Has Noctune ever been meta/op/contested pick/not useless since his release?

his E nerf reason was kinda silly really

they nerfed E range with the following reason: ''flashing from nocturne yet still being affected by his E felt bad so we lowered it's range so you can flash and break the tether'' meanwhile you can flash 3 times and still be affected by leblanc's E

just like every champ, he has his moments, i still remember titanic nocturne

I noticed he feels weak right now too, but I think it has to moreso do with the unkillable ADC's and most people build him wrong.

When Feral Flare and its derivatives were meta, Noc was meta too alongside other AA junglers.

Noc also had his moments when his ulti was still global (both the darkness and dash).

Though that's kinda it. Maybe I missed a few things tho.

Ppl severely understimate him ... he got one of the safest jungle and an amazing post 6 gang ability. He is holded back just by his base CD and the fact that he need his 3-4 completed items. Endgame he is a solid sins and can be more frustating than a Kayne or a Zed, bashing any squishie target in 0.1 sec.

About 2 months ago I wont 26 games in a row with lethality Nocturne. It's gone down a bit now, (as changes to lethality I branched out and started playing more tankier junglers) but I was goin on a romp with him. His kit is really good, and his damage is great as well. I don't think you're playing him right if you're not seeing ANY potential to a massive ult, spellshield, and attack speed/tank busting build.

was pretty busted for quite a while in season 2, even after the initial set of nerfs that made him not absurd went through. It wasn't until they nerfed his Fear cast and leash ranges twice in a row that he started to struggle. I was playing him back them too...fun times. He's been meh to garbage for the most the time in between, but I'd say he's doing alright nowadays, his biggest weakness is his lack of actual dashes and the fact that enemies that have them can often break his E tether before the fears goes through by using their dash. Riot was very smart to give his E the extra passive MS towards the tethered champ, that actually helped him a lot. Also, easier access to CDR in itemization has been very good for him in that his ult is up quite a bit more nowadays, especially late game.

He is good in dive meta's and slow meta's

Combos into ori comps

completely negates split pushers ( even if they have a slight lead )

farms fast and healthy

issue with noc is

pre 6 he is lack luster and if you dont get work dont post 6 whyd id you even pick him?

he has a strong mid game presence with

and a powerful last game option of bruiser.

but unlike the other meta junglers right now, he just ganks way slower and isnt as good in a 3v3 ( due to single target nature )

The Nocturnes I see easily tear down squishies and are generally very scary to play against. I have no idea what you are talking about

Nocturne is really good pre 6 and better after 6. It just depends how you play him and what your masteries, runes and items are. He is exceptionally well with the item "Edge of the Night" combined with his ult. You stop a single spell with it and then cast your shield and you can stop yet another. The fact that he can also cast while using his ult as he flies towards his enemies makes tether hard to get out of when you cast your Q just before you land, slap your Tether simultaneously and run in the direction your Q is, since naturally the enemy will try and flash behind themselves. This allows you to already close the gap of the flash while tether is still activated.

He can even destroy tanks with his build path. His shield, if it blocks a spells, allows him to get increased attack speed and his Q is basically like an extra AD item when he's on it. he is very well. Not the best in every single match but he is definitely not useless!

In season 2 Noct+Shen combo was one of the most common in the pro scene.

his release was one of the most broken release of season 1 with vayne and rumble

him+vayne were nerfed for like 5 patchs straight

on release his ult: -used to have 4000 range (nerfed then reverted) -used to have 150 sec cd (nerfed then reverted) -used to deal 150/300/450(+1.3 AD) (nerfed to 150/250/350) -used to give assists for reducing vision