Zed vs Hwei
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
Core build
Standard
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Hwei's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
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
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10s | 18s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 8s | 18s | 12s | 2m |
| 9 | 6s | 17.5s | 12s | 2m |
| 11 | 6s | 17s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 6s | 16s | 11s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 6s | 16s | 10s | 1m20 |
Playing as Zed
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.
Playing against Hwei
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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