How to win lane as Nasus against Nautilus · 52.66% win rate (1,595 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Dodge his hook — farm stacks and out-scale his tank kit.
Track: Nautilus's Q — Dredge Line (14–10s cooldown). His only engage. Dodge it.
Read from Nasus's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Nautilus.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Nautilus | Nautilus's Q hook into his passive auto-root can lock you down before you have Wither — at level 1 he owns the all-in. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | He can still chain hook into root for a gank setup, but with no ult and shallow stacks you're just farming evenly — respect the hook. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Wither is online now and neuters his hook follow-through, but his base tankiness means trades stay roughly even until you spike. |
| Levels 4-5 | Nasus | Wither plus Spirit Fire's armor shred lets you win extended trades — he's too immobile to disengage once you slow him. |
| Level 6 | Nasus | Fury of the Sands plus Wither wins any all-in he commits — he walks to you and you kite him with a point-and-click slow. |
| First item | Nasus | Sheen-empowered Q and your lifesteal out-grind his tank stats — you can stand on an immobile target and out-sustain him. |
| Two+ items | Nasus | Your stacked Q one-shots through his HP and he has no percent-damage or escape — you own the 1v1 and the splitpush all game. |
Nautilus is one of the few melee tanks who can actually punish your weak early — Dredge Line (Q) plus Staggering Blow, the root on his first auto against you, chains enough CC to set up a gank before you have Wither. Don't last-hit from behind your caster minions or step into hook range over open ground; soak Q farm at max range and accept you concede levels 1-2. Dredge Line is a 14s cooldown at rank 1, so once it misses that whole window is yours.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Nasus's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Nasus 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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Nasus, slightly — a 52.66% win rate edge over 1,595 games; execution can flip it.
Mostly — Nasus has a small statistical edge (52.66% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
Not a hard counter — Nasus has a slight edge (52.66% 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 Nautilus.
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? Nautilus vs Nasus guide →
All Nasus top lane matchups →
More Nasus top lane matchups: vs Master Yi · vs Mel · vs Mordekaiser · vs Neeko · vs Olaf · vs Ornn