Introduction

Hello my name is Rarnetto and welcome to my in-depth guide on playing AP Zeri in the mid lane! While Zeri is commonly known for her ADC role, her exceptional AP ratios on abilities such as her ultimate and empowered zap auto attacks make her a formidable bursty AP assassin. Coupled with her incredible mobility and the ability to traverse walls with her E, Zeri thrives in the mid lane as a champion capable of unleashing devastating bursts of damage.

In this guide, I will delve into the intricacies of playing Zeri as an AP mid laner, sharing valuable insights gained from my extensive experience and countless hours of testing and theorycrafting. Whether you're a seasoned Zeri player or new to this exciting playstyle, I aim to provide you with the knowledge and tips to optimise your build, dominate your lane, and snowball games into the favour of your team.

With AP Zeri, your playstyle revolves around pushing and farming your lane while remaining vigilant for opportunities to roam and secure advantages for your team. Utilising her ganking potential and the element of surprise offered by her wall engages, you can swiftly eliminate unsuspecting opponents, leading to advantageous outcomes and overall team success.

Are you ready to take your Zeri gameplay to new heights? Let's dive in and discover the path to success with AP Zeri in the mid lane and revel in the excitement and enjoyment this unique pick brings!

In the laning phase as Zeri, your primary objective is to excel in farming while aggressively pushing your lane with your Q ability and empowered auto attacks. This strategy proves highly effective, especially at level 1, as very few champions can match your early game pushing prowess. By doing so, you gain a significant advantage at level 2 when you unlock your E ability, allowing you to push even more efficiently and create opportunities for roaming. You can additionally trade using your Q reset auto with E combo which followed by zap passive to trigger electrocute trades.

Example early kill in lane due to pushing:

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Once you've reached your opponent's turret and cleared the minion wave, it's the perfect time to assess potential roaming opportunities. Surprisingly, even as early as level 2, you can utilize your E ability to navigate through walls and explore other areas of the map. This opens up the possibility of surprising your enemies or providing assistance to your teammates in different lanes.

Here's an example of a level 2 roam in action:

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When you reach level 6 and have acquired some starting items like Hextech Alternator, you have the option to pursue different strategies depending on the situation. In lane, one approach is to consider going all-in on enemies with your ultimate when they are around half health or lower. In this scenario, weave in empowered auto attacks onto your opponent while simultaneously pushing the minion wave with your Q ability. Additionally, take advantage of poking opportunities by firing your W ability through walls, dealing significant damage. Once your opponents are sufficiently weakened, you can initiate an all-in.

Alternatively, you can choose to focus on ganking bot lane with your ultimate. This strategy involves heading towards either of the two long walls in the bot side: one near the tri bush and the other connecting dragon and blue buff. Utilize your E ability to swiftly traverse the wall and catch your enemies by surprise. Execute your engaging combo by aiming your W ability at the anticipated escape path just before completing the wall traversal. Follow up with your ultimate to hit them and prioritize your best single target using the passive empowered zap auto attack. Finally, finish them off with a barrage of Q auto attacks.

By presenting both tactics as viable options, you can adapt your gameplay to the specific circumstances of each match. Whether you choose to go for direct all-ins in lane or prioritise ganking bot lane to assist your teammates and secure objectives like dragon, the choice is yours to make based on the evolving dynamics of the game.

Example ganks bot lane:

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During the mid-game, you have the greatest opportunity to snowball and shine as Zeri. This is the phase where you should actively seek out roaming opportunities and make impactful plays whenever they arise. Be relentless in your pursuit of kills, ensuring that you take down turrets and secure important objectives like the Rift Herald and Dragon after successful ganks. It's during this stage of the game that AP Zeri truly comes into her own, traversing walls with agility and obliterating enemies with her devastating bursts of damage. Prepare to unleash your full potential and leave a trail of destruction in your wake.

Example mid game gank opportunity:

Example 1: Play Video
Example 2: Play Video

Punishing no Flash (all-in window):

When your opponent has no Flash and you have both your ultimate and Flash available, don't hesitate to commit for a full burst all-in,Zeri excels at quickly deleting targets in these windows.
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In the late game as Zeri, your focus should be on effectively pushing out lanes and actively contesting objectives such as Baron and late-game Dragons. Ideally, you should be ahead of your opponents in terms of items, allowing you to maintain your teamfight dominance. Look for opportunities to secure kills by utilizing your abilities to catch enemies off guard, especially when fighting near walls. Capitalize on the element of surprise and coordinate with your teammates to secure crucial picks.

However, if you find yourself struggling in teamfights, it might be worth considering splitpushing as a strategic option. If you have teleport available is even easier. You can leverage your exceptional pushing power and utilize your E ability to traverse along walls, ensuring a quick escape route into the safety of the jungle. I recommend splitpushing the top lane when Baron is up, as it enables you to easily rotate for a Baron fight. On the other hand, if Baron is down, prioritize splitpushing the bot lane to apply pressure in that area.

Remember, the late game is a critical phase where strategic decision-making and effective macro play can heavily influence the outcome of the match. Stay focused, communicate with your team, and adapt your strategy accordingly to secure victory.

At very late stages of the game look for opportunities to push side lanes or get high prority picks jumping to squishy enemies after traversing over walls with E. A lot of champions will scale better in late game so you have to play smartly.

Ideal late game Splitpush after baron:

When you have Baron, be the one to take it to a sidelane. The pressure you create across multiple lanes can often be the deciding factor in ending the game.
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Here is an example of splitpushing on Zeri:

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Here is an example of my playstyle in the lategame:

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Throughout my time playing as Zeri, I've developed a deep understanding of the champion and honed my skills. Here are some helpful tips that I've personally found to be quite effective while playing as Zeri. These insights might not be widely known, so they could give you an edge in your games.

When dealing with enemy wards, try incorporating passive zap auto attacks between your Q abilities. This clever technique allows you to swiftly dismantle wards. See an example here:
Play Video
Resetting your Q auto attack timer can be done by quickly following up with your E ability then recasting Q. By doing this, you can seamlessly continue your attack sequence and keep up a consistent offensive or kite enemies with ease.

Your passive zap uncharged autoattacks execute threshold actually scales with ap, so with this build you can use a zap passive auto against very low health enemies to finish them off. This can be extremely useful in certain situations.

During wall traversals using your E ability, you are able to cast your W skill mid ride. Launching your W near the end of the traversal maximizes its range, as the projectile will be fired from the precise point where it was initially cast. Your R can also be cast during wall traversals so if there is an opportunity look out for this too!

When bursting down an enemy, engage from cover and surprise them traversing over a wall with your E. While traversing, cast your W where you expect your enemy to run towards, then as soon as you get in range cast your R and follow up with a passive zap auto attack, finishing with Nashor's Tooth auto procs.

Example 1: Standard full burst combo Play Video
Example 2: Predicting enemy escape path with W during engage Play Video
When in combat with enemy champions holding the space bar down to lock the camera to yourself tends to make the fight easier. Given you have to constantly aim your q on enemies, you dont have to spend time dragging around he camera then quickly swiping mouse back to aim at them. Try it out and thank me later!

These tips demonstrate the intricacies of Zeri's gameplay mechanics. By implementing them, you'll have additional tools at your disposal to elevate your performance. Experiment with these strategies and discover the full potential of this dynamic champion.

Jarvan and Zeri Synergy:

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In conclusion, playing as AP Zeri offers an exciting and rewarding experience that is unorthodox but can be very effective in skilled hands. With her unique abilities and playstyle, she can dominate the laning phase, make impactful roams, and unleash devastating bursts of damage in teamfights. It's crucial to master her mechanics, such as efficiently using her Q and weaving in empowered auto attacks, utilising her E to traverse walls for surprise attacks, and getting used to her burst combo and timing when to all in.

Throughout this guide, we've covered various aspects of playing Zeri, from the laning phase to the late game. We've discussed optimal itemisation, skill order, and strategies for different stages of the game (Hover over notes in these sections). Remember, flexibility and adaptation are key when playing Zeri. While the guide provides a solid foundation, don't hesitate to experiment and adjust your gameplay to suit different situations and team compositions.

As you embark on your journey with Zeri, keep in mind that practice and perseverance are crucial for mastering any champion. Take the time to understand her strengths, weaknesses, and nuances. Stay patient, learn from both victories and defeats, and continuously refine your skills.

Author's Notes:

Please note that this guide is constantly being updated to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information. Stay tuned for updates, new strategies, and potential changes in the meta.

Experimentation is key. While this guide offers recommendations and optimal strategies, don't be afraid to try out different item builds, skill orders, and playstyles that suit your preferences and playstyle. Adaptability is a valuable skill in League of Legends.

Have fun! League of Legends is ultimately a game, and enjoying your time on the Rift is essential. Embrace the thrill of playing Zeri, experiment with her abilities, and savor those satisfying moments when your lightning strikes true.

Happy gaming and may your lightning always crash with devastating impact!
Rarnetto