Naafiri vs Taliyah MID Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Naafiri

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Mid

Taliyah

Naafiri vs Taliyah

Updated May 31, 2026

Overview

Naafiri aims to chip Taliyah with Q poke and punish her when she commits W or E cooldowns.
Maintain medium lane pressure by avoiding predictable W engages and controlling wave state to prevent Taliyah from safely using her crowd control.

Trading pattern

Start trades by landing Q to create health advantage, then commit W and E only if Taliyah has used her W or E.
Avoid using W into Taliyah's E zone or when her W is available to prevent displacement.
Use R to enhance chase and burst on isolated or low-health targets after successful Q poke.

Danger windows

Naafiri is vulnerable when committing W into Taliyah's W displacement or E slow zone.
Avoid all-ins if Q poke has missed or Taliyah's crowd control is available.
Be cautious when Taliyah has wave control and can roam, punish by hard pushing and taking plates.

Early game

Use Q to poke and apply bleed before committing to all-ins, especially when Taliyah's W and E are on cooldown.
Avoid engaging with W when Taliyah's E zone is active to prevent being slowed or displaced.
Keep the wave positioned to allow safe Q poke and threaten W engages only when Taliyah's defensive tools are down.

Power spikes

Level 6 R significantly increases Naafiri's chase and all-in potential.
First lethality item spike empowers Q poke and burst damage.
Respect Taliyah's level 6 R for map pressure and her first mage item for improved poke and wave control.

Win conditions

Win by landing consistent Q poke to lower Taliyah's health, then use R-enhanced all-ins when she is isolated or her defensive cooldowns are down.
Deny Taliyah safe use of W and E by spacing and wave control to prevent her from punishing your engages.
Use level 6 power spike and lethality item timing to snowball kills and pressure mid lane.