Nami Build Guide by IceCreamy

Welcome

//intro banner


Hello everyone, and welcome to my very first Season 3 guide, for the newest champion of the League: Nami!

Though she has various uses (I've seen people going mid with her) I prefer to play her as a support, and that is what I will only talk about in this guide. If you wish to read about AP Nami, you've come to the wrong place.

Nami is an overall great support, with CC ( Aqua Prison and Tidal Wave), a heal ( Ebb and Flow) and a buff for any champion ( Tidecaller's Blessing). This makes her a great allround champion who can be useful in any team composition.

Anyways, enough of an introduction; on to the guide!

Pros/Cons

//Pros/Cons


NOTE: Click HERE for the template of this section.

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Pros + She heals. + She has good CC. + She buffs AA. + Bonus MS! + Nice damage, too.

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Cons - Very squishy in early game. - Often played. - Mana problems. - High skillcap with skillshots. - ?

Runes

//runes


I take gold per 10 Quints, to keep my income stable. I also take Armor Marks and Seals, and Magic Resist per level Glyphs, to get some more defense.

In your runepage it should look like this:

R U N E S

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- Magic Penetration Marks, in case you prefer more damage over defense - gp/10 Seals, in case you prefer the extra gold over the extra defense - Flat Magic Resist Glyphs, if you are up against harassing supports or AD Carries that also deal magic damage - Flat Health Quintessences, in case you prefer the extra HP over the bonus gold - Movement Speed Quintessences, in case you feel the bonus MS is more useful than bonus gold

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R U N E S

Also, please do not waste your IP/RP and buy tier 1 or tier 2 runes. Just be patient, wait until you get Summoner Level 20 and buy tier 3 runes. You can not sell your old runes, you can put them in some sort of blender and hope you will get something nice, but it is not worth it.

Masteries

//masteries

Summoner's Wrath to improve Exhaust

Durability for the nice hp boost Hardiness for the bonus Armor Resistance (1 point) for the bonus Magic Resist

Summoner's Insight to improve Flash Wanderer for the bonus Movement Speed Mastermind to reduce the cooldowns of Exhaust and Flash Artificer to reduce the cooldowns on Shard of True Ice, Shurelya's Reverie and Mikael's Crucible Greed to help your income Awareness to keep up in levels Pickpocket for rewarding the harass even more Intelligence (2 points) for the nice Cooldown Reduction Nimble for the always useful Movement Speed

- Taking Meditation instead of Wanderer is fine too.
- Maxing out Intelligence instead of putting a point in Pickpocket is fine as well.
- I'm not taking Greed because I really don't know which points to remove. But it's good if you start with the items I recommend since instead of a pot you can buy a second Sight Ward!
- I'm also not taking Biscuiteer and Explorer , because I simply don't like them. If you do, find the points somewhere and enjoy the measly 80hp/50mana and ward.

Summoner Spells

//summoner spells


I've listed all Summoner Spells available on Summoner's Rift, the higher it is the better I consider it.

Despite the recent nerf, still the best Summoner Spell in the game. So useful in chasing and running away, can't go without it :)

Probably the best choice to go along with Flash. This spell is very useful in bot lane when fighting 2v2, but also still nice in team fights later on.

Is an option, but with Ebb and Flow you have a heal that is really good. Not entirely sure how this matches up against Exhaust but I think the latter is better.

Not such a great spell, you're basically getting free wards from Ruby Sightstone so you won't really need this. Besides, you'll give up some lane control if the enemy support takes Exhaust.

Viable option to replace Flash with if you are not level 12, or if you simply think Ghost is the better spell since the Flash nerf.

Might be of use to deal some damage, but usually you use this to secure a kill and you are the queen of assists.

Good spell for your AD Carry but not for you - like I said earlier, if you're the focus, the enemy is doing something wrong.

Commonly taken by your AD Carry but nothing for you, really. It's a good thing if the enemy focuses you, since your carries can deal damage.

No reason at all to take this spell, you use this to gank or to defend a lane which both are not your job.

You are not a jungler, so there is absolutely no reason to take this spell. blablablablablablablablabla

Only viable when you're very much behind, or when you take Teleport along with it. But you're not really a base defender or the hero that can change the game...

Most useless spell in game, stay away from it or puppies will die. You wouldn't want puppies to die, would you?

Skill Explanation and Sequence

//skill explanation

Nami's passive is Surging Tides. It grants any allied champion bonus movement speed if they are hit by one of your abilities that affect them. I'm 100 % sure W and E proc the passive but I'm not sure about Q and R. Anyhow, it can help you or an ally to chase or run away better. Works particularly well with your E, since you'll grant the bonus MS and the bonus on AA as well.


//divider


Her Q is Aqua Prison. It's a linear skillshot that deals damage and knocks up enemies in a circle. It takes a little while before it gets to the place you sent it, so keep that in mind.


//divider


The W spell is Ebb and Flow. It can damage your enemy and heal yourself and/or an ally depending on who you use it. It jumps back and forth between enemies and allies, up to 3 times.
If for some reason you end up in a 1v1, always use it on the enemy first because you can be certain that it comes back to you to heal you.


//divider


The E ability is Tidecaller's Blessing. It gives any ally or yourself a bonus, including dealing bonus damage on basic attacks and slowing the enemy with basic attacks. It's best used on your AD Carry but also AD bruisers that rely on basic attacks such as Irelia and Jax go well with it.


//divider


Her ult is Tidal Wave. It's a linear skillshot with a big range, that knocks up and damages all enemies it hits. If you hit it, it sets you up for an easy Aqua Prison.


//skill sequence


You'll want to start with Ebb and Flow and max it first. Take Tidecaller's Blessing at level 3 and max it second. Put a point in Aqua Prison at level 2 and max it last. Of course, put a point in Tidal Wave whenever you can. Below scheme shows how it's done:

Items

//items


//starting

I personally like to start with Faerie Charm, Rejuvenation Bead, Sight Ward and a potion of choice (usually Mana Potion since W heals). However you can leave out either Faerie Charm or Rejuvenation Bead to buy some more wards at the beginning.


//early

Philosopher's Stone

On your first trip back you should be able to buy a Philosopher's Stone and a Sightstone, hopefully. If not, buy the most expensive of those 2.

On the second trip back, buy Boots of Speed and a Pick. This should give you a good mix of income, sustain, damage and mobility.

Kage's Lucky Pick

Grab a Chalice of Harmony for unlimited mana. As first "big" item you'll want Aegis of the Legion, unless someone else in your team is already building it. Make sure you don't buy 2 as the effect does not stack except on those who've bought it.

//late

Shard of True Ice

The first completely finished item you'll like is Shard of True Ice. It still gives the bonus gold, which is always nice, but you'll also gain a nice active which you should use on your tank or bruiser.

Second up is the Ruby Sightstone for some more HP and the bonus Wards, to give some more map control. It's quite cheap to upgrade, anyways.

Moving on to Mikael's Crucible, which also grants a nice active that you should try to use on your AP Carry in mid game and AD carry in late game. This active can make or break a game, so don't forget to use it!

Next is Runic Bulwark - nice upgrade to Aegis of the Legion which gives even more HP and Magic Resist to you and Magic Resist to your allies.

It's about time to upgrade your boots and get some Cooldown Reduction, and you get just that from Ionian Boots of Lucidity. Since all the items we've bought before don't grant any CDR, and every support likes CDR, it's time to get it.

Last but not least, upgrade the Philosopher's Stone to a Shurelya's Reverie. The item has paid itself off by now, so time for the upgrade. The CDR will help you, but the active is the nicest part about this item. Use it to engage or to run away, whichever suits the situation best.

Shurelya's Reverie

If the game lasts this long you can upgrade your boots with an Enchantment. I personally prefer Enchantment: Alacrity, but Enchantment: Captain can work very well too.


//alternative

Great item if you want do some more damage, help out your allies with another aura and get some Magic Resist in the process.

Decent item if your team needs pushing power, but I'd prefer Aegis of the Legion/ Runic Bulwark over this item any day.

Nice item if their team has a lot of champs who rely on spell vamp/life steal.

Excellent item for tower diving/pushing, and the basic stats it gives aren't measly either. blablablablablablablablabla

THE item of AP-based champions, if your team lacks in damage you'll want this item.

Great defensive item, best used if their team has a lot of AD based champions. The active is really nice and the health and armor really help out.

Very nice item for her, the slow adds to her CC and except for her E every ability goes quite well with it.

Great item if every time enemies escape at low hp from team fights. Otherwise, not so much. blablablablablablablablabla

Great item if your team has a lot of AP based champions, and for some reason they do not buy this. Also goes well with your Q if you let it go over a minion wave.

Great item if your team has a lot of AD based champions. blablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablabla

Zeke's Herald

//boots

Good choice of boots if their team has a lot of CC.

Good choice of boots if their team has a lot of champs who count on their autoattacks. blablablablablablablablabla

Warding

//warding



But seriously, warding is the most important job of a support. Doesn't mean that other people should not do it (in early game your jungler (probably along with Wriggle's Lantern), your top laner (to stop ganks from their jungler) and your mid (to stop ganks from top, bot and jungler) will also do it.), but in mid and late game you will be the one placing the most wards. You should always have at least 3 in your inventory as soon as teamfights start to break out.

Anyways, if you are new to the support role, or if you don't know where to place wards, here are a bunch of screenshots to help you.

In case you have played more often, and you know the map, I took an image from the internet and used Paint to draw some circles to show you where you should place wards in certain stages:



Early game
Mid-late game
When doing Dragon or Baron, respectively
Black : When pushing the midlane

And the rest of this section shows screenshots of that place, in case you do not know the map by heart yet.

In early game, you will want to place wards here:

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In mid- and lategame, you will want to place wards here:




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If your team is about to do Dragon, you will want to place wards here:




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If your team is about to do Baron, you will want to place wards here:











If you are pushing the midlane up to their inhibitor turret, those places are nice places to ward:




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Match up list

//allied AD Carries

Ashe

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Quite a good lane, her slows and stun will help you set up your Aqua Prison and Tidal Wave.

Caitlyn

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Not a bad lane, if the enemy walks through a trap you can easily hit your Aqua Prison and/or Tidal Wave.

Corki

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Quite a hard lane since he requires some mana to do his stuff and he has no CC to help you hit your abilities.

Draven

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His early game damage is insanely high and you can help him with Tidecaller's Blessing, so I think this lane should work out pretty nicely.

Ezreal

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Okayish lane, he has plenty of poke but it's hard to tell when he will use it. Wouldn't recommend, but might work.

Graves

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Whenever he charges in with Quickdraw give him a nice Tidecaller's Blessing for bonus damage and good kiting :) His damage is pretty nice so all he needs is some sustain, which you give well with Ebb and Flow.

Kennen

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Not such a great lane, his Lightning Rush isn't affected by your Tidecaller's Blessing so yeah.

Kog

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Bio-Arcane Barrage is an awesome combo with your Tidecaller's Blessing. He makes a sound when he uses it so just help him. Also nice because you have plenty CC for a "protect the Kog" team comp.

MF

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Her ult + your ult = pain for the enemy. Her early game is pretty good and since she has no escapes she will like your CC.

Sivir

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Awesome lane if you are good at hitting Aqua Prison as it will grant her free damage with an unmissable Boomerang Blade.

Trist

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If she uses Rocket Jump aggressively that means you use Tidecaller's Blessing. Otherwise I don't really see this lane work out.

Urgot

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Whenever he hits his Noxian Corrosive Charge on an enemy champion you use Tidecaller's Blessing on him, because he will surely throw some Acid Hunters their way.

Varus

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If he hits Chain of Corruption you will have an easy time landing Aqua Prison and Tidal Wave. Could surely work out well :)

Vayne

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Her passive and your passive fare really well. Also pay attention to her Silver Bolts since she will probably try to get 3 on an enemy, which means you can grant an easy Tidecaller's Blessing.

Vision Wards and Oracle's Elixir

// Vision Wards

At the start, if the enemy has any champion with a stealth mechanism in the bot lane or the jungle, you could get some until you can buy Oracles. When everyone hits about level 7, you should always have one up near Dragon so you can destroy the enemy ward that is probably there. Later on, having one at Baron is also great. For the rest, I do not recommend using them as a Sight Ward gives you pretty much the same vision.


// Oracle's Elixir

Almost all the time if the enemy team has any stealth ability. Oracles detect them when they are close to you.
Otherwise I do not recommend taking them early, they are quite costly and if you die you will have to spend another 400 gold. One way or another, get your gp/10 items first.
Reasoning behind this is that usually, your jungler gets one early. If he/she doesn't, you could consider it but a Vision Ward usually does the job just fine.

The other good thing about getting an Oracle is that you can clear enemy wards. Especially in bot lane, this will be of good use. Clear the 2 lane brushes, tribrush, river and dragon wards whenever you can, so your jungler can have free reign!

Team Fights

//team fights


Your prime role in team fights is to defend your AD Carry. No matter what, just stick with him/her so you can use your Ebb and Flow to keep his/her HP up and Tidecaller's Blessing for the bonus damage and juking ability with the slow.

Whenever you think you can get off a nice Tidal Wave throughout their whole team, do it. The knockup is always nice to disable the enemy, and the slow can stop the enemy from chasing or help your allies chase. The range is very big, so take that into account. If you hit it on a nearby enemy, it sets you up for an easy Aqua Prison.


//example


Let's illustrate with an example. A team fight has broken out, and everyone is everywhere. Your team's Cassiopeia, Lee Sin and Singed are battling it out with their team but have forgotten that their Jax and Irelia have jumped you and your Graves. Most likely, they will target your AD Carry, so use Tidecaller's Blessing on him so he can hopefully juke them a little bit while their gapclosers are on cooldown. Two things can happen here:

- You both take damage. Use Ebb and Flow on Graves, so it will jump to an enemy, and then back to you. This optimizes your healing.
- Only one of you takes damage. Use Ebb and Flow on an enemy, in such a way that it will jump to Graves and then to the other enemy. This makes sure you deal as much damage as possible while not wasting your heal.

If you see an opportunity, use Tidal Wave to knock them up and slow them down. The best timing for this would be right after Tidecaller's Blessing expired. Once you hit Tidal Wave, use Aqua Prison on hopefully both of them to keep them away from your AD Carry even longer.

This should give you the edge, winning the team fight and eventually the game!

Videos

//videos


I recommend watching the Champion Spotlight made by Riot Games themselves:

The zoning guide by Shurelya is also a nice watch, and I certainly recommend it:

My Scores

//my scores


Since Nami is the newest champion in the League, I'm not playing her in Ranked games yet. Therefore, no scores are available at the moment.


//solo/duo





//team

Special Thanks

//thanks


All the people who have commented and/or voted on my guide. No matter if it was an up- or downvote, I appreciate everything you guys did. Remember, any constructive criticism helps any guide improve!

Some very special thanks go to jhoijhoi for writing her Guide to making a Guide. It has helped me in so many ways, I can't link it enough. If you are going to make a guide yourself, READ IT!

Anyways, this concludes my guide. If you're curious for more of my guides, go ahead and click my profile and the click the Guides tab, where you can find all of them ;)

Thanks a lot for reading, I hope I've helped you. If you have any questions, remarks, comments, constructive criticism or whatnot please don't hesitate to leave a comment! Thanks a lot in advance.

Summary

//summary


Runes: Flat Armor Marks, Flat Armor Seals, MR/lvl Glyphs, gp/10 Quintessences.
Masteries: 1-8-21
Spells: Flash/ Exhaust or Heal.
Items: Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Ruby Sightstone, Shard of True Ice, Mikael's Crucible, Runic Bulwark, Shurelya's Reverie.
Skill Sequence: R>W>E>Q

I hope you liked reading, enjoy playing Nami! :)

Things that will come later

//to do


Here's a list of things I still want to do, in order of most important to least important:

• Custom artwork (everything that has // in front of it will be replaced with custom artwork)
• Improve the Champion match up list
• Proper warding screenshots, using the right champion at least :P
• Scores from my ranked adventures
• Hopefully I'll figure out a way to make my own videos

This guide is still under construction and prone to changes.