What Nolan is bad at
- Very low HP pool for an assassin, dying quickly to any coordinated burst or CC chain
- The Rift-chain combo requires landing multiple separate skills in sequence, not a single guaranteed burst
- Fracture's 21-second cooldown means a missed ultimate leaves him without his biggest damage source for a while
- No CC-immunity or hard escape outside of Gauge's dash, so a landed stun or root can end the fight fast
Every counter below works by pressing one of these.
Hard counters to Nolan
Pick one of these and the matchup is decided before the fight starts.
SaberAssassinHardSaber's Triple Sweep knocks Nolan airborne for its full duration, and a squishy assassin with no CC-breaking tool dies to it before Fracture ever comes online.
NataliaAssassinHardNatalia's stealth lets her land a guaranteed burst combo on an isolated Nolan, whose low HP pool can't survive an ambush he never saw coming.
HayabusaAssassinHardHayabusa's Quad Shadow phantom dash and Ougi: Shadow Kill's six strikes from the shadows outpace Nolan's own dash tools, bursting a low-HP assassin down before he gets a Rift chain going.
PaquitoFighter · AssassinHardPaquito's Champ Stance hands him a free enhanced skill every three casts, and Knockout Strike's knock-back and 75% slow let him chase down and burst a low-HP Nolan first.
Soft counters
Favourable, but Nolan can still play around them.
HildaFighter · TankSoftHilda regenerates 2% of her Max HP a second in a bush and leaves it with a 15%-Max-HP shield, letting her reset and out-sustain Nolan's own Rift-activation healing in an extended jungle duel.
JawheadFighterSoftJawhead's Ejector flings Nolan away mid-combo, physically separating him from his target and breaking a Rift chain before it can detonate.
KhaleedFighterSoftKhaleed's Quicksand Guard heals him back up while cutting damage taken by up to 50%, letting him sustain through Nolan's burst, and Raging Sandstorm's stun interrupts an in-progress Rift chain.
FaramisSupport · MageSoftFaramis's Vicious Retrieval soul fragments heal him back up between trades, letting him out-sustain Nolan's burst window, and Cult Altar can resurrect a dead ally to undo the pick Nolan just made.
Items to build against Nolan
You cannot always change your pick. You can always change your fourth slot.
ImmortalityA single Fracture combo can be lethal on a squishy target; the revive shield gives a second chance to fight back or disengage.
Antique CuirassStacking physical damage reduction from repeated skill hits blunts the combined damage of Expansion, Gauge, and Fracture.
Tough BootsCuts the slow duration from his Rifts, making it easier to walk out of the pull-and-activate combo before it fully lands.
Winter CrownNegates a full Fracture burst rotation outright, the single biggest source of his damage.
Do not pick these into Nolan
Heroes whose own counter list names Nolan — these matchups go the other way. A red dot marks a hard counter.
Why Nolan works
Common questions
Who counters Nolan in Mobile Legends?
Saber, Hilda, Natalia, Hayabusa, Jawhead all beat Nolan. Saber is the hardest counter: Saber's Triple Sweep knocks Nolan airborne for its full duration, and a squishy assassin with no CC-breaking tool dies to it before Fracture ever comes online.
What items should I build against Nolan?
Immortality: A single Fracture combo can be lethal on a squishy target; the revive shield gives a second chance to fight back or disengage. Antique Cuirass: Stacking physical damage reduction from repeated skill hits blunts the combined damage of Expansion, Gauge, and Fracture. Tough Boots: Cuts the slow duration from his Rifts, making it easier to walk out of the pull-and-activate combo before it fully lands. Winter Crown: Negates a full Fracture burst rotation outright, the single biggest source of his damage.
What is Nolan's biggest weakness?
Very low HP pool for an assassin, dying quickly to any coordinated burst or CC chain