Zed vs Hwei

Zed
vs
Not enough games
Hwei
Heavy AP damageHeavy pokeHeavy CCHigh burst

Build vs Hwei

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

Recommended items for Zed: Voltaic Cyclosword, Bastionbreaker, Axiom Arc, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Edge of Night, Serylda's Grudge, Lord Dominik's Regards, Guardian Angel.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup
Health Potion

Core build

Voltaic Cyclosword
1
Bastionbreaker
2
Axiom Arc
3

Standard

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
4CDR
Edge of Night
5

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Edge of Night
Serylda's Grudge
Lord Dominik's Regards
Guardian Angel
Endless Hunger
Youmuu's Ghostblade

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Hwei's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Signature of the Visionary (P)

Hwei primes enemy champions he damages with his abilities for his signature finishing touch.Hitting an enemy with a second damaging spell completes his signature, leaving it beneath them. The signature detonates after a short delay, dealing magic damage to all enemies in range.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
310s18s12s–
68s18s12s2m
96s17.5s12s2m
116s17s12s1m40
166s16s11s1m20
186s16s10s1m20

Playing as Zed

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. 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.

  2. Dodge with Death Mark

    Cast Death Mark (R) just as the enemy casts their decisive spell: during the dash, you're untargetable.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Playing against Hwei

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Trade after his damage spell

    Trade after he uses a damage spell: Devastating Fire (QQ), Severing Bolt (QW) and Molten Fissure (QE) share a 10 to 6 second cooldown.

  2. Don't stand still or alone

    Don't stand still or alone: Severing Bolt (QW) strikes after a delay and deals more damage to isolated or immobilized enemies.

  3. Jump on him if you can

    If you can engage, jump on him right after one of his CC spells: Hwei has no dash or leap, and Subject: Torment (E) has a 12 to 10 second cooldown.

  4. Move away from the ally hit by his R

    If an ally is hit by Spiraling Despair (R), move away from them: the vision expands around its target, slows and damages nearby enemies, then explodes.

Patch 16.21.1