Cricket BD users have noticed that Naafiri, also known as the “Hundred-Fanged Hound,” is the quintessential numbers-based champion: when buffed, she soars; when nerfed, she crashes. Following the 14.12 patch buffs, Naafiri has reemerged as a dominant T1 mid-lane pick. Her global win rate above Emerald ranks now exceeds 52%, largely due to improved jungle clearing and a significant cooldown reduction on her Q in the early game.
Although the buffs were originally meant to enhance her jungle capabilities, mid-laners have benefited the most. With reduced Q cooldowns, Naafiri can now clear waves faster—a crucial change for an assassin that relies heavily on scaling. According to Cricket BD testing, this tweak hits the core of what makes her viable. When paired with the revamped First Strike rune, Naafiri can snowball early and take over games with ease.
Her optimal skill path is max Q followed by E, focusing on landing the second Q and E for maximum burst. The ideal summoner spells are Flash and Teleport—Naafiri isn’t built for extended lane trades, but for quick roams and isolated picks. Teleport enhances her mobility and allows her to exert map-wide pressure.
The new version of First Strike leans more toward early-game aggression. Naafiri can trigger it reliably with her Q, often netting around 15 gold per trade and boosting her burst potential. Pair this with Treasure Hunter and Magical Footwear to hit her first item power spike quickly. Start with Long Sword and a potion; if under heavy lane pressure, opt for Doran’s Blade.
Her first core item is Eclipse, which synergizes perfectly with her kit—just one ability plus a passive bite from her hounds is enough to proc it. The second item is Ravenous Hydra to help with waveclear, although the Q buffs make early Tiamat optional. If you’re struggling to shove, Tiamat into Eclipse is a viable alternative.
Her third item should be Serylda’s Grudge, offering crucial armor penetration and utility. All of Naafiri’s five abilities scale with AD, and while base values are low, scaling is significant—by three items, she’s at her peak. After that, additional lethality items like Maw of Malmortius, Edge of Night, or Opportunity are options, although their impact diminishes.
Naafiri isn’t built for lane dominance. Her low base stats and interruptible W make her weak in 1v1 trades. Her real strength lies in waveclear and roaming. Treat her like an assassin version of Galio: clear waves with Q, then roam for picks. Against ranged matchups, focus on farming under turret and making cross-map plays.
In the jungle, Naafiri excels at chasing and early invades. With a jungler, she can collapse on enemy camps by level 3. Her double-dash mobility and raw burst make her lethal in 2v2s or when catching out enemy junglers. In mid-game, focus on collapsing side lanes and denying enemy jungle camps while maintaining vision control over the river.
Naafiri’s teamfighting requires precision. Unlike other assassins like Kha’Zix or Zed, she lacks escape tools. Once she dives, there’s no turning back. That means she’s best played as a cleanup threat—dive in to finish off low-health targets and build a snowball.
The tradeoff for having no exit is her strong sustain and brawler-like output. Her passive hounds execute low-health minions, which helps against long-ranged champions. Cricket BD game analysts also emphasize her E ability—when used, it fully heals her hounds. If they’ve taken damage or are marked, pressing E will call them back and reset their health.
In short, for players seeking a high-impact assassin who snowballs through map pressure rather than lane dominance, Naafiri is once again leading the charge in the current meta.