Zac vs Garen
Skill matchup
Build vs Garen
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Zac: Sunfire Aegis, Spirit Visage, Thornmail, Plated Steelcaps, Unending Despair, Randuin's Omen, Liandry's Torment, Dark Seal.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Garen's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
If Garen has not recently been struck by damage or enemy abilities, he regenerates a percentage of his total health each second.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8s | 22s | 9s | – |
| 6 | 8s | 22s | 9s | 2m |
| 9 | 8s | 19.5s | 9s | 2m |
| 11 | 8s | 17s | 9s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 8s | 12s | 7.5s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 8s | 12s | 6s | 1m20 |
Playing as Zac
Tips to maximize your impact
- Smash them into each other
After Stretching Strikes (Q) on one enemy, hit a second enemy with your auto: you fling them into each other, and if they collide, they and those nearby take damage.
- Pick up your Goo
Pick up the chunks of Goo you shed when your spells hit: Cell Division (passive) heals you for each one, and Unstable Matter (W) comes back 1 second sooner.
- Charge your Slingshot out of sight
Charge Elastic Slingshot (E) from the fog of war: the enemy has less time to react, and the longer the charge, the longer the knock-up on landing.
- Bounce into the middle of them
Cast Let's Bounce! (R) into the heart of their team: the first bounce knocks back each enemy hit, the following ones slow them, and you can cast Unstable Matter (W) at the same time.
Playing against Garen
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Hit him regularly
Hit him regularly, even with a small poke: Perseverance (passive) only regenerates him if he hasn't taken damage recently.
- At range, kite him
If you're ranged, kite him: his kit has no dash, and only Decisive Strike (Q) speeds him up and removes his slows.
- Burst after his shield
Wait for the Courage (W) shield to end before your burst: the spell starts with a shield and tenacity, then keeps only a damage reduction.
- Don't stay low once he hits 6
Once he hits level 6, back instead of staying in lane at low health against him: Demacian Justice (R) deals true damage that grows with your missing health.
Other Zac matchups
Patch 16.21.1