Nasus
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Good (7.5/10)
High Investment Required
Epic Relics
Nasus has evolved from a widely considered weak champion into a formidable powerhouse, particularly with high investment. While his early game can still feel slow without specific relics, his ceiling is exceptionally high. He excels in high-difficulty content like the Baron adventure due to his ability to neutralize enemy attack stats. However, he heavily relies on constellation upgrades (specifically his 3-star and 6-star powers) and Epic relics to function smoothly.
Ascended Burst
Crucial for accelerating Nasus's deployment. The damage dealt to allies counts towards his Slay counter, and the cost reduction mitigates his high base mana cost.
A second copy provides two additional 0-cost 'Siphoning Strikes' upon leveling, allowing for a total of four free strikes to clear the opposing board instantly.
Strategy
This build focuses on immediate impact. Use Disciple of Shadows to play Nasus as early as Turn 2 or 3. Upon playing him, aim to level him up quickly to trigger The Deceiver's Crest multiple times. The burst-speed Siphoning Strikes allow you to clear threats without passing initiative.
Scales of Ascension
- Essential for tempo and Slay triggers.
Nasus's signature relic. It strikes the weakest and strongest enemies on play. This acts as a superior Stalker's Blade, helping to stabilize the board immediately and feeding his Slay counter.- Generates 0-cost champion spells on level up, ensuring you have removal and scaling tools available immediately after he hits the board.
Strategy
This build utilizes his signature relic for immediate board stabilization. The combination of an on-play double strike and subsequent free spells from Deceiver's Crest ensures Nasus dominates the board the moment he arrives.
Infinite Siphoning
- Required to play Nasus early and start the engine.
Generates a 'Siphoning Strike' every round. While slower than Deceiver's Crest, it provides infinite value and insurance if Nasus is removed.
Reduces the cost of the champion spells generated by GGC and shuffles more copies of Nasus into the deck, preventing deck-out in long matches.
Strategy
A more control-oriented playstyle. This build guarantees you have a Siphoning Strike every turn to continuously grow Nasus and remove threats. It is more consistent in longer adventures but lacks the explosive burst of the Deceiver's Crest builds.
Rare Relic Reliability
Strikes an enemy on summon. Helps stabilize the board and gain a Slay stack immediately.- A second copy ensures you likely kill two units or one large unit on summon, accelerating his level-up condition.
- Ensures you have access to his champion spell every turn for consistent removal and scaling.
Strategy
The best option for players without Epic relics. The goal is to survive until Nasus can be played, use the Stalker's Blade strikes to stabilize, and then use the generated spells to out-scale the opponent.
Other Relic Options
Excellent in the Volibear adventure or Mutators where you have high mana gems. Doubles Siphoning Strike for massive stat gains and removal.
Can be used to shuffle Level 2 champions into the deck, which synergizes with his signature relic (Scales of Judgment) if you want to play a 'champion roulette' style, though less consistent than standard builds.
Doubles the stat buffs from Siphoning Strike, accelerating Nasus's growth significantly.
Provides Overwhelm to the entire board, ensuring Nasus can end the game once he grows large enough, preventing him from being chump-blocked.
Constellation
Nasus's constellation upgrade is transformative. His 1-star and 2-star powers provide necessary vulnerability application to control the board. The 2-star power, specifically, is a hard counter to 'Deadly' mutators by reducing enemy attack. However, the true power spike lies in his 3-star and 6-star upgrades.
Boon of the Ascended
Round End: Grant your strongest ally +1|+1 for each unit you've slain this round. Once you've slain 10+ units, Restore the Sun Disc.
Shuriman Preservation
+1 Starting Mana. Enemies have -1|-0. Vulnerable enemies have -3|-0 instead.
Boon of the Ascended II
Round End: Grant your strongest ally +2|+2 for each unit you've slain this round. Once you've slain 8+ units, Restore the Sun Disc.Review
This is arguably his most critical upgrade. Making 'Siphoning Strike' Burst speed fundamentally changes his gameplay, allowing you to remove threats and scale stats instantly without passing priority to the opponent.
In My Sights
Round Start: Grant the weakest enemy Vulnerable.Review
Often considered the weakest link in his constellation. The buffs to Shuriman allies are minor and do not significantly impact his core 'tall' playstyle. 'In My Sights' is useful but not game-changing.
Manaflow
Game Start: Get a mana gem.Review
The 'Immortal' passive helps stabilize runs and ensures you have time to scale. The extra mana gem is standard but essential for a 6-cost champion.
Soul Reclamation
When you slay a unit, reduce the cost of every card in your hand by 1 (to a minimum cost of 1). When you Restore the Sun Disc, grant allies everywhere +5|+5.Review
A massive power spike. The cost reduction allows for explosive turns where you can play multiple cards or expensive units for very little mana. The stat buff upon restoring the Sun Disc is significant, though sometimes prone to bugs if the board is full. This upgrade cements his status as a top-tier champion.
Gameplay Tips
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Siphoning Strike Management: Your champion spell, Siphoning Strike, is your primary win condition. Prioritize using it to kill enemy units to permanently buff Nasus. In emergencies, do not hesitate to use it to slay your own unit if it guarantees the +2/+2 stat growth and keeps the engine running.
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Disciple of Shadows Synergy: When using Disciple of Shadows, dealing 3 damage to your own units counts as a 'Slay'. This allows you to power level Nasus and trigger his slay-related passives simply by playing him on a board with allies.
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Countering Deadly: Nasus is one of the best counters to the 'Deadly' mutator found in high-tier adventures like Baron or Swain. His ability to apply -Attack debuffs happens before the Deadly damage multiplier, effectively neutralizing threats.
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The Volibear Adventure: In the Volibear adventure where cards cost 3, Nasus becomes incredibly powerful. His Siphoning Strike becomes 0 cost (due to cost reduction mechanics interacting with the set cost), and he can be played very early. Chemtech Duplicator is a top-tier choice here.
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Twisted Fate Adventure Warning: Be cautious in the Twisted Fate adventure. Nasus's strategy of shuffling copies of himself or Siphoning Strikes into the deck can backfire against TF's deck-destruction mechanics. You may need to rely more on board presence than infinite spell loops.
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Sun Disc Bug: Be aware of a potential interaction where if your board is full and you have a landmark in play, the Sun Disc may fail to spawn or trigger correctly. Try to keep one board space open when approaching his level-up if possible.