Champion Stats
| Role | Support / Mage |
| Difficulty | |
| Blue Essence | 675 BE |
Why High-Elo Players Smurf with Zilean
Low Elo players tunnel vision. They see a low HP carry, they flash, they ignite, they use everything... and you press R. They have now traded a 300-second Flash cooldown for a 40-second Ult cooldown. You win the economy war instantly. Smurfs also abuse the 'Double Bomb' stun radius, which catches entire teams who don't know how to space against it.
The Level 1 Cheese
First Blood Strategy
The 'Clockwork Push'. Start Q (Time Bomb). Walk up and double-bomb the melee minions (Q-Q, wait, no, you need W). Level 1 is weak. Just Q the enemy carry when they walk up for CS. The REAL cheese is Level 2. Q-W-Q is an instant AoE Stun. If you land this on a Level 1 bot lane, you blow summoners or get a kill.
The 'Pay-to-Win' Skin Advantage
'Sugar Rush Zilean' is the cleanest modern skin with smooth animations. 'Blood Moon' has great visual clarity on the bombs (important for timing). 'Groovy Zilean' is the ultimate BM skin—you look ridiculous while carrying.
When They Ban Zilean
Backup Pick: If Zilean is banned,
Lulu offers similar 'keep them alive' energy.
Renata Glasc offers a 'revive' mechanic on her W.
Karma for the speed boosts.
Rune Setup
Best Runes: Summon Aery is standard for poke and shield application. Guardian is safer against engage. Mandatory: Manaflow Band (you are mana hungry) and Transcendence (Ability Haste is your god stat). Secondary: Domination (Ultimate Hunter) to get your Revive to a 30s cooldown late game.
Skill Priority
Order:
Q → E → WMax Q (Time Bomb) for the damage and waveclear. Max E (Time Warp) second for the 99% Speed/Slow (this is vital). Max W last. Put points in R whenever possible.
Mastering Zilean's Kit
Time Bomb. Throws a bomb. It sticks to the first unit it touches. 3s timer. If you place a second bomb on the same target, the first one detonates instantly and STUNS enemies in the area.
Rewind. Reduces Q and E cooldowns by 10s. This is how you Double Bomb (Q-W-Q) or perma-speed (E-W-E).
Time Warp. Target Ally: Speed. Target Enemy: Slow. At max rank, this is 99% for 2.5 seconds. It is arguably the strongest basic ability point-for-point in the game.
Chronoshift. Places a rune on an ally. If they die, they revive with HP. The cooldown gets very low with Haste.
Matchup Tips
Hard. His hook hit box is huge, and he can chain CC you so you can't R. Play behind minions.
Boring. You both just scale. Roam with your speed to impact Mid.
Dream Scenario. If Hecarim is on YOUR team, you win. If he is on the ENEMY team, E him and watch him cry as he loses all his AD (passive) and speed.
The Ego Check
WARNING: Stop using R too late! Zilean R has a cast time. If you press it the split second they die, it won't go off. You must anticipate the burst. Better to use it early and force them to stop attacking than to die with it on cooldown. Also, stop missing Q-W-Q. If you miss the stun, you are a minion for 8 seconds.
When to Queue Dodge
Dodge Blitzcrank and Pyke. If you get hooked, you are dead before you can cast R. You are incredibly squishy.
Teamfight Role
Speed up your Engager (Top/Jungle) with E. Watch them run at Mach 10. When the fight starts, fish for Double Bombs (Q-W-Q) on the enemy backline. Save R for whoever the enemy focuses (usually your ADC or the diver). Use E to peel for yourself—a 99% slow makes any bruiser strictly unable to move.
The 'Disrespect' Build
AP Zilean Mid. Luden's Companion -> Shadowflame -> Rabadon's. Your Double Bomb has a 180% AP Ratio. You can literally one-shot an ADC with Q-W-Q later in the game while reviving yourself.
Power Windows
Level 6 (Revive Unlocked). Level 13 (Max Rank E - 99% Slow). 3-Item Haste Spike (Perma-Stun potential).
Tilt Factor
Type 'Can't Killean the Zilean' every time you revive someone. Spam your E on yourself to run circles around melee champions while emoting. It is physically impossible for them to catch you.
Recent Patch History
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
| V13.22 | Nov 8, 2023 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
| V12.22 | Nov 16, 2022 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
| V12.10 | May 25, 2022 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
| V11.14 | Jul 8, 2021 | BUFF | Q adjusted, W adjusted, Base stats adjusted |
| V11.1 | Jan 6, 2021 | BUFF | Base stats buffed |
Safety Tips
Safety isn't an accident. It's a deliberate process. By the time you log in, the account is already 'cleared' by Riot's systems.
