get solo killed, that’s about it. Teamfights would most of the time go his way, as you will be too behind to do anything. However, if your team stalls over 20 minutes, Nasus scales into 2-3 items and at that stage of the game, Nasus can make a comeback and turn the tides.

Riven

Difficulty: 8.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Like renekton, requires a lot of skills and is very player dependent. A good Riven player on riven is one of the scariest lanes, and the difficulty will definitely go higher. However, in general, you won’t see a good Riven player until at least masters +. Most riven players struggle with animation cancels (lower elos) and shoves the wave with their aoe three part Qs. The worst lanes are those Rivens that not only freezes the wave but also harass for every cs that you try to get. In lane, focus on not inting and going in for a trade (so she pushes the wave) everytime your boneplating is up. Try to keep the wave at a reasonable size so she cannot dive you (can E to make it smaller). Post level 6 and sheen stall a bit and stack up to around 100 stacks before trying to do anything. If you die once to Riven the lane is over so make sure you don’t make that mistake. You outscale, but her teamfight power is around the same as Nasus, so this matchup it is actually recommended to split push and pull her away from your team. If you are going to be focusing on a teamfight, make sure to flank just like her, so you don’t take the majority of the enemy team’s burst, as my build is less tanky early- mid game than the traditional Nasus.

Rumble

Difficulty: 6.5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

This is the classic triple beads lane. Rumble does ticks of AP damage so make sure to take the right runes (very very important in this matchup). Sustain is king vs Rumble. Do not walk up for cs, unless it is bait for him to shove the wave. In lane, walk in and run out, so he hard shoves the wave into you. Try to dodge his missiles, as those are dodgable and can take out a large amount of your hp. Post sheen level 6, all in and kill him through his R. Do not take extended fights with him, as you will lose on those. Commit to all ins to correct waves this way. Teamfights should be in your favor, and you outscale very hard.

Ryze

Difficulty: 7/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

Ryze requires a lot of mana to function. Early game it is possible to face tank his damage and regen/lifesteal it back up, until he runs out of mana and backs for tear. This is what makes him slightly easier to deal with, as he leaves you breathing room in the very early stages of lane. However, it is almost impossible to kill him, as if you all in, Ryze simply uses R and gets out to safety. It is recommended but not mandatory to rush a spectre cloth and go even in lane, and stack up as he cannot really kill you. After triforce visage, you should win in split and teamfight. As of season 10, this champion can now run conq. He may actually out damage you in an all in, so make sure you are full hp before engaging.

Shen

Difficulty: 7/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Shen is one of those champs that you don’t expect the damage, but the damage simply exists. In lane, be extremely careful of his triple empowered autos. Those do a lot of AD and AP damage, and can chunk you out like crazy. Level 1, three autos from shen can chunk out half your hp. Make sure to stand away from him so he doesn’t taunt you as well. Scale to sheen and look to farm safely. He actually gets extremely hard to kill and can simply taunt out if he sees he cannot out-duel you. The worst is his global can be used to win a lot of early skirmishes, and impact the map in ways you cannot stop. Nasus does not have an ability that can stun or knock up Shen from channeling his R, which makes him extremely obnoxious to just R onto his teammates and turn the tides of a fight. Scale into teamfights, focus on stacking perfectly and shoving the wave into his turret when he Rs out of lane. With good stacks and triforce, it is possible to teamfight them even if they get fed as the result of Shen’s ultis.

Singed

Difficulty: 5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

TOMMY

3

0

9

This matchup, simply focus on stacking and do not engage onto Singed (entire lane phase as well), especially after 6 and if he has ghost. Rule number 1 of League: do not chase the Singed. Focus on farming well and scaling into triforce. You do not outscale in teamfights very well but you outscale duel wise. He cannot stop your split, and if the game gets really late, you are more valuable than him.

Sion

Difficulty: 3/10

Cloth 4 pots start

This matchup is easy if he goes tank, and easier if he goes full lethality. Nasus has too much sustain for Sion to deal with in lane. After level 6 and sheen, Sion will never be able to contest Nasus. The best he can do is try to stonewall, but you outscale and out teamfights him anyways. In lane, focus on dodging his Qs, which should be very easy to do, and farming up a storm so you will be a monster mid game. If Sion goes full lethality, he is wintrading, as it would be easier for you to kill him and he cannot stop your split at all.

Skarner

Difficulty: 7/10

Cloth 4 pots start

This is a very niche yet powerful pick, in my opinion. His kit allows him to cheese really well and forces enemy team carries to buy qss due to his ultimate. Make sure to stay well away from his turret once he hits level 6, he can combo triple stun you under turret and get a free kill. It is almost impossible to run him down because of this, so just focus on stacking and scaling into mid game if you somehow faces this matchup. Once triforce is completed, look to 5 v 5.

Swain

Difficulty: 5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

Rarely seen in the toplane now days. Most Swain tops now take grasp, so he will be pretty tanky in the early- mid stages, then scale into an AP drain tank. In lane, focus to not get pulled back by him, because then his shot gun ability can slowly chunk you down. Post sheen level 6, this matchup should be easy. He cannot reliably get away from you, and you stat check him with good amount of stacks. Teamfight wise, Swain goes pretty even with Nasus. However he has no business stopping your split push, so that can be an option if things get ugly for your team.

Sylas

Difficulty: 6/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

This matchup requires a lot of time to perfect for the Nasus player. Sylas players tends to be the same, and wave control shouldn’t be a problem as he shoves in with his abilities no matter what. In lane, focus on sustaining and regening until sheen. Post 6 and sheen, he will take your R. Make sure to trade Rs with him on the first time you fight him. Run away, and let his R (yours) run out. It will be a long time until he can take your R again. Your own R should be off cd before he can take your R again, and that is when you engage for the second time and kill him. In teamfights, you should be winning those with just triforce. You also outscale very hard.

Soraka

Difficulty: 4/10

3 beads 1 pot start

Season 10 now gives us another cancerous top laner to lane against. Soraka is now so strong in the current meta that pros are able to pick her in professional play and have a really high win rate with it. Soraka’s Spammable Q makes her very hard to deal with early game, and taking barrier/exhaust makes it very difficult to all in her. Make sure to stay safe and try to dodge her Q’s early game. Level 6 with sheen it is very hard to run her down due to her base stats and summoner choice. Usually, wait for around 8-9 min before trying to run her down. Stacking should be free once you get your first back, as her damage will not be enough for your lifesteal. Later on, she scales well into teamfights and if her team is doing well she pretty much just wins the game. Really cancerous champ to deal with, forces the game to be a 50/50 at best for Nasus from top. (due to her powerful healing, if she gets better teammates you auto lose)

Sett

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

His W just received a nerf as of 10.3. The nerf was an additional 4 seconds of extra cd on his W, which is his shield true damage ability (why is this in the game). Due to this nerf, this matchup is now bearable but still very difficult, and must be played perfectly in order to go even. His base stats are ridiculously high and his abilities does an insane amount of damage early to late game, and there really isn't a very good way with dealing with him. Focus on sitting under turret and dodging the middle part of his W when he uses it, this will lower his poke damage significantly. Do not try to all in him even after you get sheen, he simply out damages you at level 6. Look to scale evenly and once you get sheen and kindle gem (20% cd), if he wastes his W in the middle of the lane, can look to all in, but you only have around 10-15 seconds to do so before his W comes back up and you lose the all in opportunity. You lose teamfights as he just throws you into your own team and does massive AOE damage. Look to split push and drag him to the sides, and just wave manipulate. If the Sett player is good, he would never die to Nasus 1 v 1 throughout the game. No good ways with dealing with this one, but it is still a better matchup than Darius or Jax.

Tahm Kench

Difficulty: 6/10

3 beads 1 pot start

Used to be a hard matchup, used to be a complaint of just about every top lane player (except for kench players). Nowadays, you almost never see this champ anymore in the top lane, but his damage should still be respected. Farm to level 6 and do not get devoured by him in lane. Post sheen level 6 you should win every all in as of patch 9.19. He can protect his carries in a teamfight, but you should be strong enough out of lane to just wipe his entire team.

Talon

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Mostly seen in the midlane, but can be played top as well into weak champs. Be very careful of his level 2, and if he three stack passives you, you are very likely ded. Make sure to run away from him on level 2 and let Talon shove with W. The worst really isn’t lane, its about Talon’s ability to just kill your team and flip over walls. You can never really all in him due to his mobility, and his roams are unpredictable in the early game. He rotates so fast that your mid/jg probably doesn’t have the time to react before they get ganked. Spam mia when his not on the mini map, and focus on scaling into triforce. If the game lasts over 20 minutes, with 2-3 items Nasus should be winning most of the fights for the team at that point.

Teemo

Difficulty: 9/10

2 Beads 4 pots start

Very infamous champion in the Nasus community. This champion simply has everything required to beat down Nasus and keep him down the entire stage of the game. With the recent mushroom buffs, he is now even stronger. Early game, try to survive, but if Teemo has ignite and aerie, it is very hard not to back pre sheen. Back with ruby crystals or kindle gem, and just stall the lane out and try not to die. It is hard to all in Teemos as good players will place shrooms in the lane and kite Nasus with those shrooms.Teemo also tend to rush sorc boots or swifties, so rushing mercs wouldn’t be too bad as well. This lane is all about sustaining into the mid game. Mid game is really the only time you have a way of beating him through teamfighting. Late game Teemo is actually extremely strong and his autos do an extremely high amount of damage (as well as his shroom spam across the map).

Tristana

Difficulty: 9/10

Cloth 4 pots start

RUSH NINJA TABIS

Tristana is very strong in top and mid, even after her pick rate in solo lanes went down after that one patch (9.15 or was it 9.16). Her aoe autos make her push towers and waves at the same time. Early game, there is almost no contesting this champion, she can harass you under turret and give you a huge cs deficiency very early into the game. Her rocket jump and her R makes it almost impossible to kill her, even with ghost flash. This matchup it is mandatory to rush tabis and just flip bot lane/jg difference, as that is the only thing that you can really do vs her. Teamfights she just turns into another adc for her team, and make it so much harder for the already behind Nasus to do anything in a lane like this.

Trundle

Difficulty: 7.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Not seen top a lot, but Trundle is a hard Nasus counter with his R. He takes all of Nasus’s resistances and beats you down hard. Laning against Trundle is relatively safe and easy, but outside lane phase or post level 6, he will R you every time for your stats and make you useless for a few seconds. The best way to fight this champion is to kite out his R. If he Rs you just drop wither and run. There is no point splitting or dueling vs trundle, as a good trundle build can always beat you down throughout the game. It is also hard to outscale him due to his R. Teamfights are also relatively hard, because you will have 0 defensive stats for a while.

Tryndamere

Difficulty: 7/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Very player dependent lane. Good Tryndamere players will harass you under turret with their auto spin away. Doing this actually prevents the turret from hitting them, and also getting an extra 150-200 damage onto you. In lane, try to survive and scale into sheen. Try to stay at high hp to not get dove. Post sheen and level 6, it is recommended to max W second, and do not engage him immediately. Try to see if he uses spin (E) in the wrong way, and if he does, all in him right away to punish. It is hard to kill him, due to his R, so do not force necessary plays. Mid to late game you outscale tryndamere, but at this time the trynd will be looking to split push and be annoying. Force teamfights mid and force the tryndamere to back and fight with his team.

Urgot

Difficulty: 5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

With the stats and damage nerfs to Urgot, this matchup is now easier, but with his most recent buff (Perma W), this matchup needs to be played with care after level 9. In lane, focus on not getting hit by his flip, as that will deal a lot of damage to you since he will just Q (slow) then E (flip) and start his W rotation on you which will poke you out of lane hard. Post sheen level 6, if you are confident to flash his R, can try to fight him, but it is recommended to wait a bit longer before engaging him. At level 9, he gains access to his perma W, which is a toggle on and off ability (nice 1). At that point, fighting him is unsafe, so just group and teamfight. Late game Urgot is actually insanely strong because of his perma W, so try to not drag the game out too long or it can get pretty awkward to play.

Vayne

Difficulty: 9.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

The most disgusting top lane pick you will see as Nasus. People that pick Vayne top should just ahahah (reformed) but yes, make sure to just dodge or if you are going to play the matchup out, ask for jungle help. There is nothing you can do in this lane, and there is only a tiny window at level 6-7 where you can kill her with sheen. Later on into the game, she will not only outscale you, she also out teamfights you as well as make you useless the entire game. You cannot split, cannot teamfight. There is nothing worse than having to face a vayne top, even though it isn’t the worst matchup, it gives off the worst vibes and ruins my day.

Viktor

Difficulty: 7/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

When Viktor top was insanely strong with klepto for a few patches, this matchup was almost impossible. Now that the meta shifted and Viktor got hit with nerfs, it is actually possible to kill him again. Survive lane, and try to not get hit by too many Qs, as those are point click and cannot be dodged. Viktor’s Q is a two parter, and second part dealing the majority of the damage and also applies sheen damage if he has one. Post level 6 and sheen, do not take too many extended trades, be confident and all in him. Try to sidestep his slow, as that can mess up the all in. You outscale hard and out teamfights this champion.

Vladmir

Difficulty: 3/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

The easiest AP matchup for Nasus in the game. Vlad thrives off out sustaining their opponents in lane. However, this is not possible vs nasus. Post level 6 and sheen, just run him down. Make sure you force proc his phase rush (three abilities or autos), before you going in. there is a short cooldown after his phase rush procs, so it makes it easier for you to engage onto him. Mid game team fights should always be won, as the lane advantage (that you hopefully obtained) should give you the edge every time. Do not scale this matchup too late, as late game vlad will be unbeatable for the squishy champs on your team. You might not feel it, but your teammates do, as he can walk up, pool and 1 shot multiple targets.

Volibear

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Very hard matchup if the Voli freezes the lane. His bite does too much damage if you are low, and his passive keeps him healthy vs all ins. This should be a farm lane. If the lane gets frozen, try to ask the jungler to help. Post level 6 and sheen, farm it out and don’t engage unless he engages. Watch out for ignite volis, they do an insane amount of burst on level 3. You outscale at 2 items, and look for teamfights.

Wukong

Difficulty: 5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

In lane, focus on not getting hit by too many point click Q and Es. Focus on farming and back out of his dash radius. You can’t dodge it, but you can stay safe and not get hit by it. Post level 6, this matchup becomes extremely easy. He has no real ways of dealing with your all in damage, and his R and clone (W) can only stall you while you run him down anyways. Teamfighting may be dangerous, so focus on pulling him into the sidelines and split vs him. He does not outscale nor can he match you in 1 v 1. Just try to not teamfight with Wukong on the enemy team, because of his R that can one shot your adc.

Yasuo

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Yasuo is very mobile and fancy but if we take away his minion wave his nothing. Like Irelia, Yasuo requires a good sized minion wave to work his magic. Early game, focus on scaling and having him push into your turret. Rush tabis if you find his poke too much (as he is likely to rush Berserker’s, easier to catch him this way too). Post sheen level 6, try to fight him when he loses his wave. A good yasuo player will only play around minion waves, so if he doesn’t engage, just farm to triforce. You outscale in teamfights hard and wither demolishes yasuo’s abilities at teamfighting.

Yorick

Difficulty: 8/10

Cloth 4 pots start

Yorick is hard because he can max W second and wall you off completely. In a way, he is similar to Nasus, but a lot less bursty but more consistent as a champion. Early game, focus on staying alive and dodging his Es, as those trigger his little ghouls to attack you, which can chunk you out a lot (they also tend to have a very hard to hit hitbox, which not sure if intended or not but gives Nasus a tumor). Post sheen and level 6, look to take out his maiden before going all in. This is hard to do, because if you attack Yorick’s maiden, he will focus you. Usually, R to clear his maiden, and continue farming. Yorick’s maiden is a longer cd then Nasus’s R, so trading Rs with Yorick isn’t too bad. Just make sure to kill his maiden before focusing him, or you will never win vs him. Yorick would likely split push all game with demolish and tp, so make sure you are forcing fights around the map so he doesn’t get what he wants in the mid game. It is hard to split against him, as his W takes 4 autos to kill at rank 5 (starting at rank 4), and Nasus cannot get out of his W like mobile champs can.

Zilean

Difficulty: 7.5/10

3 Beads 1 pot start

This old man gives me Osteoporosis. You cannot engage on this champion or kill him, ever, if he saves his slows and stuns. In lane, focus on not getting chunked out by his time bombs, and farm to sheen. Look for opportunities when he misses his double bomb. That is honestly the only time you can reliably engage onto him and hope for a lucky kill of his mistake. He also stops you from teamfighting, so there is literally nothing you can do all game. Try to 50/50 better team and get out of this game fast. It’s not only top Zilean too, he can exist in any lane and completely stop a nasus from doing anything. He is pure anti-Nasus, even if you run full tenacity.