A Champion Review: Vayne

Laning phase

As Vayne,your early game is not the best,but also not the worst,try throwing off a basic attack,tumble,and throw another hit on the enemy AD carry when he goes for a last hit on a minion,avoid taking unnecessary damage,and farm as much as you can,try not to die.

When you hit level 4 you can start moving onto offense instead of sitting back and farming,as you will have your level 2 tumble,condemn and silver bolts,if you are not facing a tough matchup it is a good time to start doing so.

Once you hit level 6,using final hour and tumbling between your autoattacks allows you to out-damage the enemy AD carry by a lot,that is,as long it's not a bursty champion that hit you with his skillshots.

What you are supposed to do during laning phase changes,depending on one's gameplay style,if one prefers to play offensive,one should play offensive,which is not always the best option as going offensive as Vayne is risky.

If one has a defensive playstyle,one should sit back and farm as much as possible without dying.

Mid-game

You are past early game,you've CS'ed quite a lot and the enemies start seeing you as a real,growing threat,try your best to stay alive and keep farming to maintain that gold income.

You can easily kill the enemy AD carry in a 1v1 scenario if you're in equal terms.

Never think about starting a teamfight yourself,or stroming the front as a frontline,you are not a frontliner,you are a squishy target that would most likely be focused by the enemy team when given the chance to.

Late game (teamfights)

This is the point where you're the biggest threat to the enemy team,this is the point in the game where Vayne really shines,but the outcome of a game shall be determined by one's skill as an AD carry,if one positions himself correctly and avoids being caught and focused at any cost,one can win a game alone.

If one gets caught and dies at this point of the game,one can lose that certain game,only with that single death.

Don't forget,POSITIONING is what really matters the most at this given phase of the game,and what makes the -big- difference between a good AD carry player and a bad AD carry player.

A Champion Review: Lee Sin

Key tips to playing Lee Sin

Enemy lane having high armor through items and passives? MAX YOUR TEMPEST FIRST THEN.

Enemy lane stacking the crap out of sustain? MAX YOUR SAFEGUARD FIRST THEN

Enemy lane is a squishy ranged champion? MAX YOUR SONIC WAVE FIRST THEN

• Hitting your Sonic Wave in any fight is crucial, the damage this spell can do when followed up with some auto attacks and a Resonating Strike is completely absurd. Even more critical to hit it on enemy carries late game. Be experimental about smart casting and manual casting this spell, I have resulted to using manual cast when I want to have a precise shot since this spell has quite a long cooldown.

• Sometimes you will want to follow up your Tempest with a very fast Cripple since the range of the Cripple got reduced, also allows you to trade hits with champions such as Jax, Irelia and various AD carries.

• Your Dragon's Rage isn't always meant to be a execute spell, you can use it to CC important targets, or better yet. Knock a squishy champion out of position. This spell has many uses, it has high damage with strong CC potential while also being a incredible disengage spell.

• Safeguard can be used to jump to wards, Jarvan IV flags, Shaco Boxes, Zyra plants and anything that is allied and can be targeted. Using this knowledge to get in position to gank faster by jumping to a allied river/lane ward can be very potent. Also if your lane has a gap closer you can use them as a relay point to get closer to the enemy lane you are ganking.

• Using Dragon's Rage on a champion when they are inbetween Lee Sin and a very thick wall can allow you to get a Pseudo CC from the knockback duration. Use this to your advantage when getting a gank or when you are getting ganked. It will often make or break how the flow of the fight will go.

• Lee Sin can split push very well during mid game if you have enough wards or a sightstone, you will be safe enough to avoid death and be strong enough to duel most champions. If you went a attack speed oriented build with Blade of the Ruined King + Trinity force then you will have much stronger split push and duelist potential.

• When fighting in lane it is always best if you can get close to your enemy laner and using Tempest/Cripple on them before trying to go for a Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike when trading hits. If executed correctly you will almost always come ahead in trades unless the matchup is a sour one.

• Usually when the laning phase ends and you build as a assassin bruiser, Lee Sin has the potential to kill most AD carries in one combo. Vayne, Ezreal and Caitlyn are most susceptible to this due to their lower base statistics. Try to cherry pick kills off them if you are confident you can tag them with your Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike.

• If you are absolutely dominating your lane you should consider pushing the tower and either counter-jungling a bunch or roam towards other lanes. Lee Sin is well known as a strong ganking champion and you should utilize this even if you are laning.

• Always make it a habit to buy one or two wards when you go back to base, the small gold spent is usually your life insurance that most champions cannot get. They can either help you be more mobile or just observant of everything that the enemy team is doing.

• Lee Sin is a extremely flexible bruiser, you can build almost any AD item on him and also have the option to go a little tanky with almost all tank items being viable on Lee Sin. Experiment what you feel would do good in your lane matchup or for later on in team fights, you can learn many different things simply from building differently every game.

• If you are doing very well in lane and have a jungler who can be the sole tank of your team then consider maxing your damage spells over safeguard, this will let you snowball much harder and farm faster than the staple R>Q>W>E Lee Sin.

Lee Sin spells - In depth

What makes Lee Sin's spells are and why they are strong

Simple as the title says, everything has synergy with each other. He has everything a melee bruiser would want, even so far to say he has a flexible skill set unlike almost every other bruiser. You can train your spells in different orders every game and still do good, most bruisers have to train one spell or they will fall apart.

Passive: Flurry

Short description:

Attack speed debuff that regenerates energy when you auto attack

• Free attack speed for early trades

• Only form of fast energy regeneration on Lee Sin

• Mainly a jungle based passive

When/how to use Flurry:

• If you have free time to auto attack after casting a spell

• Inbetween spells when you are fighting a enemy champion

• To clear neutral camps early in the game (If you are laning and need an advantage)

Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike (Q)

Short description:

Single target gap closer with execute damage. High damage scaling and base damage.

• Very strong early game spell that can scale if you build damage

• One of the highest scaling normal abilities in the game

• Extremely powerful execute spell due to how it works and the damage it can deal

• Skill shot based gap closer

When/how to use Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike (Q):

• If enemy laner is in a open spot where you may be able to hit them with this spell

• To put on some quick harass with a Q>Q>Auto attack>E>W to allied minion, combo.

• When you want to attempt to execute enemy laner with a quick burst combo.

Safeguard/Iron Will (W)

Short description:

Self/Targeted shield with inbuilt lifesteal and spell vamp. Also allows for insane mobility

• If maxed can give you absurd amounts of sustain

• Can be used to mitigate damage or even avoid it by safeguarding to allied minions/wards

• If used on allies can either block skill shots or just mitigate damage for targeted ally

• Main escape spell

When/how to use Safeguard/Iron Will (W):

• When you are getting ganked, Safeguard to an allied minion which is closer to your tower

• To sustain in lane when there is no gank threat

• When enemy is charging in (Example; Riven) use safeguard to a allied creep behind them if you are confident to win the trade

• To win duels by having more sustain, remember to activate Iron Will after you proc flurry once though.

• Safeguarding to a allied minion which is close to enemy laner (Ranged champions harassing you is a common case)

Tempest/Cripple (E)

Short description:

Powerful debuff and wave-clear spell that can be powerful to leave at level 1.

• Can be used to disable enemy laner early on in the game

• Powerful attack speed debuff for dueling early

• Strong waveclear if you choose to max it

• Avoid getting killed by slowing enemy laner and jungler when you are ganked

When/how to use Tempest/Cripple (E):

• Whenever you want to trade against a enemy laner, remember to activate cripple component to allow you to do more damage with other spells

• To push your lane if you made enemy laner go back to base

• Simply disable enemy bruisers or backline in team fights

Dragon's Rage (R)

Short description:

High damage and high scaling knock-back spell.

• Can be used to burst a single target down

• Has the potential to CC multiple enemies when lined up properly

• Is one of the highest scaling spells in the game

• Has a relatively low cooldown and no energy cost attached to it.

When/how to use Dragon's Rage (R):

• Trying to burst someone down (Use a Sonic Wave + 1-2 auto attacks + Dragon's Rage + Resonating Strike combo)

• Disengage a fight by lining the enemy at the front with the enemies at the back and firing them into the backline when possible

• Displace a high priority target away from their base to help you or your lanes to get a kill

• For raw damage

So I know all of Lee Sin's spells now? What the hell do I need to do with all of them to make them synergise?

I know this may sound like i'm being very lazy about explaining this to you, however Lee Sin and his synergy comes from the flow of the game. You can't just be taught how to use his skill set properly, you have to experience it yourself.

However there are many easy to understand concepts to Lee Sin and how he gets his job done. In each paragraph I will describe a scenario and explain what to do in them.

Scenario 1)

You are getting harassed down by Nidalee in lane and she's annoying you like mad, however she does not abuse her passive and the bush and takes on some minion aggression. You are level 3 and are 80% HP and Nidalee is 100% HP.

What you should do; Safeguard to a minion which is closest to Nidalee and auto attack her once, after that you should cast Tempest and drop down another auto attack followed by your cripple. If Nidalee decides to trade hits with you then activate Iron Will and prepare for a Sonic Wave. Once you are in the clear to hit Nidalee with your Sonic Wave then do so, you should often catch a kill in this situation.

Scenario 2)

The enemy Garen is playing extremely aggressive and you are both level 5, you have your safeguard at level 3 to attempt to sustain against Garen. You have 70% HP and Garen has 90% HP.

What you should do; Use your safeguard when Garen rushes in to silence you and try to activate Iron will as this will be your only chance, start auto attack trading Garen for a little bit. Once his silence wears off cast Tempest followed by a auto attack then use Cripple. Auto attack once more before trying to line yourself up for a Sonic Wave, if you miss then attempt to disengage. If you hit your Sonic Wave then keep chasing Garen while his cooldowns are still ticking. After one or two auto attacks when you use Resonating Strike to chase then you should have won the trade. You should be approximately 40% HP and Garen at 20-30% HP.

Scenario 3)

You are level 3 and enjoying laning against Zed because he cannot out-sustain you. However at this time the enemy jungler notices that you are crushing his lane and has double buffs. In this case the jungler is Jarvan IV, you see Jarvan IV walking around the corner where you warded. However he is in range to attack you with a EQ combo.

What you should do; Try to safeguard to a allied minion which is close to your tower. If that is not possible then attempt to dodge the Jarvan IV EQ combo with a flash. After that do a instant Tempest + Cripple while running towards your tower. If they chase under your tower then you can clean one up if the situation looks dire. Cast Sonic Wave then auto attack once with your ignite ticking then finish them off with your Resonating Strike, preferably aim the one taking tower damage. Remember that Safeguard can be used to juke or even bait both Zed and Jarvan IV around when they try to kill you.

Jungling - Indepth

Alt-tab guide;

Skill order - R>Q>W>E

Level 1-3 smiteless - E, Q, W

Level 1-3 no smiteless - E, W, Q

• When approaching your second neutral buff approach the neutral buff with your Q, however cast your gap closer a few seconds after you hit the golem/lizard, this will let you cycle through your spells smoothly and kill the lizard/golem while taking a little less damage than you should have.

• Always try to approach ganks with your CC before hitting your Q unless you cannot walk up and hit them, take example when you want to gank middle lane.

• Decide if you want to do damage or be a utility jungler by looking at your team, how much damage do your solo lanes do as a champion? If they do average damage then choose to buy some early damage items to compensate. However remember to always build some health and resistances since you will not be doing as much damage unless you are fed.

• Sightstone does wonders.

How to jungle Lee Sin;

With Jungle Lee Sin you have you decide what lane you want to gank before the game. Don't ever waste time walking between lanes, choose your target and kill your target. Always start on the opposite side of the map from where your target is and ask for a smiteless on your first neutral buff.

Rush level 3 and start hunting people, inbetween ganks and kills you can take jungle camps. Avoid the golems unless there really is nowhere to gank or counter gank. Once you are level 6 your ganks from behind take a whole new level of superiority, you can decide to kick them into your team for the kill. Or you can decide to take the kill for yourself with a quick execute combo from your Sonic Wave > Dragons Rage > Resonating Strike.

As soon as you have your wriggles lantern you can pressure dragon relatively hard, although you cannot solo kill it with allied help it is a breeze to kill. Make sure you have either pink warded, enemy lanes have backed off to heal or you have out-right killed the enemy team. Contesting a dragon early on in a game can be very unfavourable sometimes.

Jungle path

Start from the bottom half of the map and ask for your team to smiteless leash your neutral buff. From there either counter jungle the opposing neutral buff or take your other one with the smite that you saved. From there go straight to the offensive, whether it be ganking or counter ganking. Be sure to know what to do and where you have to be. Judge the enemy jungler by who they picked, some junglers who have strong level 3 potential will gank at the 3 minute mark. Others who have a much stronger level 4 will gank at the 4 minute mark or later.

Remember to warn your team when the enemy jungler hits level 6, especially when its a Skarner, Warwick or Nautilus!

F.A.Q about Lee Sin jungle;

What are the strengths of Lee Sin in the jungle?

Everything, he has sustain, clear speed, one of the strongest level 3's, jungle/objective control and most importantly the ability to gank every lane.

What jungle paths should I take on Lee Sin?

A fast level 3 jungle path, this usually is taken from a smiteless leash from your bottom lane (red buff on blue side and blue buff on purple side). Then rush to the opposite jungle buff of yours or theirs depending on if you have the guts to do it. From there decide what lane to gank, or to counter jungle.

All my lanes pushed, what should I do?

Keep farming the jungle, however keep a eye on the most over extended lane. Think like the enemy jungler, who would you gank if you were them? Lee Sin has very strong counter gank potential.

What should my skill order be for Lee Sin jungle?

There is no set in stone skill build for Lee Sin ever, if you want a faster jungle speed and stronger counter ganks max your Tempest/Cripple, if you want more powerful burst ganks then max your Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike. Maxing your safeguard means you are going for a more defensive jungle when you counter gank.

I see a over extended lane to gank! How should I approach this?

If you gank from behind always try cut the enemy lane off, once you are in melee range to auto attack them then do so. Afterwards follow up with a instant Tempest+Cripple and then start aiming your Sonic Wave while constantly walking and auto attacking. Afterwards if you hit the Sonic Wave follow up with a Resonating Strike for what should be a kill!

The enemy team invaded and I got a sloppy leash, what should I do?

This is where you put your wits to the test, you can try rush level 3 as always. However doing so will mean the neutral buff will do insane amounts of damage since you have no smite. Try look for a gank or just take smaller camps until you are level 3 and then clear your neutral buff. Recovering in the jungle safely is better than rushing to be on par with everyone.

Everywhere is warded, how do I approach a lane for a ninja gank?

Lee Sin has many gank paths, he can ward jump over a wall and sneak up from behind. He can also lane gank with a decent CC lane. Remember ward jumping over walls to avoid getting spotted also gives you vision incase of a enemy mid lane roam while you are in the midst of your gank.

Middle lane - Indepth

Alt-tab guide;

Skill order - R>Q>E>W

Level 1-3 vs ranged - Q, E, W

Level 1-3 vs melee - E, Q, W

• Go for a more offense orientated item build if you are middle lane, your jungle and top lane tend to build more tanky. Look for items such as Last Whisper or The Bloodthirster after you finish your Hydra + Brutalizer combination.

• Buy more wards than usual and get sight stone for strong roam and map control as middle lane should have.

• Pushing the lane and then waiting behind the walls at the side of the lane to hit your Q can often be a good idea to wrap some kills up.

• Be wary of diving into multiple enemies since you are much more squishy.

Wait isn't this a top lane Lee Sin guide?

Yes it is, although this guide is very specific about top lane Lee Sin he is also a extremely powerful middle lane champion when you have above average Lee Sin mechanics, you give up the ability to easily get in range to trade at the cost of being able to kill the enemy laner in one engagement.

Yes, we know that there are people who are well known for playing hyper-assassin Lee Sin. However the only lane that hyper-assassin Lee Sin can function properly in is middle lane, why? Let me explain in a few short points;

1) Hyper-assassin Lee Sin, more namely middle lane Lee Sin requires maxing his Q and E as a high priority. Therefore your sustain and shield will be weaker, this is not suitable for top lane unless against a squishy top lane.

2) Being at middle lane you can not only kill an enemy AP carry at level 2/3 in lane, but you can also counter jungle and become a huge influence on the entire map by dominating a squishy mid lane and roam.

3) Middle lane champions are usually high damage oriented, well guess what? Lee Sin has extremely high AD scaling and a strong early game that is based off a energy resource system. He fits the bill for a middle lane champion set aside the skill cap required.

So I know why Lee Sin middle lane is strong, what the hell do I have to do to make it strong though?

The answer is pretty clear here, you picked a AD assassin with a strong early game. While farming creeps try to find a opening to use Sonic Wave on the enemy middle lane champion, if you hit them and they aren't anywhere close to their tower and know the enemy jungler isn't nearby. Dive in on the enemy middle lane champion, with a well executed combo you can most likely secure yourself first blood. If not you will win the trade most definitely.

Also remember to buy many wards for Lee Sin middle lane, drop the ward in the middle of the lane if you are struggling to get close to the enemy middle laner to trade hits. Sometimes farming against some middle lane champions can be rewarding, because you can push extremely well and have one of the scariest roaming potentials in the game thanks to your mobility and damage.

Lee Sin middle lane F.A.Q;

The enemy middle lane champion is playing extremely defensively and is willingly missing minion last hits to avoid getting close to me, what do I do?

Thats great! This means you will get ahead of your lane in farm, if you manage to keep them on their heels for most of the laning phase then try to get as much farm as possible till level 6. If possible all-in them when you get to level 6, otherwise zone them from anything or roam the map.

Remember if they start playing aggressively and you have low ward coverage of the side of the lane, chances are you are about to get ganked.

My team thought it was a good idea to pick an AD jungle and top lane when I had picked Lee Sin middle lane already, what am I meant to do now?

This is a pretty common scenario considering how AP top lane champions have been relatively crippled and AD bruiser junglers are very common now, however don't fret. Use a rune page with armor penetration marks and flat AD quintessences, proceed to get your core items and rush The Black Cleaver. This will allow your team to have a incredible mid game when team fights break out and you need to focus people down. In most cases prioritize getting armor penetration over The Bloodthirster.

Mid game is approaching and I have very few kills, how do I kill the enemy carries now?

If you have very few kills then I have to assume you have very low deaths, this should also mean you have relatively high farm. If this is the case you should still be able to kill enemy carries as long as your Sonic Wave hits them. However this doesn't mean you can kill the enemy carries in a single combo, in most cases you will need to play warily and kill them with two combos.

I'm getting poked down to hell by the enemy AP middle laner, how do I stop them or even kill them?

If you're getting poked down by the enemy AP then this means they are playing ridiculously aggressive, either call in a jungle gank or try to engage in a all-in fight, granted that the enemy AP carry has been applying such pressure for most of the time. If they suddenly started poking you then chances are they are wanting to bait you for a jungle gank.

I have 1500 gold for when I first go to base and buy, what should I get?

What you choose is situational; 

• If you are dealing with a high poke squishy mid lane. Then go for a vampiric scepter + dorans blade/boots with a ward and few health potions, this will give you the sustain you need to have before you engage in any fights. 

• If you are against a middle laner that is relatively tanky and has low poke, go for a brutalizer and wards. This will allow you to completely decimate the enemy middle laner in fights.

• If you are against a mid that has either sustain or mobility, get a fort pot and vampiric scepter. In most cases you can bait the enemy to try fight you, also you are given sustain that can counter what they would have.

I hardly know how to play Lee Sin, should I jump into a game and play him as a hyper-assassin at middle lane?

No, quite simply you have to play with high aggression and caution at the same time. Not to mention the fact you are easier to kill than a top lane Lee Sin thanks to your different item build. Playing Lee Sin middle lane is much more challenging if you do not know how to utilize Lee Sin's kit in fast engagements. Top lane has breathing space thanks to more flexible item paths and much more space to chase the enemy lane.

A champion Review: Amumu

General play style, Jungle routes, Pros and Cons

PROS

Consistent AoE damage

Amazing initiation

Good chasing

Fast clear speed

Very tanky

CONS

Needs first blue or he will fall apart

Easily invaded

Relies heavily on landing your bandage toss

If you miss your ulti, you may lose the game off it

Doesn't have very much CC outside of his ulti

JUNGLE ROUTES

STANDARD BLUE START

Very simple wolves, blue, wraiths, wolves, red, wraiths, then gank as you see fit.

AGGRESSIVE BLUE START

Wolves, smiteless blue, straight to red and start the gank train.

STANDARD RED START

Amumu isn't as blue reliant as you would think, he can start red and be fine as long as he gets the blue at some point.

Anyways, wraiths, red, golems, wraiths, wolves, and blue, you won't have enough life to start ganking with this path but it is still an option.

THINK YOUR GOING TO GET INVADED PATH

Start wraiths, red, see if you can get a smiteless then immediately head to blue. Securing your buffs is key here. Then either gank if you see an opening or continue to farm your jungle up. 

If your for sure the enemy jungler is in your jungle, you can go man mode as see if you can take there buff and get out before they get there. 

IF YOU GET BEHIND

If you get behind due to jungle invasion, there's 2 ways to deal with it. Option A. is to tell your team your behind and farm up to 6 as fast as possible to try to make some plays. Option B. If you are confident in your abilities to land a bandage toss, you should gank more often to bring you back into the game. If it helps, ask your mid laner if you can take the second blue to help you out a little more.

EARLY GAME

This is what makes or breaks Amumu as a jungler, if he has a good start, he is going to become a monster. But if he doesn't, it is going to be slow and miserable.

Most people know by now that if you shut down an Amumu early, he is not going to be as effective so they will try to take advantage of your weak early game. If you suspect an level 1 invade, ask for wards around your blue buff to see if they are coming. If they are, go to there blue immediately. Watch the enemies positioning, if they start to leave your blue area, you should as well, because it most likely means they have it warded. 

AS LONG AS YOU GET A BLUE BUFF YOU WILL BE FINE is basically how his early game is decided.

MID GAME

This is where the outcome of a game is usually decided. When you have your ulti up, you should be looking for a fight. Force a dragon, set up a gank, invade the enemy jungle whatever you have to do to gain an advantage, because Amumu's ult is so potent for securing kills, and making plays.

LATE GAME/ TEAMFIGHTS

This is where Amumu shines. If your team is even or slightly ahead, you should always be trying to force a fight. Push towers, force or bait baron/dragon. 

Your job in a team fight is to start the fight and do as much damage as you can by crying on people. Because Amumu doesn't have very much CC to peel for your allies, so you need to just   be an annoying little bugger. But remember, the longer the fight goes on, the more damage you are going to get out with your tears.

Tips, Tricks, and Synergies

GANKING TIPS

If you can help it, always lead with your auto attacks, see if they burn any escapes, then throw out your.

Always be aware of the enemy side steps. Hold on to your to get a feel for your opponent. If you know he is going to juke in a certain direction throw it there. 

If you can lead with , it is always the best choice just for the fact that it is a lot more reliable. Don't be afraid to burn your  to get you in a perfect position. And always try to extend your CC for as long as possible. If you do it perfectly, you can get 3 seconds of the enemy not moving. 

A very simple concept but always have your  when you fight. It may seem obvious, but I've seen people strictly use this ability to farm the jungle. You never know when that little bit of damage will make the difference between a kill and a very crippled enemy.

Make sure you always refresh your on your enemies because reduced magic resist = more damage for you and your allies. 

SYNERGIES

and more. She is your best friend in a team fight. Having high damage on-top a vortex CC is absolutely amazing. Anyone with consistent AoE damage works really well too.  A good example.

If you want to go complete wombo combo and   or . If you land a 5 man Amumu ult, the enemy team will die within 4 seconds give or take. 

Any champion with really good diving abilities works really well with Amumu. If you ult an enemy ADC, and someone like  jumps on there face, there dead.

Final Statements

 Isn't used in competitive play that much because you can coordinate a jungle invasion and shut him down early, and keep him down. However, If you get a strong level 1 team to protect you, ward your jungle early and an get sufficient ganks off, he is an amazing addition to a team just for the raw initiation.

Always remember that Amumu is the strongest late game tank in the game because his tears will always do high damage, he get insanely tanky with items, and his initiation is the best in the game. 

I hope this guide helps for all the future, or current Amumu players out there. 

A champion Review : Zed

Introduction to Zed's kit and mechanics.

Q

Your main skill in laning phase, is similar to Kennen's Q but goes through all targets.

W

Spawns an illusion at the targeted area, this illusion copies your Q and E with the E slow being increased if used by the illusion. You can activate W again to swap places with the illusion making this your escape spell and gap closer.

E

A melee range aoe spell similar to Akali's E that slashes everything around you, has a 3ish second cooldown at lower levels. This is used as a ranged slow when combined with your illusion. You can use it twice within the duration of your shadow (W) and three times at max CDR.

R

You become untargetable for a second while dashing to the target. You then spawn an illusion behind the target when you reach your destination. After a few seconds your target is hit by your total AD + a % of any non true damage you dealt to the target during this time.

Main Combo using W as a gap closer :

You press W and immediately press E and Q after your E slows him for an easy Q hit. You then swap places with your illusion and continue to attack and use E as it has a 2-3s CD.

This is also your main harass combo in laning phase, where you toss an illusion and use skills but don't dash to the target afterwards.

Main Combo using R as a gap closer :

As soon as your ult casts, you'll have an illusion behind the target. you press E and Q similar to what you did with W as the enemy will almost always run in the opposite direction( into the illusion behind them ). You have to make sure you cast E fast though, landing Q depends on landing E. Swap with your R illusion and continue to auto and E if needed.

Role in the game

Zed is an AD caster.

Laning phase :

Farm, and kill enemies at 6 if you can.

Grouping for towers :

Zed has a kit suitable for poking enemies from far if needed.

Grouping for dragons :

You can Zone enemies with your illusion->slow followed by double shuriken.

Teamfights : 

You serve the role of the assassin in the team. Your job is to find their one main carry, and somehow get your combo off on them. Since Zed can get to carries so easily he's extremely fun to play.

When to pick Zed :

Champion select is important, Zed is best when picked against carries with no built in escapes like Kog'maw and is bad against picks like Singed, that become super tanky and still do damage.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• One of the best champions to serve the assassin role right now.
• Has insane burst.
• Amazing mobility and juke potential if used right.
• Doesn't fall off late game unless behind.
• Amazing wave clear.
• Is extremely fun to play.

Cons

• Has a lot of hard matchups in top lane, hence making Zed mid a viable alternative.
• Like any other AD Caster, will be useless if feeding/far behind.
• Is easy to gank once his W is on cooldown.

Jungle/Mid Zed

Jungle 

• First difference is that jungle Zed always maxes E.
• Second Difference is your role in the game + items, depending on your top laner.
• Also uses 21-9-0 so it falls off late game because of lack of items unless the jungler is a beast.

Mid

• Uses 21-9-0 Mastery and plays more of a roaming carry role
• Can use 15 AD in runes for highest kill potential with fort pot start
• Gets a lot more cs making it easier to get items

Sorry for the inactivity

I'd just like to make a quick apology for not posting new content, I've been really busy past few weeks which has resulted in me being unable to check and post the content that the other users have been generating. However I am once again free for the summer so more content will be added, including very soon a personal story about myself and how League of legends influenced me through college!

Hello summoners!

I have played this game since season 1. And yet i have never been banned or warned.

Im writing a small guide how i play this game and how following this would help you win more.

1. Know your game.

If you are a competitive player and want to imitate pro's. Play ranked.

If you are just playing for fun and stress free. Play normals.

If you are a casual gamer. Play custom/aram/dominion/tt.

Its no point to antimeta in ranked, if youre playing soloque.

Nobody else is wanting antimeta games and its only you. Dont be selfish.

Play normals instead and have premades. This way you dont piss off others for no reason.

2. Knowing your lane.

In champ select, Say your best lane and worst lane. This way everyone knows your strengths and can play more coordinated to win. 

STOP THE "I SAID FIRST". This only pisses everyone off and makes your chances getting your desired lane even lower.

I have developed my strengths at every lane but i'm most powerful at mid.

Be polite about it.

3. Abuse the ping system.

Instead of typing: "GG OUR JUNGLER NO GANK" 

Use OMW ping's so everyone know's that you're coming to help.

Use the ? ping if your lane is missing, instead of typing it in chat.

Use the assist me ping if you need a gank.

Use the danger ping to tell your teammates that its not a good idea to initate.

Use the V ping (back) to tell your teams to disengage and turn back.

I only use the chat function if i ask for item suggestions or other game related stuff.

I understand that the jungler cant always come to rescue you when you fail your lane. 

Just a simple assist me ping tells your jungler that you need attention next. Your jungler comes to help you eventually. Be patient.

Nobody us can focus on the chat when were getting that sweet 1-2-3 combo to kill that enemy mid. The smartping system is so much more efficent.

4. Reports

Don't beg for reports. It only makes you look like an ass.

Be quiet and calm and just report the toxic person after the game is over. (he will get eventually hes deserved justice. Don't worry.)

5. Chat

Stop making that kid's tantrum lose the game for you. 

Ignore that damn chat. Why do you care what that 12 year old kid thinks?

I have /all Chat disabled always. Made me improve since i don't have to see those taunts.

Abuse the mute button. Your teammates can still smart ping.

6. Premades

5 v 5 soloque:

40% your team gets a troll and 50% enemy gets a troll. 10% is you.

2 premade: 30% your team and 50% enemy team... 20% increase of not getting trolled.

Always prefeer duo queue since it gives a chance that the enemy has a bad team and you don't.

DON'T BE AN ASS ABOUT IT! 

Don't spam WE DUO WE BOT. Learn to play all lanes and synergize with your team.

7. Losing

GG WP. 

Report toxic players and move on to the next game. 

Losing a normal doesent mean anything. So don't get mad about it.

In ranked: You got outplayed. You had a troll in your game. It happened... 

And your raging wont make it go away. Just accept it and move on.

8. Stop being the leader.

STOP! Chat and be a team. Talk it out in the champion selection and discuss strategies and counters. Stop telling others what to do and try to learn from them.

If you're supporting a bad adc. Instead of flaming him and going dive dying on the enemy. Play it safe and be at the back. Follow the adc's movement and try to help him improve. 

I see bad ad carrys daily. I even go and admit it. Many times when i'm the adc. i win games.. That's why i always adc in ranked. Its a easier way to win. 

If i want to lay back and relax, i go mid/jungle/top instead. Its more relaxing and not boring as hell early.

9. Advice.

If someone tells you to build more survivability/damage. They only mean good for the team. Offcourse this works both ways. You only want to win right? Or you only want to have as much fun as possible. Many players need to stop being so butthurt about getting advice. Every player that just started this game can relate to running into towers and dying over and over untill they learn from experience. Sometimes its just worth it to say "don't do that, it doesent work in this game."

But always remember to be polite about it.. Nobody wants to hear that they suck and need to uninstall.

10. "I said first" issue.

When you're in ranked/normal draft pick. Come on. ITS DRAFT MODE. The "i said first rule" does not even apply in blind mode. So why do i see 9/10 times this phenomenon happening in DRAFT MODE?

This is the internet, NOT THE KINDERGARTEN. If you wish to apply "i said first" rules, please go to the nearest kindergarten and fight over for toys.. We are here to play and try to win.

11. Stats 

So many times i see children getting steamed up on K/D/A.. 

Lets break down what this means. 

Your kills = how many times you managed to last hit someone down.

Your deaths = How many times you got last hit.

Your assists = How many times you assisted on the last hit.

Still i see good adc's getting flamed by stupid teammates who only see hes K/D/A. 

So what if that adc has 1/5/0 early. He still dealt MOST DAMAGE IN THE GAME in the stats screen after the game. Its not about those flashy numbers. Its about how much your carry did damage.

Stop chasing kills all the time and for once see clearly what it takes to win a game.

This behaviour is so damn frustrating.

12. Honoring.

So many times this function is not used. Reason basicly is that its useless and you gain nothing from it. So why is it there?

Actually honoring people boosts the team morale 25% of the times. Its not a guaranteed friendly match but it sometimes calms people down and make them concentrate and stay friendly.. yes its only 25% chance but that's still better than nothing right?

When i play a game of league of legends, i ALWAYS honor people that are friendly and nice. I also inform them in game after mid game or so that i'm honoring everyone for being so nice and nobody flamed. This actually sometimes makes people even more happier and the game shifts more into our favor because of the morale boost.

Use this as a weapon to make happy people more happier. Cause happy people win games more than angry people. (Calm beats stressed anytime if its a equal match.)

Riot gave you a function to reward good players (good as in nice and kind). So abuse it and spam it if you see friendly people.. or atleast someone who did good plays during the game.

13. Improving yourself

You don't always win games. You have to accept that. 

This is a team game so if you have ex. 2 lanes that are failing. Always focus on your own lane and try to improve. Because you are training for the next possible game, and this time it might just be YOU that is failing hard. 

If your lane is failing hard and you can't seem to win. Just use the "assist me" ping and wait till your teammates are ready and can start to help you turn your lane. Try to stall the lane by getting GP10 items and playing very passively. This is rewarding if you see that you died twice and the opponent can simply snack you when you come too close. At this point when you lost your lane hard, you need 2 people to gank or else it wont be as effective.

Keeping the focus on your own game is extremely important in soloqueue. You can't rely on your teammates in soloqueue cause you don't have voic. You just have to rely on pings and hope if your teammates notice. 

If all other lanes lost. Just keep trying.. There might be that one enemy team member who decided to troll and boom. You have a great opportunity to win. Also keep a close look on whos team has the endgame champions. You might get steamrolled in the early but the late game is a different story.

14. Winning a 1-4 v 5

If you see that the enemy team had a afk from the start of the game or had a person who just kept walking in the center of the map to get picked off.

Why do you insist saying it was a good game and laughing at the team that losed.. 

Seriously are you that desperate that the only game you can enjoy is the 5v4's that are easy for you? Come on be supportive and say "sorry for your afker"

And move on. It wasn't a good game. It never was. its a bad game from the start. If you played a match where it was 5v5 and nobody did anything intentionally like walking in the center of the map all the time to ruin it, then it was a good game. Stop being a ass about winning. You got your win so be happy about it. Don't trash talk the losing team. Report the afker/troller and move on.

15. Map vision

If you have teammates that have no clue how to use the smart ping system and doesen't support you. Please keep looking at the minimap. 

In soloqueue its pointless to assume that your team has your back. Many times i initate a 5v3 and have 4 teammates walk away and it turns into a 1v3. 

Solution is:

Train yourself into looking at the minimap every 30 seconds. After you master the timing look. 

Then train yourself into looking at the minimap every 15 seconds. 

After a while of training you should take a quick peek at the minimap every 2 seconds to watch out for anything suspicious like empty lanes which weren't pinged. Or if you see a enemy jungler walking towards you. Its always worth it to check the minimap.

WARDS: ITS EVERYONES RESPONSIBILITY TO BUY WARDS!

Stop complaining if you got ganked in mid. Its not your junglers fault. Its your fault for not buying wards.

Even i buy 2 wards after first or second back from mid lane. Its even turning into a habit.

16. Variable champion picks.

To totally stomp your opponent in a duel lane requires you to have knowledge on the opposing champion.

You should play like me and change your champion each game and try to stop playing the same character over and over again.

If you do this, you will: 

1. Learn new champs and be good at them.

2. Know exactly what the enemy is capable of because you played that champion yourself.

3. Know how to pick better in champion select just incase someone troll picks, you can still change your lane if you're already locked in.

After all. All the champs i own and purchased i have played over 10 times. That's why when i see a enemy "------" In the lane, i can easily counter pick and kill him because i have played that champion myself. Its pretty easy to knowledge which champions have mana problems early game, and which champions are squishy early.

17. Death

You're happily farming your Q on nasus when suddenly 5 enemies appear from your tower and from the bush and you cant do **** about it.

Stop trying to run away and die. Instead try to do as much as damage as possible before death. Its pointless to try and run from all that CC and die after. If you see that the full enemy team is rushing you, go to their tower and hit it a couple of times before dying.. Atleast then you do some permanent damage. 

Ignore raging teammates when you do this. Later they will see that it paid off. 

Always have your last stand when all hope is lost.

If you cant harm their towers. Atleast blow off all your cd's and try to burst atleast one enemy down before dying.. 

That will turn a free death into a enemy killed, worth it.

Conclusion

Many of you must think that all these tips are just common sense.. But why is the common sense lacking in every game in the lower MMR?

Stop waiting for everyone else to change.. Change yourself and wait. Things will improve in time.. Even if it takes 6 years. Just be patient and wait.. 

You guys have no idea how rewarding it is to see a good player from time to time. 

It almost makes this game a pleasure to play. (i automatically honor kind and nice players over actually skilled players.)

Feel free to comment. And please contribute by bumping this post back top.

A small update

Very soon we will be creating videos to help aid in our tips section. We now have a team of 5 high ranked competitive players working together on the guides and tips sections. We will have popular champions up, and after that the rest will soon follow! If you have any champions you'd like to see a guide for, any tips on roles you play or any other information feel free to post it in the comments or email it to either:

hassantaseer0@gmail.com

or
hanan.taseer@hotmail.com

Thanks for your interest and support, good luck!

Introduction

Update: just added seeker's armguard to the list

Many of the builds detail items that are good for the specific character that they're building for, but they never really explain exactly why this item was chosen over another and the situation that demanded that choice. Guides offer a few builds for a champ and while this is generally a good way to learn how to play a character, it's not good for becoming a better player in general. There are too many team compositions for a single build to work in every case, thus a good player knows how to be fluid when building their items. This not only includes what items you buy but: what order you buy the components in, what items you buy at the start, what items to sell and when, and what items to build early so that they can reach their full potential.

The goal of this guide is to deliver an understanding of the items in this game and the phases of build order and to act as a reference for those who might forget about some of the lesser known items that could be useful in certain situations.

Note:If you're looking for info on a specific item, just use ctrl+f and search for it.

Terms

Here's a quick list of terms and acronyms used throughout the guide:
AD = Attack damage
AP = Ability Power
AS = Attack Speed
Ar. Pen. = Armor Penetration
M Pen = Magic Penetration
H/M/GPX = Health/Mana/Gold per X seconds
CDR= Cooldown reduction
Nuke = Champion who deals a large amount of damage within a very short period, then waits for cooldowns
DPS = Damage per second, Champion who deals damage over time through auto attacks
CC = Crowd Control (slows, taunts, fears, stuns, snares)

The Basics [Basic Tier]

Before I get into anything I want to list the various basic items to help give an understanding of whether you should buy a  Pickaxe or wait for a  B. F. Sword and such. Items will be listed with a category as well as their gold efficiency

Consumables  Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation (Mastery) Explorer Ward (Mastery)  Health Potion  Mana Potion  Crystalline Flask  Sight Ward  Vision Ward Doran's Set:  Doran's Blade  Doran's Ring  Doran's Shield AD items:  Long Sword (40 gold per 1 AD)  Pickaxe (35 gold per 1 AD)  B. F. Sword (34.5 gold per 1 AD)

SPACE

AP items:  Amplifying Tome (21.75 goldper 1 AP)  Blasting Wand (21.5 gold per 1 AP)  Needlessly Large Rod (20 gold per 1 AP) Armor Items:  Cloth Armor (20 gold per 1 Armor)  Chain Vest (18 gold per 1 Armor) Magic Resist Items:  Null-Magic Mantle (20 goldper 1 M. Resist)  Negatron Cloak (18 gold per 1 M. Resist) Attack Speed Items:  Dagger (33.3 gold per 1% AS)  Recurve Bow (31.67 gold per 1% AS)

SPACE

Critical Chance Items:  Brawler's Gloves (50 gold per 1% crit chance)  Cloak of Agility (48.6 gold per 1% crit chance) Health and Health Regen:  Ruby Crystal (2.6 gold per 1 Health)  Giant's Belt (2.6 gold per 1 Health)  Rejuvenation Bead (36 goldper 1 HP5) Mana and Mana Regen:  Sapphire Crystal (2 gold per 1 Mana)  Faerie Charm (60 gold per 1 MP5)

Note: the stats on the doran's items are exceptional, thus you often see them being stacked to compound their effect. However, this should be done with consideration as they lose their effect as the game progresses and your only option is to sell them since they do not build into anything else.

---

You may be wondering why I would be listing this when it's all available in the Mobafire database. But I want to call attention to the way these items are grouped and the way the groups differ.

For the sake of this discussion I'll be referring to these items in "tiers."  Long Sword is tier 1.  Pickaxe is tier 2.  B. F. Sword is tier 3.

You may notice that there is a tier 2 for health, but not for mana; also that a  Pickaxe costs 875, whereas a Blasting Wand costs 860, despite being in the same tier of damage. Basic items are basic because they offer nothing except pure stats at low costs. In many cases this is all you need for the early phases of the game. So you may find yourself buying a  Chain Vest,  Giant's Belt and a  Sapphire Crystal if you're an offtank who needs the extra mana. You may build the  Chain Vest and  Giant's Belt together into a Sunfire Cape, or the  Chain Vest and the  Sapphire Crystal into a  Glacial Shroud and build the giant's belt into a  Rylai's Crystal Scepter.

You can see how important the order you buy your basic items in is. In most cases you'll find that the utility of the passive on an item like  Tear of the Goddess demands that you build it as fast as possible. However, if you can focus on building various basic items first than you allow yourself much more flexibility as the game begins to change to favor one thing.

All tier 1 items in this section can be bought at the beginning of the game and they leave a varying amount of gold left over for potions (generally 1-3) and wards (generally one). In most cases you'll want to spend most of the 475 gold you start with. For example, should you buy a sapphire crystal and 2 pots or boots and 3 pots? While this generally depends on what you plan on buying later, sapphire crystal will allow you to cast more spells early, while boots will give you higher mobility and better sustain with the 3rd potion. In the event that you were rushing  Tear of the Goddess you would start with the  Sapphire Crystal to get it as soon as possible instead of the boots.

To illustrate how complex choosing your basic items can be, I'll use another scenario. Lets say you are an AD caster up against an AP carry mid and they are harassing you very well. The rest of the opponent's team is decently heavy on CC. On your first return to base, you have 780 gold. This is enough to allow you to buy a  Negatron Cloak but it will also leave you with only enough to buy a pot and set you back from buying the damage dealing items you need to get as quickly as possible (like a BF sword). However you could also buy a cheaper  Null-Magic Mantle to reduce their damage a little bit without setting yourself far back in your build. The cloak can be built into a mid-late game  Banshee's Veil, the mantle can be built into an early game Mercury's Treads (I'll go over boot choice in the next section). Both options are viable against a CC heavy team. The point here is that there is no clear decision. The factors you should consider when making a decision like this are: what characters you're playing and who you're up against, how much damage you are dealing now, how much damage you need to deal now and later, and how much damage the opponent is dealing to you now.

So many shoes to choose from

If there is anything you need to know, it's what boots to choose. Boots are essential because everyone builds them. Although it might be possible in very special cases to build without boots, the base movement speed of EVERY champ is simply too low to keep them viable without them.

Enchantments

Before I go into the boots themselves, I'm going to go over the various enchantments that can be applied to boots so I can discuss specific combinations later.

This is the most straightforward enchantment. It gives you a bonus flat 15 movement speed. It is important to note that this flat movement speed will be increased by any items that increase movement speed by percentage e.g.  Zeal.

This is a good enchantment for support or initiators as it allows your team to follow you quickly wherever you go. It's also good for pushing as nearby ally minions will move faster, thus meaning they get to towers quicker.

This is a great enchantment since so many initiations rely on flash being off cooldown. It's even more potent if you pack flash AND teleport as it allows you to telegank more often. Try getting this enchantment early as it will have a greater impact on the game that way.

A good enchantment for carries that allows you to stick to your target while attacking them. With 400 movement speed you'll gain a bonus 48 while in combat, which is the equivalent to having another pair of tier 2 boots.

Possibly the most fun enchantment as it lets you zoom out of base extremely quickly and is one of the cheaper options among enchantments. It's particularly good for defending your base against split pushing and backdooring as it allows you to quickly catch up to an enemy champ who's invading your base alone.

The Boots

The basic boots offer a decent boost to speed, but offer no other benefits. Many champions will start with these boots and 3  Health Potions. Doing so allows for a movement speed advantage over foes and can help you harass and avoid harass easier. For example, if you're mid lane and your opponent is  Karthus, buying boots first will make him simply unable to harass you with  Lay Waste. However starting with these is not mandatory unless you feel you will need the sustain from 3 potions.

Berserker's Greaves are a standard choice for AD champs and are practically required on ranged AD characters like  Ashe or  Caitlyn. The attack speed bonus not only makes it easier to farm but gives you an advantage over other AD champs. Keep in mind that attack speed is the difference between hitting like a hammer and hitting like a Jackhammer. These boots synergize well with the Enchantment: Furor as it allows you to chase extremely well, giving you the equivalent of  Vayne's passive.

The standard choice for AP carries, do not underestimate the damage bonus that the magic penetration gives. When playing AP I usually buy these boots before any AP item because the magic penetration can have a huge impact, even in early game. These boots go well with  Enchantment: Distortion since many AP carries are dependent on flash for setting up combos.

A good choice for champs who are extremely reliant on their abilities. Champs like  Renekton or Brand can benefit from these since they need to use their abilities as a combo to use them to their full extent. Keep in mind that max CDR is 40%.

Mercury's Treads are possibly the most versatile boot choice. Every champ can benefit from buying these boots. It offers the tenacity buff, which is useful during all phases of the game. Even carries can benefit from these boots if they expect to be focused down a lot, but you'll most often see these on tanks.

The other boot choice for tank, useful if the enemy team is heavy on AD champs, otherwise you're better off with merc treads since the majority of champs have some sort of CC they could use on you. These boots provide the most damage reduction.

Very useful on stealth and assassin characters who stay out of a fight until the right moment to pick off a foe. Was seen more often when roaming was popular, but you'll typically see  Shaco, Evelynn, or  Twitch wearing these. They saw a surge in popularity in S2 on junglers like  Alistarfor their phenomenal ganking ability. Pack these with  Enchantment: Homeguard for ridiculous speeds when leaving base.

These boots offer the highest flat movement speed and synergize well with  Enchantment: Alacrity, especially on champions with abilities that increase movement speed by a percentage like  Garen or  Poppy. The slow reduction is good, but I don't suggest buying these boots specifically for that reason, as Mercury Treads reduces the duration of slows and is more versatile. (Though it could be a favorable option if the only CC the enemy team has is in slows).