Introduction

Hi I'm Kixa and this is my simple guide to Ziggs.

Why Should you play Ziggs?

Pros

+ Good waveclear + Good poke + Fast at taking plates + Fairly low mana requirements + Very good teamfighter

Ziggs is very good teamfighter capable of zoning enemy flankers, disengaging and keeeping enemy health in check before teamfight. He single handedly is capable of prolonging the game as his Bouncing Bomb ability quickly clears waves .

Cons

- All of your abilities are skillshots - Lacks solo kill potential - Easily interruptable Satchel Charge jump - Dependant on teams CC - Takes time to understand Bouncing Bomb

Ziggs totally lacks solo kill potential in lane as most of his skills require you to hit Bouncing Bomb in open space. His Mega Inferno Bomb takes time to land which often results in flash or enemy just walking out when not pressublue by your teammates. He's late game champion that heavily relies on farming.

Runes

Arcane comet Most optimal Keystone. may seem awkward at first since it will be missing on most Bouncing Bomb hits, but it certainly over time deals most dmg as it charges quickly thanks to your low CD's. Summon aery Certain damage dealer vs melee. it's damage isn't impressive in itself but the frequency it hits when laning stacks up which makes it worth taking, I recommend using it vs all Melee characters to inflict as much Damage as possible to prevent them from going all in. Also it scales fairly well so it certainly is Ok to pick it. Manaflow band Must have from sorcery. is without a doubt the best choice as it gives you base mana and 1% mana regen, which you will have a lot. Transcendence Free 10% CDR that will let you hit the cap in Mid-game gives you fairly quick 10% CDR which really helps your Satchel Charge, Hexplosive Minefield and Mega Inferno Bomb as they have fairly big cooldowns when not maxed out. Scorch Prioritizing Early. just makes you focus on early to win/poke your enemy, honestly it's just up to your preferences. Gathering storm Just going for late. is just free ability power, up to your preference since SoloQ tends to get messy you have to make a choice. Magical footwear It's free 300 gold and 10 MS. is self explanatory second choice, as midlane is fairly short lane and you will not be moving long distances to help your Jungle it just saves you money. Minion Dematerializer For clearing purpose. Using it two times on caster minion lets you clear backwave instantly even when falling behind so it doesn't require you to use Hexplosive Minefield to save some mana. Also if things went wrong early on you could use it on first siege minion for fast 2nd Doran's Ring back. Perfect timing Stops you from dying to Zed/Fizz. if it saves you from dying from Zed or Fizz even once it is worth taking, since as soon as enemy gets a kill on you it's 10x harder, but after nerfs to blueuced cost of Zhonya's Hourglass and it's additional 10% item activation CDR I prefer taking Bone Plating. Bone plating It saves you a lot of health when enemy Assasin tries to force himself upon you without your consent. Bone Plating is my preferrable choice when playing into matchups such as Zed, Fizz, LeBlanc as it not only saves you health from their ocasional poke, but also lets you chase them down when you gain the distance (PRE their level 6) to trade back. Resolve It's a choice between. Unflinching if enemy has a lot of CC it actually helps a lot if you get caught, Overgrowth since you aim to have a lot of farm ( it stacks to additional 120 health) or Demolish to just rush turret plates (which is risky). Predator red tree is just for absolute Alphas

Summoners

Flash It's just a must have don't you dare head into the game without it. Teleport It's optimal and certainly very good choice to either prevent enemy rotates or just to head back to lane. The thing is with correct wave management and communication with Jungle it becomes uselles later on as you can't afford to Teleport in middle of the fight as you could get bursted. Barrier Very short cooldown, gives a 110 more health than Heal at the cost of MS. It's just safe no matter when. You could swap it for Heal if you trust your jungle. Or pick Exhaust as after buffs it stays on (for example) Fizz for a longer time and blocks 200 dmg level 6 if used correctly. Cleanse It's just against things like Zoe that even if hitting lucky Sleepy Trouble Bubble and other characters that either assist team so enemy can close the gap unto you ( Lissandra).

Unplayable matchups

Yasuo Character that block's 3/4 of your abilities and passive, just do yourself a favour and dodge even when he's adc. Leblanc Good LB will just deny you farm and it's not like you have good roams. Kassadin Just outscales you heavily while you pose no threat to him. Zed He can easily outmanuveur you while doing enough Damage to kill you.

Items

Magically penetrated Sorc's are perfect but you shouldn't be afraid of trading them for Mercury's Treads or Ninja Tabi as it's cheap way to prevent enemy from killing you.

Books are great Most of the time it should be your first item choice but just going back for 2nd Doran's Ring and Sapphire Crystal is good enough too.

Stole old man's hat It's just rabadon, always great.But you shouldn't be set on on always going for this, sometimes you may need fast Void Staff if enemy has a lot of stacked Magic Resist's, Morellonomicon if your ADC refuses to build 800 gold item or Zhonya's Hourglass for additional defense.

-OR-

Liandry's Torment > Against tankier matchups Mask to hide your face in Corona time is almost always better as it gives 10% additional Damage before fight breaks and scales nicely with your Hexplosive Minefield. Morellonomicon > Squishies Book to educate yourself is great choice against characters such as Senna with no escape and low health base, they also tend not to build MR which makes flat Magic Pen. worth more than item such as Void Staff, there are also times when your ADC just refuses to build Executioner's Calling.

Early game

You should always ward deeply on side where enemy starts to see what his path is as they tend to be set on and repetetive, he start's red brambleback first there's a high chance for a possible invade or 2nd level gank. Utilize your Passive and Bouncing Bomb to clear fast and look out to help your jungler. Level 3 and two points into Q with 33 AP deal exactly 151 dmg to caster minion (which is half of it's health). Don't get greedy for plates since you're easily taken from behind. Try to always keep up with your enemy Midlaner to let your team know where he goes. And try not to die as it sets you back heavily.

Midgame to Late

Your goal in mid to late doesn't change much, grab farm on side lane without putting your ADC behind. If ahead siege with team, always look out for flanks as you're greatly equipped to prevent them, or disengage as you can deal a lot of DMG to the backline and prevent Carries from advancing.

Note

I haven't mentioned Lich Bane as it is expensive and you profit more of off other AP items.
You almost always will end up with 40% CDR as Zhonya's Hourglass in later stages is too good to pass on.
It's always better too choose an item to keep you alive rather than immedietly at the start of the random teamfight. Don't forget it's SoloQ.