How to win lane as Nasus against Olaf · 51.21% win rate over 412 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| 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 he forces before you have Wither is a loss — last-hit with Q at range and lean on Soul Eater lifesteal to soak the poke. Do not walk up to contest a wave he can axe-and-swing onto you. The lane changes the instant you hit level 3 and get Wither: point his attack-speed slow onto him and his Reckless Swing chain and axe-pickup chase fall apart.
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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Playing the other side? Olaf vs Nasus guide →
All Nasus top lane matchups →