Matchup
Hard matchup
You are stronger late game — farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Nasus
Build adapted to this matchup
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
57%
26%Anti AD
Anti Heal
Anti CC
Anti Tank
DPS
Other options
Sorcery
Deathfire Touch
Manaflow Band
Transcendence
Scorch
Inspiration
Magical Footwear
Cosmic Insight
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Malzahar
NasusNasus's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Nasus drains his foe's spiritual energy, giving him bonus Life Steal.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7.5s | 15s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 5.5s | 15s | 12s | 2m |
| 9 | 3.5s | 14s | 12s | 2m |
| 11 | 3.5s | 13s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 3.5s | 11s | 12s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 3.5s | 11s | 12s | 1m20 |
Playing against Nasus
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
Punish Nasus CONSTANTLY in early game: he is very weak before his stacks and depends on Q farming. Zone him away from minions.
Freeze the lane near your tower to prevent him from farming safely — he has to expose himself to ganks.
Don't let him free farm: a Nasus with 400+ stacks at 20 minutes is nearly unbeatable in 1v1.
Kite him in teamfights: despite his W slow, he's still a melee champion with no real gap-closer.
Source: op.gg + LTL Engine · Patch 16.9.1 · May 9, 2026