Zed vs Naafiri
Skill matchup
Build vs Naafiri
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Zed: Voltaic Cyclosword, Bastionbreaker, Axiom Arc, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Hubris, Serylda's Grudge, Edge of Night, Serpent's Fang.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Naafiri's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Naafiri spawns packmates that attack the targets of her attacks and abilities.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9s | 26s | 11s | – |
| 6 | 8s | 26s | 11s | 1m50 |
| 9 | 7s | 24s | 11s | 1m50 |
| 11 | 7s | 22s | 11s | 1m35 |
| 16 | 7s | 18s | 9s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 7s | 18s | 7s | 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 Naafiri
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge her daggers
Dodge Darkin Daggers (Q): her pack leaps onto the first champion hit, and the second dagger hits harder if you're already bleeding.
- Kill her pack with AoE spells
If you have AoE spells, hit her pack too: each packmate killed lowers her damage. Do it before Eviscerate (E) calls them back and heals them.
- Wait out The Call of the Pack
Save your targeted spells for after The Call of the Pack (W): for a brief moment, she and her pack are untargetable.
- Don't wander alone
Avoid crossing the map alone against her: Hounds' Pursuit (R) lets her dash onto a champion from range, and a takedown lets her recast it.
Patch 16.21.1