Zed vs Rammus

Zed
vs
Not enough games
Rammus
Very tankyHeavy AD damageHeavy CCStrong engage

Build vs Rammus

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, Serylda's Grudge, Edge of Night, Lord Dominik's Regards, Hubris.

Starting items

Scorchclaw Pup

Core build

Voltaic Cyclosword
1
Bastionbreaker
2
Axiom Arc
3

Standard

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
4CDR
Serylda's Grudge
5

Summoner spells

FlashSmite96%
SmiteDot4%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Serylda's Grudge
Edge of Night
Lord Dominik's Regards
Hubris
Eclipse
Guardian Angel
Endless Hunger
Youmuu's Ghostblade
InspirationInspiration
First StrikeFirst Strike
Cash BackCash Back
Triple TonicTriple Tonic
Cosmic InsightCosmic Insight
DominationDomination
Treasure HunterTreasure Hunter
Sudden ImpactSudden Impact
Adaptive ForceAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Rammus's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Spiked Shell (P)

Rammus gains bonus Attack Damage scaling with his Armor and Magic Resistance.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
312s7s12s–
69s7s12s2m
96s7s12s2m
116s7s12s1m45
166s7s12s1m30
186s7s12s1m30

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 Rammus

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Stay behind your minions

    Stay behind your minions: Powerball (Q) stops on the first enemy it collides with, minions included.

  2. Lean on magic damage

    If you deal magic damage, lean on it in trades when Defensive Ball Curl (W) is on cooldown: without it, his resistances drop to those of an ordinary tank.

  3. Stay out of taunt range

    If you're ranged, don't let him reach melee range when Frenzying Taunt (E) is ready: its range is short, and it forces you to attack him.

  4. Leave his impact zone fast

    Get out of the Soaring Slam (R) area fast: aftershocks repeat the slow there, and if cast during Powerball (Q), it adds a knock-up in the center.

  5. No autos on Defensive Ball Curl

    Don't attack during Defensive Ball Curl (W): each auto returns magic damage to you, and he gains armor and magic resist.

Patch 16.21.1