Kindred vs Zed
Skill matchup
Build vs Zed
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Kindred: Kraken Slayer, The Collector, Lord Dominik's Regards, Plated Steelcaps, Trinity Force, Hexoptics C44, Infinity Edge, Guardian Angel.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Zed's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Zed's basic attacks against low health targets deals bonus Magic Damage. This effect can only occur once every few seconds against the same enemy champion.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6s | 20s | 5s | – |
| 6 | 6s | 20s | 5s | 2m |
| 9 | 6s | 19s | 5s | 2m |
| 11 | 6s | 18s | 5s | 1m50 |
| 16 | 6s | 16s | 4s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 6s | 16s | 3s | 1m40 |
Playing as Kindred
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hunt your marks
Hunt the targets of Mark of the Kindred (passive), jungle monsters included: each successful hunt empowers your basic spells, and every 4 hunts, your range increases.
- Fight inside Wolf's zone
Activate Wolf's Frenzy (W), then fight inside its zone: Dance of Arrows (Q) has a much shorter cooldown there.
- Three autos after your E
Cast Mounting Dread (E), then land three autos on the same target: the third sends Wolf, who strikes based on their missing health.
- Save your team with your R
Cast Lamb's Respite (R) to save your team or deny an objective: nothing inside the zone can die, allies, enemies and monsters alike.
Playing against Zed
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Trade when his shadow is down
Take a trade when he has used Living Shadow (W): while it's on cooldown, he has no double shuriken and no way out.
- Don't stay in lane at low health
Back rather than staying in lane at low health against him: Contempt for the Weak (passive) adds magic damage to his autos against low-health targets.
- Get ready for his mark to pop
If you have invulnerability or a shield, use it right before Death Mark (R) pops, 3 seconds after his dash: it repeats part of the damage he dealt you.
- Watch the shadow from his mark
After his dash onto you, spot the shadow left at his starting point: if he recasts Death Mark (R), that's where he reappears.
Other Kindred matchups
Patch 16.21.1