Weird Picks #69: AP Nasus Revisited

AP Nasus is by no means a new development, and as an ARAM champion he's always been on the sidelines. However, with the changes on Rylai's Crystal Scepter/Liandry's Torment in Patch 6.24, his core build can be completed faster than ever before.

This build was extremely popular last patch when it comes to AP Nasus games, and works extremely well in a variety of situations.

Weird Pick #69

AP Nasus Revisited

December 2016

Introduction

How to Play

Primary Runes: Stormraider's Surge, Manaflow Band, Transcendence, Scorch
Secondary Runes: Second Wind, Bone Plating
Abilities: E, Q, E, W then prioritize R > E > [Q or W] > [Q or W]
Summoner Spells: Flash + Ghost
Starting Items: Doran's Ring, Refillable Potion
Core Items: Sorcerer's Shoes
Liandry's Torment
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Luden's Echo
Void Staff

Why It Works

Excellent Waveclear

By maxing Nasus' Spirit Fire (E), Nasus is able to farm from a safe distance without fear of jungle ganks. The size of his E also allows for very simple harass while farming, especially because it's nearly an instant cast.

Insane Chase Potential
Stormraider's Surge on Nasus makes him incredibly difficult to pin down or run away from. Combined with his wither and Ghost, he becomes close to unstoppable once he gets his initial burst off. Although this build leaves him somewhat squishier, this keystone allows him to kite dangerous divers with ease as long as he isn't hard CC'd for long.

Instant Defensive Steroid With Ultimate
Ever since Patch 6.21, Nasus now receives flat armor and magic resist from his ultimate. This allows him to be quite tanky, even when he doesn't build any defensive items besides the HP from his AP core. Additionally, when his ultimate is empowered by ability power, it drains even more percentage of the enemy health per second, resulting in a very powerful tank slaying champion.

Potential Pitfalls

Prone to Early Ganks
Before Nasus is able to fully clear a wave with his E, he still needs to auto the wave quite a bit, even when he's not just last-hitting with hie Q. As a result, he places himself in melee range without any form of escape other than wither. This creates good gank opportunities for the enemy jungler.

Low Crowd Control
Although Nasus does have his single target wither, he's not much of a full engage type of champion, and is much better as a kiter. As a result, he may not work well if your team is already lacking a form of engagement.

Conclusions

Nasus mid plays extremely well and has relatively little in the way of flaws. It's not an orthodox build by any means, but it definitely works extremely well in the current meta.

Suggested Rating: Tier 2 maybe low Tier 1