zilean "core items"

[quote=MrBucketz]Hey guys, just started playing zilean. Guides seem all over the place on him. I know he is kinda a bitch to play in pubs etc, but I want to give him a try. I'm wondering what a solid base of 3-4 core items would be on him. I have been playing around with building an early philo stone or two, then maybe soul shroud....but I dunno, real zilean newbie here.[/quote]

[quote=theBMB]zil's a support champ, so you really gotta build by team. I like building mana manip first if my team has a lot of mana, otherwise i rush tear first. After that I go for a glacial shroud for the CDR or if you want more AP damage you can go for a morello's evil tome. Having max CDR on zil essentially means that none of his abilities have a cooldown, so I usually go that route, but you can also build him straight up AP if you want more damage on the bombs and more heal from the ult. I also recommend merc treads or sorc boots.[/quote]

[quote=Jebus McAzn]CDR is pretty important since your utility in fights is basically your ultimate. With enough CDR and your Rewind spam, you can basically have your ultimate up for every fight. Note though that Zilean does get quite mana intensive so as theBMB said, you'll probably want a lot of mana.[/quote]

[quote=The_Nameless_Bard]I like Off-tank Zilean. >.<[/quote]

[quote=Defianc4]I use a combination of Tr4ce's old and new Zilean guides. http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/zil-the-protector-75015 http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/zil-the-protector-killer-13767 I usually go: doran's ring catalyst boots tear of the goddess sorc shoes negatron cloak banshee's veil 3% mana=ability power rod Deathfire Grasp Guardian Angel Rabadon's While I think Tr4ce's old guide is no longer worthwhile since Zilean's ult got nerfed, his new guide is still a bit too weak for my tastes. I deifnitely don't like Zilean being the packhorse for team items; it makes his ult rather underachieving. Zilean really needs to be heavy on ap in order to do damage and ressurect champions with tons of health, and the deathfire grasp gives him a small amount of cdr in order to allow his abilties to be used slightly more often. Banshee's veil and guardian angel have great synergy, making him a bulky caster who will not go down easily.[/quote]

[quote=JunSupport][icon=Mana Manipulator size=28] [icon=Boots of Speed size=28] [icon=Catalyst the protector size=28] [icon=Rod of Ages size=28] [icon=Ionian Boots of Lucidity size=28] [icon=Soul Shroud size=28] [icon=Abyssal Scepter size=28] [icon=Rabadon's Deathcap size=28] [icon=Guardian Angel size=28] I shun [[Tear of the Goddess]] because it gives you no health. The raw AP of Archangel's Staff isn't worth it either. I supplement my need for AP with [[Abyssal Scepter]] and [[Rabadon's Deathcap]] which are far more functional. [[Catalyst the protector]] gives you good regeneration, and solid extra health. [[Rod of Ages]] is superior to [[Archangel's Staff]] on Zilean in my opinion, giving relatively similar mana and AP, with health that's good for surviving when you're learning. You can also build a Banshee's Veil early game if you perceive that it'd be more useful. Catalyst offers these kinds of choices. [[Ionian Boots of Lucidity]] combined with [[Soul Shroud]] give you the effective cooldown reduction to be the best Zilean you can be. The thing you need to remember is that early game, you are mana-restrained. So you have to be very careful with how much you cast. Always give spaces in between bombs for your mana to regenerate to the cost. Always have at least enough to do the Q+W+Q double bomb combo. And no, Tear of the Goddess does not help early game for mana-costs, Catalyst + Mana manipulator is just as good. Tear of the Goddess is a late-game item compared to the two mentioned and restricted Zilean's item build early game. Zilean shines best early to mid game where his [[Heightened Learning]] can offer good players a level advantage.[/quote]

[quote=Jebus McAzn]no advertising allowed :<[/quote]

[quote=The_Nameless_Bard]My TANKY AP Zil: [[Doran's Ring]] [[Boots of Swiftness]] [[Rod of Ages]] [[Shurelya's Reverie]] [[Abyssal Scepter]] [[Zhonya's Hourglass]] [[Rabadon's Deathcap]][/quote]

[quote=Searz]Offtank? Bullshit.. It's not a bad build though.[/quote]

[quote=Mowen]Zil is a support champion but nobody mentions gold items on him? I'd say you always want either 2 [[philosopher's stone]]'s or 1 philo and 1 [[heart of gold]] [[mercury's treads]] are almost always the best boots from him considering a split second longer on a stun could make you not be able to ult someone (and therefore not fulfill your role) Why people build swiftness boots on him will always confuse me, CDR boots are ok though. Even buying CDR boots first (since he doesn't have much farm and needs CDR) and selling them later for merc treads is a good idea as well, but I would never buy any other boots. Since you need philo stones, and you need CDR, I would also consider [[shurelya's reverie]] a core item on him. It will give you some nice survivability and support for your team as well. The rest is situational. He needs CDR for his rewinds and he needs AP for his ult, and some survivability to not be insta-killed and therefore not be able to ult. Base your survival items on the other team, or your support items based on your team.[/quote]