His Level 3 with a Strong adc is very dangerous. After your first base with a Kindlegem dont be affraid to get engaged by him you win 2v2 most likely if you have the stronger or even Adc. Level 6+ You hard outscaled from now on you can play agressively and always win 2v2. You can follow roams.
Bard
Very easy to lane, you outrange him and can punish in Lane. Where this Matchup gets sometimes difficult is that you cant follow his roams so you need to ping your mid laner back. High Elo: Try to punish Adc while he roams and dont follow all roams. Try to not Autoattack trade into his passive and use your Range advantage with bombs.
Blitzcrank
ITs all about positioning yourself in the Wave so he cant hook you. Play it fairly passive with Guardian until Level 3 if you have a strong Adc otherwhise farm 6. Dont forget his R Silence. If he times it well you have a hard time to Ult late. Big punish Window is always when the hook is used.
Brand
Fairly Dangerous and a skill matchup if you are able to dodge more spells than him than you win. Ask for Ganks, E into double bomb is always a kill on Brand. Brand lanes might push most likely. You have the better scaling and always win after level 6.
Braum
The easiest Matchup Zilean has in the game. When he shields you can throwh the bombs behind him and they still hit, Play Agressive Level 3+ You are stronger than him and outscale. Just make sure to not get hit by his Q and you always win.
Fiddlesticks
Fiddlesticks is one of these Champions you just hate to play against when playing Zilean. He can 1 Shot you in silence from almost 90% HP. Buy many wards and try to always know where he is. Stand behind the time so he cant ult directly onto you.
Janna
Depending on The elo its between Minor Thread and Extreme. Janna is very lane dominant. The worse the Janna the easier it is to make plays in the early game. Try to ask your jungler for Ganks, she is immobile. Start ALWAYS combos with E on Janna, due to her high base movement speed its hard to hit here with Doublebomb.
Karma
She has a lot of Poke, the Lane until Level 6 is fairly hard. You need to make sure to survive and take some bad backs and give up farm. As soon as you hit Level 6 there is noway you loose 2v2. Easy ganks, you can just E and doublebomb. Buy a Refillable Potion on first base to make laning easier.
Leona
You have to always respect her E range. Her amount of CC is brutal. She is a very scary Opponent paired up with a agressive Adc because every Leona E is a kill. After 6 you should win 2v2s. You outscale her hard.
Lulu
Similiar to Janna, Skill matchup. Its mainly about preparing a good gank setup and killing them with your Jungler or Mid laner roaming. She scales even and is stronger in lane until Level 6 but you outrange her. Midgame is your time to shine. Level 6-10 you usually win if you arent to behind.
Lux
Very hard matchup. Her E has a big hitbox so its almost impossible to dodge. Focus a lot on dodging her Q because it means likely a Oneshot. She is very vulnerable to your Ganksetup since she is pushing and immobile so ask for ganks. You outscale her Level 6.
Morgana
Paired with Caitlyn its going to Even / Major. Besides that its fairly easy. The Binding is a slow Skillshot that you should be able to dodge most of the time. After Level 6 you just win straight up 2v2. Dont Doublebomb to much you just outscale her heavily.
Nami
she outdamages you dont try to trade ever in her W range in laning Phase. Setup Ganks, just play for all ins 3v2 / 2v2 if you have a strong allin Adc. You outscale Nami hard.
Nautilus
Respect especially his Level 1. Its about positioning yourself behind the Wave so he cant hook and After Level 6 it should be very free even if he hooks you. Give up some farm when the wave is in the middle and Naut threatens to hook you its fine you outscale.
Pantheon
One of the worst Matchups in the game before Level 3. His W range is 50 Range higher then your E so you have technically no counterplay at all to stop him from gapclosing. His damage is absolutely absurd. You outscale. Roam sometimes. Call your jungler. Probably very easy matchup in low MMR because Pantheons dont push to there limits level 1-3.
Pyke
Pyke used to be the worst Matchups for Zilean but he was just in a horrible spot in Season 11. Now that he has good Items again its reaaaly hard in laning phase. He wins Lane and is very hard to gank due to his spellkit. He is better in Roaming and skirmishes. I personally ban Cait and i cry when they play Pyke. Play the lane as safe as possible and make your way to level 6. In mid game your Champion is a lot stronger then pyke.
Rakan
I like this matchup a lot i usually put 2 Points in E so my Adc can run out of the W of Rakan. IF you do that consistently he is very lost and can only roam to win the matchup. You can also match the roams and he cant really catch you out. Be carefull of his Level 6 Ult W when you are below 75% HP and dont have exhaust you might get 1 shot and cant R. If his W is out you can ignore the champ and just focus the enemy adc.
Seraphine
But it seems to be Similiar to Janna but she doesnt have such a dominant Lane. Gank her a lot you are way Stronger Level 3+ and in the mid game. Try to engage her whenenver you can. She cant do a lot in All ins vs you.
Sett
Very hard matchup. Often Setts look to flash on you Level 1/2 with his E and still have Hexflash. After Level 6 it should be easy to win. Its again about giving up some cs, sit back and outscale. You can roam but be carefull they have a good dive. 2 Points E are good.
Sona
Almost the same as Seraphine fairly easy to stomp in lane but be carefull she outscales you. Call your jungler and dive her over and over post 6. Start with E and she cant dodge your double bombs.Level 3+ always free to kill.
Soraka
Buy antiheal first. She has good base damage but you can match it. Again easy to lockdown CC Level 3+. Also call jungler she is easy to gank. Be carefull she outscales you most likely due to her absurd healing numbers.
Zilean
Stop playing Blind pick. Hop in ranked and get your LP.
Swain
Fairly hard to play he has tons of damage and even if you lock him down you will not be able to 1 shot him. I would suggest roaming, he cant really follow and 2v2 seems to be quite hard.
Taric
You can keep him on range and scale for free vs him. Be carefull if he hits a E you loose 70% of your HP. In late game Zilean is really insane to kite Taric. You outrange him hard and can pressure lane.
Thresh
Not easy to play you are pretty much dead Pre level 6 if he hits a hook on you or your adc. Play around the wave, let them push. Also very scary are his ganks with lantern and flash. AS soon as you have 6 you should win 2v2. The Champion also outroams you at all stages of the game. Its tough in high MMR, but the matchup is fairly playable below Master.
Yuumi
Its a easy matchup but she scales so well so you need to punish her which is not that easy. Try to roam when you push the wave or atleast put good vision. Abuse weak early game. Level 6 you should also win hard. But be carefull later on its getting difficult.
Zyra
Scary until Level 3 than you should win most all ins and you outscaled her on Level 6. Try to not get poked to much and just farm Minions and XP until Level 6. E into doublebomb should be at most cases a kill. Dodging her E is Key.
Samira
The champ Kills you in every 2v2 bot. Her W blocks your bombs which makes 2v2 unplayable. Avoid and farm up. The champ is nerfed so much that you outscale it already at level 6.
Tristana
She can just jump in your face in the laning phase and you have no way to trade back to that. Stand very safe until Level 3. And fairly safe until level 6. This Champ will still 1 shot Single target all the time but it gets playable post 6. Dont use bombs so you have them to instandly bomb her after jumping him.
Rell
Rell is rather dependant on the ADC matchup. If she is paired with a strong adc you will have a very hard time surviving her W engage. Try to bait it sometimes run out of it with E and doublebomb her. That way you get a heavily winning trade. After 6 make sure to not stick to your adc. IF rell cant W R both of you you should win all 2v2s.
Trundle
Hard, if he is playing with bush pressure there is nothing you can do. Dont walk up at all Max E and start E and just pray. He can kill you whenever he wants if you are to deep in the lane. Roam a lot you heavily outscale Trundle Support.
Lucian
Lucian Nami is a strong combination that 1 shots you level 2+. Play the lane very respectful and ask for jungle help. Lucian without a nami is not a big thread. he cant dash in when you hold your bombs.
Senna
My personal ban currently. She always wins trades scales even and has good sustain. Her E completely destroyes your opportunity to open up with the slow.
Aphelios
I like having an Aphelios his stun is a great setup for a Double bomb and when he has the White+ Blue/Red gun he does tons of damage when you CC the opponent. He is also a great hypercarry who can go melee and receive your Ult.
Ashe
Very good she is early game Strong and carries you through the early levels of the lane. Her dps is decent and your speedups provide Ashe the mobility she needs to be a strong DPS in Fights. Also her Ult is a great Setup for your combo.
Caitlyn
She is lane strong and carries you kindoff through the lane. She works also as a Hypercarrie and benefits a lot from CC and speedups you give her. She is usually further back in the fights and not a great Ult target. Its hard and often not possible for Caitlyn to time there traps with your double bomb.
Draven
The best Adc you can have as Zilean. He is lane dominant, carried you in the lane gets huge benefits from Speedups and when you cc the opponent. A Draven also wants to get very close to the oppoents and be the Target so you can just ult him afterwards. If you want to duo an Adc take a Draven player.
Ezreal
Its fairly good, he doesnt benefit from your speedups. But if you slow the enemys its very easy for Ezreal to land his Q in Fights. He is also rather a backline carry and not a great ult target.
Jinx
Jinx is a fine lane partner to scale up with in lane. You both want to farm and have great CC setup for a junglegank to kill the opponent. Its solid but not the best.
Kai'Sa
Kaisa gets stacks on her passive for your double bomb ofcourse and has huge DPS if you CC the Target. I see it often misstimed with the Kaisa R and Zilean R which goes horrible wrong. In general to close Range to play with i personally dont like Kaisa.
Kalista
The worst Adc to have. Kalista needs someone to go in for her and thats simply not you. She wants to play agressive from Level 1 and Zilean feels very useless in that spot.
Kog'Maw
Kog maw is weak in lane, Yes he could need the mobility but to be really strong he should get a shield Supportand Zilean can not really be that. In teamfights if he is the target you ult he will just be out of position and die again.
Lucian
its great he wants to go close range and benefits a lot from movement speed. You can also play him as someone who goes really deep and than receives your ult It works fine. He is not that type of Hypercarry adc that you want.
Miss Fortune
Really great she benefits a lot from your movement Speed, Her E is a setup for your double bomb. Also its very nice in lane to do: E into double bomb and MF ults on that they easily loose 60%+ HP
Samira
She can dash in and travel your bombs, likes your ult and gets value from movement speed. The only thing is her passive wants a heavy hard CC support which Zilean is not.
Senna
Nice adc to play with, she provides you with sustain, her W and Glacial auto attacks are a great setup for bombs and she can also use your movement speed buffs. Fasting Senna with Zilean is extremely broken.
Sivir
Both scaling Champions, you can get easily dove and Movement speed is again overcap with the Sivir ult. She can use your CC to autoattack alot and Hit her Q guranteed but its still horrible.
Tristana
Horrible Tristana wants to play extremely agressive first level, she cant use your movement speed at all since she just junp resets. Your cc is nice but she wants a tank Supp that engages for her.
Varus
You can be the setup for the Varus skillshots but also Varus R can be setup for you. He has great DPS with no mobility where you come in place.
Vayne
Usually bad but depending on the vayne. Really good vaynes win most lanes and they can E enemys into your doublebombs when you throwh them behind really advanced but strong combo.
Xayah
Pretty good she also has tons of DPS which gets effective when you speed her. Also its nice to CC the enemys and Xayah can farm a lot of feathers behind them for a clutch E while they stand still.
Jhin
Insane adc, extremely good in the meta and can use your movement speed great. Also has a nice follow up on your CC
Kayn
Kayn benefits a lot from your movement speed and is a great hypercarry. He can always stack full conquerer and get a revive if he is not fed enough yet to 1v5 without R. A great Champion to duoQ.
Master Yi
Master yi is one of the s trongest hypercarries in the game. A big problem due to many champions beeing very mobile rightnow is that yi cant stick that close to his enemys. Zilean completely fills that role and gives him great peel. Playing duoQ with a Master Yi jungle player is something i definitely recommend.
Zeri
Synergies
IdealStrongOkLowNone
Aphelios
I like having an Aphelios his stun is a great setup for a Double bomb and when he has the White+ Blue/Red gun he does tons of damage when you CC the opponent. He is also a great hypercarry who can go melee and receive your Ult.
Ashe
Very good she is early game Strong and carries you through the early levels of the lane. Her dps is decent and your speedups provide Ashe the mobility she needs to be a strong DPS in Fights. Also her Ult is a great Setup for your combo.
Caitlyn
She is lane strong and carries you kindoff through the lane. She works also as a Hypercarrie and benefits a lot from CC and speedups you give her. She is usually further back in the fights and not a great Ult target. Its hard and often not possible for Caitlyn to time there traps with your double bomb.
Draven
The best Adc you can have as Zilean. He is lane dominant, carried you in the lane gets huge benefits from Speedups and when you cc the opponent. A Draven also wants to get very close to the oppoents and be the Target so you can just ult him afterwards. If you want to duo an Adc take a Draven player.
Ezreal
Its fairly good, he doesnt benefit from your speedups. But if you slow the enemys its very easy for Ezreal to land his Q in Fights. He is also rather a backline carry and not a great ult target.
Jinx
Jinx is a fine lane partner to scale up with in lane. You both want to farm and have great CC setup for a junglegank to kill the opponent. Its solid but not the best.
Kai'Sa
Kaisa gets stacks on her passive for your double bomb ofcourse and has huge DPS if you CC the Target. I see it often misstimed with the Kaisa R and Zilean R which goes horrible wrong. In general to close Range to play with i personally dont like Kaisa.
Kalista
The worst Adc to have. Kalista needs someone to go in for her and thats simply not you. She wants to play agressive from Level 1 and Zilean feels very useless in that spot.
Kog'Maw
Kog maw is weak in lane, Yes he could need the mobility but to be really strong he should get a shield Supportand Zilean can not really be that. In teamfights if he is the target you ult he will just be out of position and die again.
Lucian
its great he wants to go close range and benefits a lot from movement speed. You can also play him as someone who goes really deep and than receives your ult It works fine. He is not that type of Hypercarry adc that you want.
Miss Fortune
Really great she benefits a lot from your movement Speed, Her E is a setup for your double bomb. Also its very nice in lane to do: E into double bomb and MF ults on that they easily loose 60%+ HP
Samira
She can dash in and travel your bombs, likes your ult and gets value from movement speed. The only thing is her passive wants a heavy hard CC support which Zilean is not.
Senna
Nice adc to play with, she provides you with sustain, her W and Glacial auto attacks are a great setup for bombs and she can also use your movement speed buffs. Fasting Senna with Zilean is extremely broken.
Sivir
Both scaling Champions, you can get easily dove and Movement speed is again overcap with the Sivir ult. She can use your CC to autoattack alot and Hit her Q guranteed but its still horrible.
Tristana
Horrible Tristana wants to play extremely agressive first level, she cant use your movement speed at all since she just junp resets. Your cc is nice but she wants a tank Supp that engages for her.
Varus
You can be the setup for the Varus skillshots but also Varus R can be setup for you. He has great DPS with no mobility where you come in place.
Vayne
Usually bad but depending on the vayne. Really good vaynes win most lanes and they can E enemys into your doublebombs when you throwh them behind really advanced but strong combo.
Xayah
Pretty good she also has tons of DPS which gets effective when you speed her. Also its nice to CC the enemys and Xayah can farm a lot of feathers behind them for a clutch E while they stand still.
Jhin
Insane adc, extremely good in the meta and can use your movement speed great. Also has a nice follow up on your CC
Kayn
Kayn benefits a lot from your movement speed and is a great hypercarry. He can always stack full conquerer and get a revive if he is not fed enough yet to 1v5 without R. A great Champion to duoQ.
Master Yi
Master yi is one of the s trongest hypercarries in the game. A big problem due to many champions beeing very mobile rightnow is that yi cant stick that close to his enemys. Zilean completely fills that role and gives him great peel. Playing duoQ with a Master Yi jungle player is something i definitely recommend.
WORK IN PROGRESS I am trying to update it everyday from now on and everything below this is not in the final version yet. I still released it already to give you guys the Itembuilds and Matchup advice.
Hello. My Name is Biotic. I started playing League of Legends in 2015 and peaked Challenger in Season 7 for the first time. I played multiple roles and Champions but had big success with Thresh Support and Heimerdinger Top/Mid back then. I experimented with many Roles and Champions and fell in love with Zilean at the end of Season 7. I ended up with a 35% WInrate over more then 200 Games but wanted to learn and master the Chronokeeper. Since the end of Season 10 ive been frequently playing in Challenger with Zilean. I have roughly three million mastery points on Zilean between various accounts on the EUW server. During Season 11, I also managed to hit Rank 10 on my main during MSI.
Why Zilean you may ask?[/h1]
Zilean is one of the most unique Champions among the Supports. While having one of the oldest Kits in League of Legends Zilean is without any major Changes a absolute powerhouse since 4+ Years. His Unique way of entchanting, high movementspeed to roam and rotate, heavy Ability Haste scaling and ofcourse the revive makes him one of the most obnoxious champions to play against. If you like a entchanter with a Unique Playstyle ,one of the best scalings in the game and beeing the Carry in Teamfights with a clutch Revive Zilean is your Champion.
media links
Before we get started i often stream my soloQ Adventure in High Challenger and sometimes on smurf on twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/bioticzilean If you feel like there is something i left out in the guide come in my Streamchat i am always down to answer and explain my thoughts on Zilean. If you like to meet some other fellow Zilean enjoyers join my Discord: https://discord.gg/D9u6BDxzE8 now lets get started with the guide:
abilities
Zileans Passive [[Time in a Bottle] generates Passive XP
You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.