Zed

Zed LoL All You Need to Know About This Champion

Introduction

Zed is a playable champion in the popular MOBA game League of Legends. He is a champion with high mobility and powerful abilities, making him a great option for players looking to make plays and carry their team.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at Zed’s abilities, itemization options, and tactics for making the most of his skillset. Let’s dive in and learn everything there is to know about Zed:

Overview of Zed

Zed is a champion in League of Legends commonly played as an assassin. His playstyle relies heavily on quick and precise decision making to get the most out of his kit. He is a difficult champion to master and requires practice in order to play efficiently.

He has the ability to burst down targets quickly with ranged auto-attacks and spells, while being able to dodge or escape sticky situations with his ultimate Shadow Slash. While he may not be the most mechanically demanding champion in LoL, Zed has a unique style which can quickly become tricky to control.

Zed’s abilities focus mainly on maximizing movement speed and does bonus damage if all of Zed’s abilities hit the same target, though it is not necessary for Zed’s gameplay. Additionally, using an ability correctly can grant bonus stats, allowing him to be more aggressive during fights. However, due to lack of reliable crowd control in his kit, he often needs help from his team or assistance from other champions’ abilities to guarantee kills more easily.

All in all, Zed is a slippery character that punishes carelessness from foes but lacks sustainability on his own; making team play essential for success when playing him.

Zed’s Abilities

Zed is a highly mobile champion who can easily move from fight to fight or stay and battle it out with his enemies. Zed’s kit revolves around the usage of his “shadow” forms which amplify the effects of his basic attacks. His basic attacks can deal physical damage, magic damage and can have additional effects such as slowing enemies or healing allies.

To maximize effectiveness, a player must alternate between using Zed’s shadow forms and their “real” form in order to create advantageous scenarios. Doing so will supplement the basic attacks with spawning “shurikens” which act similarly as an additional form of attack that deals area-of-effect damage.

Zed also possesses an ultimate ability called Death Mark which marks a target for inevitable death; if the target does not escape within three seconds, they will be dealt true damage based on how much health they had when marked. This is an incredibly powerful tool in team fights since there is no way for opponents to actually counter it.

Tips and Strategies

Zed is a powerful and versatile assassin in League of Legends that has the potential to dominate the Rift. He can be played as a top laner, mid laner, or even jungler. Zed relies on his mobility and Shadow Blades to have the upper hand against his opponents.

In this section, we will be discussing some tips and strategies that you can use while playing as Zed:

Early Game

Playing Zed in the early game allows players to exploit the power of his kit. The combos available to Zed make him a good pick in any 1v1 situation and due to his short cooldowns and mobility, he can be much more difficult to hit than other champions.

An important aspect of playing Zed in the early game is obtaining as much gold as possible. Whether through minion kills or objectives (such as Dragon or Herald), players should aim to obtain enough gold for needed items at the 10 minute mark. This allows Zed to become a huge threat by mid-game.

Knowing how and when to engage is crucial when playing Zed early on, but normally it is best avoided until items have been obtained that grant him offensive edge – ideally Rageblade. When engaged with an enemy champion, using Living Shadow (Ability R) gives Zed an advantage as it makes for easy kiting if necessary, allowing for an easier escape if need be.

Another advantage released later in the laning phase (around ~minute 10-15) is unlocking the ability Shadow Slice. This ability provides low cooldown crowd control which allows for easy pick offs if used correctly. It also increases consistency with last hitting which can give even more of an edge vs opposition laner(s).

Mid Game

Mid game offers more intense fighting and positioning maneuvers, so it’s important to understand how Zed works in a team versus a team setting. When laning, always remember that you can only out-trade an enemy carry once you’ve fully engaged them through your abilities. In team fights, try to secure easy kills by picking off enemy stragglers.

Zed’s Shadow clones provide great opportunities for both disengage and engage. Disengaging with Shadow clones gives your team enough time to manage the fight with CC or respond to a powerful spell from Zed’s opponents. Engaging with Shadow clones also gives Zed some extra options such as: chasing down squishy targets or catching fleeing enemies before they manage to flee the fight, allowing an easier and faster victory by strategically eliminating key players on the opposing team.

In midgame, try to acquire objectives with either your allied members or Shadow clones. Zed is quite capable of securing objectives solo due to his high mobility and damage output. Try not to overextend though; be sure that you do not end up in a situation that could put your life in danger after taking an objective. Also bear in mind your utility when trying to be successful during midgame; use Living Shadow combined with Death Mark for maximum burst potential against single target champions and Razor Shuriken combined with electrostatic charge for maximum area-of-effect damage against multiple opponents!

Late Game

As Zed, your late game strategy is all about teamfighting, and positioning for success. Your ultimate and shadows are invaluable tools for helping out your team, so utilize them to the fullest.

The most important lesson you will learn in playing Zed late game is to stay alive. As with any champion, if you manage to survive teamfights this will drastically improve your chances of success. This can be accomplished through proper positioning – always make sure you have an escape route if needed, while remaining close enough to the fight that you can contribute your abilities without being too vulnerable.

Another key factor in surviving and dominating a teamfight as Zed is prioritizing targets in order of danger – focus on taking out carries first or isolating single targets with your powers so they take extra damage from other sources, then any tanks or support units should follow as a secondary target. Shadow clones are also great tools here – using them effectively will increase both yours and the overall teams damage output while also buffing up survivability by having another target the enemy needs to shoot at instead of yourself!

Finally be wary of crowd control effects – in teamfights this can be devastating for any champion (and especially for a champion such as yourself that relies heavily on mobility) so always remain aware of these and try to use different angles or angles of attack where possible which will prevent sudden immobilisations from greatly hindering your damage output!

Item Builds

Zed is a powerful champion in League of Legends and crafting the right item build for him can be key to winning the game. There are many item builds that work well for Zed, allowing him to deal the most damage and stay alive.

In this section, we’re going to discuss some of the best item builds for Zed, as well as when and why to use them:

Starter Items

When playing League of Legends as Zed, you will want to consider your starter items carefully. They should be chosen based on your preferred playstyle, the current game situation, and your matchup. While many players have personal preferences for their item builds, the following is a list of core items to consider starting with:

  • Doran’s Blade: This is a solid item that provides early attack damage and health points to help keep you tanky while still being able to deal damage.
  • Long Sword: Another great choice that gives you extra attack damage which is incredibly useful as an assassin.
  • Cloth Armor + Health Potion: A good option if you’re laning against someone with high physical damage output. The extra armor makes it easier to trade hits in lane without taking too much damage.
  • Boots of Speed + 3 Health Potions: Helps with mobility and survivability during laning phase by giving you more map control. Also the extra heals come in handy when poking opponents or keeping your HP topped up during a fight.
  • Ruby Crystal: Provides bonus health points while also contributing towards Swiftness Boots when upgraded later on in the game.

These items are all great starting options for Zed, depending on the situation at hand and the type of game you prefer to play; make sure to choose wisely!

Core Items

Building the proper item set for Zed is essential to success in League of Legends. While some items are situational and may be picked depending on the circumstances, core items should always be present in a Zed build and offer the highest return on investment. Here is a list of essential core items for this champion and responsibilities related to their purchase.

Core Items:

  • Sheen: Sheen provides an increase to Zed’s auto attack damage after using an ability. This is a must-have item since it delvers increased poke damage, waveclear, and dueling power.
  • Infinity Edge: Infinity Edge greatly increases Zed’s critical strike chance and damage dealt with basic attacks. This also works well with Sheen as every spell activated will be followed by a powerful critical strike hit as long as it hits an enemy champion/unit before its duration ends.
  • Mercury’s Treads: Mercury’s Treads provide additional protection from crowd control due to its 35 Magic Resist stat requirement. It also grants extra movement speed which helps the player maneuver around during fights or escape dangerous situations if necessary. Additionally, it reduces any incoming AOE magic damage which helps when fighting against multiple opponents or team compositions with CC overloads such as Veigar or Annie’s ultimates.
  • Phantom Dancer: This fundamental item offers extra melee attack speed which not only increases your auto attack DPS but also increases your overall waveclear capabilities due to the fact that regular minion waves can die incredibly quickly when paired with max rank Q spamming comboed with this item set up; thus ultimately allowing you to get to objectives faster while still maintaining strong DPS output during teamfights & skirmishes around them (such as dragons, turrets etc).

Situational Items

Situational items are items that counter champions with special builds and abilities. It’s important to know how to build your champion depending on different conditions in order to maximize your performance. Here are some of the key situational items when it comes to Zed:

  • If the enemy team has lots of magic damage, consider buying a Hexdrinker or Maw of Malmortius.
  • If you’re taking a lot of minion damage, a Spirit Visage or Randuin’s Omen can help mitigate that.
  • If the opposing team is dealing true (non-resistable) damage, then consider buying an Edge of Night or Spectre’s Cowl.
  • If either team has an ADC champion with auto attack focused builds, a Death’s Dance or Guardian Angel will help you survive longer in those fights.
  • If there are more than two auto attackers on the enemy team and you lack CC, then building a Quicksilver Sash will help negate debuffs like kiting slows and turns fights back in your favor with its active effect.

Matchups

Playing Zed in League of Legends can be tricky as his matchups are heavily dependent on the opponent’s pick. Zed’s matchups can be divided into two categories, depending on his lane opponent. He has unique advantages and disadvantages against each one. Let’s take a closer look at his matchups to better understand how to play him:

  • Matchups against Marksmen
  • Matchups against Assassins

Weak Matchups

When playing Zed, there are certain champions that you should be wary of since they can easily counter his strategy. Choosing the correct matchup for Zed is key to success in the game and understanding who his strongest and weakest matchups are will help ensure victory.

Zed is weak against champions who have long ranged attacks and can slow him down such as Syndra or Auria. These champions have abilities that can easily take out a Zed before he has a chance to get close enough to attack. Additionally, characters such as Teemo can use their mobility and AoE damage to outplay Zed. His weak matchups also include those with high damage output, like Fizz or Kassadin, since their burst can easily take him down before he has time to react. However, it is important to remember that Zed’s counters depend on how well-rounded his build is; if he builds armor/health early on then these vulnerabilities are lessened significantly.

It’s always useful for players of Zed (and any other champion) to study up about who they should be worried about in advance in order to give them an edge during games. Having knowledge of both strong and weak matchups will help players gain an upper-hand over the competition and increase their chance of success in the game League of Legends!

Strong Matchups

When it comes to playing Zed, knowing what champions he works best against is an important part of success. Here are some of the strongest matchups for Zed:

  • Yasuo: This matchup is heavily in Zed’s favor. With quick itemization and fast reactions, players that master Zed should have no problem shutting down a Yasuo player.
  • Garen: Garen has great early game damage but his lack of mobility makes him an easy target for a skilled Zed player. His large frame can be difficult to avoid but if the player is careful, Garen can easily be taken down with strong trades and powerful all-ins at level 6.
  • Jax: Jax players are known for amazing late game scaling but in this case, Zed should take advantage of Jax’s low mobility and win early trades as long as he times his spells accordingly and looks out for Jax’s stuns throughout lane phase.
  • Malphite: As a tanky champion with limited mobility, Malphite should be an easy target for a well executed combo from someone playing Zed. Proper itemization should make trading much easier between these two champions so look to maximize your advantage here due to poor early clear speed on Malphite’s side.

Conclusion

Zed has great burst damage and the ability to control fights with his ultimate and mark. In addition, his kit allows for a strong laning phase, even with heavy poke. All in all, Zed is great at staying mobile and harassing opponents. His sustained damage also makes him a great assassin as well as an ideal team fighter.

Overall, Zed is an incredibly strong champion that can excel on any team comp or in any lane. He’s versatile enough to be played on many different styles of compositions, making him a staple pick in the current meta. Whether you’re looking for an assassin or just wanting to dominate your lane – Zed is an incredibly strong pick that will give you many opportunities to play proactively and efficiently help your team towards victory!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is Zed in League of Legends?

A1: Zed is a ninja assassin champion in League of Legends. He is a highly mobile champion with great burst damage and crowd control abilities. He is often played in the mid lane.

Q2: What are Zed’s abilities?

A2: Zed has four abilities: Living Shadow, Razor Shuriken, Shadow Slash and Death Mark. Living Shadow allows him to create a duplicate of himself, Razor Shuriken deals damage to enemies in a line, Shadow Slash damages and slows enemies, and Death Mark marks an enemy for a few seconds.

Q3: What role does Zed play in League of Legends?

A3: Zed is often played in the mid lane as an assassin. He excels at picking off enemies with his burst damage and crowd control abilities. He can also be played in the top lane or as a jungler.