Nasus Baron Lane

Siphoning Strike (1st) is an empowered attack that triggers Spellblade on the same hit, combining the item's proc with Nasus's permanent Q (1st) stacks against champions and turrets.

Siphoning Strike (1st) triggers the first-hit crit on the same stacked attack, while the heal helps Nasus stay attached long enough to cast Q (1st) again.

Armor Penetration helps your physical damage against armored targets. The item slow applies only below 60% target Health and does not add directly to Wither's (2nd) stronger slow.

Ability haste means more Q (1st) casts, which is his stacking speed and his damage in a fight.

Momentum builds while he walks a target down and triggers on the stacked Q (1st) he was walking toward them to land.

Build this against healing. The Grievous Wounds applies from his own damage as well as when they attack him, so his withering slow and strikes keep it on the target.

Boot swap against heavy magic damage and crowd control, which is what keeps him from reaching his target.

Boot swap against heavy physical damage, which buys him time to keep stacking.

Build this into repeated magic damage. The movement speed compounds with Wither's (2nd) slow to help Nasus reach Siphoning Strike (1st) range instead of being kited by mages.

Health and regeneration, so he can keep farming stacks through a lane trying to push him off the wave. Warmog's Heart requires 1250 bonus Health before its out-of-combat regeneration activates.

Build this when a root or stun wastes the Wither (2nd) window Nasus needs to reach his target. Cleansing it lets him close and begin repeated Siphoning Strikes (1st).

Replace Trinity Force when Nasus is repeatedly trading empowered attacks into a high-health tank. Percentage-health Spellblade damage and healing reward repeated cast-and-attack trades into health stackers. Use it instead of the default Spellblade item.

Replace Dead Man's Plate when Nasus can reach the enemy attackers but needs to reduce their sustained attack rate. Armor, mana, and haste come with a nearby enemy attack-speed reduction. Stay close enough for the aura; it does not slow Master Yi's attacks during Highlander (Ult).

Replace Dead Man's Plate when crit carries are killing Nasus after he reaches melee range. Reduces physical critical-strike damage, so prioritize it against fed crit carries rather than purely on-hit damage.

Replace Dead Man's Plate when magic poke or burst prevents Nasus from entering with enough health to fight. High Magic Resistance and a magic shield protect against AP poke or opening burst. The shield needs time without taking magic damage to return.

Replace Spear of Shojin late, after defensive boots and another resistance item, when Nasus must survive a long mixed-damage frontline fight. Mixed defenses ramp up after five seconds in champion combat. Buy it after other resistances when you can survive long enough to activate it.