Nautilus vs Nami

How to Trade

Nautilus holds a significant advantage in all-in trades due to his layered CC chain (passive root, Q hook, E slow, R knockup), but Nami excels at sustained poke and disengaging his engages. When you land Dredge Line (Q) on Nami she is stunned and cannot answer, but if you hook her ADC instead, an unhooked Nami can bubble you or knock you up with Tidal Wave (R) before you finish your combo. Nami's W (Ebb and Flow) bounces between allies and enemies, so when you hook her ADC she can heal her carry while damaging you, which can swing the trade back her way. Nautilus should look to engage when Nami's Aqua Prison is on cooldown (12 second CD at rank 1), as before level 6 it is her only hard CC to interrupt his combo; after level 6, track Tidal Wave (R) too, since its knockup can stop you the same way. Bait the bubble by walking aggressively, then back off and re-engage once it's down. Nami's Tidecaller's Blessing (E) empowers her ADC's autos with bonus damage and slow, so be aware that extended trades favor her lane if she's buffing her carry. Short, bursty engages where you lock down one target are your win condition.

Wave Management

Nami often shoves the wave while she trades, which can work in Nautilus's favor. Let her push into your tower where you can set up ganks with your jungler - your hook range combined with tower safety makes this extremely threatening. Nautilus should avoid using Riptide (E) to push waves early as it drains mana quickly and removes your trading tool. Instead, use your passive (Staggering Blow) to last-hit cannon minions your ADC might miss while zoning Nami away from the wave. If you're looking to engage, avoid hooking through the minion wave as Dredge Line stops on first target hit. Freeze the wave near your tower and threaten hooks from the brush - Nami has no dash, so she relies on landing Aqua Prison or Tidal Wave to disengage. When she steps up to poke with W, punish with a hook from fog of war.

Itemization

Nautilus can take Boots of Swiftness early for slow resistance against Nami's E and Tidal Wave slows, or Mercury's Treads for tenacity against her Aqua Prison stun as well as those slows; her bubble is a stun, not a slow. Locket of the Iron Solari is a core item as it shields your team against Nami's poke-heavy playstyle and Tidal Wave engage. Consider Knight's Vow second to keep your ADC healthy through her sustained W poke. If Nami rushes Mandate (common for her), respect the increased burst when her ADC follows up on her CC. Nami typically builds Moonstone Renewer for extended fights or Imperial Mandate for pick potential - watch her first buy to understand the lane dynamic. Against Mandate Nami, she wants short trades with bubble into empowered ADC autos, so don't overcommit. Against Moonstone, she'll try to sustain through your all-ins, meaning you need to burst quickly or disengage.

Team Fighting

In teamfights, Nautilus and Nami serve opposite purposes - you want to dive and lock down priority targets while she wants to peel and sustain her carries. Your Depth Charge (R) is a guaranteed engage tool that Nami cannot stop, but be aware that a well-timed Tidal Wave can knock you out of your follow-up after the ult lands. Target the enemy ADC with your R and flash-hook onto Nami herself to prevent her from peeling effectively. Nami's teamfight strength comes from her Tidal Wave initiating or counter-engaging. If she uses R offensively to start a fight for her team, hook the enemy that follows the wave in, or use the hook to reach the enemy carry. If she holds R defensively, your engage becomes much harder. Track her R cooldown (120/110/100s) and force fights when it's down. Your CC chain can lock down a target for nearly 3 seconds, which is enough to kill most squishies before Nami's healing can matter.

Pro Tips

• Hook terrain near Nami rather than hooking her directly - the terrain pull drags you forward to close the gap while she wastes bubble, then you can walk up for passive root and E slow
• Nami's W has a limited bounce range (800 units); if you hook her away from her ADC, she can't heal them, making your 2v2 much stronger
• Save your E (Riptide) until after you've landed hook and passive - the slow prevents her from walking out of the second and third wave, maximizing damage

Common Mistakes

• Throwing hook into minion waves - Nami players will intentionally stand behind minions knowing your Q stops on first target; wait for her to step up to W poke
• Using all your CC at once - spacing out your passive root, Q, E, and R prevents Nami from healing through your burst with a single W bounce
• Ignoring Nami in fights to dive the backline - her sustained healing and Tidal Wave will win extended fights; either kill her first or burst your target before she can respond