League Classic matchup
Garen vs Nasus
The lane, from both sides
Garen’s side
- Weak against Nasusfrom the AD Bruiser build (Top)
WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration. turns the spin into a slow walk, and Nasus outlasts Garen's early window while his stacks grow.
Nasus’s side
- Strong against Garenfrom the Top AD Juggernaut build (Top)WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration. slows Garen by 35% and his attack speed by 17.5%, ramping each second to 95% and 47.5% at rank 5, and
Decisive StrikeDecisive StrikeQActive: Garen cleanses himself of all slows affecting him and gains 35% bonus movement speed for a few seconds. Additionally, his next basic attack within 4.5 seconds deals bonus physical damage and silences his target. Decisive Strike resets Garen's basic attack timer.'s silence does not stop an auto-attack. 
Siphoning StrikeSiphoning StrikeQActive: Nasus empowers his next basic attack within 10 seconds to deal bonus physical damage. If Siphoning Strike kills the target, Nasus permanently gains 3 stacks, increased to 6 if the target is a champion, large minion, or large monster. Siphoning Strike resets Nasus' basic attack timer. keeps growing through the trade.
The lane in detail
GarenNasusNasus-favored the longer the lane runs
Siphoning Strike costs 20 mana and keeps what it earns.
Decisive StrikeDecisive StrikeQActive: Garen cleanses himself of all slows affecting him and gains 35% bonus movement speed for a few seconds. Additionally, his next basic attack within 4.5 seconds deals bonus physical damage and silences his target. Decisive Strike resets Garen's basic attack timer. cleanses every slow, free, every 8 seconds. WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration. is one debuff carrying a slow and a 17.5% cripple, and both notes above say it holds through the spin. Which half the cleanse takes is unstated.
Who has the lane, level by level
1–511–18- 1–5Garen: Judgment is free, Wither costs 100
- 6–10Even: Fury of the Sands buys the long fight
- 11–18Nasus: Soul Eater reaches 20% life steal
- 1Siphoning StrikeLevel 1: 20 mana at every rank; a kill is 3 stacks, 6 for anything large
- 2WitherLevel 2: One point buys 5 seconds ramping 35% to 47%, at 100 mana
- 6Demacian JusticeLevel 6: 175 plus 28.571% of what Nasus is missing, every 140 seconds
- 6Fury of the SandsLevel 6: 15 seconds of 300 extra health, and Wither reaches 100 units further
- 9JudgmentLevel 9: Maxed at last: 360 across 3 seconds, and every tick can critically strike
- 11Soul EaterLevel 11: Life steal reaches 20%, with no item bought for it
The numbers, head to head
GarenNasusThe trading button, rank 1
JudgmentJudgmentEActive: Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body for 3 seconds, losing the ability to basic attack but dealing physical damage each second to enemies within range for the duration. Judgment deals 75% damage to minions and monsters. Garen is ghosted while spinning but moves 20% slower when traveling through units. Judgment can critically strike. scales with skill rank and attack damage; successful Siphoning StrikeSiphoning StrikeQActive: Nasus empowers his next basic attack within 10 seconds to deal bonus physical damage. If Siphoning Strike kills the target, Nasus permanently gains 3 stacks, increased to 6 if the target is a champion, large minion, or large monster. Siphoning Strike resets Nasus' basic attack timer. last hits add permanent damage as well.
Rank 5 mains, level 9 for both
Nasus casts twice for every spin, and each cast carries the stacks.
Crowd control across the ranks
The cast is silenceable; the empowered swing it leaves for 10 seconds is not.
Cutting the damage
CourageCourageWPassive: Garen's bonus armor and bonus magic resistance are increased by 20%. Active: Garen reduces incoming damage and the duration of incoming crowd control effects by 30% for a few seconds. also shortens WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration.'s 5 seconds to 3.5, when it is up in time.
Healing from the kit alone
Champion damage interrupts 
PerseverancePerseverancePassiveInnate: Garen regenerates 0.5% of his maximum health every second if he has not taken non-minion damage in the last 9 seconds.; 
Soul EaterSoul EaterPassiveInnate: Nasus gains 10/15/20% life steal at levels 1/6/11. heals Nasus when his attacks deal damage.
What the level 6 button buys
Demacian JusticeDemacian JusticeRActive: Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to attempt to execute the target enemy champion, dealing them magic damage. scales on missing health; 
Fury of the SandsFury of the SandsRActive: Nasus empowers himself for 15 seconds, gaining health, increased size, and range and 100 bonus cast range for the duration. While Nasus is empowered, he deals magic damage every 0.5 seconds to nearby enemies, capped at 240 per second, 5% of that damage is converted to Attack Damage AD adds 300 of it.
Reach, from above
Garen
Nasus
Rings are ranges in game units, both radars on one scale. Abilities wear their icon, the basic attack wears the champion’s own face; the dashed ring wearing the opponent’s face is their longest reach.
The item race
Garen
1000gThe 380 goes toward Sunfire Cape; against Fury of the Sands' 1.5% ticks it also raises what each tick collects.
2650gJudgment and Searing Heat both want him adjacent; the 45 armor is what Spirit Fire strips 20 to 40 back off.
1000gNinja Footwork blocks a tenth of the swing Siphoning Strike empowers, and 25 armor takes a bite out of the rest.
2300gThe armor reduces Siphoning Strike damage while the critical chance can strengthen Judgment ticks.
Nasus
1200gTenacity shortens the Decisive Strike silence by 35%, and the 25 magic resist meets Demacian Justice.
1400gShadow Mending starts regenerating for ten seconds after Garen touches him, which is the shape of the whole lane.
2750gSoul Eater is a percentage, so Lifeforce multiplies it: 20% life steal reading 20% higher on every swing.
2900gFrostbite takes 20% attack speed off Garen on top of Wither's cripple, and the 95 armor eats Judgment.
Play it as Garen
- 1Start the trade while WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration. is unavailable; avoid relying on Decisive StrikeDecisive StrikeQActive: Garen cleanses himself of all slows affecting him and gains 35% bonus movement speed for a few seconds. Additionally, his next basic attack within 4.5 seconds deals bonus physical damage and silences his target. Decisive Strike resets Garen's basic attack timer. to remove a debuff whose cleanse behavior is unresolved.
- 2Fight in the first five levels. JudgmentJudgmentEActive: Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body for 3 seconds, losing the ability to basic attack but dealing physical damage each second to enemies within range for the duration. Judgment deals 75% damage to minions and monsters. Garen is ghosted while spinning but moves 20% slower when traveling through units. Judgment can critically strike. is free and every WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration. takes 100 off a bar that starts at 245.
- 3Use Demacian JusticeDemacian JusticeRActive: Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to attempt to execute the target enemy champion, dealing them magic damage. before he presses his own: 300 more health is 300 the execute has to chew through first.
Play it as Nasus
- 1Take safe Siphoning StrikeSiphoning StrikeQActive: Nasus empowers his next basic attack within 10 seconds to deal bonus physical damage. If Siphoning Strike kills the target, Nasus permanently gains 3 stacks, increased to 6 if the target is a champion, large minion, or large monster. Siphoning Strike resets Nasus' basic attack timer. last hits after JudgmentJudgmentEActive: Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body for 3 seconds, losing the ability to basic attack but dealing physical damage each second to enemies within range for the duration. Judgment deals 75% damage to minions and monsters. Garen is ghosted while spinning but moves 20% slower when traveling through units. Judgment can critically strike. ends; using Soul EaterSoul EaterPassiveInnate: Nasus gains 10/15/20% life steal at levels 1/6/11. to heal does not make the whole spin harmless.
- 2Wait for Decisive StrikeDecisive StrikeQActive: Garen cleanses himself of all slows affecting him and gains 35% bonus movement speed for a few seconds. Additionally, his next basic attack within 4.5 seconds deals bonus physical damage and silences his target. Decisive Strike resets Garen's basic attack timer. to be spent before applying WitherWitherWActive: Nasus ages the target enemy champion for 5 seconds, slowing them by 35% and crippling them by 17.5%, both increasing every second over the duration., reducing your reliance on the disputed cleanse interaction.
- 3Hold Fury of the SandsFury of the SandsRActive: Nasus empowers himself for 15 seconds, gaining health, increased size, and range and 100 bonus cast range for the duration. While Nasus is empowered, he deals magic damage every 0.5 seconds to nearby enemies, capped at 240 per second, 5% of that damage is converted to Attack Damage AD for the spin, not the walk-up: 300 health for 15 seconds outlasts JudgmentJudgmentEActive: Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body for 3 seconds, losing the ability to basic attack but dealing physical damage each second to enemies within range for the duration. Judgment deals 75% damage to minions and monsters. Garen is ghosted while spinning but moves 20% slower when traveling through units. Judgment can critically strike.'s 3.
The catch
Nasus can raise Siphoning StrikeSiphoning StrikeQActive: Nasus empowers his next basic attack within 10 seconds to deal bonus physical damage. If Siphoning Strike kills the target, Nasus permanently gains 3 stacks, increased to 6 if the target is a champion, large minion, or large monster. Siphoning Strike resets Nasus' basic attack timer.'s damage through last hits throughout the game. Garen instead gains larger Demacian JusticeDemacian JusticeRActive: Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to attempt to execute the target enemy champion, dealing them magic damage. values and shorter ultimate cooldowns as it ranks up. Fury of the SandsFury of the SandsRActive: Nasus empowers himself for 15 seconds, gaining health, increased size, and range and 100 bonus cast range for the duration. While Nasus is empowered, he deals magic damage every 0.5 seconds to nearby enemies, capped at 240 per second, 5% of that damage is converted to Attack Damage AD can add health before the execute, but Nasus must activate it before Decisive StrikeDecisive StrikeQActive: Garen cleanses himself of all slows affecting him and gains 35% bonus movement speed for a few seconds. Additionally, his next basic attack within 4.5 seconds deals bonus physical damage and silences his target. Decisive Strike resets Garen's basic attack timer. silences him.
The kits at a glance
Garen
Full abilities- Perseverance
- Decisive Strike
- Courage
- Judgment
- Demacian Justice
Nasus
Full abilities- Soul Eater
- Siphoning Strike
- Wither
- Spirit Fire
- Fury of the Sands
Base stats, side by side
| Stat | Garen | Nasus |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 551 (+96) | 500 (+90) |
| HP regen | 1.8 (+0.15) | 1.68 (+0.18) |
| Mana | – | 245 (+45) |
| Attack damage | 60 (+3.5) | 56.8 (+3.5) |
| Armor | 25.7 (+3) | 22.5 (+3.5) |
| Magic resist | 31.25 (+1.25) | 31.25 (+1.25) |
| Attack speed | 0.625 (+2.9) | 0.638 (+3.48) |
| Move speed | 345 | 350 |
| Attack range | 125 | 125 |
Level-1 values with per-level growth in parentheses, read from the Classic client and re-checked against it on every update.
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