Utility tank build for forced tempo: Nunu and Willump create value well before teamfights by imposing gank, objective, and tempo threat that forces the opponent to play faster than they would like. The build must preserve that cadence without turning every entry into decorative suicide.
Three builds, one right answer per draft. The advisor reads the five enemies (and your allies) and names who triggers what — the same rule as the Draft MVP sheet and Ask Nexus.
Best Nunu & Willump build (Jungle): Searing Crown › Hollow Radiance › Dead Man's Plate › Thornmail › Kaenic Rookern, boots Plated Steelcaps, keystone Ice Tyrant. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
13,800 total cost
Nothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Resistance build geared against physical damage (AD) compositions.
14,500 total cost +700g
Physical-damage enemy team: Darius, Lee Sin, Lucian.
Open this draft in the tool →Resistance build geared against magic damage (AP) compositions.
14,450 total cost +650g
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Ambessa
Mantle of the Twelfth Hour
Physical damage
Lillia
Gargoyle Stoneplate
Magic damage
Gragas
Mantle of the Twelfth Hour
Physical damage
Olaf
Mantle of the Twelfth Hour
Physical damage
Same advisor in the Draft (the MVP sheet applies it to your real draft) and in Ask Nexus, which explains the choice. On counters pages: the variant to take against each counter-pick.
Foundational item core, without recent situational additions — kept as a base for understanding the kit. For the up-to-date build, see the section above.
Nunu & Willump create value by accelerating the game's pace and turning space into immediate threat. Their build must preserve that execution speed while preventing a good engage from turning into a free death before a second control cycle.
Ruby Crystal
Logical first item so successful ganks have real follow-through once in melee.
Comes online when Nunu & Willump want chained map movement and fast threat across multiple zones.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
Plated Steelcaps
Snowball and channeled R immobilize — every gank triggers freeze zone and armor as you roll in.
The shield procs on every snowball root — you survive landing in the middle of the enemy team.
Sustain between rotations complements W — you re-gank without recalling.
Your clear devours camps — every eaten monster also feeds permanent HP.
Amplifies movement speed, core element of his kit.
Force of Nature
Thornmail
Dead Man's Plate
This item pair makes his movement and entries much more stable. He can cross the map faster, absorb first contact, and stay in the middle of the fight long enough for Aftershock and his crowd control to matter.
