Turns out Nautilus mid is here to stay in LoL meta—here’s why it’s so good

With every season in League of Legends, the meta generally stays the same, and this season’s focus has revolved around tanks. But there’s one tank doing better in mid lane than as a support, even at the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, and that’s Nautilus.

The Titan of the Depths has a 77.8 percent win rate in the mid lane and a 33.3 percent win rate as a support at MSI 2023. And while the win rate percentages aren’t as expansive, Nautilus mid has a higher win rate in both ranked League matches and pro games, according to the stats from U.GG and Pro Build Stats.

During his time at MSI, Nautilus mid was often the only tank for teams, especially alongside squishy champions like Janna, Jinx, Lulu, or Lucian. The pick did well against similar champs like Ahri and Lissandra. And if there were other tanks or health-heavy champs, Nautilus would become the engage. 

With his kit offering crowd-control, engage, and front-line tanking, Nautilus mid can adapt and be whatever the team needs, depending on items and summoner spells.

For a better chance at success, League players picking Nautilus mid need the summoner spells, Teleport and Flash, and the two core items, Radiant Virtue and Abyssal Mask. Regarding boots, however, it depends on what you need. If you’re against an Ahri, the Ionian Boots of Lucidity, which offers movement speed, ability haste, and summoner spell haste, maybe the best option. If you’re against Annie or Galio, Mercury’s Treads will be your best bet, and Plated Steelcaps if you need armor.

From there, items are situational; build around what your team needs.

If you’re looking to play Nautilus mid, these can help:

• Items: Abyssal Mask, Mercury’s Treads, Radiant Virtue, Thornmail, Sunfire Aegis
• Runes: Aftershock, Shield Bash, Second Wind, Overgrowth | Dematerializer, Cosmic Insight
• Summoner Spells: Teleport, Flash
• Skill Priority: Riptide (E), Dredge Line (Q), Titan’s Wrath (W)

It is worth mentioning with League Patch 13.10 launching on Thursday, May 18—it’s going to be 24 hours late—you may need to slightly adjust how you build Nautilus, with Abysal Mask, Radiant Virtue, and Unleashed Teleport all receiving adjustments.

But if you’re playing mid and need a tanky champion who can help engage and keep the squishies alive, Nautilus is a fun option—and he’s pretty easy to play.