League Classic matchup
Jax vs Nasus
The lane, from both sides
Jax’s side
- Strong against Nasusfrom the Top On-Hit Bruiser build (Top)
Jax is a level-two duellist and Nasus is a stack of minions away from mattering.
Leap StrikeLeap StrikeQActive: Jax dashes to the target unit's location. If the target is an enemy and they are in range upon arrival, Jax deals physical damage to them. Jax can cast any of his abilities during the dash. plus 
EmpowerEmpowerWActive: Jax empowers his next basic attack or Leap Strike against an enemy within 10 seconds to deal additional magic damage to his target and nearby enemies. Empower resets Jax's basic attack timer. beats him early, and 
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 a slow on a champion who jumps.
Nasus’s side
- Weak against Jaxfrom the Top AD Juggernaut build (Top)
Jax wins level two and every level until the stacks arrive.
Counter StrikeCounter StrikeEActive: Jax enters Evasion for 2 seconds: a defensive stance that causes him to dodge all incoming non-turret basic attacks and take 25% reduced damage from all area of effect abilities sourced from champions. Counter Strike can be recast after 1 second, and does so automatically after the duration. Recast: Jax deals physical damage to nearby enemies, with the total damage increased by 20% for each attack dodged, up to a 100% increase, and stuns them for 1 second. blanks the 
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. auto, and Leap StrikeLeap StrikeQActive: Jax dashes to the target unit's location. If the target is an enemy and they are in range upon arrival, Jax deals physical damage to them. Jax can cast any of his abilities during the dash. answers 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 slow.
The lane in detail
JaxNasusJax-favored until the stacks arrive
Wither reaches 700 units. So does Leap Strike.
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. is an empowered basic attack, and Counter StrikeCounter StrikeEActive: Jax enters Evasion for 2 seconds: a defensive stance that causes him to dodge all incoming non-turret basic attacks and take 25% reduced damage from all area of effect abilities sourced from champions. Counter Strike can be recast after 1 second, and does so automatically after the duration. Recast: Jax deals physical damage to nearby enemies, with the total damage increased by 20% for each attack dodged, up to a 100% increase, and stuns them for 1 second. dodges those. Everything else Nasus owns before level 12 is 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. and 
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, one slow and one 120 second aura.
Who has the lane, level by level
2–34–13- 1Even: A 20 mana swing against a 70 mana stance
- 2–3Jax: Leap Strike lands, Wither only slows
- 4–13Jax: Empower every 7 seconds for 35 mana
- 14–18Even: Wither maxed at 95% slow, 47.5% cripple
- 2WitherLevel 2: Rank 1 opens at a 35% slow and climbs to 47% across 5 seconds
- 4EmpowerLevel 4: 7 seconds, 35 mana, and it resets the attack timer on the way in
- 6Soul EaterLevel 6: Life steal steps from 10% to 15% here, and to 20% at level 11
- 9Counter StrikeLevel 9: Fifth point: 10 seconds, 90 mana, one second of stun on the recast
- 9Siphoning StrikeLevel 9: 110 bonus damage every 4 seconds now, and the price never moved
- 14WitherLevel 14: The fifth point, where the cripple tops out at 47.5%
The numbers, head to head
JaxNasusReach, a dash against a slow
Identical numbers. One of them ends with Jax standing on top of Nasus.
Both fifth points at level 9
One costs 90 mana at rank 5. The other costs 20 at every rank and resets his attack timer.
What each steroid needs to work
The cripple arrives on cast and grows on its own. Jax's stack only grows on a hit that lands.
Base armor, and who takes 20 off it
22.5
Spirit FireSpirit FireEActive: Nasus unleashes a spirit fire at the target location, granting sight of the area for 2.5 seconds and, after a 0.25 delay, dealing magic damage to enemies within. The fire then remains for 5 seconds, dealing magic damage each second to enemies within and inflicting them with armor penetration, lingering for 1 second. strips 20 of it at rank 1, and the top order learns it at level 12.
Life steal at level 11, paid and innate
20% · innateAt level 11, Nasus reaches 20% innate life steal; Blade of the Ruined King supplies 15% to its buyer.
One ultimate has no button at all
One has no cast at all. The other is 100 mana and 15 seconds, once every two minutes.
Reach, from above
Jax
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
Jax
1200gThe 200 mana matters more than Spellblade here: Counter Strike is 90 a cast and Jax wants two.
3628gEquipment Mastery reads the 30 attack damage as 90 more health, on top of the 250.
1000gSiphoning Strike lands as a basic attack, which is what Ninja Footwork blocks 10% of.
3200g15% of maximum health on the active, pointed at a build that finishes on Warmog's Armor.
Nasus
1200g35% tenacity against a one second stun, and 25 magic resist against Empower.
1400g200 health, 45 magic resist, and regen for 10 seconds after each trade he loses.
2750gLifeforce raises Soul Eater by 20%, and the 55 magic resist is aimed at Empower.
2900g95 armor, and the aura removes 20% attack speed from a champion made of it.
Play it as Jax
- 1Take level 2 with Leap StrikeLeap StrikeQActive: Jax dashes to the target unit's location. If the target is an enemy and they are in range upon arrival, Jax deals physical damage to them. Jax can cast any of his abilities during the dash.. 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 a slow, and a slow does not stop the champion who lands on top of you.
- 2Deny the wave rather than the duel: every large minion Nasus finishes with 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. is worth 6 stacks.
- 3Trade when 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 on cooldown, not through it. At rank 1 that is 15 seconds and Jax only needs one of them.
Play it as Nasus
- 1Cast 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. the moment Leap StrikeLeap StrikeQActive: Jax dashes to the target unit's location. If the target is an enemy and they are in range upon arrival, Jax deals physical damage to them. Jax can cast any of his abilities during the dash. lands, not before; 5 seconds is longer than Jax wants the trade to run.
- 2Farm under tower and keep taking the 20 mana casts. 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. costs the same at every rank.
- 3Stop attacking the moment the stance goes up. Counter StrikeCounter StrikeEActive: Jax enters Evasion for 2 seconds: a defensive stance that causes him to dodge all incoming non-turret basic attacks and take 25% reduced damage from all area of effect abilities sourced from champions. Counter Strike can be recast after 1 second, and does so automatically after the duration. Recast: Jax deals physical damage to nearby enemies, with the total damage increased by 20% for each attack dodged, up to a 100% increase, and stuns them for 1 second.'s recast doubles only off the attacks it dodged.
The catch
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 gaining damage when it secures kills. Jax can use Counter StrikeCounter StrikeEActive: Jax enters Evasion for 2 seconds: a defensive stance that causes him to dodge all incoming non-turret basic attacks and take 25% reduced damage from all area of effect abilities sourced from champions. Counter Strike can be recast after 1 second, and does so automatically after the duration. Recast: Jax deals physical damage to nearby enemies, with the total damage increased by 20% for each attack dodged, up to a 100% increase, and stuns them for 1 second. to deny an empowered attack, but Nasus can wait for Evasion to end. There is no fixed level where their accumulated stacks and purchases produce a guaranteed reversal.
The kits at a glance
- Equipment Mastery
- Leap Strike
- Empower
- Counter Strike
- Grandmaster's Might
Nasus
Full abilities- Soul Eater
- Siphoning Strike
- Wither
- Spirit Fire
- Fury of the Sands
Base stats, side by side
| Stat | Jax | Nasus |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 506 (+83) | 500 (+90) |
| HP regen | 1.6 (+0.11) | 1.68 (+0.18) |
| Mana | 265 (+35) | 245 (+45) |
| Attack damage | 59.675 (+3.375) | 56.8 (+3.5) |
| Armor | 25.5 (+3.2) | 22.5 (+3.5) |
| Magic resist | 31.25 (+1.25) | 31.25 (+1.25) |
| Attack speed | 0.638 (+3.4) | 0.638 (+3.48) |
| Move speed | 350 | 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.
Gangplank
Garen
Jarvan IV
Kayle
Kennen
Malphite
Olaf
Pantheon
Rammus
Shen
Heimerdinger
Karthus
Lee Sin
Malzahar
Ryze