Zoe vs Akali

Zoe
vs
61.7%

over 115 games

Akali

Favorable matchup

Heavy AP damageHigh burstDive threatStrong engage

You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.

Build vs Akali

Build adapted to this matchup

Recommended items for Zoe: Luden's Echo, Shadowflame, Rabadon's Deathcap, Sorcerer's Shoes, Lich Bane, Dark Seal, Zhonya's Hourglass, Stormsurge.

Starting items

Doran's Ring
Health Potion
x2

Core build

Luden's Echo
1
Shadowflame
2
Rabadon's Deathcap
3

Standard

Sorcerer's Shoes
4Magic pen
Lich Bane
5

Summoner spells

FlashDot96%
FlashBarrier2%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Lich Bane
Dark Seal
Zhonya's Hourglass
Stormsurge
Horizon Focus
Mejai's Soulstealer
Blackfire Torch
Imperial Mandate
Seeker's Armguard
Cryptbloom
Banshee's Veil
Void Staff
Hextech Rocketbelt
Cosmic Drive
44.4% WR9 games
DominationDomination
ElectrocuteElectrocute
Sudden ImpactSudden Impact
Grisly MementosGrisly Mementos
Relentless HunterRelentless Hunter
SorcerySorcery
TranscendenceTranscendence
Nimbus CloakNimbus Cloak
Attack SpeedAdaptive ForceHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Akali's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Assassin's Mark (P)

Dealing spell damage to a champion creates a ring of energy around them. Exiting that ring empowers Akali's next Attack with bonus range and damage.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
31.5s20s16s–
61.5s20s16s2m
91.5s19s16s2m
111.5s18s16s1m30
161.5s16s13s1m
181.5s16s10s1m

Playing as Zoe

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Lengthen your star's path

    Cast Paddle Star! (Q) behind you, then recast it toward your target: its damage grows with the distance the star travels.

  2. Poke from your Portal Jump

    Cast Portal Jump (R) to poke from closer: you can cast your spells from there, and you blink back to your starting position 1 second later.

  3. Pick up spell shards

    Pick up the shards enemies drop after using a summoner spell or an item active: Spell Thief (W) lets you cast that spell or item once.

  4. Sleep, then wake them with a big hit

    Put your target to sleep with Sleepy Trouble Bubble (E), then wake them with your biggest hit, a long-range Paddle Star! (Q): the hit that wakes them deals double damage.

Playing against Akali

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Trade after her smoke

    Take a trade once Twilight Shroud (W) is used: she can't vanish again until its 20 to 16 second cooldown is over.

  2. Play hard before she hits 6

    Play hard before she hits level 6: without Perfect Execution (R), her only spell to get back on you is Shuriken Flip (E), on a 16 to 10 second cooldown.

  3. Fire into her smoke

    If you have AoE spells or skillshots, throw them into the Twilight Shroud (W) smoke: they hit her even while she's invisible, whereas targeted spells can't be cast on her.

  4. Punish her when she's low on energy

    Take a trade when she has just cast Five Point Strike (Q) several times: each cast costs 110 to 70 energy depending on rank, from a base pool of 200.

  5. Hit her between her two dashes

    Hit her right after the first dash of Perfect Execution (R): she has to wait a moment before she can cast the second.

Patch 16.21.1