With Teamfight Tactics Set 4.5, three-star Nidalee has emerged as one of the strongest carries in the game. If you hit a “Chosen” Nidalee early and land the right items, you should end up with a top-four finish. She’s kind of similar to Nasus in the sense that you need Nidalee to be Chosen; however, she’s a bit more flexible in the comps and items you can play.
GUIDE: How to play Syphoner Nasus
Best Items for Nidalee
Nidalee is one of the easiest champions to itemize. According to GrandVice8, Nidalee only needs Spear of Shojin to truly shine. Other items you can put on her include Jeweled Gauntlet, Infinity Edge, Guardian Angel or any other damage item.
Spear of Shojin (BF Sword + Tear of the Goddess)
The holder’s basic attacks restore 8 mana on-hit.
This item is key for Nidalee as her primary damage comes from her ability, Javelin Toss. Because this is her primary source of damage, you’ll want her to cast this ability as frequently.
Other Recommended Items
There are two routes you can go. Most builds recommend:
- Infinity Edge (Sparring Gloves + BF Sword)
- Jeweled Gauntlet (Sparring Gloves + Needlessly Large Rod)
These items turn Nidalee into a glass cannon, maximizing her Javalin Toss damage.
Other items you can build on Nidalee include:
- Guinsoo’s Rageblade (Recurve Bow + Needlessly Large Rod)
- Guardian Angel (BF Sword + Chain Vest)
- Giant Slayer (BF Sword + Recurve Bow)
How to play 9 Warlord
Of the two comps that are great for carry Nidalee, Warlord is a little more difficult to pull off. But, as of 11.3, it is one of the strongest comps in the game. Playing Warlord with Nidalee carry requires you to hit 9 Warlords at level 8 so you’ll need the following:
- Chosen Warlord Nidalee
- Warlord’s Banner (Spatula + Giant’s Belt)
The goal with this comp is to either slow roll or hyper roll for low-cost Warlords. At Stage 3 (before wolves), you can choose to hyper roll at level 4 or slow roll at level 5 to get three-star Nidalee, Garen, Vi, etc. Once you hit your three-star units, you’ll want to start slow leveling and adding additional Warlords.
Early Game
Your early game is pretty straightforward: Chosen Nidalee, Garen, Vi and a low-cost Sharpshooter like Tristana.
Mid Game
You’ll want 6 Warlord, so Chosen Nidalee plus Garen, Jarvan, Vi and Katarina, plus another Sharpshooter. Tristana or Sivir can serve as an item holder for Samira.
Late Game
Late game, you’ll want to have your full 9 Warlord synergy active. It’ll look like this:
- Chosen Nidalee
- Azir
- Karatina
- Garen
- Jarvan IV
- Tryndamere
- Vi
- Samira (Warlord Banner)
What if you don’t get a Warlord Banner?
In the unfortunate situation where you don’t get a Spatula and can’t build a Warlord’s Banner, you can still run 6 Warlord plus 4 Sharpshooter. This comp is a little different but the itemization on Nidalee remains the same.
- Nidalee
- Teemo
- Sivir
- Samira
- Jarvan IV
- Vi
- Tryndamere
- Azir
