Buzz
Bilgewater still maintains its core strength from Nihilah, but now with the added secondary carry Miss Fortune, coupled with the robust support from Nautilus, it has enough firepower to combat the various cancerous Demacia compositions.
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Strengths of Bilgewater
Previously, the Miss Fortune reroll strategy was a rare occurrence, but with Nautilus receiving buffs and fewer players opting for Sett, this strategy has become much easier to execute with numerous variations.
We'll have two main carries: Nihilah and Miss Fortune. Typically, items should be prioritized for Miss Fortune first with Blue Buff, Guardian Angel, and Giant Slayer. Nihilah remains as usual with the 2 Greatswords + Giant Slayer combo. Lastly, Nautilus should have a Sunfire Aegis to maximize Bilgewater's passive, and for tank items, anything works (preferably Guardian's Angel, Bloodthirster, or Thornmail).
Core items to prioritize: Bilgewater Seal/ Crown, Humiliation Overflow, Wings of the Raptor, Golden Ticket, Complete Devotion, Secret Tome, Healing Request, Pandora's Box...
Strategy and Leveling
You can opt for the legendary U.R.F to draw the Bilgewater Seal or play it safe with Twisted Fate for Pandora's Box. There's a significant difference between these two legends because if you have the Bilgewater Seal, you can hit level 7 right from level 7 and reach level 9 if you pick up a shovel at the carousel round, depending on your confidence in your item flexing ability.
It's not necessary to play Bilgewater right from the start; instead, maintain health with any 2-star champions you can find. If playing for Pandora, prioritize giving Blue Buff and a tank item to Nautilus first. You won't find Nihilah until at least mid-round 3, so early Greatswords are a waste. If the game looks promising, consider leveling up to keep a winning streak; otherwise, aim for a losing streak to have a chance to pick up a shovel at the carousel round, always keeping at least 1 Graves + 1 Illaoi in your bench lineup.
Level up to 6 at round 3-2; you'll need to hit level 7 to roll your initial team composition. As for items, build 2 items for Miss Fortune first, then prepare a Greatsword. After reaching level 7, start rolling to find 2-star Miss Fortune and Nautilus while having a Nihilah to hold the additional Greatsword for extra damage. The power spike of this Bilgewater build comes quite early at level 7, especially if you have a Seal, allowing you to hit 7 Bilgewater right from this point, providing a tremendous power boost, so always prioritize the shovel at the carousel round.
After securing a 2-star Miss Fortune for temporary sustain, there are two directions for you to develop. If you have economic cores or assistance with rolling, or you get multiple Miss Fortune/Nautilus, stay at level 7 to upgrade one of these champions to 3 stars, while also having the chance to get a 2-star Nihilah - play this way if you have the Bilgewater Seal. In other cases where you don't have the Seal or get few Miss Fortune, push to level 8 to hit the 7 Bilgewater breakpoint.
This build usually spikes at level 8, after you acquire a 2-star Nihilah with 3 core items and hit 7 Bilgewater, the remaining task is simply to upgrade Miss Fortune to 3 stars along with Nautilus. In most matches, we'll stop at level 8 to utilize both carries and Nautilus, except in rare cases where you're exceptionally ahead and have another Bilgewater breakpoint, only then should you consider level 9. Otherwise, attempting to force level 9 without the core 3 stars will result in being punched out before hitting the 9 Bilgewater breakpoint.
At the threshold of a 2-star Nihilah and 2 core 3-star champions, Bilgewater champions will completely outshine decks like Demacia or Shurima because champions like Mordekaiser or Azir will never break through a 3-star Nautilus before their entire army is wiped out. This build is easy to play because it maintains excellent sustain in the mid-game, enabling a smooth transition to the top without much difficulty or contention compared to other builds.
If you're tired of facing Demacia in every match, then use Bilgewater to change things up.
See more: LoL: Mage Champions Receive Strong Buffs in Patch 13.22
