49.6%
Win Rate
Jungle · Poke Skirmisher
Nidalee Counters
Nidalee poke-farms safely as a human and threatens burst damage in cougar form — hard-engage junglers who close the distance before she can land a spear counter her hardest.
5.2%
Pick Rate
3.0%
Ban Rate
Hard
Difficulty
Nidalee Overview
Nidalee is played across 1 roles, most commonly jungle. Use the role links above to jump to role-specific counters — the data on this page reflects jungle, his primary role.
How to Counter Nidalee — Step by Step
Close the distance directly instead of trading poke, scout for traps in jungle chokepoints, and punish her hard once she commits to cougar form.
Best Picks Against Nidalee
Ranked by win-rate difference in jungle, Patch 14.14.
| Champion | Win Rate Diff | Games | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sejuani | +1.1% | 380 | Lockdown interrupts her poke-into-spear combo before it lands. |
 Jarvan IV | +0.9% | 400 | Knock-up closes the gap before she can poke safely from range. |
Computed by our stats engine from synthetic seed data, not live Riot match results — same aggregation pipeline that will process real match data once available. See our data methodology.
See the full Jungle counters breakdown, including worst matchups and lane-phase gold data →
Strong Against
| Champion | Why Aatrox Wins |
|---|---|
 Aatrox | Spears him down before he closes distance. |
 Graves | Poke damage chips him down from outside his effective range. |
 Warwick | Poke damage chips him down before he can stick. |
Nidalee Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Long-range poke with bonus damage on low-HP targets
- Flexible human-and-cougar dual-form kit
- Strong vision control and map presence from traps
Weaknesses
- Very little defense once an enemy closes the distance
- Loses her human-form safety net once committed to cougar form
- Vulnerable to hard engage before she can poke from range
Abilities Overview
P
Prowl
Grants bonus movement speed in the brush or near takedowns — rewards aggressive, vision-savvy play.
Q
Javelin Toss / Takedown
A long-range spear with bonus damage on low-HP targets in human form, or a pouncing strike in cougar form.
W
Bushwhack / Pounce
Places a trap that reveals and damages in human form, or leaps forward in cougar form.
E
Primal Surge / Swipe
Heals an ally in human form, or a melee cone attack in cougar form.
R
Aspect of the Cougar
Transforms into cougar form, unlocking a full set of melee abilities — her core identity-switching tool.
Cross-check current tooltips on Riot’s official Nidalee page ↗ — abilities can change between patches.
Build, Runes & Setup
Best Items
Hextech Rocketbelt
Extends her already-long human-form poke range
Shadowflame
Extra burst on low-shield targets
Zhonya's Hourglass
Survives dives after committing to cougar form
Counter Items (for the enemy)
Mercury's Treads
Tenacity reduces her trap and slow control
Executioner's Calling
Cuts any sustain she picks up mid-fight
Runes & Skill Order
Primary: Sorcery (Arcane Comet) → Manaflow Band → Transcendence → Scorch. Secondary: Cheap Shot, Eyeball Collection. Max order: Q → W → E, taking R whenever available.
Playbook
Close the gap directly rather than trading poke for poke — her human form has very little answer to a direct engage.
Scout for Bushwhack traps before pathing through likely jungle chokepoints.
Punish her hard once she commits to cougar form; her human-form safety net is gone.
Common Mistakes
Standing still at low HP within her Javelin Toss's bonus-damage range.
Walking into an unrevealed Bushwhack trap in a jungle chokepoint.
Chasing her human form instead of forcing a fight before she can reposition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who counters Nidalee?
Hard-engage junglers like Jarvan IV who close the distance before she can safely poke from range.
Why is Nidalee strong early?
Javelin Toss deals significant bonus damage to low-HP targets, letting her poke down enemies and secure kills from a safe distance before level 6.