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League Classic · Season 3 · Nidalee

AP Nidalee build & runes

Top Lane A · 71

Nidalee buildsAP Nidalee this buildBruiser Nidalee rank B

Item build path

Starting items level 1 · 475 gold to spend

Boots of Speed + 3

Health Potions455 g

Doran's Ring +

Health Potion435 g

Boots to weave spears and dodge in lane.

First back first recall

Amplifying Tome +

Boots +

Wards

Core build order buy in this order · ~15,595 g full build

Sorcerer's Shoes1,100 g

→

Athene's Unholy Grail2,700 g

→

Rabadon's Deathcap3,600 g

→

Zhonya's Hourglass3,300 g

→

Void Staff2,295 g

→

Guardian Angel2,600 g

Situational adapt to the game

Void Staffvs stacked magic resist

Rylai's Crystal Scepterfor slow and survivability

Banshee's Veilvs assassins and hard CC

Deathfire Graspfor extra single-target burst

Skill order & spells

Skill orderQ > E > W > R (R at 6)

SpellsFlash + Teleport

Rune page (Season 3)

9× Greater Mark of Magic Penetration+7.8 Magic Pen

9× Greater Seal of Armor+12.7 Armor

9× Greater Glyph of Ability Power+10.7 AP

3× Greater Quintessence of Ability Power+14.9 AP

Best duos & synergies

Blitzcrankhook + full-charge spear deletes anyone

Jannapeel covers your squishy melee window

Masteries 21 / 0 / 9

Offense 21

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Defense 0

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Utility 9

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Standard Season 3 page — poke and mana sustain. Hover any mastery for its name.

Counters & matchups

Who this pick beats and who beats it — pick your lane with the matchup in mind.

✓ Strong against

Teemooutranges and pokes with spears

Nasuspokes him out before he stacks

Karthusspear poke and heal outsustain him

Sionoutrange his melee and poke him out

Garenspears kite his spin from range

✕ Struggles against

Pantheonblock negates your cougar combo and spears back harder early

Malphitetanks your spears and scales regardless

Warwicksustains through poke in side lanes

Singedtanky proxy out-attritions your spear poke

Olafaxes and true damage run you down

Quick tip: Land max-range spears from fog of war; heal attack speed buff is free DPS for your team.

Key combo

Javelin Toss (Q) poke → Cougar (R): Takedown (Q) → Pounce (W) → Swipe (E), heal with Primal Surge (E) human form

Power spike & playstyle

Spikes at 6 with cougar-form burst and long-range spears; a poke/skirmish AP that snowballs off landed javelins but is squishy if caught.

Other builds

Nidalee’s other builds

% is versus AP Nidalee · how the letters are measuredEvery build →

Bruiser Nidalee →Same role, different buildTop Lane · On-hit · 14,828 g

Damage rankBout-damages 9 of 16 top lane builds

Combo+autos1,857+54%

Burst541-42%

Auto DPS439+386%

Eff. HP4,051-11%

Berserker's Greaves

Wriggle's Lantern

Wit's End

Blade of the Ruined King

Trinity Force

Guinsoo's Rageblade

Skill W > E > Q > R (R at 6)Masteries 21/9/0Summoners Flash + TeleportStart Doran's Blade + Health PotionRunes Attack Speed marks · Flat Armor seals · Magic Resist glyphs · Attack Speed quints

Cougar form's Takedown execute plus heavy attack speed and her own Heal make her a self-sustaining split-pusher instead of a spear poker.

In side lanes, where Pounce mobility and Heal mean she can duel and disengage without ever grouping.

Against a team that can catch her — she is a melee champion with no hard crowd control who gave up the safe 1500-range poke that justified picking her.

Wit's End: steals 5 MR per hit, 5 stacks Blade of the Ruined King: active: 15% max HP + MS steal

Show the damage math

Ability	How it is calculated	Raw	After resists
Q Javelin Toss / Takedown rank 5	230 base + 0.65 × 99 AP	294	206 −30% after MR
W Bushwhack / Pounce rank 5	260 base + 0.4 × 99 AP	299	209 −30% after MR
AA Auto-attack	228.3 per hit × 1.92 attacks/sec	216 / 343	439 dps

Level 18AD 218AP 99Target 1,900 hp · 75 ar · 50 mrAfter pen 75 ar · 46 mr

Combo 541 + 3.0 s autos 1,316 = 1,857, 28% of target HP.

Only the QW rotation is counted.

Guide

How to play Nidalee in League Classic

Top-lane Nidalee in Classic is a poke-and-run war of attrition. Max Q and spam spears from max range — an 800-range spear hits like an ultimate in Season 3 — while using cougar form to clear waves and dodge ganks over walls. Never take a fair trade: your entire kit is designed to make fights unfair. Post-6, weave heal attack-speed buffs on your split-pushing partner. In teamfights stay artillery: one max-range spear into the ADC often decides the fight before it starts.

FAQ

Nidalee in League Classic

What is the best Nidalee build in League Classic?

The standard build is AP Nidalee: Sorcerer's Shoes, Athene's Unholy Grail, Rabadon's Deathcap, Zhonya's Hourglass, Void Staff, Guardian Angel. Skill order Q > E > W > R (R at 6), summoner spells Flash + Teleport. Nidalee also has 1 measured off-meta build: Bruiser Nidalee.

What runes and masteries does Nidalee use in League Classic?

Marks: Magic Penetration. Seals: Flat Armor. Glyphs: Flat AP. Quintessences: Flat AP. Masteries: 21/0/9 — poke and mana sustain.

Is Nidalee good in League Classic?

Nidalee is rated A-tier top lane in the launch consensus (score 71/100 across 3 published rankings). Strong into Teemo, Nasus, Karthus, Sion, Garen; struggles against Pantheon, Malphite, Warwick, Singed, Olaf.

What does Nidalee start with and build first in League Classic?

Open with Boots of Speed + 3 Health Potions or Doran's Ring + Health Potion. Boots to weave spears and dodge in lane. First back: Amplifying Tome + Boots + Wards. Then build in order: Sorcerer's Shoes → Athene's Unholy Grail → Rabadon's Deathcap → Zhonya's Hourglass → Void Staff → Guardian Angel.

Editorial build based on documented Season 3 (2013) meta. Counters and duos are historical projections rather than live win-rate matchup data. (Tier ranking above does mix in live data where sources publish it — see the tier list for details.)

Top Lane tier list ← Consensus tier list