Zed vs Shaco
Skill matchup
Build vs Shaco
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Zed: Voltaic Cyclosword, Bastionbreaker, Axiom Arc, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Edge of Night, Hubris, Serylda's Grudge, Lord Dominik's Regards.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Shaco's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Shaco's basic attacks and Two-Shiv Poison deal additional damage when striking from behind.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 13s | 15s | 8s | – |
| 6 | 12s | 15s | 8s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 11s | 15s | 8s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 11s | 15s | 8s | 1m30 |
| 16 | 11s | 15s | 8s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 11s | 15s | 8s | 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 Shaco
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Back before you get too low
Back before your health drops too low: below 30% health, Two-Shiv Poison (E) deals much more damage to you.
- Move away from his clone
Move away from the Hallucinate (R) clone before it dies: it explodes and spawns three boxes that fear nearby enemies.
- Focus him when he engages
If you can reach him, focus him when he engages with Deceive (Q): he no longer has it to escape, on a 13 to 11 second cooldown.
- Ward his camps and your entrances
Ward near his camps and at the entrances to your lane: spot him before Deceive (Q), which makes him invisible for his gank.
- Move carefully in his jungle
Move carefully in his jungle: Jack In The Box (W) goes invisible, fears the champion who comes near, then shoots nearby enemies for 5 seconds.
Patch 16.21.1