How to win lane as Nasus against Graves · 51.35% win rate (1,924 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Survive his Quickdraw pressure, stack, and take over with Wither + items.
Track: Graves's E — Quickdraw (16–12s cooldown). His dash + armor stacks. Engage when it's down.
Read from Nasus's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Graves.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Both of you are weak at level 1 — he has shotgun autos but no Quickdraw yet and you have only Q, so contest his last-hits but commit nothing. |
| Level 2 | Nasus | Wither comes online at 2 and halves his move and attack speed, gutting his kite and shell reload so you free-farm Q stacks under it. |
| Level 3 | Graves | With Q, the Smoke Screen slow and an E charge he Quickdraws in for the point-blank 4-shell spread and an End of the Line cone before Wither is back — his cleanest punish. |
| Levels 4-5 | Nasus | Your Wither timing owns the trade — bait his engage, eat one shell, then slow his attack speed mid-commit so his burst trades back even. |
| Level 6 | Graves | His Collateral Damage plus a full magazine and a Q cone chunks you hard if he bursts before Wither lands — this is his best all-in window. |
| First item | Graves | His Eclipse/Youmuu's first-item spike out-damages your Sheen component, so he'll force the all-in here while he still out-trades you. |
| Two+ items | Nasus | A stacked Siphoning Strike chunks him, Spirit Fire shreds his True Grit armor, and Wither plus R lifesteal walks through his burst — you out-scale him outright. |
Graves is a ranged skirmisher who wants to bully a stack-hungry Nasus, so the early levels are a knife-fight over your farm. At level 1 neither of you owns it — he has shotgun autos but no Quickdraw mobility yet, so contest last-hits with Siphoning Strike (Q) but commit to nothing. His four bullets CANNOT pass through units, so a single minion between you eats the entire volley — farm behind the wave and his damage simply does not arrive. The instant you hit 2 and have Wither (W), the lane tilts: slow his move AND attack speed and his kite, reload tempo and shell DPS collapse at once. Just respect his level 3 Quickdraw all-in.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Nasus's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Nasus vs Graves 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.
Read the full guide — plans from $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee on your first payment · ✋ Cancel anytime
Lane Pass $1.99/mo · All Lanes $3.99/mo · Annual $24.99/yr. Renews automatically — cancel anytime.
Nasus, slightly — a 51.35% win rate edge over 1,924 games; execution can flip it.
Mostly — Nasus has a small statistical edge (51.35% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
Not a hard counter — Nasus has a slight edge (51.35% win rate), and play quality decides the rest.
Nasus takes Fleet Footwork on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Haste and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Unflinching) vs Graves.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Sheen (≈900g) — every Q after this hits twice as hard. Build Trinity Force (Iceborn Gauntlet if you need the slow + armor) first, then Frozen Heart (his attack speed dies here), with Plated Steelcaps.
Playing the other side? Graves vs Nasus guide →
All Nasus top lane matchups →
More Nasus top lane matchups: vs Garen · vs Gnar · vs Gragas · vs Gwen · vs Heimerdinger · vs Illaoi