Crank Dat Kitty Cat

Tankdalee is back! I am so happy playing Nidalee as my first pick for top lane, as her team fighting ability just tripled when the S3 patch hit. She is queen of her lane once more, and though she's no longer sporting the Triforce, I think you'll find her new toys just as fun.

For info on Nidalee, weekly plays, or just a really nice place to hang out, check out RF Legendary's stream: http://www.twitch.tv/RFLegendary

He's also working on a guide on LoL King. It's looking pretty good so far: http://www.lolking.net/guides/preview/592

First thing's first -  Runes and Masteries. Her Runes have not changed.

 

AD for last hitting, because getting CS is the most important thing. (Here's a hint - GET those siege minions! They're worth more than 2x a melee minion in gold!)

Armor for...well, armor. It's top lane, where mostly bruisers go.

Flat + Scaling MR - If you have an AP top, you're not completely defenseless. If you don't, you still have some MR for later in the game.

Her fancy new Masteries, on the other hand...

Improved Ignite and creep damage in the offense tree, all of the damage mitigation in the defense tree, and some Mana regen in the utility tree completely round out her character with enough sustain to keep you going until level 6, and enough scaling abilities to help you late game.

Nidalee's build is very, very versatile. It all depends on who your opponent is, how your team is doing, and so on. When starting, I suggest either a Doran's Blade if you think you'll do well, or a Cloth + Pots if you think you'll need the health. Boots aren't a great start anymore. I've tried the Flask + 2 wards + 2 pots with her. It works, but you already have so much innate sustain that it's redundant and makes your harass lack power. 

If you're snowballing hard and will have time to stay in lane, Brutalizer -> Black Cleaver would be a pretty good idea. Not a single stat is wasted on her. If you're snowballing and might have to leave soon, I'd grab a Giant's Belt. Your first big item, if it wasn't Black Cleaver, should 90% of the time be Warmog's. This item is cost effective in lane and makes you very, very big when combined with your Cougar form's natural Armor and MR.

Need MR? Spirit Visage is great on Nidalee. It buffs her heal, her Warmog's passive, and adds to her growing health pool. Need Armor? You have several options here, and I'll try to explain them all to the best of my ability (without getting biased.)

Does the enemy team have a very, very fed AD Carry? Yes? Go Randuin's Omen.

Does the enemy team have multiple AS based champions? Yes? Randuin's Omen.

Is your enemy team comp fairly AD based, but no one's really scary? Iceborn Gauntlet.

Mixed Damage? Guardian Angel.

Do you need to increase your damage and really up your team fighting utility? Iceborn Gauntlet.

I am in love with the new Randuin's Omen. Health, armor, and a passive on it's predecessor that isn't chance based? Awesome. The Active easily slows the enemy team for at least a good 3.5 seconds if you're in Cougar form. The health still helps against bursty champions as well, so if there's a fed AD Carry, but you're afraid of an assassin - level burst, don't fear. That 500 health will definitely help.

The Iceborn Gauntlet is my new Trinity Force. This baby makes me so happy. Again, not a single wasted stat on Nidalee. CDR always helps keep your AD Carry healthy and buffed through team fights. The armor is great, the Mana gives you more sustain, the AP makes 75% of your spells more powerful...but the icing on this decadent cake is the special Sheen proc:

"After using an ability, your next basic attack deals physical bonus damage equal to 125% of your base attack damage to surrounding enemies and creates a field for 3 seconds that slows enemies inside by 35% - 2 second cooldown."

Permaslow. With the CDR from the item itself, your constant Cougar harass will keep the enemy carry locked down and permaslowed for the whole teamfight. Need to peel? Permaslow anyone near your carry. Its AoE is not huge, but it's certainly enough to slow 2-3 people diving on your carry. With only Warmog's and Iceborn Gauntlet, I was able to run through the entire enemy team for whole team fights, turning and attacking at will. I'd chase off the squishy carries, turn around and perma slow the mobile champs jumping my carry, then turn around and finish off the squishies. I walked out of these engagements with at least 40% of my health remaining. 

For something trolly and very heavy on the split pushing, Banner of Command is a cool item. It's not something I would really run on Tankdalee, but if you're really trying to split push all game, go ahead and get it. It only helps.

To round off your build, you need a pair of boots and an enchantment. I personally prefer Boots of Swiftness. I ran them before the added slow reduction, because I love running fast in bushes. If you need armor or MR for your laning phase, feel free to get Tabi or Treads. As for Enchantments, I prefer the Captain utility, as my teammates are almost always behind me or running towards me. The AoE is actually rather large. I don't have a screenshot, but it's about the length of the outer mid turret to the inner. I don't know about you, but giving my teammates a x2.5 Janna passive sounds good.

Go ahead and try her out. Remember to abuse the brush at all times, start harassing at level 3, and kill that ADC! See you on the Fields of Justice!