Guide Sections (14)
- Champion Stats
- The First Trade
- The Nunu And Willump Skin Tier List
- When They Ban Nunu And Willump
- Runes That Work on Nunu And Willump
- Leveling Nunu And Willump's Abilities
- Matchups That Matter for Nunu And Willump
- The Ego Trap
- When the Draft Says No
- Your Role in the 5v5
- The Go-To Build
- Nunu And Willump's Strongest Moments
- The Tilt Machine
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low Elo players have terrible vision control. They don't ward deep enough to see the giant snowball (W) coming from 2 screens away. A smurf on Nunu utilizes 'The Disco Gank'—constantly rolling snowballs from creative angles (like behind their tower or from the enemy jungle) to ensure the enemy laner never feels safe. You also tilt the enemy jungler by stealing their camps instantly with Q.
The First Trade
The 'Level 2 Mid Surprise'. Start Red Buff. Immediately after finishing Red, roll your snowball (W) straight into the mid lane. Even if you don't kill the enemy mid, you will force their Flash or chunk them to 20% HP. It sets a psychological timer for the rest of the game: 'Nunu is everywhere'.
Your Passive gives you and an ally attack speed and move speed after you hit a champion. Use it to help your ADC take towers faster or to win early 2v2 skirmishes. You're a buffer as much as a tank.
The Nunu And Willump Skin Tier List
'Nunu & Willump Bot' is the only acceptable skin. The robotic voice and the 'H4H4H4H4' laugh (Ctrl+4) are scientifically proven to induce tilt in the enemy team. 'Papercraft' is cute, but the robot is for the mental warfare.
'Papercraft' has very vibrant effects, but 'Nunu Bot' is the competitive choice for the audio-spam. The robot laugh is a legitimate gameplay mechanic for breaking the enemy's mental. Use it.
'Nunu Bot' is important. The laugh (H4H4H4) tilts enemies. 'Papercraft' is cute. 'Space Groove' is funky. Nunu Bot is for the mental edge.
When They Ban Nunu And Willump
Ivern if you want to be the support-jungler. Rammus if you want to go fast and gank often. Sejuani if you want the tank and lockdown. Nunu is the boy and his yeti—if they're gone, be the tree or the armadillo.
Ivern for support jungle. Rammus for speed. Sejuani for tank. Rammus is the 'roll fast' alternative.
Runes That Work on Nunu And Willump
Phase Rush is the standard for the tank build, allowing you to stick to enemies after landing a snowball. Aftershock is for when your team needs a dedicated frontline. Secondary: Waterwalking and Celerity are mandatory for the river speed.
Leveling Nunu And Willump's Abilities
Max Q first for the monster damage (Objective control) and the massive champion healing. Max E second for the root duration and damage. W is a one-point wonder for the speed.
Matchups That Matter for Nunu And Willump
Impossible. He ignores your slows with Highlander and kills you in 1 second. Ban him.
Skill. You can out-smite him, but he can kick you out of your R channel. Don't fight him 1v1.
Easy. You can invade him and eat all his camps before he can respond. Just don't die to his passive.
The Ego Trap
Stop missing the snowball! If you miss the turn or hit a minion, walk away. Don't force a bad play. Also, 'The Hidden R'. If you channel your Ultimate inside a bush where the enemy has no vision, they CANNOT SEE THE INDICATOR. They will just take massive damage and slow out of nowhere. Use this to delete unsuspecting teams.
Missing the snowball is okay, but don't force the fight after. Walk away. The 'Hidden R' in a bush is your best weapon. They'll walk in and take 2000 damage before they even see the circle. It's the ultimate 'Gotcha' moment.
When the Draft Says No
Dodge Anivia or Trundle. Their walls/pillars can stop your snowball instantly and trap you. Dodge Master Yi because he ignores your slows.
Anivia and Trundle are your hard counters. Their walls stop your snowball instantly. Master Yi is the other issue—he doesn't care about your slows. If you see them, focus on ganking the other lanes and hope for the best.
Dodge Anivia/Trundle. Wall/Pillar stops snowball. You are useless. Dodge.
Your Role in the 5v5
Your job is to disrupt. Either peel for your carry with snowballs (E) or act as the engage with W. In a chaotic fight, sit in the middle and press R. Even if you can't full channel, the slow and shield are massive. Protect your ADC at all costs.
Disrupt, peel, and secure. Use Q+Smite to win every 50/50 objective—you have a 2500 damage execute. In a teamfight, W into the carry, E to root them, and R to slow the whole team. You're the heart of the fight.
The Go-To Build
Full AP 'Snowball of Death'. Shadowflame -> Stormsurge -> Rabadon's. Your snowball deals 1000 damage and your Ultimate deals 3000+. This is the risky 1v9 build. If you hit one snowball, they die. If you miss, you die.
Full AP is for the real smurfs. Dark Harvest, Shadowflame, Rabadon's. Your snowball should one-shot the ADC. If you're playing seriously, Sunfire into full tank is the way to stay alive and be annoying.
Tank: Sunfire -> Spirit Visage. AP (For fun): Rocketbelt -> Rabadon's. Tank is better for winning. AP is better for clips.
Nunu And Willump's Strongest Moments
Level 2 (The Mid Cheese). Level 6 (Hidden R unlock). 20 Minutes (Baron Spawn). Nunu and one ally can take Baron at 20 minutes effortlessly with Q sustain.
Level 2 mid-cheese is the best start. Level 6 for the bush-cheese R. 20 minutes for the 'Duo Baron' with your mid-laner. Nunu is a macro god—use your objective control to end the game early.
Level 2 Gank. Level 6 Bush Ult. Baron at 20 minutes (Q + Smite secures it 100%). Play for objectives.
The Tilt Machine
Spamming the robot laugh while rolling past an enemy. Stealing the enemy jungler's first buff with Q + Smite and running away. Typing 'Yeti magic!' in all-chat after a successful steal.
Spam the robot laugh (Nunu Bot skin). Steal the first buff and emote. Type 'Yeti magic' in all-chat. There's nothing more tilting than a giant snowball taking half your health while a robot laughs at you.
Spam Nunu Bot laugh. Steal buffs with Q-Smite and run away laughing. Drift the snowball into their lane just to scare them.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V13.19 | Sep 27, 2023 | BUFF | Snowball Barrage buffed |
| V12.22 | Nov 16, 2022 | BUFF | Consume buffed |
| V12.19 | Oct 5, 2022 | BUFF | Absolute Zero buffed |
| V12.11 | Jun 8, 2022 | BUFF | Consume buffed, Snowball Barrage buffed |
| V12.10 | May 25, 2022 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
