Riot Games have never been slow with their champion releases. With over 160 champions in the game, they ensure you never get bored by playing the same class of champions daily. It only seemed like yesterday when Bel’Veth was released and yet here we are.
Riot releases a champion every two to three months. As of today (8/30/2022), Riot has released 4 champions in 2023 alone. And who knows what else Riot has in store for the next year?
Riot’s latest champion, “Nilah – The Joy Unbound” was released on July 7, 2023. She is a melee ADC that is primarily played in the Bot Lane. Unlike other champions that use swords or guns to deal damage, Nilah has a whip that she uses for her attacks. She is arguably the strongest AD Carry currently available on the Rift.
This article is written to inform you about all the ins and outs of Riot’s latest release Nilah. So make sure to read it thoroughly if you wish to get any success out of this champion.
That being said, let’s get started, shall we?
Also read: Is League of Legends Balanced?
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Nilah – The Joy Unbound
Nilah is one of the hardest champions in the game right now. It takes a lot of practice to pick up and master her, and she is currently an S+ tier champion. However, her winrate is only 51% because a lot of newbies are playing her and still learning.
That being said, it’s not like 51% is a bad winrate. It’s just that it could be better because of how broken she currently is. Time will tell how Riot nerfs this champion because we know that a nerf is coming, just like any other champion that is freshly released.
Nillah’s max order is “Q”, “E” and then “W”. Also remember to put points in your Ultimate whenever you can.
Screenshot is taken from the website u.gg
Lore
Nilah is originally from the Kathkan region in the eastern continent of runeterra. Kathkan is a region neighbouring Camavor (Veigo’s Kingdom) and is also their rival. However, this rivalry came to an end after the fall of the Camavoran empire.
Although there was no need for heroes in Kathkan after their rivalry with Camavor came to an end, Nilah was still obsessed with old tales of legendary warriors that came before her.
She gained her powers after meeting a number of mysterious heroes that took her by their side. After meeting them, she vanished and all of her existence was erased from the human minds. After a few years, the Nilah we know today emerged. She was more joyful than ever and wielded powers that were never seen before.
To get a detailed description of her lore, check out Necrit’s video about this topic on YouTube.
P.S: Nilah originally had a different name. She changed it after meeting the heroes and her real name is still unknown.
Abilities
Here’s a quick look at the abilities of the new champion:
Passive – Joy Unending
Nilah’s passive allows shields and heals of her allies to be amplified. Not only is the healing and shielding amplified, but the ally shielding/healing you also get a bonus shield/heal themselves. Opposite to that, if your ally shields or heals themselves, you also get a bonus shield/heal.
When Nilah last-hits a minion, she will get some bonus experience that she will share with her nearest ally. This will make levelling up that much easier as a bot-laner.
Both of these passives are quite useful for Nilah. However, the first passive means that it’s much better for you to have a Protection Support on your team for all the heals and shields. So be sure to let your team know about this in advance.
Q – Formless Blade
With Formless Blade, Nilah pulls out her whip and strikes in a straight line, damaging all enemies in that line. If she manages to land this ability on an enemy champion, her attack speed and attack range are increased for a few seconds. Formless blade also has a very short cooldown. So landing this ability consistently is key to a winning lane.
Formless blade also has a passive that allows Nilah’s attacks and spells to ignore some portion of her enemy’s armor. In addition to that, it also gives her bonus healing. Both the healing and armor penetration scale with the amount of critical chance that Nilah has. This ability can also overheal her, granting a shield.
W – Jubilant Veil
Nilah’s “W” shrouds her in Jubilant Veil. During Jubliant Veil, Nilah ignores any damage from the basic-attacks of her enemies. She also gains increased movement speed and takes reduced magic damage during this ability. This spell can also be cast on your allies by passing through them while in the effect. However, their Jubilant Veil is very short-lived.
If you were to compare this ability with Jax’s Counter Strike, you wouldn’t be wrong. However, unlike Jax, Nilah’s Jubilant Veil can be used on her allies as well.
E – Slipstream
By using Slipstream, Nilah dashes a set distance, dealing damage to all enemies she passes through. Although Nilah can hold two charges of this ability, make sure to use it wisely because it is quite literally your only escape move.
Nilah’s “Q” (Formless Blade), can be cast during her Slipstream, allowing her to pull a wave in her path. This wave deals damage and grants Nilah all the effects of Formless Blade if she hits an enemy.
R – Apotheosis
Nilah uses her whip to cast a circle around her, dealing damage and slowing enemies by 10% for 3 seconds. When this circle explodes, all the enemies are pulled towards the centre of the circle.
Apotheosis, upon exploding, heals Nilah and her nearby allies in the circle. This ability can also overheal, granting a shield.
P.S: Nilah is unable to auto-attack or use spells during Apotheosis, but she can move freely as she pleases.
Also read: Best Low Elo ADCs
Runes
- Lethal Tempo
- Triumph
- Legend: Tenacity
- Coup de Grace
- Shield Bash
- Revitalize
Generally speaking, Lethal Tempo is currently the best option available for Nilah. The reason for that is the fact that Lethal Tempo provides a lot of range, which Nilah lacks, and it also gives her a lot of attack speed.
However, it can be swapped for either Conqueror or Fleet Footwork depending on the matchup. Fleet Footwork is supposed to be used in difficult matchups where sustain is required. Conqueror can be used for extra mid to late-game healing, but it’s much better to go for either Fleet Footwork or Lethal Tempo than Conqueror.
Build
Core Items
- Immortal Shieldbow
- Phantom Dancer
- Lord Dominik’s Regards
- Bloodthirster
Situational Items
- Death’s Dance – If the enemy has burst damage
- Mortal Reminder – If the enemy has healing
Defensive Items
- Mercurial Scimitar
- Guardian’s Angel
- Spirit Visage
One thing to keep in mind is that Crit Items will always be a part of Nilah’s core build because her entire kit scales with Critical Damage.
Nilah’s Early Game
Nilah’s early game is rather dull. Since she is a melee champion, it means that you have to survive the laning phase by playing “safe” and resisting ganks. If the enemy team is too poke-heavy, starting out with Doran’s Shield and Second Wind is going to be the best option for you.
It’s also very important to have a support that can provide you with shields and heals because Nilah’s kit synergizes the best with Protection Supports.
Also read: How to Counter Invisibility in League of Legends?
Nilah’s Mid to Late Game
Nilah spikes very hard in the mid to late game. After 3 to 4 items, you can run around the map killing anyone you like. It might seem like we’re overexaggerating, but if you’ve played against a half-decent Nilah, you know what we’re talking about.
Getting to 3 to 4 items might seem a bit difficult since all of her items are very expensive. However, if you practice a lot and play your cards right in the early game, you could become an unstoppable killing machine.
Conclusion
If you’ve read this article thoroughly, you have probably figured out that Nilah is also one of Riot’s “200 years champion”. The amount of game-breaking mechanics and multi-passives she has is insane. After seeing her current state, we can be sure that a nerf is coming soon.
If this article has helped you in any way, or if you have some questions about what you’ve just read, be sure to comment below and let us know.
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