Zac vs Nocturne JUNGLE Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Zac

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Jungle

Nocturne

Zac vs Nocturne

Updated Jun 6, 2026

Overview

Zac must survive early invades and avoid isolated river fights where Nocturne's dueling and spell shield make him dangerous.
This matchup favors Zac scaling into teamfights with long-range engage and disruption to control objectives and force fights.
Prioritize defensive pathing early and use unpredictable gank angles to leverage Zac's high gank threat against Nocturne's medium early pressure.

Jungle Plan

Prioritize full clears early to reach tank scaling before contesting objectives or fighting Nocturne.
Contest first Scuttle only if your lanes have priority and can collapse to support, otherwise avoid river fights.
Use long-range engage angles to gank vulnerable lanes and force objective fights where Zac's frontline and disruption excel.

Danger windows

Early game before level 6, Zac is vulnerable to Nocturne's dueling and counter-invades; avoid isolated river fights.
Forced smite fights around early dragons or Rift Herald can be risky if Zac lacks lane priority or vision support.
Low-health clears or extended jungle fights without lane assistance increase risk of Nocturne punishing Zac's low invade resistance.

Early game

Start with a full clear or a defensive path away from Nocturne to avoid early invade punishments.
Delay river Scuttle contests until nearby lanes have priority to reduce risk against Nocturne's counter-invade potential.
Use Zac's elastic engage (E) from fog or walls to gank lanes where Nocturne cannot respond quickly, avoiding direct river confrontations.

Power spikes

Level 6 is Zac's major spike: use (R) knockup and (E) engage to initiate fights and counter Nocturne's level 6 pick threat.
Zac's tank scaling after first completed tank item increases survivability in objective fights, enabling frontline disruption.
Nocturne's level 6 ultimate spike demands Zac respect vision control and avoid isolated lanes without backup.

Win conditions

Survive early jungle pressure and reach level 6 to leverage Zac's long-range engage for impactful ganks and objective control.
Use unpredictable gank angles and (E) to create numbers advantages around dragon and Rift Herald.
Deny Nocturne free farm by counter-jungling when lanes have priority, then convert tempo into teamfights where Zac's disruption scales best.