Nidalee is quite a powerful ARAM pick. Her Q allows her to significantly damage the opposing team, without putting herself at risk. Her cougar form is great for clearing the waves and pressuring enemies to retreat under their towers. To make the most out of this amazing pick, today we are gonna go over the greatest ARAM build for Nidalee.
Best Nidalee Items
Luden’s Companion
The first item you will want to pick up is the Luden’s Companion. The item is not the greatest item per se, however, it will grant us the much-needed early mana. Another perk of this item is its passive that will increase our long-range Q shots.
Stormsurge
Stormsurge is a perfect item for Nidalee. When we manage to burst enemies for 25% of their max HP, the item will smite the enemies sending them yet another wave of damage. Now it’s important to remember that our Q’s deal more damage the more distant we are from the enemies. Landing full range, or near full range Q’s will oftentimes be enough to deal 25% max HP damage to squishier enemies.
Rabadon’s Deathcap
Rabadon’s Deathcap is just a stock item for any full AP build. It has the highest AP ratio and it will grant us 130 flat AP. Most importantly though, the item will also give us a 30% boost on all our AP stats. All things considered, the Deathcap is a core purchase we should take every game.
Shadowflame
Another major item for our build will be Shadowflame. Whenever the enemy is below 40%, the item will increase our ability damage by 20%. It’s clear how OP this is, since our Q and following combo abilities will deal significantly more damage. The item is perfect for finishing off carries, and eliminating enemies with Q + cougar combo.
Lich Bane
Nidalee mains do not fret, I have not forgotten the main Nidalee item. You might be surprised to see the core Nidalee Summoner’s Rift item so far down on the list, however, the item is not needed as early in ARAM. It’s still very strong and the additional fighting stats will be great in the late game. The reason we are not building it first like in SR, is because we simply do not need it’s passive early on as much as we need it in SR.
Boots
As with most full AP builds, the best boots will be the Sorcerer’s Shoes. These will give us the much-needed ability penetration, and all the other options are simply not as viable.
Best Nidalee Runes
- Dark Harvest
- Sudden Impact
- Eyeball Collection
- Treasure Hunter
- Presence of Mind
- Coup de Grace
The best keystone for Nidalee in ARAM is the Dark Harvest. It’s pretty easy to stack frequently, and it will significantly buff our damage. The next rune we will take is the Sudden Impact, which will help us deal extra damage in our cougar form when casting W.
We will also take the Eyeball Collection and Treasure Hunter for bonus damage and gold for each unique takedown. Finally, we will take the Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace. Presence of Mind will buff our early sustain through takedown healing, and Coup de Grace will make it easier for us to execute enemies.
Final Thoughts
Nidalee is a solid ARAM pick. She can become quite deadly when played full AP with the majority of Q’s landed. To land Q’s easier, it is important to predict enemy movement. My best tip would be to predict the enemy’s sidestep. Whenever your Q animation loads, they will click in the opposite direction of the one they were taking prior to the animation.