Best Zed counters in LoL

If you have no clue on how to deal with Zed in LoL, we got you covered: here are the counters you must play against him.

Zed counters in LoL – the three best choices

There are quite a few annoying champions that players dislike playing against. Back in the first years of LoL, Zed used to be near the top of the list. While he may not be as oppressive as it used to be, he’s still a tough champion to deal with in the hands of great players. For that reason, we will be going over the best Zed counters for this season.

If you’re fairly new to the game, check out our guide on how counter picks work in League of Legends. It will help you understand why counter picks are important, and how you can use them to increase your win rate.

Ekko – Trying to kill me? Give it a try.

While Ekko is not super strong in its current state, he still fares exceptionally well against Zed. The mid laner great wave clearing and mobility to match during the laning phase while also having an easy escape tool with the ultimate, Chronobreak. As long as you can time it well, you will always be able to avoid Zed’s death mark damage and heal up most of the damage taken.

Not to mention that Ekko is much better in short trades before level six as long as you’re able to proc the three-hit passive. Wait for Zed to throw his shadow forward for poke: that’s the moment you can dash in to get a good trade.

Akshan – abuse ranged matchup

Akshan is not a popular mid laner but he is one of the counters in League of Legends that can make Zed look miserable during the first 10 minutes of the game. Thanks to the range advantage, as well as the passive which grants him movement speed and extra damage, Akshan can consistently pressure Zed, denying farm and experience. Even when the assassin champion farms under turret, Akshan can look to weave in a few auto attacks.

Things will level out as the game continues but Zed has no way to kill Akshan prior to level six (unless the player messes up or gets camped). To make this pick work, however, you need to have strong laning fundamentals so don’t first-time it in your ranked games (for your and your team’s sake).

Lissandra – the all-in counter

Lissandra is not in a great position in the mid lane champion pool but when it comes to neutralizing assassins, she is always a viable option. She can harass Zed during the laning phase, and if the enemy champions try to all-in her, she is almost guaranteed to survive thanks to her crowd controls and ultimately, healing up most of the damage taken.

Compared to the other two champions, however, Lissandra comes up more of a “defensive” counter pick to negate Zed’s strengths rather than being aggressive. If you need to good setup for teamfights, she is definitely a champion you need to consider.

Worst Zed counters

Hwei – a nightmare to play into Zed

The newest champion Hwei is very powerful when it comes to dealing damage and getting control of zones. That said, he will have a hard time playing against a mobile champion like Zed who can dodge most of the abilities. And considering how the AD assassin has great all-in potential early on when Hwei is at its weakest, it’s normal that the mage has a low win rate against Zed.

Veigar – Hoping to outscale

Veigar doesn’t have many LoL counters in the mid lane but Zed is one of the few privileged. This is because, just like Hwei, the mid lane mage struggles when facing all-ins and a slippery champion that can dash in and out. Compared to Hwei, Veigar needs even more time to scale up and stack the AP, which gives more time for Zed to stay relevant in the game. If you can, avoid choosing Veigar into Zed as much as possible.

How do you counter Zed items?

Counters in League of Legends do not just refer to the champions but also to the items built. When going up against Zed, it’s recommended to stack armor early on to survive his burst damage. Below is a list of items to build based on the class of champions you’re playing:

Bruisers/AD champions: Guardian’s Angel, Sterak’s Gage, Death Dance
AP champions: Zhonya’s Hourglass
Tanks: Dead Man’s Plate, Jak’Sho the Protean

What Champion is good against Zed?

The three best champions are Ekko, Akshan, and Lissandra. There are others you can consider such as Gragas, Sylas, and Malphite but they are only specific in specific situations.

Does LeBlanc counter Zed?

The LeBlanc-Zed matchup used to be popular back in the first season of League of Legends. Nowadays, this matchup is in Zed’s favor, as long as you have enough understanding of how to trade in lane and avoid getting harassed by LeBlanc for free.