How to win the jungle race as Nunu & Willump against Xin Zhao · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Read from Nunu & Willump's seat: the race windows this plan plays for against Xin Zhao.
| Stage | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Clear | Danger — Avoid Xin Zhao | The W challenge into Three Talon Strike knock-up chains you down before you can answer. Three Talon Strike's knock-up plus passive healing wins the first buff-pit duel on top of that, so level 1 is a straight stat check Nunu & Willump loses — respect the river bushes and disengage before the third Q hit lands, and give the river vision-line respect. |
| Level 2 Skirmish | Danger — Avoid Xin Zhao | Xin Zhao out-classes you on the second camp — Wind Becomes Lightning (W) challenge poke starts trades they finish for free, and the W challenge into Three Talon Strike knock-up chains you down before you can answer. Refuse the level-2 skirmish, full-clear away from them, and trade map pressure instead of health. |
| Level 3 Route | Danger — Avoid Xin Zhao | Do not be seen at the opening scuttle: the W challenge into Three Talon Strike knock-up chains you down before you can answer. On top of that, the full knock-up combo with W slow is among the top three level-3 duels, so they get there first. Respect the river bushes and disengage before the third Q hit lands. Give up the level-3 river fight and farm the opposite quadrant until your spike lands. |
| Levels 4-5 Macro | Danger — Avoid Xin Zhao | Do not be seen by Xin Zhao at levels 4-5 — you lose every exchange. Full-clear away from them, ward your entrances, and trade map pressure, not HP. |
| Level 6 Breakpoint | Respect Xin's R | Crescent Guard makes the 1v1 literal, which is the whole problem: Crescent Guard isolates you from your team and wins the resulting 1v1. Fight him with numbers before the R cast or poke the duel down from range, and spend Absolute Zero to equalize rather than to open. |
| First Item Spike | Liandry's Spike | Completing Liandry's Torment puts a max-health burn on every Consume (Q), Biggest Snowball Ever! (W) and Snowball Barrage (E) hit, so camps and waves melt and brawlers who try to out-sustain you lose a chunk of health every trade. Xin Zhao's first item is a sharp jump — the knock-up combo goes from a strong trade to a kill on most junglers. |
| 2+ Items Scaling | Even Scaling — Prep Decides | Both kits pay off at 2+ items — late fights vs Xin Zhao come down to who enters with cooldowns, vision, and numbers. Win with setup, not stats. |
Start your clear at the Red or Blue Buff camp utilizing your Consume true damage to maximize early clear speed without needing a heavy leash. Xin Zhao clears fast and heals off Determination, so he reaches three healthy and looking for the first fight.
Ranked by the race windows in Nunu & Willump's plans — the jungle race carries no win-rate sample.
The full Nunu & Willump vs Xin Zhao report continues with scuttle & dragon rules, invade windows and safety boundaries, the top-side objective fight, macro rotations and the win condition — plus the live enemy-jungle tracker that shows their start, clear and gank timers in game.
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Xin Zhao pressures 5 of the 7 windows in this race — survive the early game and scale into your windows.
Not exactly — Xin Zhao pressures 5 of the 7 windows, so Nunu & Willump is playing catch-up and has to lean on the map.
Playing the other side? Xin Zhao vs Nunu & Willump guide →
All Nunu & Willump jungle matchups →
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