Zaun Amorphous "C'mon guys just let me play him?"

I love Zac. From the first moment I started right clicking my way off fountain, listening to everything he says, the unique way that he moves and attacks, his awesome skill set, all of him. My first match as Zac saw me practically carrying my team through savvy use if his E to come in from all angles, mass disruption with his ult, refusing to let enemies escape with Q and absolutely shredding everyone in range with his W.

It's rare for me as a player to find a champion who just fits. Who I don't really have to learn, but playing them just feels natural. Noctune, Sejuani, Vel'Koz, Graves, Shyvana, and Zac.

I'm a shit support, I'll admit as much.

But ever since becoming a jungler so long ago, making my forays out into the dark wilderness between lanes for the sake of my team, learning to farm in isolation and watch my own back for the ever-present Lee Sin HIKKUH or Yi Alpha Strike, I've noticed that Zac is never in a particularly strong spot.

As a tank he seems just a bit squishier than other tanks, largely due to how quicky he loses health while in a teamfight spamming his abilities. Ideally, picking up blobs can keep you topped off but that isn't always immediately possible. Having to all in engage with him is a very big gamble, your team HAS to know how to capitalize on the huge openings you create, and if they don't then you're left diving in without much of an escape if you used your ult to disrupt. His Q feels like it needs a bit more range, or perhaps to just have the hitbox match the ability. His passive can be just as useless as it is amazing, especially with the addition of Blasting Smite being capable of melting all of his blobs in one go.

He isn't perfect. He's very team reliant, almost requires and early advantage to keep up with the curve, and is neither the among the best tanks nor the best fighters. It's partially just through sheer drive to play him that I've learned what to do. I have to give in early and swipe the kill I'd give to my laner with any other champion. I have to position myself in the weirdest of places getting ready for engages or ganks. I can't just spam my abilities, I have to be careful so as not to waste my own health.

I'd like to think I've become a good Zac. I can pretty consistently break even or go positive, either through deaths or assists, and yet for the better part of a year now the idea of playing him has gotten me flak. Whether from random people who kick me in teambuilder or bitch in team select, or from my ranked 5s team who's only response when I try to select Zac is "he's so unviable." The general community response to the idea of Zac competitively just seems to be a collective "meh."

He isn't in the meta, and that's awful because he should be. He needs a bit of work. His passive shouldn't be exempt from CDR, even the cap puts it down to 180 seconds, on par with similar revival options, his Q needs to have its range increased or hitbox better refined, and he needs a bit more armor, MR, or maybe just health, in the early game. But he's damned fun to play and even if I'm behind I still have a blast with him.

I can't single handedly change the meta. But I can try and make sure that any time I'm playing Zac, I change other people's opinions of him. Teach them to watch for when I'm about to engage and go in with me if i do, show them the power of a spineless lump of goo and how easily he can get them kills or single handedly lock down an entire enemy team. I'm far from great at this game, if anything I'm barely passable mechanically by virtue of the champs I'm best with like Noc, Sej, or Zac. If there are any better junglers out there I'd love to hear your advice on routes, runes, masteries, builds, and strategies.

In general I go 21/9/0 and 7.8mpen, 26ap, and 9 armor for the early damage to secure a kill or two before the midgame and try to use that to steamroll. The build path I go for is Cinderhulk, appropriate boots (usually Mobi), Spirit Visage, Warden's Mail, Liandry's Torment, finish Randuin's Omen, then a Warmog. It gives me some needed early to mid survivability, ramps up my damage closing the midgame, and lets me play pinball with the enemy team in the late game. Gromp, Blue, Wolves, Red, check for ganks then back for Trailblazer and keep farming for Bami's Cinder or straight Cinderhulk if I got some early kills. From there I just play it by ear, watching for the basic signs of easy ganks, trying to use my finely tuned Jungley Senses to predict when my laners need to pull back for fear of ganks and head up to counter it if it happens.

Any other Zac players out there? What do you build, what are your masteries? What are some of your favorite strategies in different situations?

Also, to whatever Riot designer who made Zac, thank you. He is definitely one of the most unique and enjoyable champions in the game. And whoever made the decision to have his Pool Party skin make rubber ducky noises when you pick up blobs is a genius and I love you.

tl;dr Help me go full on Flubber with Zac