How to win lane as Nasus against Olaf · 43.99% win rate (857 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
His true damage + R ignore your Wither — deny axes, build armor, out-scale.
Track: Olaf's R — Ragnarok (100–80s cooldown). CC-immune — your Wither won’t hold him. Bait it.
Read from Nasus's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Olaf.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Olaf | Olaf owns level 1 — Undertow slows you and Reckless Swing's true damage out-trades you when you have no Wither to peel and only weak early stats. |
| Level 2 | Olaf | He still owns level 2 — his axe slow plus Reckless Swing chain wins extended trades and you can't answer his sustained true damage yet. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Even at 3 — Wither finally lets you slow his attack speed and move speed, blunting his Reckless Swing chase, but he still wins a raw all-in. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Even — you stack Q and Wither his engages, but a fed Olaf's true damage still beats you at equal HP, so it's a careful stalemate. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Even at 6 — Fury of the Sands plus Wither lets you survive his Ragnarok all-in; you can Wither him through R since it's a slow, not hard CC. |
| First item | Nasus | Yours — Sheen/Iceborn empowers your Q and your stacks plus Wither's attack-speed slow finally tip the prolonged duel in your favor. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Even late — your empowered Q and lifesteal win most duels, but his Reckless Swing true damage ignores your durability so he never fully falls off. |
Levels 1-2 belong to Olaf and you just survive them. His Undertow axe slows you and Reckless Swing deals true damage that ignores your durability, so any extended trade before Wither is a loss — last-hit with Q at range and soak the poke with Soul Eater lifesteal. Undertow is a flat 9s cooldown, but retrieving the axe resets it instantly, so never fight standing on a thrown axe — make him walk back for it. At 3 Wither lands and his swing chain and axe-pickup chase fall apart.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Nasus's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Nasus vs Olaf 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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Olaf — Nasus wins only 43.99% of 857 games, so Nasus plays this as the disadvantaged side.
Not really — Olaf holds a real statistical advantage (56.01% win rate), so Nasus is the one working uphill.
No — Olaf counters Nasus (Nasus wins only 43.99% of games). Play it as the disadvantaged side and lean on the windows in the plan.
Nasus takes Fleet Footwork on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Haste and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Unflinching) vs Olaf.
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? Olaf vs Nasus guide →
All Nasus top lane matchups →
More Nasus top lane matchups: vs Mordekaiser · vs Nautilus · vs Neeko · vs Ornn · vs Pantheon · vs Poppy