Riot unexpectedly buffs Nasus, "Desert Dog" ready to reappear in top lane?

In the latest changes on the PBE of patch 26.16, Riot Games has given significant favor to Nasus.

These seemingly small adjustments could help this champion regain his position in the top lane after a long time being overshadowed in the meta. Nasus was once one of the most fearsome scaling fighters League of Legends. However, the changes in meta and the increasingly fast pace of games caused the "Desert Dog" to gradually disappear from both ranked games and professional tournaments.

In patch 26.16, Riot Games decided to increase Nasus's base mana from 326 to 376, and also adjusted the stacking mechanism of his Siphoning Strike (Q) ability. With receiving more stacks from cannon minions and improved laning, Nasus will have an easier early game, instead of relying too much on farming while being pressured.

Notably, the player community considers this a buff aimed more at top lane Nasus than jungle Nasus. The additional mana allows this champion to use his E ability to clear minions and trade more frequently, while the Q stacking change helps his power scaling become more stable during the laning phase. However, many opinions also think that this is not an overly strong "buff" but just enough to make Nasus a more viable option.

If these changes are kept when they go live on the official server, Nasus could definitely return in ranked games, especially in ranks where players have more time to accumulate power. His split-pushing, dueling, and turret-destroying abilities, which are naturally his strengths, have not diminished.

In the context where Riot is making efforts to diversify the meta in patch 26.16, Nasus's improvement also opens up an interesting option for those who love scaling fighters. Though not enough to become a "monster" dominating the top lane, the "Desert Dog" is clearly facing an opportunity to return after months of absence.