Zed vs Vex
Build vs Vex
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
Vex's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Vex periodically becomes empowered, causing her next basic Ability to fear enemies and interrupt dashes. Whenever a nearby enemy dashes, Vex applies a mark that can be consumed for bonus damage that also reduces the cooldown of her empowered state.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8s | 16s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 6s | 16s | 12s | 2m20 |
| 9 | 4s | 15s | 12s | 2m20 |
| 11 | 4s | 14s | 12s | 2m |
| 16 | 4s | 12s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 4s | 12s | 12s | 1m40 |
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 Vex
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge her mist early
Get out of the line of Mistral Bolt (Q) early: after a short delay, the mist narrows but speeds up.
- No dashes near her
If you have a dash, avoid using it near her: it marks you with Gloom, and if Doom 'n Gloom (passive) is ready, her next spell interrupts it and fears you.
- Trade after her fear
Start a trade right after she fears someone: her next spell empowered by Doom 'n Gloom (passive) then takes a while to come back.
- Dodge her Shadow
Get out of the path of Shadow Surge (R): Vex can only dash to the first champion hit by Shadow.
Patch 16.21.1