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Tristana & Malphite vs Kai'Sa & Nautilus

Bot Lane Matchup

Tristana vs Kai'Sa (with Malphite & Nautilus) BOT matchup tips: who wins, how to trade, wave control and common mistakes.

You

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Who Wins

Pre-6, you win the 2v2 clearly.
Your range advantage at all early levels means Kai'Sa cannot trade back effectively, and Malphite's Q slow makes it trivial to kite away from any Nautilus hook attempt; level 2 is particularly strong if you land an auto-E-auto combo before Nautilus reaches level 2.
Post-6, you remain favored in extended fights because your R knock-back hard-counters Kai'Sa's R engage, but Nautilus's R can still lock you down if Malphite fails to peel.

Your best pattern is to poke Kai'Sa with auto-E-auto at max range to stack your E passive, then when she is low enough, use your R to knock her into Nautilus's hook range rather than away — this turns your defensive tool into an offensive kill setup.
Against Nautilus specifically, always position so your R knock-back sends him away from you, not toward your tower.

You want to slow-push and crash waves to deny Kai'Sa CS under tower, where her short range makes last-hitting difficult and she cannot safely walk up.
After crashing, back or look for a roam with your E jump mobility, as your wave clear speed gives you tempo advantages that Kai'Sa cannot match.

Do not use your E aggressively onto Nautilus — he will simply root you with his E and chain into a full combo while you are committed to the jump with no escape.
Also avoid standing at medium range thinking you are safe; Nautilus's Q hook range is long and if you are not at maximum Tristana range, you are hookable and the combo will kill you.

Created on 08/03/2026

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