Zed vs Akali

Not enough games

Heavy AP damageHigh burstDive threatStrong engage

Build vs Akali

The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup

Starting items

—

Core build

1—

2—

3—

Standard

4CDR

5—

Summoner spells

100%

Anti CC

4vs CC

Other options

—

Precision

Fleet Footwork

Triumph

Legend: Haste

Coup de Grace

Inspiration

Triple Tonic

Cash Back

Strength by game phase

Passive, spells and ultimate

Assassin's Mark (P)

Dealing spell damage to a champion creates a ring of energy around them. Exiting that ring empowers Akali's next Attack with bonus range and damage.

Cooldowns by spell rank

Level	Q	W	E	R
3	1.5s	20s	16s	–
6	1.5s	20s	16s	2m
9	1.5s	19s	16s	2m
11	1.5s	18s	16s	1m30
16	1.5s	16s	13s	1m
18	1.5s	16s	10s	1m

Tips to maximize your impact

Combo with two shadows
To kill, cast Death Mark (R), then Living Shadow (W), Shadow Slash (E) and Razor Shuriken (Q): with two shadows, you throw three shurikens.
Dodge with Death Mark
Cast Death Mark (R) just as the enemy casts their decisive spell: during the dash, you're untargetable.
Save the swap back to your shadow
After Death Mark (R), save the recast to get out: you swap places with the shadow left at your starting point, far from the fight.
Save your energy
Save enough energy for a full combo rather than casting your spells for nothing: Living Shadow (W) refunds energy when you and your shadow hit the same target.
Flank to reach the carry
In teamfights, go around the sides and save Death Mark (R) for an isolated target: going in from the front exposes you to the whole team's CC.

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

Trade after her smoke
Take a trade once Twilight Shroud (W) is used: she can't vanish again until its 20 to 16 second cooldown is over.
Play hard before she hits 6
Play hard before she hits level 6: without Perfect Execution (R), her only spell to get back on you is Shuriken Flip (E), on a 16 to 10 second cooldown.
Fire into her smoke
If you have AoE spells or skillshots, throw them into the Twilight Shroud (W) smoke: they hit her even while she's invisible, whereas targeted spells can't be cast on her.
Punish her when she's low on energy
Take a trade when she has just cast Five Point Strike (Q) several times: each cast costs 110 to 70 energy depending on rank, from a base pool of 200.
Hit her between her two dashes
Hit her right after the first dash of Perfect Execution (R): she has to wait a moment before she can cast the second.

Patch 16.21.1