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How to counter Zed

TheSlogs··30 votes·9,034 views

Step 1: Accept that he has a good and safe laning phase. This is something unique compared to other assassins, and it is something that is definitely something taken advantage of by Zed players. You aren't getting anywhere by complaining about his safety.

Step 2: Buy your counter items. It doesn't matter if you are playing the worst possible matchup, you will still have options. item 3157, item 3139, item 3026, and all of the armor items in the game help insanely against Zed. People don't appreciate this enough.

Step 3: Take advantage of how predictable he is. He is the most predictable assassin, period. Especially in late game where his only true kill potential in team fights is a good ult, you KNOW what he is doing. You have time to react, you have time to process what exactly Zed is trying to do. You have to either CC him right when he becomes target-able, use your magic counter-item(s) I talked about earlier, or just kill him before he can deal any damage to you, making his "pop" irrelevant.

Step 4: Calm down and realize that the game isn't over just because you are against a Zed.

26 Comments

Saianna19 votes

I think you've made few mistakes:

  1. Zed is mostly mid laner. If you, as a mage, start building "counter items" against Zed you have no AP, Mana nor CDR. You become big ragdoll that survives Zed but that's all. No power to push the wave nor to bite Zed in the rear.
  2. Imo Zeds behaviour is predictable, but not how he'll play things out. There's little to no space to punish him for doing what he'll most certainlyT do at 6.
  3. Considering how unhappy Riot is with point & click stuns or any other heavy CC, I'm quite sure you'll miss your skillshot CC.
  4. Guardian angel? No matter how badly you play against Zed or how good Zed is, this item should not be build sooner that mid turning to late game. And even then those 5 minutes CD allows Zed to try jump at you 4 more times.

Overall making Zed busy (constantly pushing wave giving him no time to visit other lanes) or asking jungler to jump at Zed from time to time is by far better than becoming mage-tank that deals wet noodles damage and is good at running away with sliver of health.

Oh Btw, have I mentioned that building "counter items" = giving Zed a free hand for him to build anything?

And lastly I am not saying Zed is OP nor UP. He's just making your game miserable when you face him.

FrickendaChicken5 votes

or, you know, don't just build a counter item 1st. Build it 2nd or 3rd. Just rush a seekers

Slamurai Jack8 votes

I'm pretty sure you have to go all or nothing. Either you rush straight Zhonyas first item or never build it. Such is the law of Elo Hell.

Baby sitting ADC2 votes

My best trick is I love carrying item 3222 to make him angry or item 3157 in team fights when he ults just because I can.

PokladnicaZla1 votes

Why would item 3222 make him angry? It just removes CC,not debuffs.

Spizzle90001 votes

Simple counter to what will happen at 6: play safely. Sit under tower when he hits 6. If he ults you (let's be honest, most Zeds will towerdive xD), aim your skillshots behind you for when he appears because it'll always be on the far side of you, kinda like Talon's E. That way you can't miss or anything. That negates #3 on your list.

Also, most mages should get a Zhonya's at some point during the game anyways. Not necessarily as a first item, but just play logically and safe early game and you'll be fine. If you don't let Zed get kills, he's 100% fucked.

Haunt4 votes

{quoted}

I think you've made few mistakes:

  1. Zed is mostly mid laner. If you, as a mage, start building "counter items" against Zed you have no AP, Mana nor CDR. You become big ragdoll that survives Zed but that's all. No power to push the wave nor to bite Zed in the rear.
  2. Imo Zeds behaviour is predictable, but not how he'll play things out. There's little to no space to punish him for doing what he'll most certainlyT do at 6.
  3. Considering how unhappy Riot is with point & click stuns or any other heavy CC, I'm quite sure you'll miss your skillshot CC.
  4. Guardian angel? No matter how badly you play against Zed or how good Zed is, this item should not be build sooner that mid turning to late game. And even then those 5 minutes CD allows Zed to try jump at you 4 more times.

Overall making Zed busy (constantly pushing wave giving him no time to visit other lanes) or asking jungler to jump at Zed from time to time is by far better than becoming mage-tank that deals wet noodles damage and is good at running away with sliver of health.

Oh Btw, have I mentioned that building "counter items" = giving Zed a free hand for him to build anything?

And lastly I am not saying Zed is OP nor UP. He's just making your game miserable when you face him.

I think YOU have made a few mistakes:

  1. Counter items give no AP? You realize Zhonyas gives the second most AP in the game, tied with every single other large rod item, bar death cap, right? 100? If you're complaining about mana regen you're going to need to learn how to manage. Mana regen and CDR are not what pushes lanes, damage and waveclear is.
  2. No space to punish after 6? How about having someone sit in a brush as he ults you under turret because you stayed in lane with 1/3 health? He WILL go back to the ult shadow. Knowing when Zed will ult is easy, and very easy to outplay with flash and your own abilities.
  3. If you're missing your CC, this is your fault. Leona e is easy, Brum ult is easy, thresh hook is easy, everything is easy because you know EXACTLY where he will end up when his ult makes him targetable. Use it at the right time.
  4. This is true. Guardian angel is a 5th or 6th item at best.

Zed can't build anything. If you build seekers, he is forced to build ghostblade. He can't get a hexdrinker or a cutlass and get away with it. If he does, you messed up somewhere.

"Oh no! He has to rush ghostblade? You mean the best ad assassin item in the game!?" Yes. Same with every Mage and Zhonyas. You're "forced" to rush the best ap item in the game, bar abyssal vs other APs.

Saianna5 votes

  1. Zhyonas gives AP, yes.. But for getting it you abadonn idea of other by far more usefull items that provide early AP you need, mana and CDR. It costs so much that once you've completed it as your first item, Zed already has 220 AD. Enough to make your life miserable.

  2. It's all about reaction. I have seen some Zeds who wer making feints with their ultimates just to shadow away in split second and then hurt you from back. It is possible.

  3. Are you stupid or someone pays you? Yes, I'll take Leona or Braum mid just to negate Zed and leave our team without a mage with high damage.

Haunt3 votes

{quoted}

  1. Zhyonas gives AP, yes.. But for getting it you abadonn idea of other by far more usefull items that provide early AP you need, mana and CDR. It costs so much that once you've completed it as your first item, Zed already has 220 AD. Enough to make your life miserable.

  2. It's all about reaction. I have seen some Zeds who wer making feints with their ultimates just to shadow away in split second and then hurt you from back. It is possible.

  3. Are you stupid or someone pays you? Yes, I'll take Leona or Braum mid just to negate Zed and leave our team without a mage with high damage.

If Zed has that much ad at that time, you messed up somewhere.

Yea it's possible, but not as probable as you think most of the time.

In talking about all game... Lane phase is not the whole game. If it was, Renekton would be the best champion in the game. Zeds lane is good. Watch him teamfight after his main targets get counter items.

Seekêr1 votes

  1. As a mage, you scale best with levels and you have a ton of utility to help your team carry fights. you also get a sizable amount of damage from both murc and zhonyas.

  2. His ult is slow, if you are bad and faceroll your spells the second he walks towards you, then you will be killed and unable to punish. Play passive and save yo shit for his engage.

  3. Play someone without skillshot cc, or save it for when he ults. He always ends up in front of you so if you miss you are frickin bad.

  4. GA sux, I agree with this point.

Zero Skill Tank6 votes

Abuse his energy problems kappa

Zed player's need to understand that this is not about how likely Zed is to win the game but how unfun it is to be forced to survive one champions complete dominance until this one lategame TF when his unreliable ultimate finaly fails him enough for you to overcome their now basically 4 man team. We know exactly how to counter him. This doesn't change how painful LOL becomes when Zed is powerful and popular.

masc dom top4 votes

I know how to counter Zed. I'm still going to ban him if I can. Because:

  1. I don't want my midlaner to pick him
  2. I don't want my midlaner to feed him.
  3. I'm tired of seeing him every game.
  4. He forces you to take summoner 3 and/or buy item 3157 unless you pick a counter (Ekko Fiora Fizz Kayle Kennen Lissandra Lulu Riven Swain Zilean).
  5. His mobility and safety makes me rage everytime hes escape with 1 HP.
LVL 5 PORO4 votes

Play Lissandra ...

Proceed to bend him over and laugh.

Clint Orris4 votes

The problem with Zed isn't that he's hard to counter, the problem with him is that he's either completely useless because so much crap counter him or he just rofltstomps the enemy team. It's so heavily one sided that it's not healthy.

Ace Access 3 votes

item 3157 makes sense if your a mage since you'd want ap but item 3026 is more of a mid to late game item for every champ and item 3139 is only good for ad and hybrid champs

the hourglass is the only item here that you should rush

Baby sitting ADC1 votes

item 3222 works for his ult too (last time I used it on an ADC and it seemed to remove his after damage buff so may work still who knows)

The Bíg Ticket3 votes

No Mikaels doesnt remove Zed ult lol.

360D3GR3SS1 votes

Fiora does extremely well against zed at all stages of the game.

khorney1 votes

or play zil he counters zed

MunchCrunchLunch1 votes

play ekko and go full tank. works against any assassin. zed talon. they won't even bother killing you because they can't. however the problem is that whenever they roam. they get kills. and there isn't much you can do about it.

Wumachine1 votes

Lissandra Fizz Ekko Lulu

K541 votes

I just go MonkeyKing for AD or Ekko for AP

SnugglePuggle941 votes

Sure building counter items still doesn't make him fun to play against. I found that playing Karma with rushing a item 3027 makes Zed unable to do anything to you. You poke him down enough during early game with your Q so along with that and the stocky stats ROA gives you, he's scared to try anything on you. Zed ulties onto you? Ult your shield on yourself. He tries to dive? Ult your root and heal yourself. But try as you might you can't kill him either cause he can just shadow away if you try to root him, and you won't have much damage to finish him off either if you do root him because you went for ROA first.

TL/DR: Basically with Karma, getting stocky first helps your surviveability, but just like any mid laner that tries to counter him, you sacrificed early game damage for tankyness. Also, Zed is just a bitch trying to kill anyway.

Boxpencil1 votes

disable shadows in settings

Earl Eulrich1 votes

step 3 actually should be: hope he doesn´t know his options and will fall off later on.

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