Zed Troubles :/

CookieKitKat·Sep 3, 2015·2 votes·2,321 views

So I bought Zed recently, and have been thinking about returning him, and buying Syndra instead...He doesn't seem to work well into too many team comps due to being a AD mid laner, and requires mechanical skill (which I have none of). Any tips to play Zed better? I feel like he's going to require a lot of playing to get used too. I really think he has a lot of potential even with me playing him, but every game I play makes it seem like he isn't worth the work. I get off a ult on a really low person and it does zero dmg when it pops. I've read guides, watched videos, stream highlights, etc. I tend to do badly most games and get flamed at.. I don't know..just whenever I play him I get a very bad experience out of the game whether it's because I'm flamed at or because I played badly.

One game I played I got fairly fed and ulted people, but I would stay too long...He's an assassin, you're supposed to be there for a bit, kill someone, and disappear. I don't think the shurkien ever appeared a top my targets' heads so I never left, thinking I would be able to AA them too death, which never worked as I got stunned by the enemy Morg and it was over. Zed doesn't really 100-0 people does he? He's more like 100-50, wait a bit, and 50-0. Which is a bit weird for me. :/ Maybe I should just buy Talon? He's a lot easier than Zed and can 100-0 more quickly imo. Like I feel like Zed needs more to 100-0 than Talon does. D: I don't know! :/ Halp?

I'm Bronze 2 btw so feel free to bash me into the ground for being a noob 'cause I deserve it lol. JK please don't. D:

EDIT:

Thanks so much to everyone who is replying/replyed! I didn't think people would actually notice this post. :)

Changed some things in the post.

27 Comments

GodarenSep 3, 20152 votes

Zed main here He is very capable of 100-0 champions sometimes without his ult but you have to be fed to do that. it often relies on how many of your shurkiens you hit. Your typical combo should be ult throw w behind the enemy e try to hit at least 2 shuriens then auto for passive proc and us your bork active which you should build first or second. Qss or zhonyas is really good vs him which creates problems vs smart opponents. He takes a lot of getting used to, I wouldn't recommend him or syndra if you are newish to mid lane, but annie or malzahar are 2 mids i play that are great in any comp bring tons of magic damage and have very low skill caps. Talon does have higher burst then zed but he also has no escape so if you get behind it is pretty easy to feed on him. If you want to keep playing zed I would just practice getting your combo down vs bots or in customs and practice hitting multiple q's from your shadows. If you want to add me we could practice in customs or something.

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Ye, one thing I do is I panic...and smash my keys basically, I get adrenaline or something and get shaky out of game too. Because of that I probably miss shurikens without even noticing I missed them. I've played bots and customs not sure if it's really helping though. I'm a mid main, so not that new to mid lane lol. I play champs like: Lissandra, Diana, Annie, Katarina, etc.

My Op.gg: http://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=CookieKitKat (Maybe you can see my Zed games on there and see what I'm doing wrong)

Thanks for replying! :)

EDIT: Oh, yeh..the zhonya's and qss :/ yeh....

GodarenSep 4, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Ye, one thing I do is I panic...and smash my keys basically, I get adrenaline or something and get shaky out of game too. Because of that I probably miss shurikens without even noticing I missed them. I've played bots and customs not sure if it's really helping though. I'm a mid main, so not that new to mid lane lol. I play champs like: Lissandra, Diana, Annie, Katarina, etc.

My Op.gg: http://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=CookieKitKat (Maybe you can see my Zed games on there and see what I'm doing wrong)

Thanks for replying! :)

EDIT: Oh, yeh..the zhonya's and qss :/ yeh....

Hard to tell really you only have 4 games that I can see he takes a pretty decent amount of time to master, finishing bork before youmuus should help it is a better early power spike I usually go bilge then brutalizer then finish the bork and grab a pickaxe. The youmuu's can wait it becomes more helpful for late game when you are trying to split push or catch someone out, work on your cs it is kind of low for zed, other than that keep practicing. gl man

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Yeh, haven't played too much of him lol. I bought him like 3 days ago xD I read somewhere in a guide to build that..ye don't know why I did that in those games lol My CSing sucks lol, but hey I'm getting better...slowly...very slowly...

Thanks!! :)

GodarenSep 4, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Yeh, haven't played too much of him lol. I bought him like 3 days ago xD I read somewhere in a guide to build that..ye don't know why I did that in those games lol My CSing sucks lol, but hey I'm getting better...slowly...very slowly...

Thanks!! :)

It is good to build but it is not good to rush get it 3rd i would say bork then last whisper then youmuus

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Ok, I'll try this when I play Zed next :)

JofeyySep 3, 20151 votes

Assasin/Mage main here

Talon is your best bet. Hes easy to play and i can vouch that he was the first assasin i learned to use. Zed can be very difficult and i stopped playing him in ranked often because how easily he is countered by item 3157 . Try watching RedMercy on youtube for pro Zed tips if you want to follow that.

Also i main Syndra and she requires alot of mechanical skill to play well past silver.

Good luck man :D

CookieKitKatSep 3, 20151 votes

Ye, I'm feeling that Talon would be good. I watch quite a bit of Redmercy but it doesn't seem to help. :/ I wasn't saying that Syndra requires less mechanical skill, I just think she might be a little easier in the elo I'm currently in.

Thanks for replying! :)

Commit SudokuSep 4, 20151 votes

0/10 dont refund champions you are going to end up with them all anyway

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

I thought about that, but ending up with all the champs isn't going to happen anytime soon, and I'm probably not going to use my refunds for much else.

Commit SudokuSep 4, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I thought about that, but ending up with all the champs isn't going to happen anytime soon, and I'm probably not going to use my refunds for much else.

refund a skin when it comes on sale save RP

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Buy a skin when it's on sale and then refund it later? 'Cause if that's what you mean, I don't have any RP.

2000boxesSep 4, 20151 votes

refunds just give you back the amount you spent so you won't gain any profit from refunding a skin you got on sale

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Wasn't going to try it either way, but still nice to know. :)

Møøn KnightSep 4, 20151 votes

So here is my Suggestion. If you want to succeed at Mid lane, especially in lower elo's, You need to work on your Cs'ing. Your averages on your champions are way too low. So it isnt really a matter of the champions you have been playing or want to play, but working on getting your CS higher on all of them. I do agree that Zed takes some mechanical skill and thought processing. It just takes games and games of practice to get better. No Champ you pick up right away will 100-0 someone cause you dont know how to deal with power spikes (your own and theirs), what items you need to be able to burst someone, and the timing in which to do it. Ive mained Zed and Syndra for about 2 years and I will say, it is pretty easy to delete people with those champs once you have the skill level. But like someone said earlier, Zed is countered by many items and abilities. It is usually why when late game comes around, they split push. Cause you aren't as useful in teamfight situations. SO. Work on your CSing with your main champs. I mean, I'm only plat 5, so take it with a grain of salt. But in Mid lane you should have an average of 190-250 by a 40 min game. Higher if you are better. Good luck !

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Yeh, I thought someone would mention CS xD I definitely feel like I need to work on that, but I do believe I'll get better as time goes. Only plat 5 O.o I'm bronze 2 :/ I feel like dirt 5 now xD

Thanks for replying! :)

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

I think something that I really need to work on is my mental state in game. I panic, I tilt, and get really affected by flaming, raging, etc. I'm always trying to improve, so hopefully that will improve as well as my in game skill.

2000boxesSep 4, 20151 votes

just do what i do when i go on tilt cry when people say cry more i do cry more because it really helps release all that stress

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20151 votes

Wish I could, but I tend to go more to the angry, frustrated side. I get mad at myself for messing up and stuff. :/

TouchpadExpertSep 4, 20151 votes

Do what I do when I go on tilt: think happy thoughts.

Your happy thoughts could be of anything, but I highly recommend thinking of tits. So every time you die or make a mistake just type out tits and you'll immediately calm down.

I'm unranked. I played bots for 2+ years. I am recently getting into PvP and am having great success at it. I had 2 years of bots to prepare so mechanically I am winning or holding my own in most of the matchups I find myself in. That being said I am also learning Zed. He is very hard to truly master and takes a lot of practice to get a feel for timing his shadow swaps and when and how to use said shadows. I found a small Zed series that helped out for teaching basic Zed combos that really improved my game practically over night. Here's a link to the first video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtCHRqr-jLU .

They're super short (about 5 minutes each) and pretty basic. In the Bronze ELO sometimes the basics can go a long way.

As far as last hitting goes Zed actually has a pretty easy time last hitting via his passive. And his shadows can be used to farm the waves as well. But one very useful tip I can tell you about is how to farm under tower. When you have a full hp minion wave at your tower what you want to do is use this strategy in order to ensure you get the last hit. Melee minions are safer to farm. Let the tower shoot the minion 2x then auto attack after the 2nd shot. You should now have that CS. Caster minions require a bit more effort. Attack it once when it has full hp. Let the tower shoot it once. Now you auto it for the kill gold. So melee minions 2x turret shot, then AA. Casters AA, turret shot, AA again. The cannons have enough hp that there is no failproof way on how to farm them properly. Every champion has differing auto attack damage rates, there's also minion aggro involved and you just gotta watch them in order to take them out.

As far as simple mid lane champions go I learned the role on Lux and Morgana. I bought Morgana first, I heard she was "The poor man's Lux" and a lot of the skills I learned on Morgana translated over to Lux. Then I bought Pantheon and Kha'zix as my "AD mid laners" and nowadays I don't ever play them there, but that was my thinking back then. They still work in mid lane, its just awkward. After that I think I bought Swain and Karma and after that I forget who I bought. If anyone tells you not to buy a champ because they are weak you can ignore them. I've been here almost three years and every champion has had a point and time in their tenure when they were OP. Like Garen for instance. 10 patches ago he was garbage, now he is pick or ban. So when picking out new champions look at what the champions do on the spotlight overview, watch a couple youtube clips if the overview piqued your interest and then buy them and practice them. The only time you shouldn't buy a champion is if their price is about to be reduced next champion release (Lulu is the next champion that will get reduced) or if there is a rework on the way for that champion (Taric is due for one soon). That and NEVER BUY A CHAMPION ON A MONDAY. The reason being is that the free week of champions rotates every Tuesday. It feels really crappy when you buy a new champ on a Monday, find out they are free for the next week and you end up not even liking the feel of that champion. That's a crappy feeling.

Sorry if I got off topic a lot. Just trying to give you some stuff I picked up along the way.

CookieKitKatSep 4, 20152 votes

I don't think this part is going to work lol:

Your happy thoughts could be of anything, but I highly recommend thinking of tits. So every time you die or make a mistake just type out tits and you'll immediately calm down.

lol I know how to CS under turret, just I panic and mess up. I know how to do a lot of things, but whenever I try to do them it doesn't work D: I think it'll come with time and practice though. I think when I play Zed I tend to focus on him a lot, because I just bought him and I'm unfamiliar with him, instead of CSing and other things. I'm sure that will go away with time and practice also though.

I felt that feeling this rotation xD I bought Zed on Sunday the day before they announced the next day's rotation, but it's ok lol. I bought him mostly 'cause I don't have many AD mid laners and 'cause I liked his design cough cough his laugh.

Completely alright! Thanks for replying!! :)

EDIT: TY for the video!

TouchpadExpertSep 4, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I don't think this part is going to work lol:

Your happy thoughts could be of anything, but I highly recommend thinking of tits. So every time you die or make a mistake just type out tits and you'll immediately calm down.

lol I know how to CS under turret, just I panic and mess up. I know how to do a lot of things, but whenever I try to do them it doesn't work D: I think it'll come with time and practice though. I think when I play Zed I tend to focus on him a lot, because I just bought him and I'm unfamiliar with him, instead of CSing and other things. I'm sure that will go away with time and practice also though.

I felt that feeling this rotation xD I bought Zed on Sunday the day before they announced the next day's rotation, but it's ok lol. I bought him mostly 'cause I don't have many AD mid laners and 'cause I liked his design cough cough his laugh.

Completely alright! Thanks for replying!! :)

EDIT: TY for the video!

Thinking of tits works for me. And it also makes teammates laugh on occasion. They're less likely to harass the funny guy and thus less likely to unnerve you further. And sometimes they even go out of their way to make their own jokes to make me laugh which settles me down. Also if you're listening to music while you play try to pick more relaxing music to play with. I typically listen to contemporary orchestra music when I play. Hans Zimmer, Olafur Arnalds, Johan Johansson or even some of the league of legends music (like Lissandra's) are some of the stuff I listen to while playing. They're not very adrenaline inducing and could help with keeping your mind on track. If none of this works just think of "whats the worst that can happen?" You lose some CS? You lose a trade? You lose lane? You lose a game? Just accept these things and take a deep breath exhale and focus on doing something positive. "I lost lane but I roamed bot, killed the support and took their tower." Don't focus on your mistakes until after game, just always think ahead on what your next move will be and what you think their next move will be. Or you can keep a league journal. You enter in what champion you were, who you were up against, how laning phase went in your eyes, the overall outcome of the game and what you think you could have done better. There was a whole thread about it a month ago but that's the gist of what the guy is keeping track of.

CookieKitKatSep 7, 20151 votes

Lol, my computer can't run music and League D: unless I download the music before hand. Hmm, seems good I'll try it out.

Or you can keep a league journal. You enter in what champion you were, who you were up against, how laning phase went in your eyes, the overall outcome of the game and what you think you could have done better. There was a whole thread about it a month ago but that's the gist of what the guy is keeping track of.

I used to do that for Diana, but then it ended up not working. I don't know I guess I got lazy lol. Ty for the advice though!

TouchpadExpertSep 7, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Lol, my computer can't run music and League D: unless I download the music before hand. Hmm, seems good I'll try it out.

I used to do that for Diana, but then it ended up not working. I don't know I guess I got lazy lol. Ty for the advice though!

Not a problem. I come to this board section often to impart my wisdom to people. Been playing this game for nearly 3 years now so I like sharing what I learned along the way.

One last thing that may help you: Try out every champion, especially in free week. Playing every champion will help you better counter play enemy players because you'll be able to predict what they will do or want to do. And you'll get a better feel for their weaknesses as well. Like how Lux has trouble against mobile champions with gap closers or how Nautilus is super slow at his initial jungle clears. All knowledge you learn from trying new champions out a few times.

CookieKitKatSep 7, 20151 votes

Lol, I don't normally try out all the champs in new rotation just because lack of time and sometimes I really like a certain champion and only spam them xD Like this week's Syndra and Kha' Zix and maybe Yasuo :P Will try that out though if possible. :)

0000 INFINITYSep 4, 20151 votes

This champ right here Ekko . With Lichbane item 3100 and Rabadons item 3089 you can shred squishies and structures the whole day and your ult can be used as escape or offensive tool. His kit is awesome lots of CC and dps and fun to play with