Teemo vs Nautilus — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Teemo against Nautilus · 51.82% win rate over 1,868 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Winnable despite the lane — Nautilus owns 6 of the 7 game windows to Teemo's 1, yet the win rate favours Teemo: survive their windows and the game is yours. Teemo wins 51.82% of games vs Nautilus in top lane (1,868 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1NautilusNautilus passive-roots me on his first auto and his Q Dredge Line reaches before my W move speed can create gap — he sets the damage tone at level 1 while I'm stuck farming at max auto range.
Level 2NautilusHis Titan's Wrath shield comes online and his Q-pull into passive-root-into-E-splash chain wins every short trade; my Q blind is only online if he auto-attacks, which he doesn't need to do to hurt me.
Level 3NautilusWith Q, W and E all active Nautilus can chain CC me for a lethal all-in window — Dredge Line into root into E slow into W shield burn out-pokes my E poison before I can back away.
Levels 4-5NautilusLevels 4-5 he can Dredge Line and immediately chain W splash burn plus E slow into a passive re-root while I'm still in his radius — my blind helps but doesn't stop the full hook-into-combo sequence.
Level 6TeemoNoxious Trap: I layer mushrooms on every Dredge Line approach angle, turning his Q telegraph into a slowed, revealed walk-up that my W speed escapes cleanly — this is the one stage where his engage loses its threat.
First itemNautilusLiandry's Angueur turns my E poison into a percent-HP burn that eats his W shield and chips him over repeated poke trades, but his first tank item and W shield still absorb enough that he controls the direct duel.
Two+ itemsNautilusA stacked Nautilus with Depth Charge and Jak'Sho tank stats wins the 1v1 if I'm caught in the open — I split-push only behind a full shroom grid and never stand still near any bush he could flash-hook through.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Levels 1-3 are where I have to be most disciplined in this entire matchup. Nautilus's passive Staggering Blow roots me the moment his first auto connects, so the second he lands Dredge Line I'm pinned — Q blind, W speed, and E poison are all irrelevant once that root chain fires. My entire level 1 is played at the absolute maximum range I can still last-hit from, using E Toxic Shot to auto from as far back as possible and never stepping into Q hook range. His hook has a very readable telegraph, so I watch for the wind-up animation and step sideways before it hits; if he walks up to threaten a melee auto I blind him with Q immediately to waste his damage window. The problem is he doesn't need to catch me to win these levels — he can just hold Q and farm, and I have no way to force him off minions without stepping into his threat zone. Farm safe, stay back, accept that the poke advantage I'd normally own against a melee opponent is neutralized here by his hook threat.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Teemo 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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Playing the other side? Nautilus vs Teemo guide →
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