Assassin

Nidalee

The Bestial Huntress

Raised in the deepest jungle, Nidalee is a master tracker who can shapeshift into a ferocious cougar at will. Neither wholly woman nor beast, she viciously defends her territory from any and all trespassers, with carefully placed traps and deft spear throws.Read the full story on Riot's Universe site

See Nidalee guides Write a guide for Nidalee

P
Prowl
Q
Javelin Toss / Takedown
W
Bushwhack / Pounce
E
Primal Surge / Swipe
R
Aspect Of The Cougar

Nidalee

Overview

On patch 16.21, Nidalee is rated D tier in the jungle, winning 41.9% of 740 ranked games with a 0.8% pick rate. The most successful build this patch runs Electrocute with Flash and Smite and builds Lich Bane, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, and Sorcerer's Shoes.

Nidalee struggles most against Kayn (29.8%), Warwick (37.5%), and Viego (39.3%) and does best against Graves (57.1%), Shaco (51.1%), and Lee Sin (48.1%).

Ranked solo/duo · patch 16.21 · 740 games · updated Nov 1, 2026 · How we calculate

41.9%

Win rate

0.8%

Pick rate

740

Games

16.21

Patch

Playing as Nidalee

Use brush to your advantage! Moving in and out of brush can heavily alter your effectiveness in battle.
Start team fights by harassing with your Javelin Toss, and then switch to cougar form to chase down Hunted targets.
Bushwhack traps deal damage based on their victim's current Health. Set them up in your team's backline before fights break out during sieges to help your team deal damage to the enemy frontline.

Playing against Nidalee

Nidalee's Hunt debuff is only applied with Javelin Toss and Bushwhack. Avoiding being hit by these abilities will impair her ability to deal follow-up damage.
Nidalee's Javelin Toss deals more damage the farther she is. If she is far away, it's imperative to dodge it.
Nidalee's Takedown deals extreme damage to Hunted targets, but she has to get close to use it. Save your crowd control or defensive abilities for when she goes in for the kill.

Guides

See all

Be the first to share a guide.

Write a guide

Matchups

All Nidalee matchups

Strong against

Graves57.1%28
Shaco51.1%45
Lee Sin48.1%27
Qiyana46.9%32
Master Yi46.2%39

Weak against

Kayn29.8%57
Warwick37.5%32
Viego39.3%56
Kha'Zix39.3%28
Talon40.5%42

Abilities

P
Prowl
Moving through brush increases Nidalee's Move Speed by 10% for 2 seconds, increased to 30% toward visible enemy champions within 1400 range. Hitting champions or monsters with Javelin Toss or Bushwhack triggers a Hunt, granting True Sight of them for 4 seconds. During this time, Nidalee gains 10% Move Speed (increased to 30% toward the Hunted target) and her Takedown and Pounce are enhanced against them.
Q
Javelin Toss / Takedown
In human form, Nidalee throws a spiked javelin at her target that gains damage as it flies. As a cougar, her next attack will attempt to fatally wound her target, dealing more damage the less life they have.
Cooldown: 6Cost: 50/55/60/65/70Range: 1500
W
Bushwhack / Pounce
In human form, Nidalee lays a trap for unwary opponents that, when sprung, damages and reveals its target. As a cougar, she jumps in a direction, dealing damage in an area where she lands.
Cooldown: 13/12/11/10/9Cost: 30/35/40/45/50Range: 900
E
Primal Surge / Swipe
In human form, Nidalee channels the spirit of the cougar to heal her allies and imbue them with Attack Speed for a short duration. As a cougar, she claws in a direction, dealing damage to enemies in front of her.
Cooldown: 12Cost: 50/55/60/65/70Range: 900
R
Aspect Of The Cougar
Nidalee transforms into a cougar, gaining new abilities.
Cooldown: 3Cost: 0Range: 20