Nocturne Counters Classic 26.22

Put Nocturne on the back foot with Undertow, which lands from a long way out. Shroud of Darkness doubles the passive attack speed it grants him when the block succeeds, so the ability it eats should be one you can afford. Reckless Swing then arrives as true damage, back every five seconds once maxed.

Nocturne throws Duskbringer and the trail speeds him up, adds attack damage, and lets him walk straight through the minions between you. Undertow slows the units the axe passes through, so put it on the ground he has to cross before he steps onto the trail. Afterwards the axe lands behind him.

Vicious Strikes needs to be running before Paranoia drops him beside you, since the lifesteal and the spell vamp both start on the cast. That window runs six seconds, and Nocturne chooses when he arrives, so guessing early can burn it before he shows up.

Minions near Nocturne split Fox-Fire and eat Charm before it arrives. Three fires go out at once, picking their own targets among nearby enemies, and the second and third land far lighter than the first. Press Charm when his wave is not in the way.

Once Unspeakable Horror lands, Nocturne only has to keep you inside its range until the duration ends, and the fear arrives. Spirit Rush carries you off that ground, so meet the nightmare with one dash still unspent and use it before the fear resolves.

Dusk Trail between you belongs to Nocturne, since Duskbringer lets him move through units on it and adds movement speed. His attack damage sits higher there too. Take your trades off that ground. Duskbringer also causes champions to leave a Dusk Trail of their own, so backing away lays more of it behind you.