• greater mark of hybrid penetration I chose these because as Nidalee you poke a lot with your auto attacks.
  
• Greater Seal of Armor I like these runes a lot. Pretty standard top lane runes. Especially when you are going to be a off tank.
  
• Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist these are good since most of the time your only magic resist items will be Spirit Visage and Mercury's Treads, but Greater Glyph of Magic Resist are also good when going up a AP champ.
  
• Greater Quintessence of Ability Power I love these runes, these I feel are crucial to your early game sustain, these runes + your 2 Doran's Rings help your Primal Surge top you off with a little more HP.
  

I max E 1st for your sustain and your easy farm with Swipe and when you farm in Nidalee's cougar form you have 0 mana costs, this is where the double Doran's Rings come in hand.

I then max Q Javelin Toss 2nd for her cougar form Takedown. Her Q proc's her passive Prowl if you successfully land it on and enemy chamption. This damage has insane burst when used with Pounce to close the gap. Takedown also has 33% more damage when the target is marked with Prowl

I get W at level 1, once you are able to land a spear, your level 2 trades are really strong. If your Javelin Toss hits the enemy champion Pounce has increased range. Very good for gap closing, and very fun to use aswell!

As with every ultimate level it at 6,11, and 16. This is how you only level up your cougar form damage.

I start W Bushwhack to grant vision and set some traps early on. Starting with w Bushwhack is really nice if you go Q Javelin Toss level 2, landing a spear and Pounce will be really effective and from that simple trade you can force your enemy out of lane or even grab first blood. This is why Ignite is highly recommended.

When you ever do back, because we are running Ignite we need to get back to lane as fast as possible. Make sure you are in cougar form and spamming Pounce.

Also when you are maxing E Primal Surge don't be afraid to Pounce and Swipe to trade a bit, you will just be able to heal yourself back up. And try to farm most of the time in cougar form. You are tanky, so don't be afraid to be aggressive in melee form.

Doran's Ring and 2 Health Potions is a standard start. But what we are really looking at is the passive. Restores 4 mana when you kill an enemy unit. Stacking two of these is great sustain for your Primal Surge when none of your abilities in cougar form cost mana.

Stealth Ward is probably the best trinket to start off with. Having Sweeping Lens level 1 isn't really worth it. Make sure if you are playing top to ward the river around the 3 minute mark. .

I always rush double Doran's Rings the passive granting 8 mana from ever unit killed is very nice and cheap sustain item. Works really good with Nidalee's cougar form which uses no mana.

Against AP Top I build Spectre's Cowl if I'm against an AP top champion. I will build Spectre's Cowl into a Spirit Visage, the passive is really nice for self healing. Normally this is all the magic resist i get early on, if i need more, I will upgrade my boots.

Against AD Top When I'm against an AD top I don't bother upgrading boots this early. Because Iceborn Gauntlet and Sunfire Aegis give lots of armor I'm normally tanky enough at this moment.

Once I have enough Gold If I have some extra gold. I like to purchase Sheen. The passive + 25 AP gives you a little extra burst. And the 200 mana doesn't hurt. .

. Spirit Visage Spirit visage is an amazing item! Really great for your self heals, and the 10% CDR makes this item a core. I normally will finish this after Iceborn Gauntlet if facing an AP top.

Iceborn Gauntlet This item is a first rush, Unless you really need more magic resist, then you must rush Spirit Visage.

Sunfire Cape This item must be built after Iceborn Gauntlet. You will find your wave clear synergy with Swipe and Iceborn Gauntlet to do you wonders.

So. Trinity Force does more damage than Iceborn Gauntlet, well yes that's true. but this build doesn't work with Trinity Force. Here's why...

• This build doesn't have to do the most damage, and it's not about doing the most damage.
  
• Iceborn Gauntlet is really nice when you land a Q Javelin Toss and the slow helps you stick on them.
  
• You also are tanky Nidalee this guide is to show you how to play her a different way, that is very viable.
  
• So you might say well Phage is really good on Nidalee. It is, but it also isn't needed. Nidalee has a lot of chase from her Pounce you wont need the Phage.
  
• Iceborn Gauntlet also lets you make use of the cougar form, you don't have to play so safe because you are the tank!