Nautilus vs Zilean
Skill matchup
Build vs Zilean
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Nautilus: Locket of the Iron Solari, Knight's Vow, Bandlepipes, Plated Steelcaps, Celestial Opposition, Solstice Sleigh, Thornmail, Bramble Vest.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Zilean's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Zilean stores time as Experience and can grant it to his allies. When he has enough Experience to finish an ally's level up, he can right-click them to impart it. Zilean receives as much Experience as he gives.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10s | 14s | 15s | – |
| 6 | 9s | 14s | 15s | 2m |
| 9 | 8s | 12s | 15s | 2m |
| 11 | 8s | 10s | 15s | 1m30 |
| 16 | 8s | 6s | 15s | 1m |
| 18 | 8s | 6s | 15s | 1m |
Playing as Nautilus
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hook their carry
Aim Dredge Line (Q) at their carry: you and your target are pulled toward each other, and they're briefly stunned.
- Auto right after your Dredge Line
After Dredge Line (Q), land an auto right away: Staggering Blow (passive) roots the target after the stun, giving your ADC time to arrive.
- Switch targets to root
In teamfights, hit a new target whenever you can: your first auto on each target triggers Staggering Blow (passive) and briefly roots them.
- Depth Charge on their backline carry
Cast Depth Charge (R) on their backline carry: every enemy the shockwave crosses along the way also takes a knock-up and a stun.
Playing against Zilean
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Move away from the bomb
Spread out from your allies when Time Bomb (Q) is stuck on you or one of them: a second bomb makes it explode instantly and stuns every enemy around.
- Focus Zilean as a team
In teamfights, focus Zilean with your team: he's fragile under pressure, and without him, there's no Chronoshift (R) to save his carry.
- Switch targets under his rune
If an enemy has the Chronoshift (R) rune, hit someone else or wait for the effect to end: if they die with the rune, they come back to life.
- Force fights without his ult
Force an objective or a fight when Chronoshift (R) is on cooldown: without it, he revives no one, and it takes 120 to 60 seconds to come back.
Other Nautilus matchups
Patch 16.21.1