Give the Dog a Boner! A Brief Guide to Off-Tank Nasus

This will be at the top of all of my Guides so do press Ctrl+ F and type in the Subheading if you want to jump to a specific part fast!

1. Opening, Introduction and Disclaimer
2. My Relationship with this Champion + Champion Info
3. Runes, Masteries and Summoner Spells
4. Skill Selection + Sequence + Laning
5. Item Explanation
6. Conclusion






1. Opening, Introduction and Disclamier


Welcome to my Second Guide in this Great Clan!
In this Guide, I will be discussing builds and Play Methods of: Nasus, the Curator of the Sands!


*DISCLAMIER*
At all times folks do remember. This is a guide and ONLY a guide. Do try to follow and tweak the build according to your preference and enjoyment! I will NOT be held responsible for any injuries, losses or deaths resulting from the use of this build. HAVE A GOOD DAYYYYY :DD







2. My Relationship with this Champion + Champion Info




Champion Name: Nasus
Race: Dog / Anubis
Born In: Unknown
Current Location: Shiruma Desert
Also Known As: Executor Nasus, Dog
Related Champs: Renekton (brother)





Cool Meter: 9/10 (Talking Dog! Plus Really Awesome Artwork added to the Pharoah / Protector Role? WOW)

Badass Meter: 7/10 (Nice Off-Tank, but not scary overall)

Difficulty Meter: 3/10 (Not very difficult at all.. Just requires some Farming and Last-Hitting Skills that will do..)


PROS:


1. Scary if farmed

2. Being an off-tank means newbie friendly and having a balance which quite a few players seek

3. Nice Passive gives strong Laning Capability

4. Good Survivalbility



CONS:

1. Despite being thick, most people still aim Nasus due to his Q

2. Weak to Hard CC (Stuns, Airs and Silence)



Nasus is basically an Off-Tank Champ. That means that he is suited to be a carry, but the items that goes well with him make him some sort of a tank. Being an Off-Tank means that you can dish out quite a substantial amount of damage while taking some back at you. Sounds easy enough? Yes it does
As for lanes, well why not Solo Top if you have a Jungler? I'm sure you can!


As for me, one look at Nasus made me in awe. I always liked Ancient Egypt, especially Pharoahs, Anubises and the Pyramids.. Nasus, he is a protector, a librarian and a curator. Sounds boring? Well to some people it might be, but to me it isn't! I will admit that I had some difficulty in buying the right items till I have finally thought about writing this guide. Buying the right items for Nasus can be Easy because he is Versatile, and Hard because the items that you buy may not be the best. So on with the guide!



3. Runes, Masteries and Summoner Spells



Because Nasus is quite Versatile, I will not go in depth in this sector or part of the Guide. The only thing I will focus on is the Summoner Spells. That will be all.



RUNES


The items I usually get for Nasus are able to sustain him enough in lane, therefore I don't go for Tank Runes and such. As I said he is quite versatile so do mix and match and mayhaps you will find the Runes Suitable for you!


AD, Crit Chance, Crit Damage Marks (If you are going to throw in IE or PD on him)
Mp5/Lvl / Health/Lvl Seals (I use this for most champs. Pretty Handy actually.)
Mp5/Lvl CDR Glyphs (Quite ok too, imho)
AD and Att Quints (A mix of each)



Masteries:


Same for Masteries.



Strength/Offense: (21/30)


Summoner's Wrath 1
Brute Force 3
Alacrity 4
Deadliness 4
Weapon Expertise 1
Lethality 1
Vampirism 3
Sunder 3
Executioner 1


Defense: (0/30)



Support/Utility 9/30

Summoner's Insight 1
Expanded Mind 3
Improved Recall 1
Meditation 3
Runic Affinity 1




Summoner Spells


Rank 1 (Most Viable)

Flash (Always good for all champs)

Ghost (To get back, get in or chase)


Rank 2 (Good)

Ignite: (Just in case you have that Life-Stealer, Healer or Trigger-Happy CareBear who just wants to give you a hug )

Teleport: (Same as LB. Just in case if your opponents overextend or if you need to relane.)

Exhaust: (I feel that your slow is good enough though..)

Cleanse: (Great for Nasus, though I'm sure no one will take it )

Heal: (Not Bad Obama)



Rank 3 (Not advisable)

Promote: (You can lane by yourself)

Garrison: (Unless you're domming)

Clarity: (I don't think you'll run into mana problems dear )

Clairvoyance: (Give it to the supports man)

Revive: (Just no... Ok?)

Smite: (Unless you're jungling)



Notice that I only have 3 Ranks here instead of 4. This is because Nasus is very versatile and is compatitable with most (actually all) summoner spells, just the degree of how compatitable that's all





4. Skill Selection + Sequence



Passive: Soul Eater



Description: (Innate): Nasus drains his foe's spiritual energy, giving him a natural 14 / 17 / 20% lifesteal.

This is what makes Nasus Nasus. And THIS is why you usually dominate your lane. Excellent Passive.



[Q]: Siphoning Strike



Type of Skill: Special, Nuke, Single Target

Description: (Active): Nasus's next attack will deal additional damage. Siphoning Strike permanently gains 3 stacked damage whenever it kills an enemy champion, minion or neutral monster.
Cost: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 mana
Physical Damage: 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 (+1.0 per attack damage)


I get this skill at Level 1, and Max it first.
Siphoning Strike is actually your Bread and Butter and your Hard-Core Nuke.
At least that's what it'll be if you actually farm. This skill is also what makes Nasus scary is due to the Scaling. ONE CREEP GIVES YOU 3 DAMAGE! Imagine if you hit 100 creeps! Adding to the +1 per AD? Awesome stuff!


How to farm effectively? I basically just time my attacks. That's all I can say. Good Luck


This skill is also your main damaging skill. And therefore SPAM IT I SAY, due to the amazing CD (not posted due to different CD per person) and Mana Cost!



[W] Wither




Type of Skill: CC (Slow), Single Target, DoT

Description: (Active): Nasus ages his target, slowing their movement and attack speed by 35%. Additionally, they are reduced further to reach an extra slow at the end of 5 seconds. If the duration of the slow is reduced, the extra slow will be applied faster for it to reach its maximum at the end of the duration.

Cost: 80 mana

Extra Slow: 12 / 24 / 36 / 48 / 60 %


If you do the math, then at Max Level, it does a WHOPPING 95% SLOW! THATS ALMOST A STUN! This skill is great for chasing, that's why I don't really prefer Exhaust to this. Moreover the Mana Cost for such an amazing skill is cheap too

I get this skill at level 2 and max it second.



[E] Spirit Fire




Type of Skill: AoE, DoT, Shred

Description: (Active): Nasus unleashes a spirit flame at a location for 5 seconds. Enemies caught in the area are dealt a burst of magic damage. Additionally, enemies in the area are dealt magic damage each second and have their armor reduced while on there and for 1 extra second.

Cost: 70 / 85 / 100 / 115 / 130 mana

Initial Magic Damage: 55 / 95 / 135 / 175 / 215 (+0.6 per ability power)

Magic Damage Per Second: 11 / 19 / 27 / 35 / 43 (+0.12 per ability power)

Armor Reduction: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40


This skill isn't that great. Most of the time the enemies will just be outside the Flame, so I take this skill at Level 13 and max it last. If you take this skill, you'll find yourself oom often. And that isn't so great when your opponent isn't dealt alot of damage. It's best use, is TEAMFIGHTS. A Well-Placed Fire can shred your opponents team Armor by 40, granting you the upper hand (well most of the time )



[R] ULTI: Fury of the Sands



Type of Skill: Special, AoE, DoT, Health

Description: (Active): Nasus becomes empowered in the sandstorm for 15 seconds, gaining extra health. While the storm rages, he drains a percentage of nearby enemies max health each second (max of 240 magic damage per second per enemy) and converts 6.375% of the damage done into bonus attack damage for himself until the sandstorm wears off.

Cost: 150 mana

Health Gained: 300 / 450 / 600

Max Health to Magic Damage Ratio Per Second: 3 / 4 / 5% (+0.01 per ability power)


This is your Ulti. Basically it gives you a really neat buff. The scaling of damage for the AoE is abit weird though, so I suggest you try it for yourself and see
The Health Gain is not too bad either.. A MUST use in Team-Fights.



Well that's the skill explanation. I'm ditching the Laning topic because I'll settle it here.


As Nasus, you are either Solo when you have a Jungler, or you will be with a Partner.
I cannot emphasize enough on how important you need to get your Q up and running by last hitting minions so that it will be more powerful.

Buy wards, use W to splice enemies, chase or to escape and don't be scared.

As Nasus, your opponents are just as scared as you are. If not more.


For Teamfights, pop up a nice E, then R on yourself and start the mayhem. I don't think i need to explain further haha..




5. Item Explanation










To Start:




A Doran a day keeps Kennen away, or so it goes


OR

+ 3x


Increased Survivability, but YOU DON'T NEED THAT! *throws items away*


OR


+

Well, I usually don't buy this as a starting item unless I want my Philly Stone... But this is for players who need that extra touch. Like IDGAF. GET THE DORAN INSTEAD >.<






As an off tank . I think you should get this.






As someone said (I forget things fast sorry >.<) A Nasus without a TriForce is just a cute adorable puppy I'd have to agree... This item gives SOOOOOO much benefits that it's just not Nasus if you don't go for it






Aah... The AtMog combo. Together with Triforce? I think that would be just Great on Nasus and most other Off-Tanks. Trust me. And so what if Warmog just got nerfed. It still works great anyway, 4% of 100 is just.. 2.5 to 3 AD? Correct me if I'm wrong lol.







As an off-tank, you ain't going down so easily. A cat has 9 lives, but a Dog should have 2! The reason why I get this item is because well, I strongly believe that if your Q is well farmed then you should stick around to do some more damage.
And plus the armor is also really great if they decide to aim you. By the time you get this item it'll be late game and well, to be honest most of the time the game will end before you reach this item. This is just if it dosen't

This is why I only have 5 items in my build. Also because last item it is usually up to preference.




OTHER ITEMS TO CONSIDER:






These 3 items also work great with Nasus. Both are viable as an item mid-game or as a finisher. It's all up to preference and remember! Be creative as Nasus is versatile!







6. Conclusion


So that's the end of my Nasus Guide! Thanks to you for viewing it and I hope that the comments, feedback and flames can keep rolling in so I can learn how to improve!


Cya!


DestinyOpfa

Yesterday was my first time using Nasus and guess what? I fell inlove with him INSTANTLY! He's such an amazing and easy to use hero, how his 1st skill scales overtime is just mind-blowing! I bought him as soon as i finish my game! Haha and thanks for this awesome guide, would definitely be using it.