Illaoi vs Nautilus — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Illaoi against Nautilus · 53.63% win rate over 3,181 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Illaoi is favoured — Illaoi owns 6 of the 7 game windows to Nautilus's 1. Illaoi wins 53.63% of games vs Nautilus in top lane (3,181 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1NautilusAt level 1 Nautilus's Staggering Blow root and Dredge Line pull give him the strongest all-in before your E is online.
Level 2IllaoiBy level 2 your Q tentacle damage and range let you win pokes while his hook is on a long cooldown.
Level 3IllaoiAt level 3 E Test of Spirit lets you pull his soul with no escape, flipping the lane hard in your favour.
Levels 4-5IllaoiThrough levels 4-5 stacked tentacles plus vessel damage overwhelm his slow shove and single hook.
Level 6IllaoiAt 6 your R tentacle ring beats a dash-less melee tank in any all-in.
First itemIllaoiWith first item your damage on the vessel and trades far outpaces his tank output.
Two+ itemsIllaoiIn the 2+ item slugfest you outdamage him inside your tentacle field every time.

Early game (levels 1–5)

At level 1 Nautilus edges you: his passive roots on first hit and Dredge Line can pull you into a bad spot before your tentacles matter, so respect the all-in window and just farm.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Illaoi vs Nautilus report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.

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Related guides

Playing the other side? Nautilus vs Illaoi guide →
All Illaoi top lane matchups →