Nautilus

Every basic attack Nautilus lands is a warning sign for the enemy. His passive, Staggering Blow, adds bonus damage to his first hit on any target and roots that target for a moment. It needs no aiming and no mana, which is why one careless step within his reach in lane so often costs a chunk of health.

Dredge Line is the hook that makes him who he is. Nautilus throws an anchor that drags himself and the victim toward one another. If the anchor hits terrain instead, it pulls Nautilus toward the wall, so the same tool works for escaping or for slipping around to a flank. Once the enemy is pulled in, he stacks control: Staggering Blow roots on contact, Riptide fires three exploding waves outward to damage and slow, and Titan’s Wrath gives him a shield while spreading damage over time to everyone near his target. The shield is what lets him trade well beyond what his stats suggest.

Depth Charge starts the fight. A shockwave travels underground after a chosen opponent, launching every enemy it passes over into the air before detonating beneath the target. Since nothing can body-block it, it ranks among the most dependable engage ultimates available and a steady danger to enemy backlines.

The trade-offs are the usual ones for an anchor champion: once Dredge Line is on cooldown he is slow to reposition, and his damage does not grow much with items. Nautilus suits players who like to control fights through stacked crowd control, with hook, root, slow and knockup all in the same kit, and who judge a good game by how long the enemy carry spent unable to move.