Respect her early game and focus on staying healthy. You don't need to force anything before level 6 since the matchup becomes a lot more playable once you get your ult. When you do look for kills, try to hold your R until she's about to swap back with her W, since it makes your combo much more reliable. If she tries to QW onto you, you can combo backwards and punish her as she comes in. If you're struggling or just want to make the matchup easier, Hexdrinker is also a really solid purchase.
Akali
Don't walk up without W. Just keep your distance in lane because Akali can all in out of nowhere if you give her an opening. I also like grabbing sweeper after a couple recalls since it helps a lot with her shroud.
Qiyana
You need to respect her level 2 burst if the player knows what they're doing, since she can punish mistakes really hard. Try to play around your range advantage and slowly poke her down instead of giving her opportunities to force an all-in. Her all-in can be really dangerous if you don't have Exhaust available, so don't get too close for no reason. Also be careful with how you use your ult. If you ult first, she can often just ult afterwards and turn the fight around instantly. Exhaust is insanely valuable in this matchup and helps a ton in those ult vs ult situations, so I'd highly recommend taking it.
Mel
When you go for WEQ poke, always click back right after. That way if your Q lands and she throws her reflect back at you, you'll already be out of range and won't take the return damage. If her E is down, you can look for all-ins pretty aggressively. A lot of the time you can just ult her and auto instead of instantly using everything. Once she starts panicking and uses W, that's when you throw out your Qs and finish the combo.
Malphite
This is mostly a scaling matchup, so don't feel pressured to force kills early. You're probably not killing him until you get a few items, so focus on staying healthy and getting your gold. Respect his range and don't try to take extended melee trades. It's fine to tank some of his Qs with DShield, but don't give him free opportunities to punish you. Most of the lane is just about farming well, and if you can't find good trades, look to either roam and impact the map or keep stacking CS until you hit your spikes.
Tryndamere
Don't look to trade health bars with him for no reason since his sustain is insane and he'll usually come out ahead over time. Try to combo backwards whenever possible and keep your distance. The matchup is mostly about spacing well and constantly kiting him out rather than standing your ground and fighting. Also, don't rely on your ult alone to kill him. Most of the time, your ult and W are tools to buy time and kite out his ult. If you survive his engage and keep your distance, the fight becomes a lot easier to win.
Ahri
Don't really look to ult unless Ahri has no charm. If she still has it up and you ult in, there's a good chance she just charms you and stops your combo. If you do have to ult while she has charm, try to buffer your Q so you still get damage off. Also pay attention to her ult dashes and look to WQ right after she uses one, since that's usually the easiest time to catch her.
Akshan
Play the early lane pretty respectfully since he can E in and force a trade if you walk up too much. If he does land his E, you can use your ult to break the chain and make it a lot harder for him to follow up. Also, always spam missing pings when he leaves lane. A lot of his leads come from roaming, so make sure your team knows when he's gone.
Anivia
Try your best to avoid her Q since it's her main way of poking and controlling the lane. After level 6, be a lot more careful with how you use your W. If it's down at the wrong time, she can wall you off and set up her ult pretty easily. Also don't just proc her egg passive for no reason. Make sure you actually have the damage and resources to finish it off, otherwise you're usually better off keeping her low HP since that alone creates a lot of pressure and makes it harder for her to play aggressively.
Aurora
Respect her early levels since Aurora can burst you pretty hard if you give her an opening. Try not to throw your Q out too early and instead hold it for after she uses her E, since it makes it much easier to land. If she uses her ultimate to dash away, you can follow it with your own ult to stay on top of her and keep the fight going.
Cassiopeia
Respect Cassio's W at all times since it stops you from swapping to your shadows and can completely ruin your combo if you get caught in it. When you ult her, make sure to instantly click back so you're not facing her when she uses her ult, otherwise you can get stunned and lose the fight. For the most part, just play around your range advantage, look to poke her down, and only commit when you've already chunked her or forced important cooldowns.
Diana
Her Q always comes out from her right side, so you can use that to your advantage and dodge it more consistently by walking into her instead of away from it. Try not to force all-ins while her W is available since it can make fights really awkward and give her a way to outplay you. If she ever uses her ult, you can dodge it with your own ult if you time it correctly. Also, if she tries to E onto you, you can backwards WEQ to create space while still getting your damage off.
Gragas
Try to play at max range as much as possible to make dodging his Qs easier and avoid taking unnecessary poke. Keep in mind that he has a lot of sustain, so don't get frustrated if he heals up some of your damage. Be careful of his all-in potential as well, especially when his E is available since that's usually how he looks to force fights. Also, avoid using your ult if he still has E ready, as he can often use it to dodge a big part of your combo and turn the trade around.
Hwei
Try to keep your distance from Hwei as much as possible so he can't easily proc his passive on you. The main thing you need to watch for is his purple abilities (E), since they're what let him peel you off or set up his damage. If his E is on cooldown, that's usually your best chance to look for a trade or all-in. Cleanse is also really strong in this matchup since it lets you force fights much more aggressively, even when he still has his E available.
Irelia
Try not to stand too close to the wave since she can use it to land her Q on you and get free poke. Look to trade when you have Bone Plating up, or when you have Ignite available and can actually threaten an all-in. You can also use your ult to dodge her E or even deny her Q mark if you time it well, which can completely ruin her combo and make fights a lot easier to win.
Jayce
Try not to stand too close to the wave since he can walk up and get free melee Qs on you. Be careful around fog of war as well, because he can EQ from out of vision and chunk you before you even get a chance to react. The best time to look for an all-in is when he swaps into ranged form. Once he does, he loses a lot of his self-peel, which makes it much easier to get on top of him and force a fight.
Katarina
Always pay attention to where her daggers are and position away from them whenever possible. A lot of Katarina's damage comes from picking those up, so don't give her free opportunities. When you use W, instantly click back afterwards so she can't just E onto you and force a trade. The matchup is mostly about respecting her first few levels since that's when she's the most threatening. After that, if you play around your range properly, you should naturally win most trades and make it really hard for her to find good openings.
Lux
Try to play at max range as much as possible since it makes dodging her E a lot easier. The main thing you need to watch for is her Q, because that's what lets her set up the rest of her combo. If she misses it, she loses a lot of her threat. Be careful about using your ult while she still has Q available, since she can use it to disrupt your combo and turn the fight around. Cleanse is also really strong in this matchup and can completely shut down her Q if you use it well.
Kennen
Respect his empowered auto attacks early since that's where a lot of his trading power comes from. Try to play at max range whenever possible, whether you're poking or just going for CS, so he has a harder time getting free damage onto you. If you ever decide to all-in with R, make sure to W-R-W so you can kite out Kennen's ult and avoid sitting inside it for longer than you need to.
Orianna
Try to get boots on your first base if you can since the extra movement speed makes the lane a lot easier to play. Look to bait out her Q before going for trades, and once it's down that's usually your chance to combo. Also keep track of her cooldowns. If she wastes both her Q and E, she loses control of the ball for a moment and can't really fight back properly, which gives you a great window to look for an all-in.
Syndra
Be careful of her Q poke early on since that's how she'll try to slowly chip you down in lane. If she ever wastes her E, that's usually your best window to look for an all-in since she loses a lot of her safety. You can also use your W over her E if you want to bait it out and create an opening. Once you hit 6, don't forget that you can use your ult to dodge her R, which can completely flip a fight if you time it correctly.
Sylas
Try to play either inside the wave or far enough away that he can't easily land E on you. If you do get hit by it, make sure you're in a position where you can trade back, otherwise you'll just lose HP for free. In general, avoid trading health bars with him unless you're setting up for an all-in, since that's usually where you get the most value. If he steals your ult, stay calm and save your Qs. You can time them for when he comes out of the ult animation, which makes it much easier to land your damage and win the fight.
Yasuo
Try to position away from the wave as much as possible since standing in or near it gives him more opportunities to dash around and jump on you. I also like running Scorch in this matchup because it helps remove his Bone Plating even if his passive shield is up, making your future trades a lot more effective. For the most part, just focus on farming and scaling. Yasuo players usually end up forcing plays or making mistakes at some point, and that's when you can punish them. If you're confident in the matchup, you can also go E max since it gives you a lot more trading power and can make it much easier to win lane.
Ambessa
Try to combo her as she's dashing into you since it makes your abilities a lot easier to land. Respect her all-in potential and don't just throw out random WEQ combos hoping they'll hit. Most of the time, you want to combo when she commits to a trade and comes into your range. Also keep an eye on her long-range ult since it can catch you off guard from pretty far away. The best time to look for an all-in is when her W is down, since that's her main defensive tool.
Annie
If you're not confident in the matchup, rushing Mercs is completely fine and makes things a lot easier to play. Try to keep your distance whenever she has stun ready and just focus on poking her down instead of forcing anything. You always have the range advantage, so look to combo and immediately back off before she can trade back. The only time you really have to be careful is if she has Flash up since she can suddenly close the gap.
Azir
It's usually fine to let Azir have prio early and look for all-in opportunities with Ignite and Nimbus instead of forcing the wave. When he uses Q, you can often WEQ into him, but try to position in a way that cuts off his E so he can't easily escape. Also be careful about ulting him near his tower. If you commit too close, he can turn it around with his own ult and shove you straight into tower range.
Brand
Try not to stand near your wave since Brand can easily hit both you and the minions with his E and slowly poke you out of lane. Play around your range advantage and focus on chipping him down whenever he walks up. If he wastes his Q, that's usually your best window to look for a trade or even an all-in since he loses a lot of his ability to fight back. If you're struggling with the matchup, Mercs are really high value and make dealing with his damage and stun a lot easier.
Ekko
Try not to let Ekko proc his passive for free since that's where a lot of his burst and trading power comes from. When you look for an all-in, make sure to Ignite early instead of saving it, since it cuts down the healing from his ult and makes it much easier to finish the kill. If Ekko tries to EQ onto you, you can backwards WEQ to create space while still getting your damage off and stopping him from taking a clean trade.
Fizz
Look to take trades when Bone Plating is up since it makes a huge difference in how much damage Fizz can actually get off during his combo. Always keep track of his E as well, since that's his main way of finding trades and he can even dive or trade under your tower with it if you're not careful. If you're not confident in the matchup, picking up a Hexdrinker is completely fine and makes surviving his burst a lot easier.
Lissandra
Try not to stand in a line with her and the minion wave, otherwise she gets really easy Qs and can slowly poke you out. Be careful about using your W too freely as well, since she can look to E onto you if it's down and force a trade on her terms. Cleanse is extremely valuable in this matchup since it lets you negate her ult and makes it much harder for her to find kills. Mercs are also really good here and can make the lane feel a lot more forgiving if you're not comfortable with the matchup.
Naafiri
Try not to get hit by both parts of her Q. Taking one isn't the end of the world, but if you get clipped by both consistently you'll lose a lot of HP for no reason. Play around your range advantage as much as possible since that's what makes the matchup so good for you. Be careful about ulting while her W is still available, as she can use it to avoid a lot of your damage and make your combo awkward. Once you hit level 6, it's usually best to combo backwards and keep your distance, since her all-in can still be dangerous if you give her a clean engage.
Malzahar
Try to land Q on him whenever you get the chance early on since it helps keep his shield down and makes your poke actually stick. A lot of the time he'll look to E the wave for farm, and that's usually a good opportunity to combo him while he's focused on clearing. If you're worried about his ult, an early QSS can be a really solid purchase and makes it much harder for him to find kills. Scorch is also nice in this matchup since the extra burn damage helps delay his passive and keeps him from regenerating health as easily.
Neeko
This matchup is pretty annoying early on, so don't get impatient trying to force plays. Always pay attention to her disguising as a minion since it's easy to get caught off guard if you're not looking for it. Be really careful around her E as well. The range can get surprisingly long if it passes through something first, and that's usually how she looks to set up picks. If she ever uses her ult on you, you can time your own ult to dodge it, which can completely swing the fight in your favor.
Pantheon
Play the early lane pretty safely since Pantheon is at his strongest before level 6 and that's when he's most likely to find kills. His range is pretty short though, so you can usually get your combo off and walk away before he gets much damage back. Once you hit level 6, the matchup swings a lot more in your favor. You can use your ult to dodge or respond to his W engage, and whenever he uses E, look to WWQ behind him so he can't block your damage and you can keep the trade going on your terms.
Vex
Always look to use your W to dodge her empowered fear whenever possible since that's usually what sets up the rest of her damage. If she doesn't have fear available and has already wasted her E, that's a great window to look for an all-in since she loses most of her ability to stop your engage. If you're not comfortable with the matchup, Mercs are really high value into Vex and make dealing with her burst and crowd control a lot easier.
Ryze
Respect the first few levels since that's when he's the most threatening and can punish you if you get too aggressive. Once you hit level 3, you can pretty much look to combo and instantly back off whenever you get the chance since you outrange him and don't need to take extended trades. After level 6, if you're looking for an all-in, make sure to ult his E every time if possible. If you don't, he can root you during the fight and make your combo a lot harder to execute.
Vel'Koz
He has really long range poke, so don't get impatient and take unnecessary damage trying to force trades. Just respect his range and stay healthy. If he ever wastes his E, that's usually your best window to look for an all-in since he loses a lot of his safety and self-peel. If he's just sitting under tower and refusing to interact, don't waste time trying to force something. Push the wave when you can and look for roam opportunities instead.
Yone
Respect him early on, but keep in mind he's basically a weaker Yasuo during the laning phase. If he tries to Q onto you, just backwards WEQ and make him walk into your damage instead of taking the trade on his terms. If he uses E aggressively, you can follow him back with your R when he snaps back, which makes it really hard for him to escape. Also, if Yone ults you, you can buffer your Qs as the ult lands to guarantee both shuriken hits and get your damage out as soon as you're able to move again.
Xerath
Try to position away from the wave whenever possible so he has to choose between poking you and pushing the wave. If you're standing with the minions, he gets to do both for free. Keep an eye on his E as well, since that's usually his main defensive tool. If he wastes it, that's often your best chance to look for an all-in. I also like grabbing 300g boots early in this matchup since the extra movement speed makes dodging his spells a lot easier and helps you avoid getting chipped down in lane.
Viktor
Try not to take his auto attack after he lands a Q since that's where a lot of his trading damage comes from. If he ever walks up too far or mispositions, you can use Ignite and stick on him to run him down before he gets back to safety. When you're looking for trades, make sure to respect his W as well. If you fight into it, the trade can turn bad really quickly, so try to wait it out or force the fight after it's been used.
Ziggs
Be careful of his Q poke early on since it can slowly chip you down if you aren't paying attention. Try to position away from the wave whenever possible so he doesn't get free value from hitting both you and the minions at the same time. If he ever wastes his W, that's usually your best opportunity to look for an all-in since he loses a lot of his ability to defend himself. If he's just sitting under tower and refusing to interact, don't force anything. Clear the wave and look for roam opportunities instead of wasting time trying to kill someone who isn't giving you an opening.
Zoe
Cleanse is an absolute game changer in this matchup. It lets you get out of her sleep and gives you way more freedom to look for all-ins without worrying about getting caught. You can also time your shurikens for when Zoe lands back from her ult since she always returns to the same spot, making it much easier to land your damage. One thing a lot of people forget is how strong her passive autos are early game. Respect them, because they can honestly do more damage than her Q in the early levels if you keep giving her free hits.
Cho'Gath
Respect his sustain early on and don't throw away your own HP trying to force trades that won't stick. A lot of the time it's better to stay healthy and wait for a good opportunity. If he uses his Q, that's usually your best window to look for an all-in since he loses a lot of his ability to stop your engage. When you ult him, you can buffer your Q during the animation to make your combo smoother and harder to react to. You can also use the W-R-W combo to dodge some of his abilities while staying aggressive, which makes all-ins a lot safer if you time it well.
Karma
Respect Karma's RQ early on since it can chunk you pretty hard and make the lane difficult if you take it for free. You don't need to force trades in this matchup, just focus on farming well and staying healthy. Once you hit level 6, keep an eye on her cooldowns. If she doesn't have R available, you can look for all-ins with Ignite since she loses a lot of her ability to kite and survive without it.
Kayle
Treat Kayle's passive the same way you would Irelia's stacks. If she has passive stacked up, don't just walk up and fist fight her for no reason. Play around your range, chip her down, and make her work to get those stacks. Once you hit level 6, you can start looking for all-ins pretty often, but one important thing is to save your ult until after she uses hers. If you ult too early, she can just negate a huge part of your damage with her ult and completely ruin your combo.
Swain
If he wastes his pull, that's usually your best chance to look for an all-in, especially if he starts walking up too far. Make sure to punish him whenever he oversteps without it. If you're committing to an all-in and he uses his ult, always Ignite him early so you cut down the healing and make it much easier to finish the kill. Other than that, just play around your range advantage. You outrange him pretty hard, so focus on poking and spacing instead of giving him the close-range fights he wants.
Talon
Respect his burst potential since he can kill you a lot faster than you might expect if you misplay. The good thing is that you have the range advantage, so focus on poking him down and forcing him to take bad trades before he ever gets in range. If he tries to WQ onto you, just backwards combo and make him chase into your damage instead of fighting on his terms. When he uses his ult, you can either time your own ult to dodge a big part of it or use your W to kite him out until it expires.
Tristana
Be really careful with how you use your W in this matchup. If it's down, she can W-E onto you and force a trade that's heavily in her favor. Try to keep it available unless you know you're completely safe. When you're looking for an all-in, one of the biggest things is timing your ult on her E. If you do it properly, you can deny the second jump and make it much harder for her to outplay or escape the fight.
Twisted Fate
Try not to take his stacked E auto for free since that's where a lot of his trading damage comes from. Look to poke him whenever you get the chance and keep him low enough that he's forced to stay in lane instead of freely roaming around the map. Always keep an eye on his ult as well and spam ping your team whenever you think he has a roam angle. A lot of games are lost because people don't respect his ult timer. When you're looking for an all-in, try to hold your ult until he throws out his gold card so you can avoid getting locked down and keep control of the fight.
Vladimir
Never let him get an empowered Q onto you for free since that's where a huge chunk of his damage comes from. In this matchup, just focus on farming well and getting consistent First Strike procs whenever you can. As long as you play cautiously, don't die early, and keep your CS up, you'll hit your item spikes way faster than he will. When you do look for all-ins, try to save your ult until after he uses W so he can't avoid your damage, and make sure to Ignite every all-in since it helps secure kills and reduces his ability to turn the fight around.
Zyra
Zyra isn't actually that strong early on by herself. Most of her poke comes from her plants, so don't get chipped down for free by letting them hit you. If she ever wastes her E, that's usually your signal to look for an all-in since she loses her main way of stopping your engage. You can also walk over her seeds before they activate to stop the plants from spawning, which makes the lane a lot easier to manage. Just keep your range and be patient. If you do decide to all-in, make sure you're aware of her ult since it can completely turn the fight around if you tunnel vision on the kill.
Aurelion Sol
Try to play behind your minion wave whenever you can so he can't freely hit you with his Q. If he uses his W to dash away, you can follow it with your ult to stay on him and keep the pressure up. You can also use your shadow to dodge his ultimate if you react fast enough. Don't be too scared of him after level 6 either, since that's when you start becoming a lot stronger and can take control of the matchup.
Corki
Respect his damage early on since his trades can be a lot stronger than they look. Once you hit level 6 though, the matchup becomes much easier to play. Be careful around his W, especially if you've already used your own W. He can use it to force trades and the damage adds up really fast if you stay inside it for too long.
After level 6, you can constantly look to poke with W and back off before he gets a chance to respond. If he ever commits with his W trying to force a fight, that's usually your window to turn and all-in with R. From level 6 onwards you have a huge range advantage, so focus on abusing that and don't give him free opportunities to get on top of you.
Galio
Always play around your range advantage in this matchup. You outscale him and your short trades are a lot stronger, so there's no reason to force anything crazy early. If Galio ever tries to E onto you, you can backwards WEQ to create space while still getting your damage off. The biggest thing is making sure you farm well and stay even or ahead in CS and XP. As long as you're not falling behind, Zed will naturally reach a point where he can just beat Galio in the side lane and in most 1v1 situations.
Kassadin
You don't need to force anything early or sacrifice your HP for small advantages. Just play around your range and slowly chip him down whenever he gives you opportunities. When you do decide to all-in, try to save your WQ for after he uses his ult if possible. That way it's much harder for him to avoid your damage and you'll get a lot more value out of your combo.
Seraphine
If you dodge her E, you pretty much win any all-in. That's the main ability you need to watch for, so don't rush your engage. Outside of that, whenever you get into range you can usually just combo her and force a winning trade. In all-in situations, you can W-E-R-W to dodge her ult and stay on top of her, which makes it really hard for her to fight back.
Smolder
He can be really annoying to deal with early on, but just be patient and get through the lane. Once you hit level 6, the matchup becomes a lot easier and you're generally much stronger. For trades, look to WEQ and immediately walk backwards so he doesn't get a chance to trade back for free. When you go for an all-in, try to save your WEQ instead of using it right away. That way if he dashes, you can follow his movement and make sure your combo still connects.
Taliyah
If she ever walks up too far, don't be afraid to use Ignite and Nimbus to run her down. A lot of the time she won't be able to get away if she's out of position. Her only real peel is her W, and it's pretty easy to dodge if you're paying attention, so don't let it scare you off good all-in opportunities. Outside of that, you can comfortably play around your range advantage and use your W to poke her down from a distance before committing to anything bigger.
Veigar
Look to constantly poke him with your shadow and slowly chip him down before committing to anything. Be respectful of his cage whenever you're thinking about all-inning, since it can completely stop your engage if you aren't careful. On the other hand, if his cage is down, that's usually your green light to run him down and force a fight. Also keep in mind that you can use your ult to dodge his ult if you time it properly, which can completely swing the all-in in your favor.
I go by the name v222 and I been playing League Of Legends since Season 3. zed is best my champion and i have a lot of experience with him. I’ve had a lot of success and wins with zed and i can confidently say that i know exactly what you need to do to win games with zed in season 16 and get some free LP. Im full time streaming on twitch and I played semi-professionally. I have peaked top 20 EUW with 2000 LP in season 16 and been consistently challenger since SEASON 11.
[ALL MATCHUPS] [26.14] ZED Guide 2000LP+ EUW Challenger
Build Guide By V222
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