Tank · Vanguard · Jungle
Prepare for battle with Nunu & Willump — master their strengths and exploit their weaknesses before the game starts.
Playstyle Profile
Nunu & Willump is an initiator — excels at engaging grouped enemies with impactful openings
- Teamfight Role
- Vanguard Initiator
- Power Spike
- Mid game
- Split Threat
- None
- Backline Access
- Low
Nunu & Willump's Strengths
- Starts fights on your terms — Nunu & Willump's engage forces enemies to react, giving your team the initiative
How to Play Nunu & Willump
Champion-specific pre-match tips
Lane Phase
Hold your Q during early trades until your health drops below half to trigger the amplified healing effect.
Lane Phase
Start channeling W deep out of vision before moving into a skirmish to build maximum speed and knockup radius.
Lane Phase
Cast E volleys to slow and root your target, then immediately tap W at point-blank range for an unavoidable knockup.
Mid Game
Target epic monsters with Q the exact moment their health enters your damage threshold to instantly secure the objective.
Mid Game
Channel your ult completely inside an unwarded brush as enemies approach to hide the visual warning and trap them in the maximum slow.
Mid Game
Release W early to let the snowball roll forward on its own when an enemy uses a dash to dodge your direct path.
Late Game
Flank with W from the side or behind during major objective dances to disrupt the enemy backline and force their carries to scatter.
Late Game
Stand next to your primary carry and cast E to root diving threats before channeling your ult to zone off the enemy follow-up.
Late Game
Wait until the enemy team spends their hard crowd control spells before channeling your ult in the middle of a teamfight to guarantee the maximum damage burst.
For matchup-tailored tips, download Baron Buff's AI Coach & Companion App.
Core Build
Ranked from real ranked-match itemization
We look at ranked games after each item was bought. If the player or team gained ground in gold, we rate that item higher.
- Hextech Rocketbelt — 2,650
- Shadowflame — 3,200
- Sorcerer's Shoes (Boots) — 1,100
- Banshee's Veil — 3,000
- Liandry's Torment — 3,000
- Sunfire Aegis — 2,700
total: 15,650
How to Counter Nunu & Willump
Counter strategies and draft context
build percent-health damage, kite effectively, or bypass them entirely to reach carries
- Weak to disengage and spread comps — Nunu & Willump's engage loses value when enemies aren't grouped
- Split-push threats that avoid 5v5 team fights entirely
- Compositions with strong disengage to negate engage windows
- Picks that bypass the frontline to reach backline carries directly
Nunu & Willump's Weaknesses
- Heavy disengage compositions — Nunu & Willump's engages get peeled off before the team can follow up
Best Synergies with Nunu & Willump
Team synergies and draft context
- Follow-up damage dealers who capitalize on Nunu & Willump's engage — burst mages and ADCs with range
- Assassins that flank while you hold enemy attention at the front
- Follow-up damage dealers that capitalize on your engage and CC
- AOE mages that combo with your crowd control for wombo setups
Draft Context
- Pairs another engage champion with no follow-up damage to capitalize on Nunu & Willump's initiation
Learning Curve
Based on 1.2M+ matches across all ranked elos, showing how Nunu & Willump's win rate changes with mastery level
Nunu & Willump has exceptional depth — there is always something new to learn, and the learning curve is among the steepest in the game. Expect a long stretch of low win rates before meaningful improvement — mastering this champion demands serious commitment.
- Skill Cap
- Very High
- Cost of Learning
- Extremely High
| Mastery Level | Win Rate |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | 35.1% |
| 3-4 | 41.0% |
| 5-6 | 48.4% |
| 7-8 | 50.3% |
| 9-12 | 50.3% |
| 13-16 | 50.3% |
| 17+ * | 51.4% |
