1. Ability Combos
1.1. .WQE Poke Combo
1.1.1. We don't necessarily need to E first because we want both Q's to land
1.2. .WQE All-In Combo
1.2.1. We don't necessarily need to E first because we want both Q's to land
1.3. .REWQ Combo
1.3.1. Can never cast Q twice on death marked target
1.3.2. With CDR can cast E twice on death marked target
1.4. .WQER Combo
1.4.1. To deal damage then jump
1.4.2. Make sure to wait so energy comes back
1.5. .WQ Poke Combo
1.6. .WE Poke Combo
1.7. General Takeaways
1.7.1. .WEQ in lane to harass the enemy from afar
1.7.2. .WEQ next to a target to all-in
1.8. Triple Basic Combo. LOOK UP^^^ laning phase
1.8.1. Most effective when you're jumping on someone
1.9. Triple Q combo
1.9.1. Hitting the first Q without obstruction is crucial because each Q after the first does damage based on the first 1 ( SUPER IMPORTANT AHHH)
2. How does Energy Work?
2.1. Resource that replaces mana
2.1.1. Yellow bar instead of blue
2.2. Only for basic abilities
2.2.1. Energy champions never have energy costs on their ultimates
2.3. All energy champions have ways to refund small amounts of energy under particular conditions
2.3.1. In Zed's case, hitting enemies with abilities twice or more
2.4. Maximum energy capped at 200 with no growth per level
2.4.1. You can increase this with runes
2.4.1.1. but you won't
2.5. Base energy regen is 10 energy/sec
2.5.1. Blue buff will increase this by 6 additional energy per/sec
2.6. General Takeaway
2.6.1. Ability combos can deplete energy in an important situation and leave you unable to cast spells for a few crucial seconds while energy regens
2.6.1.1. As opposed to mana, where mana pools increase over the course of the game, nullifying this problem
2.6.2. Calculating Energy is very important
2.6.2.1. Akin to going oom during a teamfight
2.6.3. Always need to reach the conditions to refund energy
2.7. Never ultimate when your energy is low
2.8. Q energy cost goes down as you max
2.9. 125 energy at full combo
2.9.1. 45 energy if you regen energy from both e and q
2.10. TIP: ARound 70 energy in a 1v1
2.10.1. Use W in front of person to get double E, which gives you more energy than just using E, which allows you to use Q faster since you regain energy
2.11. Ask for blues as much as possible
2.11.1. Blue buff is incredibly powerful on energy champions 3 energy more every sec
3. Abilities
3.1. Passive - Contempt for the Weak
3.1.1. 10 sec cooldown
3.1.2. Targets below 50% health get dealt 6/8/10% of max health as bonus magic damage
3.1.3. General Takeaway
3.1.3.1. Deal as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time to proc .Passive
3.1.3.1.1. Quicker you can get them down to 50% the better
3.1.3.1.2. This is why BotRK is so good because it deals 10% max health in an instant
3.1.3.2. .Passive synergizes with .R
3.2. W - Living Shadow
3.2.1. Passive: Bonus AD increased by %
3.2.2. Zed's shadow mimics basic abilities
3.2.2.1. If mimicked ability strikes target affected by primary effect, zed restores energy
3.2.3. Zed's shadow dashes forward, remaining in place for 4 sec
3.2.3.1. Reactivating will cause Zed to blink to location, swapping places
3.2.4. General Takeaway
3.2.4.1. Anything that scales off of Bonus AD is great
3.2.4.1.1. Note: Thunderlord's Decree
3.2.4.1.2. Building raw AD items will give you higher damage
3.2.4.2. Place .W behind enemy to all-in
3.2.4.3. Place .W behind self to escape
3.2.4.4. Use .W + ability to restore energy
3.2.4.4.1. This will give you energy
3.2.4.4.2. Will also have some sort of bonus effect
3.2.4.5. Double-tap .W for quick escapes
3.2.4.6. Leave .W to tele back later
3.3. Q - Razor Shuriken
3.3.1. Linear Skillshot
3.3.2. Energy goes down with level
3.3.3. Deals full damage then 60% to enemies thereafter
3.3.4. Shadows throw Shurikens, deal 50% and restore energy based on level of W
3.3.5. General Takeaway
3.3.5.1. Hit targets with multiple .Q for energy or damage
3.3.5.1.1. This will give you energy and damage increase per shuriken
3.3.5.2. .Q when there are no obstructions from the enemy
3.3.5.3. Always max .Q
3.3.5.3.1. Will decrease energy cost
3.4. E - Shadow Slash
3.4.1. Deals physical damage in an AoE around him
3.4.2. Reduces Living Shadow's cooldown by 2 sec for every enemy champ hit
3.4.3. Active SHADOWS slow by number/level
3.4.3.1. Mimicked slashes will enhance slow by 50%/restore energy but NOT deal extra damage
3.4.4. General Takeaway
3.4.4.1. .WE to slow enemies to hit abilities more easily
3.4.4.1.1. This will allow you to land your abilities more easily
3.4.4.2. .WE to slow enemies to escape
3.4.4.3. .E as many champions as possible to decrease cooldown of .W
3.4.4.3.1. Reduce cooldown of Living Shadow by 2/champ hit, allowing you to escape
3.4.4.4. .E as many times as possible to decrease cooldown of .W
3.4.4.4.1. Reduce cooldown of Living Shadow by 2/champ hit, allowing you to escape
3.5. R - Death Mark
3.5.1. Become untargetable for 0.75 seconds
3.5.2. Dash behind enemy target champion
3.5.3. Marks and ignores unit collision for 3 seconds
3.5.4. Spawns shadow at cast location for 6 seconds
3.5.5. After 0.5 seconds, can cast Death Mark again to swap places with shadow
3.5.6. At end of duration, deals 100% AD + percentage of all phys/magic damage Zed dealt while they were marking
3.5.7. Can be stopped by QSS
3.5.8. You'll know R will kill when Shuriken appears above head.
3.5.9. General Takeaways
3.5.9.1. .R to dodge abilities
3.5.9.1.1. You can cast R to dodge abilities since you will be untargetable
3.5.9.2. .R - Deal as much damage as possible in 3 seconds
3.5.9.2.1. You'll know you can kill when Shuriken
3.5.9.3. Use .R to escape
3.5.9.3.1. Use this for mind games as well
3.5.9.4. Use .R to chase
3.5.9.5. Do not use .R on targets with QSS
3.5.9.6. Do not use .R on targets with Banshee's Veil
4. Pre-Game Preparation
4.1. Runes
4.1.1. Reds
4.1.1.1. 8 Armor Pen
4.1.1.2. 1 Crit chance
4.1.2. Yellows
4.1.2.1. Armor
4.1.2.1.1. Against AD matchups
4.1.2.2. HP/Level
4.1.2.2.1. Against AP Matchups
4.1.3. Blues
4.1.3.1. Scaling MR Blues
4.1.4. Quint
4.1.4.1. AD
4.2. Masteries
4.2.1. 12/18/0
4.2.1.1. Thunderlord's Decree
4.2.2. 18/12/0
4.2.2.1. Deathfire Touch
4.3. Skill Order
4.3.1. Max R, Q, E, W
4.4. Itemization
4.4.1. Start: Longsword + 3 pots
4.4.1.1. Or Dshield + 1 pot
4.4.2. Core
4.4.2.1. Youmuu's
4.4.2.2. Caulfield's
4.4.3. Non-Core
4.4.3.1. Hydra
4.4.3.1.1. Most situations
4.4.3.2. Maw
4.4.3.2.1. For burst AP
4.4.3.3. LW
4.4.3.3.1. For Tanks
4.4.3.4. Dead Man's Plate
4.4.3.4.1. Heavy AD teams
4.4.3.5. Black Cleaver
4.4.3.5.1. Third Item
4.4.3.6. Mercurial
4.4.3.7. Black Cleaver
4.4.4. General Takeaway
4.4.4.1. Prioritize CDR in the early game
4.4.4.1.1. Prioritize Raw AD for W passive later
4.5. Summoner Spells
4.5.1. Exhaust
4.5.1.1. vs AD opponents
4.5.1.1.1. No confidence
4.5.2. Ignite
4.5.2.1. vs Squishy Opponents
4.5.2.1.1. Most of the time
5. LL Stylish
5.1. Runes
5.1.1. vs AP
5.1.2. vs AD
5.1.3. Red: Always Armor Pen
5.1.4. Yellows: HP/lvl vs AP Armor vs AD
5.1.5. Blues: CDR/lvl vs AD 4cdr/lvl rest flat mr vs AP
5.1.6. Quints: Armor Pen if 12/18, because of flat armor pen mastery<---spell based trading match ups 18/12 AD Quints<--vs Match ups where auto attacks matter
5.1.7. 36% CDR gives you double Q with W ( why 4 cdr vs AP)
5.2. Itemization
5.2.1. Ghostblade rush first item (amazing)
5.2.1.1. Serated Dirk->Hammer->Blade
5.2.2. Bork helps to be able to duel almost anyone ( tanks, duelists )
5.2.3. Sit on boots 1
5.2.4. Black cleaver 3rd item
5.2.5. Tiamat -> Titanic Hydra vs tons of mixed damage can't itemize Titanic Hydra is an actual Auto reset, which can crit
5.2.6. After Tiamat, get zeal, then finish titanic
5.2.7. After titanic get stattik shiv or rapid firecannon
5.2.8. sterak's cage vs lots of damage and if you built titanic
5.2.9. Mercurial vs CC in general is good
5.2.10. Lord dominik's regard vs lots of tanks >2
5.3. Laning Phase
5.3.1. Level 1 & 2
5.3.1.1. Careful about taking auto attacks, and don't let opponents trigger thunderlord, lost basic attack denial mastery
5.3.1.2. Let lane control champions push on you
5.3.1.3. If they try to auto you, reply with Q, since they stop moving for the basic auto
5.3.1.4. Stay out of auto range and last hit when possible and with Q
5.3.1.5. ^^^^ Harder match ups
5.3.1.6. vs match ups where you can push and you have lane control you should push and keep pushing with Q and autos IE anivia veigar
5.3.1.7. vs Melees at level 2 take e, you can out trade them since your level 2 with QE is insane
5.3.2. Level 3
5.3.2.1. Can proc thunderlord with WQE
5.3.2.2. Step up when you WQE to force them to a direction, to guarantee landing of combo for thunderlord
5.3.2.3. As soon as your combo (shadow primarily) is down go back to your play style of playing safe and farming, especially if your opponent is pressuring you
5.3.3. Extends to Level 4-5
5.3.3.1. Keep in mind don't spam Qs on waves and make sure to have enough energy to combo, may mean losing CS
5.3.3.2. If they are overextended trying to poke you under tower, and you hit a quick level power spike you can all in with WQE ( even if they are full health )
5.3.4. Level 6
5.3.4.1. Try and exchange flashes pre-6, because it will be easier to kill when their flash is down with your ult
5.3.4.2. vs Mobility champs, poke them with WEQ? WQE? if they don't move back, you can W to your shadow and auto them and pressure cooldowns to guarantee a good ultimate landing
5.3.4.3. vs non mobility champs, Triple Basic Combo: Ultimate, basic e, move up, basic, w (JUST SHADOW), double q, w behind them, last basic, ignite r back and e
5.3.4.4. WEQ combo, if they don't back you can all-in. WEQ, since "bug fix" ( talk about all zed patch changes )
5.3.4.5. When level 6, you want to play really aggressive, and even hope to get ganked because they are super squishy, and you can turn around the gank and just kill the jungler
5.3.4.5.1. Try and bait the jungler to overextend for the gank, and punish by killing him with combo
5.3.4.6. Dodge combo: W before ulting to immediately reposition after coming out of your ultimate and performing basic+spells combos
5.3.4.7. When you first back with 6, 3-4 choices to do
5.3.4.7.1. Play the Lane ( Standard )
5.3.4.7.2. Bot or Top ganks
5.3.4.7.3. Play around enemy jungler, time his 2nd buffs and ward them and kill him as he tries to do them.
5.3.4.8. Always split-push to come back into the game ( especially vs annoying team fighting teams IE lulu cc in general )
5.3.4.8.1. Can 1v1 most champions at this point, (outplaying of course)
5.3.4.8.2. Understand how to split push
5.3.5. Apply this till mid game
5.3.6. VS MANA USERS
5.3.6.1. PUSH HARD AS FUCK WHEN THEYRE OOM
5.3.7. Hold W when you go ward
5.4. Mid Game
5.4.1. Behind
5.4.2. Snowballed
5.4.2.1. Can group if you want
5.4.2.1.1. WEQ is very strong poke in sieging situations
5.4.2.2. Split for the most part
5.4.2.2.1. You're not as good in a team fight
5.4.2.2.2. Get wards
5.4.2.2.3. Duel people
5.4.2.2.4. want to force 4v4 while you 1v1 someone which you will win
5.4.3. Doesn't matter what side you split
5.4.4. Rift Herald would be really strong for your split push, worth way more than dragon prioritize it on yourself to split push
5.5. Later Game
5.5.1. Can keep splitting
5.5.1.1. With ghostblade you destroy towers if you pop it
5.5.1.2. Splitting is always really good
5.5.2. May have to group, if your team can get engaged on
5.5.2.1. Don't trust teammates, so may need to group because teams get caught a llot
5.5.3. Team Fighting
5.5.3.1. Step up to throw w and poke with QE on their backline
5.5.3.1.1. Try and back up and make them forget you threw your shadow
5.5.3.2. MAIN GOAL: Not to kill people
5.5.3.2.1. Do as much damage as you can and draw aggro which allows your team to collapse and finish enemy team off
6. Not combos
6.1. E has no animation, so do it whenever you want
6.2. Q has an animation so basic then q not q then basic
6.3. NEVER START WITH ULTIMATE
6.3.1. If you ultimate immediately, your opponent may flash away or movement ability away
6.3.1.1. Just WEQ + basic the enemy champion is chunked and you can follow easily with ultimate
7. Random
7.1. Lots of AD late game from W 25% bonus ad
7.1.1. No matter what you will always have a lot of AD late game, no matter what items you build
7.1.2. Instead of trying to stack AD you want to build important items ( survivial items ) because you will get the AD needed anyways