Guide Sections (15)
- Champion Stats
- The Lane Control Setup
- Skins Worth Buying for Zoe
- When They Ban Zoe
- Zoe's Rune Page
- What to Max on Zoe
- Mastering Zoe's Kit
- Who Zoe Beats (And Who Beats Zoe)
- Skillshot Ego
- When They Dive Through Your Zone
- The Combo Window
- The Control Mage Build
- When Zoe Hits Hardest
- The Zone Control
- Recent Patch History
Champion Stats
Low elo players do not understand 'Bubble Angles'. They think they are safe behind a wall, but Zoe's E range extends through terrain. A smurf constantly looks for these wall-bang sleeps. Furthermore, players drop W shards (cleanse, exhaust, flash) without thinking. Zoe becomes infinitely stronger in chaotic fights where spells are flying, allowing her to zip around with W speed and infinite flashes. She thrives on the enemy's sloppy resource management.
The Lane Control Setup
The 'Long Range' Q Trade. Start Q (Paddle Star). Walk to the side of the lane, Q behind you, walk forward, then redirect the Q past the melee minions to hit the enemy champion. Follow up with an empowered Auto-Attack (Passive). This combo deals massive damage. If you do it twice, they are forced to base. You can zone them off the first three minions entirely.
Q backwards -> Q forwards. Distance = Damage. R to extend range. E through walls for massive sleep range.
Skins Worth Buying for Zoe
'Cyber Pop Zoe' fits her hacker/glitch theme. 'Star Guardian Zoe' is evil and purple (great effects). 'Pool Party' is fun. 'EDG Zoe' is very clean.
'Cyber Pop' is hacker cool. 'Star Guardian' is evil. 'Pool Party' is chill. Star Guardian for the corruption.
'Cyber Pop' is hacker. 'Star Guardian' is villain. 'Pool Party' is water. Cyber Pop fits the glitchy playstyle best.
When They Ban Zoe
If Zoe is gone, LeBlanc is the best 'slippery-burst' pivot. If you want more sleep, maybe Seraphine (but it's not the same). The portal is closed today. sparkle.
LeBlanc for the burst/mobility. Vex for the gloom. Neeko for the trick. LeBlanc is the closest 'one-shot and leave' champion.
Zoe's Rune Page
Electrocute. You want burst. Taste of Blood, Eyeball Collection, Treasure Hunter. Secondary Sorcery with Nimbus Cloak (Speed on W usage) and Transcendence.
What to Max on Zoe
Max Q for the one-shot. Max E second for the cooldown reduction on sleep. Max W last.
Mastering Zoe's Kit
Paddle Star. Redirectable missile. Damage increases with distance. Q back -> Walk/R -> Q forward.
Spell Thief. Minions/Enemies drop spell shards. Active: Use the spell + gain movespeed and missiles.
Sleepy Trouble Bubble. Fires a bubble. Extends through walls. Drowsies then Sleeps. Double damage on wake-up.
Portal Jump. Blink to a location, then blink back. Use to extend Q range or dodge skillshots.
Who Zoe Beats (And Who Beats Zoe)
Hard Counter. He can cleanse your sleep with E. He runs you down. Ban him.
Hard Counter. Spellshield passive blocks E. Voidlings block Q. You can't play.
Skill Matchup. If she misses binding, she dies. If you miss bubble, you probably live because R.
Malzahar shield blocks sleep. Yasuo windwall blocks everything. Yone cleanses sleep. Don't pick Zoe into these.
Beats: Immobile mages (Vel'Koz). Loses to: Cleanse/Shields (Yone/Malzahar). Skill: Assassins (Zed/Fizz). Hit the sleep or die.
Skillshot Ego
Stop R-ing blindly into fog of war! Portal Jump (R) locks you in animation and forces you to return to the start point. If you R into a Blitzcrank, you are dead. Use it for vision or to extend Q range, but never as a face-checking tool against engage champs. Also, don't wake up sleeping targets with a weak auto! The 'Wake Up' hit deals DOUBLE true damage. Make sure it's a Max-Range Q that wakes them up, not your 50 damage auto-attack.
When They Dive Through Your Zone
Dodge Malzahar or Morgana. Example spellshields block your sleep. You literally cannot do your job. Also Yone, who can cleanse your sleep with his E return.
Morgana shield. Sivir shield. Nocturne shield. If they ignore sleep, you die.
Dodge Malzahar. Spellshield blocks sleep. Voidlings block Q. R suppresses you. Unplayable. Morgana is also bad.
The Combo Window
In teamfights, look for picks. Fish for E over walls. If you hit a sleep, wind up a max range Q-R-Q combo to delete them. Use W shards to zip around the fight. If you pick up a Flash, use it aggressively. You are an assassin mage—find the carry, sleep them, delete them.
E over a wall, Q behind you, R forward, Q forward, Auto. That's the one-shot. If you miss the sleep, back off. You're an opportunistic predator. The rift is your playground. Ooh, a butterfly! Win.
The Control Mage Build
Lich Bane Zoe. Luden's -> Lich Bane -> Horizon. Your passive auto after R deals 500+ damage alone. You don't even need to hit Q sometimes.
Lich Bane and Horizon Focus. You want to deal damage even if you miss the Q. Your passive autos are huge. You're a high-speed, high-damage glitter-bomb. Sparkle them to death. Yay! Win.
Luden's -> Shadowflame -> Horizon Focus. Q from fog deals 100% HP. You don't need consistent damage. You need one hit.
When Zoe Hits Hardest
Level 2 (W unlock). If a minion drops a balloon, you win the lane instantly. Level 6 allows for unpredictable angles. Mid game is your playground.
One item Luden's. One Q = One Kill. Mid game is your time. Late game tanks are hard to kill.
Level 2 (Balloon RNG). Level 6 (R angles). Luden's Spike. Mid game is your show. Make them afraid of walls.
The Zone Control
Type 'Did I catch you napping?' after a sleep kill. Pick up their Flash and use it to kill them. It's the ultimate disrespect.
Your E 'Sleepy Trouble Bubble' leaves a trap on the ground. Use it to block choke points. Your W 'Spell Thief' is the most chaotic ability in the game. Pick up their Flash and use it against them. Disrespect! Win.
Sleepy Trouble Bubble through walls. It extends range. Catch them rotating. Q-Q-R-Auto. Delete. Portal out.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.9 | May 1, 2024 | NERF | Base stats nerfed |
| V13.22 | Nov 8, 2023 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
| V13.17 | Aug 30, 2023 | BUFF | E buffed, Base stats buffed |
| V12.16 | Aug 24, 2022 | BUFF | W buffed, E buffed |
| V12.13 | Jul 13, 2022 | ADJUST | Base stats adjusted |
