This one is a tricky skill matchup. Be careful when you try to harass him, as his Q1 E combo can reach you pretty easily and can allow him to unleash his full combo on you. Once he gets lvl 6, be very careful when you trade because he can reach you and stick to you easily with the bonus movespeed he gains
Akali
You win pretty easily before lvl 6, especially if you manage to dodge her e and proc a mark on her, but then it gets trickier. Once she gets her ult, she can basically 100-0 you even without hitting her E.
My advice to counter Akali is to build a magic resist cloak on your second (or first if you can afford sheen + cloak). This will help you survive her burst. However, keep in mind that even with that she's still dangerous and you should focus on avoiding getting hit by her E
Akshan
Very hard to out-trade, as he has double autos and a built-in shield. He can bully you and zone you out of the first minions. My advice is to start with E and push the first wave as hard as you can. If he contests you on the first waves, take the trade and dodge his Q spell. If you lost the trade and fell behind, just play safe and rush Tabis.
Camille
You should be able to space her pretty easily. You can jump out if she tries to poke you with W. Be careful when she jumps on you with her E. Most of the time, in early game, when she dashes on you and procs her passive, it's an AD absorb shield that will come up, so you can still use your cougar E and kite her while waiting for the shield to come down. Once the shield is down you can start trading back.
The only real danger of Camille is her Ult, try to not find yourself in situations where you can get killed if she goes all in.
Cassiopeia
Skill matchup. You should win easily pre-6 as you can harass and jump out to dodge her Q, but be careful when you engage if you lack the damage to kill, she can sustain and trap you with her W. Make sure to poke her to around 40% health before trying to jump in for the kill.
After she gets her 6, it gets even harder to jump in for the kill, so just chill and poke.
Cho'Gath
You can dodge his Q and W with a jump and good micro. You'll almost always out trade him. The only way he can potentially kill you is by hitting you with Q and eventually chomp you, but that shouldn't happen.
Darius
This matchup requires some good knowledge of Darius grab range.
Your human auto attack range is only slightly greater than Darius' grab range. That implies that if you mindlessly auto attack him, he can turn and grab you. However, if you're really careful with your spacing, that shouldn't happen.
Note : Most Darius players will play Flash / Ghost, and him pressing ghost will almost always result in you getting caught in the grab. If that's the case, try to kite him. My advice is to always play close to the alcove, as it is your best survival tool if things turn messy.
Dr. Mundo
Easy. Dodge Q, Dodge E. Don't over commit if he has ult.
Fiora
This matchup is quite difficult to handle, but not impossible.
The key to victory is to harass her as much as you can, without getting hit in return. I advice to always jump out when you auto her, as her Q spell will hit you if you don't.
Keep in mind to hold your cougar damage when jumping on her. Most Fiora players will instantly parry when you jump in on her. If you don't hold your combo when jumping you'll end up wasting 90% of your damage and losing the trade.
Also, one of the main weakness of Fiora is her lack of wave clear. use it to your advantage by slow pushing and stacking waves before crashing them.
Gangplank
His Q is a good answer to Nidalee's in and out harass strategy, and he has good sustain. However, he is kind of weak and punishable early game, use it to your advantage. Break his barrels when you can but be careful not to get hit by them.
Garen
Garen is strong against Nidalee as he's really hard to dive and punish thanks to his passive and his w, he can clear waves very fast and if you're not careful, he can kill you pretty easily.
Try to take a lead by taking advantage of the range advantage that you have, punish him when he E's the wave, but keep in mind that you're most likely not going to have a significant advantage when leaving lane.
Gnar
Skill matchup.
Space your autos, dodge his Q, don't get baited by his E.
You usually want to go for all ins when he's in mini.
Gragas
Similar to Garen, you won't be able to punish him and dive him that much. He has good waveclear and sustain, and his E is a good counter to your cougar jump.
Try to force him out of his wave and zone him.
You should only all in once his E is down
Gwen
Similar to Akali in some ways.
You can pretty much abuse her pre 6, but after that you have to be really careful on your trades, as she can 100-0 you real fast.
As for Akali, I recommend buying a Negatron cloak on your second back.
Illaoi
Stay at a distance, clear her tentacles, dodge her Q spells and most important :
DODGE HER E
This is the only way she can win the lane. You win vs her at pretty much every stage of the game, if you manage to dodge her E consistently.
If you got hit by her E, I advise to either All in if her ult is down and her health is low, or try to run out of the range if you can't attack her from a safe place.
Irelia
I used to think that Irelia is unbeatable as Nidalee but she's not.
However, to beat her, you can NOT fall behind. If you do, the lane is over she'll just run over you again and again.
Against irelia, the first waves are key. Try to zone her from minions, place traps on your wave to punish her if she dashes on them. Similar to Fiora, you'll have to hold your cougar combo, as her W will absorb it if you don't.
Once she gets BOTRK, the matchup turns heavily in her favor, so be careful even if you have a big lead by then.
Note : The alcove is your best friend in this matchup, try to not stay stuck in your wave as she'll dash everywhere and be a real threat
Jax
This is a really hard matchup when you begin playing nidalee top.
The main problem with Jax is that he can jump on you (it has approximately the same cd as your jump) while being protected with his E and you cannot really trade back.
Similar to Fiora, you have to hold your cougar Q until the end of Jax's E. If you don't, he'll almost always out trade you.
You have better sustain, better range. Focus on dashing out when he jumps on you and punish him when his E is on cooldown. You win pre-6 pretty easily, but the matchup gets trickier once he gets ult as he can really annihilate you on an all in if you're not careful.
Also, DO NOT FALL BEHIND, as he will just rush through you if you do.
Jayce
Hard to out trade, as his burst damage is better than yours, and he can trade back when you harass from a distance. Your best play is to try to trade him once he used his Hammer Q on the wave. If his Hammer E is down, you have a chance to all in and go for the kill.
Once he gets Eclipse, the matchup is even more complicated, as there will be no way for you to win the trades. You'll have to mostly rely on all ins.
K'Sante
He's not that much of a threat before getting his lvl 6. However, he has good waveclear and a protection for all ins, which makes him hard to punish. He's also very tanky and your auto attacks won't do much on lane against him.
Similar to Fiora, Irelia, try to wait before unleashing your cougar combo when you jump on him.
Once he unlocks his ult, keep in mind to not stay near walls, and focus on not getting trapped under his tower (he can Q3, W and ult). If he all ins, focus on running for your life, do not hesitate to flash out to avoid taking too much damage.
Karma
You should be able to confidently all in her every occasion you can.
Kayle
She's hard to punish after 6, I advice you to not go for dives until you baited her R. Before 6, she's pretty much a walking cannon minion, and won't be able to do much when you trade with her. However, she has decent sustain and can survive lanephase and outscale you.
Be careful if she plays lethal tempo , do not get baited as she's pretty strong lvl 1. (You should be able to kite her easily tho)
Kennen
Hard to trade with because of his Q and stun. His E helps him survive your all in easily.
Once he gets 6, he can obliterate you.
As for Gwen and Akali, I advice you to buy a Negatron cloak on your second back, as this will help you survive his burst.
Kled
Be careful with Kled, as he has strong all in potential when you go for the harass. Once he gets 6, he can bait you on dives, and catch you offguard.
Also, if he manages to hit you with his leash, you should react quickly and jump away to try to snap it off. If you jump too late, the leash can cancel your jump and he'll be able to close the distance and kill you.
Malphite
Easy, he can't really trade you without wasting tons of mana. You have more sustain than him and will be able to kill him pretty easily. The only thing you should watch out for is his ult.
Maokai
Easy matchup. Be careful not to get stuck under his tower when attempting a dive / harass
Mordekaiser
Easy matchup, Always keeping a good distance will allow you to dodge his Q and E easily. Be careful when he uses ult, it's the only moment he can kill you.
Nasus
Easy matchup. Try to punish him as much as you can during the lane phase, because he will eventually outscale you
Nidalee
Normal game pleb ?
Olaf
Be careful not to get caught in his axe. If he rushes in and all ins, play with the alcove and kite him around it. Not much he can do.
Ornn
Relatively easy matchup. Unless you get caught in his combo, it is unlikely that he manages to kill you. He doesn't have that much sustain and becomes an easy kill after you spend some time harassing and poking.
Pantheon
Try to dash out when he jumps on you. Your human AA range is slightly higher than his uncharged Q range, so you should take advantage of it and harass him.
Similar to Fiora, Irelia, try to not waste your cougar damage on his E.
If he all ins, try to trade back and run back to safety, you have more sustain than him so you will eventually outlast him on lane.
Be careful once he gets his ult not to get caught as he can use it to teleport behind you and close the gap that you seek to preserve between you and him.
Poppy
Poppy is a very tough matchup to beat, but her kit is quite predictable so you can take advantage of that. Try not to expose yourself when her passive is up (ranged auto attack with the shield), as this deals a decent amount of damage. Try to wait for the shield of her passive to come down before trading with her. Try to stay out of range of her Q spell. If she charges in on you, be patient with your dash and prefer running away, as her W will cancel your dash and CC you for some time.
The difficulty of this matchup comes from the fact that she's difficult to punish, while on the other hand you will be easily punishable/gankable/divable.
Quinn
Tough matchup. Ranged so you can't really abuse your grasp procs. Can out trade you every time you go for harass. However, once she's used her E, she's pretty much defenseless and you can take advantage of it and surprise her with a fierce burst.
Renekton
You should not have too much trouble harassing him. Just be very careful when he dashes on you. If he manages to close the gap and come melee, he will chunk you and your lane will instantly become difficult. However, with good spacing, you should be fine.
Note: As in any Bruiser matchup, giving him a gold/xp lead will make you get crushed with no counterplay, so be careful
Rengar
Quite an easy matchup, take control of the bushes using your traps, be careful not to get bursted and you should be fine.
Riven
Riven is difficult to punish in lane because of her E shield. However, she's forced to reach in melee to clear the wave, and you can take advantage of that to harass and eventually kill her. Be careful once she reaches lvl 6, as one full combo will probably kill you.
Use good space management and play with the bushes to press the lead and show that Riven OTP what a real player looks like.
Rumble
Hard to punish (because of his W). You'll have to meticulously dodge his E's. Watch his steam bar and make sure not to get combod, as he is able to 100-0 at pretty much any moment in the game.
As for Akali, Kennen, Gwen, I recommend buying a Negatron cloak on your second back.
Sett
Easy matchup, you can abuse him all throughout the lane, without much counterplay.
Be careful, don't get hit by his W, don't get caught in his R and you should be fine.
When he's low enough and you want to dive him, keep in mind that his W and his R can buy him a lot of time. Wait for his spells to be on cd before going for the kill.
Shen
Easy matchup. Don't get caught in the taunt.
He will end up being globally more useful than you.
Try to constantly pressure him under his tower / build huge waves so that he loses a lot of xp/gold when he decides to ult a teammate.
Singed
Not much he can do. If he tries to proxy, make sure to kill the incoming minion wave before trying to take him down.
Also : On lvl 1, cover the access to your minion wave (between T2 and T1), so that he can't proxy you on the first lvl.
Sion
Not too much he can do except coming on lane and dying on repeat. Remember not to get baited by his passive, because it can hurt a lot.
Swain
Easy matchup. His Q range is slightly smaller than your human AA range. That allows you to harass him pretty freely. A bit like Mordekaiser, don't get caught by his E and you should be fine.
Sylas
The tricky part of this matchup is that he basically forces you to buy some items in order to counter him. Similar to Warwick, I would recommend to buy Executioner's calling (ad anti heal) on your second or first back, aswell as a Negatron cloak.
Besides that, Dodge his E2, Don't get caught in his Q, don't get baited by the healing of his W and you should be fine
Tahm Kench
Similar to Ornn, Malphite. There is not much Tahm can do against the harass that Nidalee can output.
Be careful about his Q, as it can deal quite a bit of damage.
Don't let yourself get Ulted if you are close to his tower, as he can trap and stunlock you under it which will probably result in your death and spam pings from your team.
Teemo
Very tough matchup. If you manage to get him low enough and go for the kill, be aware that he will use his Q to blind you, making you miss your cougar Q. So when you jump in for the kill, hold your cougar Q and your auto attacks before the blind is gone.
As for Akali, Rumble, Gwen, I recommend buying a Negatron cloak on your second back.
Trundle
You can harass him very hard. If he tries to use his pillar and catch you, just jump over the pillar. Never use your jump near him if you know that his pillar is up, as he will just slow you and demolish you.
Also, the alcove is your best friend.
Tryndamere
You may be able to punish him pre-6, but once he gets to that point, he will just reach you and brutally murder you every single time. I recommend buying tabis and praying the RNG gods he doesn't crit you too much.
On a serious note though, try to not get caught in his slow (easier said than done). Tabis can help, Iceborn gauntlet can help, ghost can help.
Udyr
Very hard to punish due to his W being on a very low CD. You can try going for cougar trades once his W is down and he just switched to another form. Be careful not to get stuck in melee because of his R.
Urgot
Not too much he can do. Don't get caught in his E and you'll be fine.
Varus
Dodge.
Vayne
Despite being a range champion, Vayne is still quite abusable. You can trade with the grasp procs and instantly jumping out. Place traps smartly on the lane to prevent all ins (if your mark is on her you will see her when she turns invis). You have more sustain than her and will eventually kill her on an all in.
Vladimir
Vladimir can be quite hard to punish, as he has decent trades and a bit more sustain than you. I recommend buying Executioner's calling, aswell as a Negatron cloak (optional) to survive his burst.
Volibear
You can kite him around endlessly. Don't get caught in his E. If he manages to W you once, don't let him do it twice or you will pay the price.
Do not get baited when his ult is up, as it gives him a decent amount of Health.
Warwick
Don't get baited by his regen and his dmg reduction. Buy executioner's calling as soon as you can. Tabis can help too.
Yasuo
Similar to Irelia, do not stand in your wave too much, try to not waste your damage on his passive shield. Avoid his tornado and do not fall behind, or your lane is over.
Yone
Definitely a skill matchup, but Yone-favored. Dodge his Q, bait his W, put a trap on his shadow when he uses his E and you should be fine. Do not underestimate his damage, as he can 100-0 you at any point of the game (even when you build full tank).
Yorick
Dodge his E, jump out of the cage if you're trapped in it.
Zac
Easy matchup. Play ignite, get anti heal if needed. Don't get caught in his Q E R combo and you should be fine.
Hi, I'm SenSen, and welcome to my Nidalee guide. I've been playing Nidalee since seasons 5-6, playing in top lane and jungle, reaching Masters tier consistently and peaking at Challenger with over 1k LP. Check my skills at https://www.op.gg/summoners/euw/TTV%20SenSenLoL-NIDA.
In this guide, I'll share strategies and builds I've developed, from AP Offtank to more. I'll reveal tactics that helped me win and dominate the toplane with Nidalee.
Join me on Twitch at twitch.tv/sensen_Lol to see these strategies live. Let's learn together and hopefully you'll be able to see what a Nidalee on toplane looks like. Dive in and let's start winning!
Why Nidalee Top ?
Why Nidalee Top Lane?
Why not ? I mean, aren't you tired of playing her in the jungle, hearing your laners cry while they die for the 10th time before the 10 minute mark ? Just kidding (or am I ?), here's a list of all the reasons why Nidalee should be played on toplane.
Versatility: Nidalee excels in both ranged and melee combat. She can poke from a distance and engage up close, offering a dynamic playstyle for the top lane.
Lane Bully: Her strong harass tools allow her to dominate the lane, pressure opponents, and control minion waves, making her a very strong pick (especially into most melee toplane champs).
Pressure Absorption: Nidalee is effective at drawing enemy attention while safely farming, helping her team by freeing up pressure from other parts of the map.
1v2 Potential: She thrives in outnumbered fights, using her mobility and burst damage to turn the tide in challenging situations.
Teamfight Presence: Beyond laning, Nidalee becomes a flexible teamfighter, able to deal damage from afar or support her team with utility skills (traps, heals).
In conclusion, Nidalee is a top choice for the top lane due to her mix of range, melee capabilities, and adaptability in various game phases.
Pros & Cons
PROS
- Versatile (AP/AD builds) - Lane dominance - Strong snowballing - Good sustain - Consistent performance - High mobility
Nidalee's top lane presence offers multiple strengths. She's versatile, switching between ranged and melee, and dominates her lane by pressuring opponents and winning trades. Her sustain from Primal Surge helps her stay in fights longer. Her mobility in Aspect Of The Cougar makes her a threat across the map. When played well, Nidalee can snowball her lead and control the game.
CONS
- Skill reliant / Niche - Vulnerable early game - Item reliant - Struggles when behind - Relies on skillshots - Lacks hard CC
Playing Nidalee top has its drawbacks. She requires skill and is less effective for new players. Vulnerable early on, she can be easily punished by ganks. Her reliance on items means falling behind can greatly reduce her effectiveness. Managing her mana-intensive skills is crucial, and her impact in teamfights can be inconsistent, needing precise positioning and skill execution.
Runes
RESOLVE
For Nidalee top, Grasp of the Undying is ideal. It suits her playstyle well, allowing her to switch between ranged and melee forms and maximize Grasp's melee damage for effective trading and lane sustain.
Demolish is the preferred rune for Nidalee, enhancing her tower destruction ability in lane. It boosts her map pressure and objective control, making her an efficient split-pusher.
Bone Plating is best for early laning, reducing damage from initial bursts and giving Nidalee a defensive advantage in trades.
This setup is based on preference. Attack speed and adaptive damage are often the best choices.
PRECISION
Presence of Mind is essential for Nidalee, addressing her mana needs and enabling sustained lane presence and effectiveness in teamfights.
Last Stand complements Nidalee's aggressive trading and low health playstyle, boosting her damage output in crucial moments. Coup de Grace is a good alternative, but since you already have bonus damage on execute, it might be a bit of an overkill.
Abilities
Summoner Spells
FLASH: Best summoner to have, allows for easy engage, disengage, outplays, etc.
IGNITE: Ignite serves as a great tool to add even more kill pressure during the laning phase. It combines well with Nidalee's execute damage on Takedown. Ignite is particularly strong against champions that run Conqueror, or any champion that has antiheal in their kit ( Warwick, Aatrox, etc.)
TELEPORT: Teleport is a good alternative to ignite on toplane, as it allows you to move on the map to help your team, catch waves faster, and is globally a great tool for consistency and providing for your team. It is particularly useful if your gameplan is splitpush-centric.
BARRIER: Barrier can be a good summoner spell choice, as it allows you to resist all-ins from champions such as Camille. It also allows for easier dives and baits, and thus can be a powerful spell to have.
AP Glasscannon build
WHEN TO BUILD ?
This build excels if the following conditions are here :
- Not too much AP dmg dealer in the team
- Atleast one tank / frontline champion in the team
- Enough lock / CC spells in your team
Important : This build is a bit weaker during laning phase than the AD and Offtank alternatives, but it has a better scaling. In my eyes, the superior scaling makes it the best build for toplane Nidalee at the moment
STARTER ITEMS
As for the other builds, this build starts with a Doran's Blade and a Health Potion, running a Grasp of the Undying keystone rune. The idea is the same in all of the different build variants: you want to win a battle of attrition against your opponent, constantly harassing him with powerful auto attacks, proccing your Grasp of the Undying from afar, running in and out of the bushes and when the ennemy's healthbar is low enough, go for the execute.
FIRST BACK
On the first back, you usually aim to have 900g to buy a Sheen, which will synergize with your Grasp of the Undying and make your harass even more dangerous for the ennemies.
As for the boots, I usually go for Ionian Boots of Lucidity, as they provide a good amount of stats for the price, and they bring the ability haste that will be very useful to spam your Primal Surge and out sustain your opponent.
FIRST ITEM
The first item you want to get is Lich Bane. Same idea, you want to increase your harass potential, while smoothly preparing your transition as a support/assassin/poke damage provider.
SECOND ITEM
The second item you want to get in most cases is Rabadon's Deathcap. Even though it is quite expensive (3600g), it synergizes very well with Lich Bane, offering you crazy kill potential and boosting your heals (from Primal Surge) by quite a large margin. And also, by building it as a second item, every single item that you build after that will have increased value, so you might aswell want to get it when you're at your strongest.
THIRD ITEM
The third item that you'll buy in most cases is Cryptbloom, as the ennemies will likely have bought a good amount of Magic resist to sustain your poke damage. Cryptbloom is a very good item on Nidalee, the stats are all we need and the passive effect is very useful when going in for a kill in teamfights, as it allows to heal everyone in a radius, further pushing your role of an assassin/support. Also, unless the ennemy team has really high magic resist, Cryptbloom will almost always outvalue Void Staff
Banshee's Veil to absorb a key ability that could result in your death (Blitz hook, Nautilus, etc.) while providing a decent amount of magic resist and ability power.
Horizon Focus to add even more value to your Javelin Toss (giving vision in a radius when you hit an ennemy)
Shadowflame for the bonus damage on execute, it synergizes very well with your Takedown
AD Bruiser build
WHEN TO BUILD ?
This build excels if the following conditions are here :
- Not too much AD dmg dealers in the team
- Your gameplan is to skirmish / split push a lot
- Lane opponent is melee
This build is a lane-bully build, but it falls off pretty hard after 2 / 3 items. You will need to end the game quickly or you will end up handicapping your team (unless really ahead).
As for the other builds, this build starts with a Doran's Blade and a Health Potion, running a Grasp of the Undying keystone rune. The idea is the same in all of the different build variants: you want to win a battle of attrition against your opponent, constantly harassing him with powerful auto attacks, proccing your Grasp of the Undying from afar, running in and out of the bushes and when the ennemy's healthbar is low enough, go for the execute.
FIRST BACK
On the first back, you usually aim to have 900g to buy a Sheen, which will synergize with your Grasp of the Undying and make your harass even more dangerous for the ennemies.
As for the boots, you can go either for Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Plated Steelcaps if you need armor / auto attack resist, or Mercury's Treads if you need tenacity / magic resist.
If you're confident in your ability to snowball the game and you've already managed to get a lead before your first back, you can opt to buy a Dark Seal, as it is a very good snowball item for the price.
FIRST ITEM
The first item you want to get is Trinity Force. This item is a bit pricey, but rewards you with a great powerspike once you complete it, especially when proccing the sheen effect in melee form. You will easily be able to take down your opponents, while staying relatively safe thanks to the bonus hp and the bonus movespeed it gives.
SECOND ITEM
Depending on the state of the game, you second item can vary. You usually want to go with Sundered Sky to push a lead and keep on snowballing, as the passive proc will deal a lot of damage, especially when combined with you lvl 11 powerspike. Frozen Heart is a good option if you need armor, or you're facing a lot of auto attackers Kaenic Rookern is currently the best magic resist item option that you have, so buy it if in need of magic resist.
OPTIONAL ITEMS
Good items to complete this build are :
Hullbreaker is a good item if you plan on splitpushing, but keep in mind that you will already melt towers with the sheen effect of Trinity Force and Demolish, so you might aswell want to accumulate other useful stats.
Thornmail is a relatively good item into AD heavy comps.
Wit's End is a good item for tower destruction, and it provides some good stats (magic resist, attack speed, tenacity). It's buildable in very specific matchups ( Maokai for example)
Jak'Sho, The Protean provides great overall tankiness and will help you last longer in the teamfights.
Force of Nature is the second best magic resist item to get, and I especially enjoy the bonus movement speed you get once it's stacked, it can really create a difference when dealing with mages.
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