Zac Build Guide by Darkzellos

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Darkzellos. I am a silver/gold jungler in solo queue and wanted to make a guide for a champion that has given me a lot of success in low elo games. This is my first guide and would love any feedback.

Pros / Cons

Pros:
- Strong Sustain
- Strong ganks pre & post lvl 6
- Resourceless
- Strong engage

Cons:
- Low Killing power
- Squishy early game
- Skill shot engage
- High IP cost

Runes

Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed - Increase starting movement speed. This increases gank potential as well as increase clear speed slightly.

Greater Mark of Attack Damage - You're probably wondering why I take AD marks on an AP champion, well its due to the fact that we are not building AP. This guide is for a control/tank Zac so we need a way to increase our clear speed early and since Zac spends a lot of time punching mobs at lvl 1 increase AD helps.

Greater Seal of Armor - Reduce damage taken from jungle monsters. Basic jungler seal.

Greater Glyph of Magic Resist - Reduce damage taken from AP. Increase tankiness. Basic jungler glyphs.

Skill Sequence

E: Elastic Slingshot

This is the skill that makes Zac. By maxing E first, you are able to gank lanes from locations that most junglers would not be able to. For example, a Zac that maxed E would be able to gank mid lane from the Raptor camp. This allows them to bypass ward coverage in places like river and tri bushes. Zac is able to capitalize on players that do not have proper ward coverage, as well as respond quickly to ganks on his teammates.

W: Unstable Matter

Zac's main damage spell. I max this skill second to increase clear speed in the mid game. With W doing percent health damage this allows him to clear well with a low rank of this ability and to concentrate on maxing his E to increase the effectiveness of his ganks.

Q: Stretching Strike

Pretty basic ability. This allows Zac to slow all targets in a line in front of him. This ability can be maxed second if you are going for a more control style of play, but I found that Rank 1 Q + Stalker's Blade gives me plenty of slow for ganks.

R: Let's Bounce

Zac's ultimate is his disrupter. After a short charge, Zac starts to bounce off the ground up to 4 times, knocking up enemies, and slowing them for a 20%. This skill can be used both offensively to disrupt the enemy team or defensively to peel for your carries.

Items

Stalker's Blade - Cinderhulk - I choose Stalker's Blade over Ranger's Trailblazer due to it providing Zac another means of controlling his ganks. With only one rank in his Q, Stalker's Blade allows him to slow opponents even longer. Besides, who doesn't love to steal some kills with a Smite!

Boots of Mobility - Movement speed is the name of the game. Zac is a very strong ganker and is even stronger in a counter gank situation. Mobility boots + movement speed quints + Elastic Slingshot gives Zac the ability to get across the map quick and can turn the tide of any fight.

Spirit Visage - Almost always a must-buy on Zac. Health, cooldown, and increased sustain are all useful stats that synergizes extremely well with Zac's kit.

Randuin's Omen - Randuin's is your basic armor item giving Zac even more health as well as another means to slow the enemy team.

Locket of the Iron Solari/ Dead Man's Plate - These items are situational depending on the enemy team comp. If you are going against a team with a lot of magic damage, pick up a Locket of the Iron Solari. If the enemy team is AD heavy, then a Dead Man's Plate gives you the means to counter that damage.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter - Rylai's is a great item for Zac when he's ahead. Health, AP damage, and again a slow to his abilities gives him great control over teamfights.

Warmog's Armor - Health. Health. And more Health. Zac thrives off health and what better item than Warmog's Armor to get it.

There are many items that Zac can benefit from and it takes a bit of trial and error before finding the combination that is just right for you in that game.

Jungling - Early game

So jungling, with Zac I always like to take a safe path to maximize my clearing speed. To do this I start with Gromp on Blue buff side. The poison from Grump helps clear speed. From there the camp kill order goes as follows:

Gromp -> Blue Buff -> Red Buff -> Raptors

This clear path will give you level 3 as well as put you in a position to either back for your stalker's blade if your lanes are pushed or gank mid lane. Most low elo junglers here are going to attempt a midlane gank and a successful counter-gank can set the pace for the rest of the game.

By level 5, your E should have enough range to make an impact in bottom lane. Make sure to keep communicating with your laners for ward coverage. Zac's E allows him to gank the bottom lane from tri bushes. Combine that with either a Thresh or Blitzcrank support and you can steam roll your lane.

Zac's passive makes him very strong early game. By being able to come back to life, he is able to take risks that other junglers cannot do such as tower dives. DO NOT tower dive just because you have your passive. It is not a get out of tower free skill, but it does give you a safety net if you have to duck under an enemy tower.

Jungling - Mid/Late game

As the game goes on, you should be looking to push any lead your laners may have gotten themselves. Try your best not to fall into the mindset of going off to kill jungle camps while your laners need help. Zac shines in his ganks and his ability to assist his teammates.

With each gaming going differently it is difficult to give generic advice other than keep an eye on Dragon and Baron Nashor , Turrets > farming, and don't be afraid to camp a lane to get a teammate ahead.

Closing

Okay, quick review, GO!

Zac is a tanky jungler who excels in ganking and disrupting teamfights with lots of cc.
He has a passive that allows him to come back to life which allows for early aggression if done properly.
Zac can easily steam roll a lane and turn the tide of a gank.

Thank you very much for reading my first guide. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below. I will do my best to answer it. I hope that it helps you climb the ladder and become an advocate of Zac as I am.