Out scales you. Blood pool can negate all of your abilities. You will need Oblivion Orb quickly and jungle help to keep him down. A good ban option.
LeBlanc
Her mobility makes her very difficult to hit with your abilities. Play around your team's CC and go for good farm numbers in lane. Early verdant barrier is recommended here.
Yasuo
Windwall shuts down all of your abilities. A good Yasuo will make teamfights very difficult for you. In lane his shield will need to be autoed off which will normally eat your passive. Lot's of dashes also make him hard to hit.
Zed
This matchup is dependent on the skill of each player. Early lane poke needs to happen to keep the Zed from surviving his weaker early levels. Level 6 is a huge danger for Ziggs but with W and laying your abilities where he will land with his ult you can shutdown his attempt at killing you. A good matchup to consider bringing barrier.
Orianna
A relatively easy matchup. Your abilities are similar in range. If you manage your wave properly and she steps up you can easily W her into you for an easy jungle gank. Very immobile.
Akali
Use splash damage off your wave to bully the Akali. Auto attacks are key. If she lands here E you can place mines in front of yourself she is forced to travel through. A potential barrier matchup because of her level 6 depending on jungle pressure. W is very useful after she uses her R1.
Ahri
This can be a very scary matchup. Verdant barrier rush can be recommended here. If you use your abilities too quickly her dashes can shut all of it down. Track the jungler so you don't get chain CC ganked.
Annie
High kill pressure from Annie at level 6. She will stun and kill you before you have a chance to get your abilities off. Farm and ask for ganks. You can do more in team fights.
Fizz
Slippery and difficult to poke down in the early levels. Level 6 threat is tough as he can also dodge all of your abilities. Zhonyas will be needed quickly here. Use your W to get to the backend of your turret if you get hit by his ult. After you get Lost Chapter and Tear shove the waves under turret with abilities to keep him from roaming and wait for team fights.
Akshan
Very difficult to hit. His grapple hook is very hard to predict wait till he lands to boop him away with W. You do more in team fights but lane is difficult. Go for perfect farm.
Malzahar
Level 6 will always be a threat but you can bully malzahar in lane easily. You also will output much more damage in teamfights. You can Q his minions on the wave for extra gold and auto his shield off before going for poke.
Corki
Outscales you. Dashes to dodge your abilities as you throw them. Difficult lane. Manage wave, ask for ganks and try to get a lead. When you hear the package notification ping for your team so they don't get roamed on.
Anivia
You both scale insanely well with great wave clear. She is much more squishy early. Do not get baited into stepping up too far and getting wall combo'd. Work on perfect farm in this matchup. Get her passive for free with your passive poke on the wave and then kill her either with jungler or after your first back.
Kayle
She outscales heavily. Will also use move speed buff making her hard to hit. Has good sustain and insane good trade back onto you with Press the Attack. You will need lot's of cc and jungle pressure.
Veigar
Use minions early to negate his damage. You out trade him with your auto passive and Q. Bully him in lane but be aware of his cage as it can put you in a tough spot for jungle ganks.
Talon
A scary assassin matchup but I have never found an issue with talon mid. When he jumps onto you W him towards your turret with you and drop your Q E mid air where you're landing. Bring barrier for this matchup and it should be an easy win. Care his level 2 and 3 trades. If you let him stack his 3 hit bleed you're in trouble.
Kassadin
A potential perma ban. Auto attack are king in this matchup. Takes reduced damage from you, trades with an MR shield and has perma flashes at level 6. Out scales you as well. This matchup is terrifying if you do nothing in lane. Jungler jungler jungler.
Katarina
This is somewhere between even and major. Her daggers make where she plans to go a bit televised. You can also hold W for her ult to interrupt. With that being said, a good Kat is insanely mobile and hard to hit with abilities. With no mana costs she can use her E to dodge your Q's if she ever needs. work on poking her and try not to waste your E until you have either CC or know that she won't be hopping again.
Irelia
I find this to be a skill matchup. It comes down to how you use your W when she hops onto you. Barrier very useful or even exhaust here. Watch the wave. If she can quickly stack her passive off wounded minions you are in danger.
Lux
Easier to hit poke. Longer range. Bigger pick potential. A scary matchup but she is also very squishy. Jungle pressure shuts her down. If you see she is going to hit her q and you know she will combo you there is the opportunity to quickly drop your abilities where she is in an effort to evenly trade/kill her.
Qiyana
This matchup is scary. She has a lot of mobility. If you do trade her she dashes in and half healths you. Keep the wave in a place where she can't continuously roam. Farm for items and team fights. If she doesn't snowball you can be more useful later. Be clear of walls at all times.
Ryze
A relatively easy matchup for Ziggs. Do not face slam into Ryze as he will combo you to death. You bring much more to the mid game than him and can win poke trades easily. Also be careful of standing near waves or you will get poked down.
Yone
Harass in the early levels. When he uses his vessel you can place your E in a way that he has to travel back through it. You can also preemptively place your ult at his returning spot to get guaranteed middle of the indicator damage. (This will take practice) Typically an easy matchup although he WILL out scale and can take over a game if you get him a lead in lane.
Sylas
Pretty difficult matchup. He out sustains your poke until you get oblivion orb. if you see him dash you can place your W either 1) right in front of you to separate the two of you or 2) a foot or so in front of you to boop the two of you towards the turret (depending on your hp level.) be careful early levels as his burst can be lethal.
Vex
Abilities are slow. Easy to dodge at your range. can also set up your abilities preemptively if she happens to hit her ult on you. Be careful when he fear is up because she is most likely looking to trade.
Xerath
You both wave clear very well. Very squishy. Can look to rush tear into boots for dodging. Don't be predictable with your movement. When he ults you get free full ult damage on him so keep that in mind.
Amumu
Both of your ults are just made for each other. Great ganks and lot's of cc for your set up.
Xin Zhao
Early gank pressure and slow which allows you to get a W that will put your enemy in a bad spot.
Hecarim
Strong early ganks and has a lot of CC/sustain to keep fights going long. Be careful not to waste all of your abilities before Hec pushes the enemy or you may miss everything. (Important to place it where he is pushing them towards)
Vi
Early pressure and good ganks. Lot's of CC easy to set up your abilities. Good pick potential.
Jarvan IV
Ult was made for your kit. If he traps them in the Cataclysm you just fill the space with your bombs. Also good early gank pressure.
Malphite
HUGE Wombo. Beg your top laners to play Malphite
Zac
Great team wide disruption and CC. Throw your bombs as he goes in and it's basically free.
Master Yi
Doesn't do much for you. You both scale which is nice but Master Yi is very straightforward in what he wants to do. You can help him run people down by displacing them with your W.
Gragas
Care how much Gragas knocks people around with his abilities. Can make hitting yours an interesting thing if you use them incorrectly.
Leona
CC = BIG DAMAGE. A great support to see locked in for teamfights.
Kayn
Red Kayn has some CC but overall the champ doesn't do much for you. If you see him in a big fight against melee champs you can throw your abilities on top of him to force them to trade into your abilities. Use his many angles of ganking to your advantage in lane if you can.
Nocturne
Great sticking power and great ganks. Once stridebreaker hits you are free to get your damage in on the slowed target. Once the fear is about to pop is a great time to throw as well.
Zyra
I absolutely love having a Zyra on my team. Her burn on top of yours makes it very difficult for the enemy team to stay out of base for long.
Lee Sin
Not a ton of synergy here. Lee Sin will be getting most of the kills and be aware of his kick that may cause you to miss your abilities. Keep your wave in a way that he can gank and get a lead.
Olaf
Early gank pressure is great but in team fights Olaf and Ziggs don't have much in common. Try to lead your abilities in a way that they have to choose between running into your damage or face tanking an Olaf. (Notably, your ultimate)
Graves
Another jungler that won't do too much to help you hit your abilities. You can use his blind slow as an opportunity to get a pick with W towards your turret during ganks.
Synergies
IdealStrongOkLowNone
Amumu
Both of your ults are just made for each other. Great ganks and lot's of cc for your set up.
Xin Zhao
Early gank pressure and slow which allows you to get a W that will put your enemy in a bad spot.
Hecarim
Strong early ganks and has a lot of CC/sustain to keep fights going long. Be careful not to waste all of your abilities before Hec pushes the enemy or you may miss everything. (Important to place it where he is pushing them towards)
Vi
Early pressure and good ganks. Lot's of CC easy to set up your abilities. Good pick potential.
Jarvan IV
Ult was made for your kit. If he traps them in the Cataclysm you just fill the space with your bombs. Also good early gank pressure.
Malphite
HUGE Wombo. Beg your top laners to play Malphite
Zac
Great team wide disruption and CC. Throw your bombs as he goes in and it's basically free.
Master Yi
Doesn't do much for you. You both scale which is nice but Master Yi is very straightforward in what he wants to do. You can help him run people down by displacing them with your W.
Gragas
Care how much Gragas knocks people around with his abilities. Can make hitting yours an interesting thing if you use them incorrectly.
Leona
CC = BIG DAMAGE. A great support to see locked in for teamfights.
Kayn
Red Kayn has some CC but overall the champ doesn't do much for you. If you see him in a big fight against melee champs you can throw your abilities on top of him to force them to trade into your abilities. Use his many angles of ganking to your advantage in lane if you can.
Nocturne
Great sticking power and great ganks. Once stridebreaker hits you are free to get your damage in on the slowed target. Once the fear is about to pop is a great time to throw as well.
Zyra
I absolutely love having a Zyra on my team. Her burn on top of yours makes it very difficult for the enemy team to stay out of base for long.
Lee Sin
Not a ton of synergy here. Lee Sin will be getting most of the kills and be aware of his kick that may cause you to miss your abilities. Keep your wave in a way that he can gank and get a lead.
Olaf
Early gank pressure is great but in team fights Olaf and Ziggs don't have much in common. Try to lead your abilities in a way that they have to choose between running into your damage or face tanking an Olaf. (Notably, your ultimate)
Graves
Another jungler that won't do too much to help you hit your abilities. You can use his blind slow as an opportunity to get a pick with W towards your turret during ganks.
Hey, I'm Oxxy! I am a huge Ziggs player and have been for quite a while. I peaked Season 11 at Platinum 2 playing Ziggs with a 58% win rate. I fell in love with everything about Ziggs from his character model, personality, and play style!
If you want high bursting poke damage, burn damage, objective stealing potential, great wave clear, self peel, a global ult, and a character who laughs maniacally while doing it.. You've come to the right place.
Your Bouncing Bomb will have the enemy questioning how the damage is balanced. You'll catch people window shopping while backing with your Mega Inferno Bomb. A well placed Satchel Charge will surely boop a poor mage right back into your team once they think they have escaped.
To figure out the best way to do all of these things, continue reading below!
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
High Poke Damage
Need to Land Skillshots
Abilities are AoE
Mana Hungry Early
Strong Even From Behind
Very Squishy
Late Game Scaling
Countered by Mobility
Great Sieging Power
No Personal Defensives
Powerful Zone Control
Requires Teamwork
Essentials
Arcane Comet
Arcane Comet will be the bread and butter of your poke during laning phase. I have picked up so many kills with an enemy who thinks they lived through my Bouncing Bomb, but die to the Arcane Comet.
Be careful using your Satchel Charge while your Arcane Comet is ready because the displacement will cause the Comet to miss. Phase Rush and Summon Aery are other options. Summon Aery will provide much less poke and you do not offer any shielding as Ziggs. Phase Rush would allow for longer in and out trades, but as Ziggs you never actually need to go IN due to your range.
Liandry's Anguish is the unmatched Mythic buy for every game. The burn applications, tank shredding, and synergy with your Hexplosive Minefield make it very strong. Your Satchel Charge is a quick and reliable way to apply the Liandry's Anguish burn to the enemy. Be sure not to waste an Arcane Comet proc or leave yourself vulnerable if you do decide to use it for poke. It's your only mobility!
With Liandry's Anguish purchased you will be making the enemy wear out their 'B' key!
Rune Page Analysis
With the Arcane Comet rune selected you open yourself up to a lot of laning poke damage. Most of this will be coming from Bouncing Bomb hits. We will talk more below in the gameplay section about how to make hitting your Bouncing Bomb easier.
As a relatively mana hungry champion without Blue Buff or Seraph's Embrace, you will be running Manaflow Band to further deepen your mana pool. Make sure to hit an ability every time you have a Manaflow Band proc.
Transcendence brings Ability Haste that is crucial to Ziggs' kit. This Ability Haste on top of that provided by Liandry's Anguish will have you feeding bombs to the enemy like candy on Halloween. It also allows for more ultimate opportunities, which means more objective stealing potential, pick potential, and teamfight pressure.
Scorch is my go-to third minor rune due to the extra poke you receive in lane. I can't tell you how many times I've finished a 1 HP target off with an Arcane Comet + Scorch hit. You may choose to opt into Gathering Storm for further late game scaling. This would be useful in lanes that will be relatively tame and you are looking to outperform your opponent in teamfights. Matchups like Twisted Fate, Azir, and even the likes of Qiyana if you're looking to passively farm and avoid trading.
Magical Footwear is a good money saver, but limits when you are able to buy boots. I have found myself against a Xerath far too many times with no ability to rush boots because the rune prevents you. If you are going to opt into Magical Footwear just be aware of how the rune effects your ability to purchase boots.
Perfect Timing is a good pickup in a difficult lane ESPECIALLY if they have an oppressive early jungler. You will save gold for not having to purchase the Stopwatch and will also acquire it in lane which can give you huge outplay potential against your lane opponent.
Advanced Gameplay
Quick High Damage Trade: E -> Q -> Enhanced Auto
If someone is pathing towards you, or they're cc'ed, you can use this combo for a high damage trade. Your Hexplosive Minefield have a small setup time. If you throw your mines and your Bouncing Bomb immediately after with a Short Fuse proc following your Q, the damage will all burst at once. This is a great way to catch your enemy off guard. If you catch them in the middle of your mines then they will also be forced to walk through more mines to get out. If they aren't being clearly aggressive toward you then a good rule of thumb is to throw the abilities towards where they will feel the safest. That is most likely where they will path. (Adjust accordingly) If you feel that you have one shot potential you can use your Mega Inferno Bomb to finish them off at the end of this combo.
Engage Shutdown: E -> W -> Q -> Ult
This combo is fantastic for displacing an assassin or high engage champion. Your Satchel Charge placement will depend on your danger level. As we spoke about before, your E has setup time. This will need to be dropped immediately as you realize you're being engaged on. Your W can be placed to knock your enemy with you to put them towards a turret or away from you if you're in danger. As you detonate your W the mines should be set up on top of you causing the enemy to get launched through them. You can throw your Q mid air directly onto where you are displacing them for extra damage. Use defensives accordingly. Leading up to this combo there isn't a lot of time to weave in a Short Fuse proc due to how fast this has to be executed. Your ultimate should be launched onto 1)Yourself, if you have chosen to launch the enemy in your direction. 2)The landing spot of your enemy as they're landing if you launched them away. This will give you the best chance of full damage as they are technically still cc'ed.
Mock Stun W Into Wall: W -> E -> Q -> Ult
This is a mechanic that will surely take some practicing. If an enemy is walking nearby a wall your Satchel Charge can be placed in a way that it won't actually move the enemy, but will just stun them into the wall. This is because there is nowhere for them to be knocked up so they just sit still after detonation. It's a great way to hold someone still for a pick. Follow up with your full combo immediately when you know the charge is going to hit. This will most often be done while zoning for an objective since the corridors are so tight in the jungle.
Gameplay
Lane Phase
Lane phase is as easy as your laner's Ziggs knowledge. You will notice a huge difference between someone who mindlessly steps to their minion wave and eats splash damage and someone who stands off to the side to make hitting your skillshots more difficult. Keeping an eye on your minion's HP is crucial to the optimal harassment experience. When you see someone is stepping up to kill a minion, throw a Bouncing Bomb at their set of caster minions. The easiest way to guarantee damage is to aim for a group of minions someone is walking to. Bombs are much easier to hit when it isn't a solo target. Your goal is to harass and shoot for perfect farm since you are a safe artillery mage. Keep wards to track the enemy jungler and use your Satchel Charge when possible to aid your jungler in easy ganks.
As the Game Progresses
Your job is to get as much poke as possible, especially before objectives, without losing anything in return. Use your Bouncing Bomb's wisely and your Satchel Charge for pick potential. Blue Buff is a great help but with Seraph's Embrace you shouldn't have much of an issue with mana. Your Hexplosive Minefield and Satchel Charge also act as close to 15 seconds worth of zoning potential. Throwing these in the tight alley's near baron pit as you're taking the objective can stall long enough for it to be taken for free. Do not underestimate how strong your Short Fuse procs are at all points in the game. Utilizing your passive properly is the difference between a kill and no kill.
As you approach team fights you will want to be aware of your team's CC potential before throwing your abilities. If you know a Leona is going to lock down a primary target, wait for her to engage to guarantee your damage hitting. One of my favorite things to do is give the enemy an ultimatum in a chase scenario. If one of your teammates is chasing someone you can use your Mega Inferno Bomb to lead them off and make them choose between turning back into your teammate to avoid the damage or walking into the full damage of your ultimate. Keep in mind your ultimate travel time so that you lead off enough and don't waste it!
Your champion is very good at sieging objectives and taking them quickly. You can secure team-wide gold by taking an objective on the backs of a poorly positioned enemy team. It is also important to keep in mind that your Mega Inferno Bomb will do more damage than a smite at level 11 with a Rabadon's Deathcap completed. A well timed ultimate can take what seems to be a lost objective. Farsight Alteration is VERY important to pick up for these circumstances.
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