Welcome to my Ziggs guide where I hope to provide you with the best tips and tricks to help you in your climbs on the ladder. I'm a Season 11 + 13 Challenger while one-tricking Ziggs all the way up the ladder.

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This guide will mostly cover almost everything when it comes to Ziggs which include items, runes, abilities, matchups, summoners, and capabilities.

Pros:

Crazy AP Burst Damage
Massive AOE Damage
Great Zoning Potential During Fights
Can Stall Game out
Strong Mid/Late Game
Strong Carry

Cons:

Struggles in Early game
Immobile Champ
Struggles against assassins
Difficult to 1v9 Games

Flash

This is your standard summoner spell that is taken in EVERY game and almost every champion uses this as it provides great value and helps you be aggressive and defensive at any time. This is mandatory on Ziggs as his mobility is so poor that he needs for his own protection.

Teleport

This is your second most used Summoner playing Ziggs. This is often used in the Bot lane as well as the Mid lane. While playing mid, I always bring against mages so I can keep up if taken a lot of damage or to punish when ahead by shoving the lane, backing, and teleporting back to lane to kill them. This also allows you to playmake across the map by counter ganking junglers or even capitalize on enemies that are overextended. While playing bot lane, this is pretty much grabbed all the time as Ziggs early game in the Bot lane is very poor until you reach your mythic item. So early game skirmishes is what you want to avoid before your mythic item.

Exhaust

I only use this summoner when I'm playing mid against hard engage Champions such as assassins, Sylas, Irelia, etc. Not only does reduce damage making it harder to 1 shot you, it also slows them making it easier to land abilities on your opponents. This summoner spell helps you survive from all-ins from opposing laners making you survive and scale into the late game. Also prevents you from getting one shot in the late game if you happened to get dove on.

Heal

I rarely use this summoner spell in the bot lane because heal is mostly beneficial during the early game skirmishes. As Ziggs bot, you want to avoid these early fights as much as possible so you should never be engaging unless you have a big advantage.

Opinion Spells

Barrior

I hate this summoner now since serpents fang exists in this game. This literally removes the spell from the game making it completely useless.

Ignite

Very offensive Summoner spell that I never get. There are very few situations where ignite will make a huge difference and you will be remotely close to them to be even in range of igniting them during late game team fights. It can help you in dueling in lane but isn't as good when in the late game since you want to stay further back.

Cleanse

Super situational and rarely used in lane unless against Lissandra or Twisted Fate. You should almost never be in range against hard CC champions during big fights as well as in lane. Other summoners way more valuable.

SORCERY

Arcane Comet

Arcane comet is pretty much the only viable rune Ziggs can use. It provides great damage and makes trades easier in lane. The only other keystone that Ziggs can use is aery which can help you in early game trades but arcane comet can do the same job and also scales harder into the late game.

Manaflow Band

Manaflow Band is also the only option since he benefits so much from mana and has high mana usage. This gives you more sustain in lane and the ability to spam abilities if needed. Other options aren't valuable to Ziggs.

Transcendence

Also only option for Ziggs that helps him with team fighting and low cooldown abilities. This provides cooldown reduction on ultimate which allows you to spam your ultimate all across the map to gain more control of the game. It also allows you to spam abilities during fights pumping out more damage.

Scorch

I always run this rune against melee matchups so you can punish when they go up to cs. Don't run scorch if it is a champion that runs dorans shield because it's pretty useless since it allows more health regen basically negating the damage scorch provides. I ideally run this rune when I think I can solo kill the enemy which is very rare.

Gathering Storm

I usually run Gathering Storm for scaling games which usually happens when I play against mages or play Ziggs bot lane. Ziggs doesn't have nearly as much kill pressure as other mages do. So engaging trades or combat is never worth against mages since they probably will have CC and burst to chunk you. When you play Ziggs bot, he isn't really strong until he gets liandrys anguish. So it's more worth grabbing instead of cause you're playing for the late game.

INSPIRATION

Magical Footwear

I like investing in Magical Footwear because Ziggs mobility is so bad that the extra movement speed that magical footwear provides is critical. The only other option that can contest magical footwear is coscmic insight. But don't think it's as valuable as since Ziggs can only really benefit from the summoner spell reduction. Considering that Ziggs as a champ itself is very safe since he has his and his abilities are very long range. You can't really play make with as Ziggs so is really only being used for threats. His secondary spell is either going to be or . Exhaust can benefit from the pretty heavily but not as much. Magical footwear just provides value throughout most of the game and makes it easier to dodge abilities and impact the game as well as team fights.

Biscuit Delivery

I love Biscuit Delivery during the laning phase because Ziggs has such a poor early game that it is so valuable to stay an extra wave or two to get the gold needed to purchase or your mythic item. This can also help you survive ganks that come very close.

Short Fuse

Your passive is an empowered auto that has a cooldown that can be reduced by using his other abilities. It does increased damage to turrets and is your main way to take down turrets as fast as possible. The great thing about ziggs is that he can easily take down towers with and . To maximize damage on turrets, you throw your empowered auto, use two abilities, and auto again. This can be repeated to maximize damage on turrets. Only do this if you're going to back as it will drain your mana. Don't use this strategy if you're planning to stay in lane.

Bouncing Bomb

This is your Q ability that is your main source of damage and used mainly to poke enemies out. It bounces 3 times before it explodes on the 3rd bounce. This ability can explode on any bounce if it hits an enemy. You will spam this ability 24/7 during fights and in lane as your main source of damage. The most effective way to use in this lane is to bounce it on the edge of the minion wave when the enemy gets close to the minions. Hitting your Q in lane is extremely hard when trying to hit it on direct contact. So it's best to use your Q against the minions so it can explode and splash the damage on the enemy. This ability is maxed 1st all the time.

Satchel Charge

Satchel Charge is a unique ability that can be used both offensively and defensively. In my personal play, I only use this item defensively as it is your only way to protect yourself other than your flashj. Your flash is always used as the last resort so being smart about using your is important. The only moment I'll use this ability is when I know the enemy will die instantly or be a guaranteed kill if I use my W. I also use this when I'm trying to assassinate someone when I'm waiting in a bush to maximize my damage. The best way to escape with this ability is to wait until your enemy is right next to you so you can propel yourself forward while knocking back the enemy at the same time. When getting ganked, you can way in front of you and flash into it to surprise the enemy. This won't give enough time for them to react and will almost guarantee an escape 9/10 times. This ability is maxed last all the time

Explosive Minefield

Explosive Minefield is one of your other primary damage dealers in your kit. It does damage every bomb the enemy steps on while slowing them at the same time. People will underestimate the damage on this ability. A solid combo is explosive minefield- -Auto which will heavily chunk their HP. This is also a great zoning ability when taking objectives such as Baron, Dragon, or Rift Herald. Placing this ability in small choke points will force them to move through the bombs or seek an alternative route. If they decide to walk through, this will leave your team at a massive advantage as they will most likely take a big chunk of their HP. During team fights, a lot of people don't realize the ability on the ground so they will walk into it. It's a great zoning ability that forces enemies to either walk through or walk around it if you're in lane or in a big area of the jungle. If you position yourself well in fights, you can completely zone out their back line which gives your team time to take out their front line. I don't use this ability too often while in lane unless I'm in a full committed fight. This ability is maxed 2nd all the time.

Mega Inferno Bomb

Mega Inferno Bomb is a huge explosive bomb that does damage in a large radius. There are two circles, the inner ring does more damage than the outer ring so the goal is to hit enemies in the center of the circle to maximize damage. I mostly use this item to execute enemies at low HP when they try to escape or when enemies are grouped together to be most impactful in the fight. This ability can be used all across the map since it is considered a global ultimate. You can chuck this ability in other lanes if you play mid in hopes of your enemies engages when you throw the ult. This ability is rarely used in lane as you don't have much kill pressure and the chances of you getting the enemy to low hp is very low. So this ability is most beneficial when impacting other lanes. This ability is maxed 3rd all the time.

Ability Max Order

-> -> ->

Reasoning:

is your most used ability and your main damage dealer as well as poke. This is always maxed 1st. explosive minefield is maxed 2nd because it provides a ton of damage as well as great slow. It provides way more damage than the Satchel and is more useful in game. Your is maxed 3rd because it's your ultimate and is always maxed as soon as possible. is maxed last because it only provides a higher execution percentage which isn't very strong early game and very situational. It's rare to need to execute the tower way earlier than expected. I don't use the ability offensively that often so I don't benefit from the damage with my playstyle. This is my least used ability as well so the cooldown isn't very strong with my playstyle.

Core Items

Liandry's Anguish

In my opinion, Liandry's is by far the best option for Ziggs. A lot of people tend to build ludens tempest as Ziggs is great with burst. But Ziggs does tons of AOE damage making liandrys anguish by far more valuable as an item compared to ludens tempest. While playing many games with both liandrys anguish and ludens tempest, Liandry's has always felt so much better in terms of damage and overall damage. It is by far more valuable during this meta since there is a TON of healing so and pair well with liandrys anguish as it constantly applies grevious wounds. ludens tempest might be a solid option if their whole team is squishy, but I personally always build liandrys anguish since it feels a lot better than ludens tempest. This is built 1st all the time.

ShadowFlame

This is the primary purchase after buying your mythic. After playing with this item for many games, it just feels a lot better than all the other options such as horizon focus. Shadowflame is a great item whether the enemy team has shields or not. It provides a great amount of AP as well as magic pen. Magic pen is the new way of dealing damage so items like shadowflame and voidstaff are very good.

Horizon Focus

You either build shadowflame or horizon focus all the time. If opponents are generally tanky, then I would recommend building horizon focus as it does more damage to opponents when they have about 60 or more Magic Resistance.

Rabadon's Deathcap

This item provides you a tremendous amount of damage if completed and will up your burst and overall damage massively. This will be your highest power spike because that's when you start to chunk people and become more of a threat with your AOE damage. If you're unthreatened during team fights and in general, this item will be built 3rd or 4th. Many situations this will be the last item you build as situational items bring more value.

Situational Purchases

Morellonomicon

This item is so important when you play against compositions that have heavy healing. I will always build this item if their team has at least 2 main healers (Rely most on healing) as in Yummi, Seraphine, Vladamir, Sett, Irelia, etc. If their team has 1 main healer and they are ahead, I will build this item. If they are majorly behind and have almost no impact in the game, I won't buy it. I usually only complete this item later onto the game. I will make the initial purchase of in the early game and will resume the purchase towards the end of the game as there are so many other better buys. should be bought after you complete your mythic item. If you have an enchanter and they build , this item is not needed.

Zhonya's Hourglass

This will almost be your primary defensive item almost every time. Its active is so valuable as it can buy time and save you from very situational instances. This item is only built if you feel threatened in the game and struggling to even survive in the game. If you are barely touched during the game and have low deaths, I will purchase damage items instead. This item is typically built 2nd or 3rd depending on what's going on in the state of the game.

Banshee's Veil

This defensive item is not purchased as much as because its active is a lot more situational than Zhonya's. I will only build this item if their team has 3 out of 5 people who do AP damage or if they have an Evelynn. Evelynn is very frustrating to play against when they are ahead and it makes you way more difficult to kill when you have banshees veil.

Void Staff

This item I will only purchase if the enemy team builds Magic Resistance. This item is typically built 3rd or 4th.

Mejai's Soulstealer

This item is rarely built and only built if you have 10 dark seal stacks and hard snowballing the game. It provides great movement speed that Ziggs lacks and provides a crazy amount of AP in the early or late stages of the game. High risk, high reward item. If you have less than 10 stacks, you should sell this item.

Opinion Items

Seraph's Embrace

This is a decent purchase when it comes to offensive and defensive power since it provides a bunch of raw AP stats as well as a shield when dropping to dangerously low health. But I think banshees and zhonyas are so much better defensive items and there are better offensive items that are better so I never buy this item. If you have mana problems, this purchase might be for you.

Luden's Tempest

I know how I just talked about having burst is so much more valuable than damage over time. But I've tried this item so many times and it doesn't feel nearly as good as liandrys anguish in my opinion. ludens tempest also is only effective against squishy targets whereas liandrys anguish can be effective against tanks, bruisers, and squishes. ludens tempest is probably better against enemies that are all squishy but I will always build liandrys anguish over ludens tempest

Short Fuse

The main tip with the passive is with turrets and objective taking. To maximize your damage on objectives and turrets is to auto the objective with your empowered auto and then throw two abilities to reduce the cooldown of your passive. Your passive will reduce in cooldown every ability you throw out. So to maximize your damage is to auto, throw two abilities, auto, and repeat.

Bouncing Bomb

To effectively land bouncing in lane, it is best to throw the bomb off the minion wave so it splashes on the enemy. It is extremely hard to directly hit someone with your Q. It's also a lot easier to hit the closer you are to your enemy. This is very rare for Ziggs to be melee range but the only situation you will find yourself doing this is when you gank someone or you're trying to finish someone off with 1 hp.

Satchel Charge

To most effectively use this ability as an escape is to use it when the enemy is directly trailing behind you so you can throw your satchel in the area where you can launch yourself forward while knocking them back at the same time. To avoid a gank, you should throw your satchel way in front of you and into it, and instantly exploding it to launch yourself forward. This won't give your enemies time to react to secure the kill on you. To maximize damage with this ability, you can throw either your explosive minefield or and knock them back into your ability to guarantee damage.

Explosive Minefield

Mainly use this ability to close of small choke points and areas forcing your enemy to decide either to walk through it or walk around it. If they decide to walk through, they will be heavily punished taking a ton of damage. If they decide to walk around it, throw your abilities in that direction so it guarantees contact and damage.

Full Damage Combo

You will mostly just use this in lane when dueling an enemy or catching someone by surprise when you're hiding in a bush.

First, begin the combo with explosive minefield so they get slowed and take a lot of damage. Then you proceed to throw to deal more damage and follow it up with your ultimate. To tie it all together use to knock the enemy back into the explosive minefield as well as and finish them with . This combo is executed by doing this order instantly so it doesn't give your opponent to react resulting in a one-shot. is used last to knock them into your ult since it provides the most damage. There is no time to throw another auto in earlier or else the enemy will have time to flash out or use an ability to escape the damage.

Early game Combo + Tips

The basic early game poke combo in lane is Auto-> ->Auto

I will always start the game with unless I am caught in the jungle if they invade. Level 2 I will get so I have an escape if the jungler decides to early gank. also gives you more kill pressure than explosive minefield since you can knock them into yourself giving yourself more auto damage and extra time to throw another .

Akali

Akali

In this matchup, I will most likely run or . will allow you to teleport back into lane with refreshed mana and HP and purchases to give yourself an advantage in lane. It is essential to make the most of it before Akali hits level 6 because then the lane is pretty much doomed after that. As long as you don't get in range of in the early game you should be fine. If she happens to ult you in lane, try to away or predict her initial ult by knocking her back with . In the early game, you want to get the best CS as possible because you want to have an advantage leading up to level 6 so you can keep up with her in terms of kill pressure. When she walks up to farm, you want to auto her as much as possible. The standard combo burst in lane is auto, , auto. If she misses her on you before level 6, you should walk up and deal damage to you since he has no kill pressure without shuriken. In this matchup, I will run .

Fizz

Fizz

In this matchup, you want to CS your best while actively poking them with Q's and autos. Similar to Akali, Fizz's kill pressure is not as strong until he reaches level 6. I will bring teleport in this matchup to keep up when he reaches 6 and often apply pressure with early buys and HP and mana regens in the early game. When he reaches level 6, he can 100 to 0 you with just his , , , and Ignite. His combo to surprise you is to a minion and Ult at the same time because it animation cancels. So expect him to to a minion and ult you so stay at a long-range and respect him because he can delete you during and stage of the game. If he uses his on minions, you should walk up to him and deal damage with auto and Q when possible. In this matchup, I will run .

Irelia

Irelia

In this matchup you want to effectively CS while actively poking them with Q and autos. This matchup I will bring exhaust as she is very fast and deals a ton of damage in a small period of time. It's to poke against Irelia as you can anticipate her to blade surge to minions with low HP so you can throw your Q when the minion is about to die to guarantee damage if she dashes to it. Similar to Fizz and Akali, her kill pressure significantly jumps when she hits level 6. To avoid dying in lane, it is essential to mvoe side to side and make your movement unpredictable to avoid . If she lands this ability, her kill pressure jumps as she will get an additional blade surge on you for a reset. In this lane, try to stay remotely close to your turret, like right where the terrain and bushes start forming. If you are in this vicinity, and she oversteps by playing aggressively on you, throw your W on top of you and knock yourself as well as Irelia towards your turret to force her to take unnecessary damage. This turret shot is most likely the difference-maker to kill her in lane. This matchup I will run .

Kassadin

Kassadin

In this matchup, you will ultimately play aggressive as possible before Kassadin hits level 6. You ideally instantly lose this matchup all the time when he reaches level 6. His passive is way too strong against Ziggs making him win almost every trade after level 6. Most times I will grab teleport to match Kassadin to get early advantages with items, mana, and hp before he reaches level 6. Sometimes I will grab ignite (currently experimenting) to increase my kill pressure before level 6. You want to throw autos and Q's at him as much as possible while maintaining strong CS. In this matchup, I will run .

Katarina

Katarina

In this matchup I will run either exhaust or teleport. I will run exhaust if my team doesn't have that much CC (stuns or knockups) but will run teleport to keep up with katarina in lane. In lane you want to auto and Q her as much as possible when she goes up to farm. In the laning phase you want to avoid her daggers as much as possible. As long as you stay away from the daggers, you should be perfectly fine in lane. After level 6, you should save your exhaust when she is looking to ult so her damage is heavily reduced. In this matchup, I will run .

LeBlanc

Leblanc

This matchup is extremely tough in all stages of the game for Ziggs so I will always ban Leblanc as her kit is insane. She has high burst damage and she can go in and out easily making her difficult to kill. She is super slippery and can be insanely hard to kill in any time of the game. I will most likely run teleport in this matchup as it allows me to match her and back whenever I want to maintain HP and mana as well as get an advantage with items to make it survivable in lane. This matchup you want to just play super safe and your CS should be almost as perfect as possible. You must respect her in lane as she can burst you and play super aggresive. You can't expect your jungler to help you all the time so you're pretty much on an island on your own. If she decides to use on top of you as damage, you're best way to trade damage is to throw Q directly on top of you and auto or instantly W to create seperation. If she decides to use to get closer to you, you need to move side to side and make your movement unpredictable to dodge . If she lands this on you, you will likely die as it will snare you and deal massive damage. This matchup I will run to play for the late game as the early game is already doomed when playing against Leblanc.

Qiyana

Qiyana

This matchup is very hard to play. In this matchup I will most likely run Teleport to match her damage in lane and have refreshed stats of Mana, HP, and stronger items to keep up with her in lane. Qiyana is very flashy and quick so she can constantly keep on the pressure during all stages of the game. Before level 3, you should be playing aggresive by constantly throwing autos and Q's when you can. But once she hits level 3, you have to respect her as she can burst you down with all her abilities and electrocute. She is super unpredictable as she can dash to a minion and burst you with double elemental wrath. Once she hits 6, she becomes even more of a menace to handle in lane as she will dash to a minion and ult you with . Once she hits level 3, let her push the wave up and you farm under tower because you have to respect her damage. She will most likely roam so it is essential to communicate with your teammates and ping that she is roaming. If you play super safe by letting her push in, you can run teleport by matching her roam after clearing mid minions. This matchup I will run to keep up with trades.

Sylas

Sylas

In this matchup it is essential to farm efficiently while poking them with autos and Q's at the same time. I will most likely run teleport or exhaust against sylas. I like running exhaust against sylas because he will most likely 100 to 0 you if he hits all his abilities. In this matchup, if you dodge his , you will almost win every trade so you want to throw autos and Q's at him if he misses this ability or uses it on minions. I will run in this matchup.

Talon

Talon

This matchup with Talon is very similar to Qiyana. I will run teleport in this matchup because Talon's burst is so quick that you can't react to exhaust or can't exhaust him when he uses . At level 1, you should throw autos and Q's when possible but once he reaches level 2, you must respect him more. If he uses his on minions or misses you, play super aggressive since his kill pressure significantly drops. If you're super behind, let him push the lane in and you just farm under the tower. Let him roam and communicate with your teammates that he is roaming. You can match his roam by clearing the minions then teleporting. If he overextends and jumps you fairly close to the tower, knock him in with to make him take unnecessary damage. This matchup I will run .

Yone

Yone

This matchup in general is pretty easy. Actively throw autos and Q's when you can when he farms while maintaining high CS. You can either Run Teleport or Exhaust depending on how you feel in the matchup. If you struggle with side-stepping and dodging, I'd recommend exhaust. If you can dodge, you can run teleport to get early advantages. When he uses , this is when you try to best to move up and down, side to side trying to dodge his Q's. His main damage comes from his Q's so if you dodge this, you should be fine. Playing against Yone, I will run to punish him in lane more.

Yasuo

Yasuo

Yasuo is a very high mobility champion which makes him very difficult to hit with abilities especially since he has which basically counters Ziggs. Using in this matchup is essential as its your only distance you can create between you and Yasuo. Make sure not to W too late or else he will your and you're pretty much dead. This matchup I will run Exhaust in hopes of not dying so quickly when Yasuo uses . If he oversteps you near tower, use to knock both you and him into the tower forcing him to take damage. In this matchup, I will use to match his trades.

Zed

Zed

This matchup is similar to most Assassin opponents. They have extremely high kill pressure when they reach level 6 making it super difficult to survive in lane. This matchup I will use to match him during lane and get early advantages with mana, HP, and items. is pretty much useless until he reaches level 6 so it's not really worth wasting summoner spell potential before level 6. In lane, you want to actively use autos and Q's to punish him when he farms and efficiently farm. His full damage combo before level 6 is into into . Make sure to make your movement unpredictable by moving in different directions to dodge his full combo. If you manage to dodge his full combo, you can play full aggressive by walking up using all your abilities on him. He is vulnerable when he doesn't have . In this matchup I will run to punish the early game.

Akshan

Akshan

This matchup is extremely difficult because he just trades a lot better with his passive and auto attacks. The shielding negates a lot of your damage and ziggs struggles against attack damage champs in general. It's best to focus farming in this matchup and save your satchel if he decides to grapple into you. Make sure you create distance by knocking yourself forward and him backwards not allowing him to get any further auto attacks.

Tristana

Tristana

This matchup is very similar to akshan, try to stay away from low hp minions because she will deal damage to you if you stand to close last hitting the minions. Save your satchel so you can knock yourself forward while knocking her back when she decides to rocket jump into you. This will protect you from any further damage from her auto attacks and her explosive charge.

Veigar

Veigar

Veigar matchup is generally very easy as you both won't really try to attack eachother. It's best to just farm it out and try to get poke when you can. One thing to becareful of is to not satchel too late when he puts down his cage. A lot of the times the cage will catch while in the air and will stop your jump.

EARLY GAME

Pretty much during the early game you want to have strong CS having about 9-10 CS per minute is a good goal for high ELO. Ziggs struggles in the early game so try to avoid too much combat against laner. Have strong vision by actively looking on the map to help your jungler in need because these early skirmishes can make or break games. Purchase lots of control wards and play towards your ward so you don't get ganked by support or junglers. Auto and when you can against melee matchups.

MID GAME

Try to stay in the midlane during all phases of the game because Ziggs struggles in the sidelanes because he has low mobility making him very vulnerable to ganks or assassinations. Have strong farm and try to maintain CS goal of 9-10 CS per min. Constantly looking at the minimap and help your teammates in need. Make sure you're in fights when there is one happening. Before taking objectives, push out mid lane then you can take the objective of Drag, Rift Herald, or Baron.

LATE GAME

At this stage of the game, you can play super aggresive with since its on a 30-40 second cooldown. I will tend to throw it around freely on enemy champions to gain more of a presence and pressure on the map. This will force enemies to back to regenerate their HP allowing you to take more control of the map and take more jungle camps from enemy. Stay grouped and fight as a team.

If you made it this far thanks for spending time reading my guide. I hope this helps you with your future or present climbs and you achieve the rank you want.

If you have any recommendations or requests to add to the guide I will make changes!

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