Hello Spohokles,

I strongly dislike tear/archangel staff because it lacks CDR, provides no utility and to top it off gives no real combat stats during your laning phase/mid-game. I value Cooldown Reduction to spam speed up/ults and double bombs much more often. If you find yourself having mana issues, I suggest Mikheal's Crucibles. It provides intense mana regen which should remove any real mana issues you are having and it gives 10 percent cdr as well, if that wasn't enough it gives one of the best peeling abilties in the game to cancel cc and synergizes with zilean's speed ups. Tear isn't a bad item, it simply doesn't suit the playstyle I put forth in this guide. I've seen plenty of good zilean supports build it, I think it is much more of a carry/damage dealer sort of zilean item.

Regarding your second point about maxing e after 2 points in q. I myself have done that in certain circumstances. If i have a kog maw or a twitch adc who HIGHLY utilizes speed ups to put out damage/reposition, I will do this max order, or if I have an engage champion like maokai/rammus/ammumu who can really use the speed ups to set up team fights I might consider it. But this is more of a rare max order which I only recommend if you are duoing with the person, you plan on speeding. When you go with this max order, you will obviously sacrfice maxing your double bomb. This not only hurts your damage but severely nerfs your stun pressure(1.5seconds-1.1seconds). Having a stronger speed up is not usually worth nerfing an aoe stun's duration if it isn't because used properly. But in certain cases it is plenty worth it. Not maxing q, also gives no you no lane pressure and its really easy to get stomped bot without a strong double bomb.

But in the end it comes down to playstyle and preference, see what works for you.

Have fun with Zil

Hi ScdoWn,

That is a great question actually, and it completely depends on your playstyle.
I always build Ancient Coin as I prefer a more passive and safe laning phase. It also builds into Talisman of Ascension(which is part of the core build in this guide) which has a tremendously helpful active that blends well with Zilean's kit.

Spellthief's Edge is a good item for zileans that play poke lane, but I don't feel that to be rewarding with Zilean's very high mana costs and low damage. I don't really prefer Frostqueen's claim either.

Keep in mind that I am a Zilean entirely devoted to utility and I never build damaging but there will be games where you get fed(rare) and you will be building ap. Zilean is really flexible, all that matters is that you have a gameplan Hope this helps.

Hey ScdoWn,

Your question is rather silly, because Zilean is an offensive champion, therefore you should start with Spellthief's Edge, because that support item increases your damage output when you have ready stacks. Besides, Spellthief's Edge is a more beneficial gold item than Ancient Coin if you are playing actively.
Hope I answered this question.

-monimakaroni