Nocturne vs Gwen Counter Pick

A Thousand Cuts scales with the target’s health and heals Gwen for a share of what it deals to champions, an awkward mechanic to face on a body that grows to 2,508 health by level 18, the larger pool of the two. That interaction alone explains much of the 44.1% Nocturne posts across 311 games on patch 16.13.1.

The rest of the picture:

• Hallowed Mist shields her from everything outside it, since only enemies who step in can target her, turning a Paranoia arrival into a choice between backing off and fighting on her ground.
• Her 39 base armor and 122.3 at level 18 are the highest resistances in the pairing, while everything Nocturne deals is physical.
• Snip Snip! deals true damage to units in the center of its cone, so resistances do not fully answer her either.
• Skip ‘n Slash grants attack speed, bonus attack range and magic damage on-hit after the dash, letting her trade at 150 units and then extend.

Nocturne is not without a plan. Duskbringer leaves a Dusk Trail he moves faster along, Shroud of Darkness blocks a spell with Needlework the obvious candidate, and Unspeakable Horror fears her if she cannot clear its range. Gwen’s damage is mixed, so magic resist earns a slot it usually would not against a fighter. With ratings of 4 and 5, neither champion is hard to operate; the gap here is structural. Numbers on the Gwen page.