Mingyi “Spica” Lu is lauded as one of the best junglers in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
TSM Spica recently released an in-depth guide to Nidalee, going through everything that the jungle champion has to offer in the Rift.
TSM Spica’s Nidalee runes
Spica categorizes the Bestial Huntress as a snowball-heavy champion, and uses Domination as her primary rune type.
Even though Electrocute helps deal more upfront burst damage to enemies, Spica personally prefers Dark Harvest since it allows Nidalee to snowball even faster.
Nidalee’s primary Domination runes
- Electrocute/Dark Harvest
- Sudden Impact
- Eyeball Collection
- Ravenous Hunter
As for Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, and Ravenous Hunter, Spica noted that they collectively provide damage via mobility, and assists Nidalee in ganks and skirmishes.
Nidalee’s secondary runes
Spica pairs his Domination runes with sets that speed up her early game.
The jungler recommends using Sorcery if you’re ramping up your damage for invades and fights, but he personally prefers Inspiration since it provides movement speed and quicker ability timers on Smite and Flash.
Sorcery
- Transcendence/Absolute Focus
- Waterwalking
Inspiration
- Magical Boots
- Cosmic Insight
As for stats, Spica usually runs Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and either Armor/Magic Resist depending on the jungle match-up.
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Which Nidalee abilities should you max out first?
TSM Spica recommends that you take Aspect of the Cougar (R) whenever it’s available.
Next, max out Javelin Toss/Takedown (Q) first since they work as a quick combo. The on-hit Javelin adds more damage to Takedown.
Primal Surge/Swipe (E) is the next ability you should max out because its broadens what the Huntress can do. She can heal herself in human form, and deal area-of-effect damage as a cougar.
These skills help with clearing jungle camps faster without compromising Nidalee’s health.
Bushwhack/Pounce (W) is the least prioritized ability since it’s mainly used for utility rather than damage. Bushwhack lets you place traps on the ground for vision and to reset combos, while Pounce helps Nidalee chase down enemies.
The best item build for Nidalee
Nidalee’s Mythic items
In terms of Mythic items, TSM Spica presented two viable options: Night Harvester and Everfrost.
Night Harvester is a damage-heavy item with a unique passive called “Soulrend”. Her Swipe can proc the passive’s bonus AP damage to multiple enemies, making her a stronger threat in team fights.
The TSM jungler has grown fond of Everfrost too, since it adds crowd control to the champion. With Everfrost, you can utilize its unique active ability called “Glaciate”, which roots champions in front of her and slows anyone within its cone.
Nidalee’s Legendary items
TSM Spica prioritizes Zhonya’s Hourglass first, since it increases Nidalee’s survivability in tricky situations. Void Staff then comes in second as a strong yet cheap AP item that offers a lot of raw damage.
Lich Bane is the third Legendary item on his list, but Spica qualified that it is a hit-or-miss, depending on how you’re performing in-game.
“You need a lot of the active proc to make it work,” stated Spica. “I would only go with it if I was snowballing as it does increase your damage by quite a bit.”
TSM Spica finishes his build with Banshee’s Veil to counter AP based champions, and Rabadon’s Deathcap for even more damage.
You can check out TSM Spica’s full Nidalee guide down below:
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