Zed Guide – Build, Masteries, and Counters

Posted on August 3, 2016 by in Champion Guides

Need the exact tips, build, and masteries to win as Zed right now? Learn how to play any League of Legends champion like a pro to carry in solo queue. Become a Summoner School student by signing up now to carry in solo queue.

The short, pro guide to dominate as Zed in mid lane. Learn the builds, masteries, counters, and special fighting tactics to carry as him in LoL.

Video

Lane Strategy

  • Abuse your mana-free abilities. Farm with your abilities if you'll be worse off from a poke trade
  • Light poke comes from Razor Shuriken. Look to reposition yourself so you get a last hit and harass with one Q
  • Heavy poke comes from W > E > Q > W > autoattack. The Shadow Slash (E) slows to set up your Razor Shuriken (Q). Get close enough so Zed and his Shadow each deal Razor Shuriken. Swap with your Living Shadow and auto attack only if the target is below 50% health so it procs your passive. You have to be in melee range to harass with two Shadow Slashes making it an unlikely strategy
  • Your passive is perfect for last hitting minions. When establishing an ideal minion position to freeze the lane or zone the enemy, still let the minion health get low
  • When a melee champion like Gragas or Fizz engages you close, cast Living Shadow and activate it to your retreat location then use Shadow Slash (so your shadow slows) combined with Razor Shuriken for added punishment
  • Quickly push a lane by casting Living Shadow in the middle of the caster and melee minions then E and Q. E again when it's off cooldown

Team Fight Tactics

  • If you get safely within range of a squishy enemy, cast your ultimate before your Living Shadow. You want your Living Shadow to close the distance on an enemy's dash (or flash) common for AD carries or for your escape. The added damage from a nearby shadow during your ultimate is minimal, not worth the risk, and allows a likely escape for the enemy
  • Cast your ultimate when the enemy target like Vayne uses Condem to knock you away or dashes away like Corki with his Valkyrie. You will avoid CC or transport to the enemy's location
  • Ult a tank if your AD is getting soloed by him and the enemy carries are not a deadly threat. This allows your carry to re-target dangerous enemies
  • Some cooldown reduction is synergistic with your ultimate. CDR lets you cycle abilities for maximal Death Mark damage

Sneaky Tactics

  • Only your shadow slows from Shadow Slash. When dueling, if you can shadow within auto-range, instantly Shadow Slash to help you stick to the target. When running, use Living Shadow to create distance then Shadow Slash once the enemy gets near your shadow
  • Ward over a narrow wall then catch out a squishy target by initiating with your ultimate. Once you get the kill, press R again to safely retreat
  • A similar combo is done to juke when caught. Ult the side you're caught on, shadow across, then swap back to your shadow if need be
  • Count the time since you cast Living Shadow and Death Mark. Know how long you have to swap places
  • Blade of the Ruin King gives added damage to your ultimate
  • Living Shadow provides vision to check brushes
  • Death Mark makes Zed temporarily untargetable so you can use it to dodge tight moments like Karthus' ultimate
  • Become like Faker
  • Zed has a unique taunt when in-front of Shen: "Challenge me Shen...You shall not be an orphan long!"

Warnings

  • High skill cap. Takes time to master

Zed is Countered By

  • Cho'Gath
  • Irelia
  • Kayle
  • Lissandra
  • Lulu
  • Ryze
  • Soraka
  • Udyr

Zed Counters

  • Karthus
  • Katarina
  • Taliyah
  • Twisted Fate

Counter Mechanics

  • Burst negation. Kayle's ultimate, Jax's Counterstrike, or a silence when Zed ults. Cho'Gath with this tankiness and crowd control is cancer
  • Tanky champions work against Zed's burst reliance
  • Zed relies on minimal enemy CC or ally threats to enter fights so he cannot get crowd controlled. Against low quality players, this doesn't matter as they may burn such abilities before you ult in
  • Track Zed's Living Shadow. It has a high cooldown that when wasted, makes him vulnerable to ganks or no damage
  • Strong split pusher as he can clear waves fast, escape, and 1v1 nearly anyone
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Lux Guide – Build, Masteries, and Counters

Posted on July 19, 2016 by in Champion Guides

Need the exact tips, build, and masteries to win as Lux right now? Learn how to play any League of Legends champion like a pro to carry in solo queue. Become a Summoner School student by signing up.

The short, pro guide to dominate as Lux in mid lane. Learn the builds, masteries, counters, and special fighting tactics to carry as her in LoL.

Video

Lane Strategy

  • Assume you have ignite. If you can constantly ignite an enemy, you're playing Lux wrong. Your strength is your distance
  • Level up Lucent Singularity because it is your primary harass tool
  • Harass with Lucent Singularity behind the enemies initial position. Most players walk backwards to dodge the ability
  • Lux's harass combo comes from a snare into a Lucent Singularity. Autoattack first to proc your passive then detonate Lucent Singularity and autoattack the final passive. Skip the passive detonations if you suspect damage reciprocation
  • Your nuke combo is the same as the harass combo except you cast Final Spark to detonate the Illumination from Lucent Singularity then autoattack Illumination from your ultimate
  • Detonate Lux's passive (Illumination) when the enemy has no abilities up as your autoattack does more damage than their autoattack
  • When you want to nuke someone in lane or you're getting a gank, cast Lucent Singularity first to slow the enemy so it's easier to hit Light Binding. If the enemy is about to leave Lucent Singularity, detonate it for the damage. If you successfully snare the enemy, cast your ultimate to detonate your passive then autoattack to detonate the Illumination from your ultimate
  • Lux's ultimate has a short cooldown so you can use it as harass or to maintain map control. Clear waves quickly with an E on melee minions into her ultimate
  • If you get jumped on by a dangerous champion like Fizz, cast Lucent Singularity on top of you to get away. Detonate it when the enemy is about to leave the AOE affect
  • Lux is more effective at counter-ganking than ganking because her abilities are easy to dodge when initiating a gank and unsuspecting when counter-ganking

Team Fight Tactics

  • The best goal with Lux in a team fight is to kill a squishy carry before the fight even begins. Do this with wards where enemies cross as you wait nearby
  • If an ally gets caught, zone the enemy back line with the slow from your E. Snare them or the diving enemy depending on who has crowd control to further keep your ally stuck
  • If your team composition can dive squishy enemies, position to the side so you cannot get engaged on and can cast your E and ultimate on the squishies
  • Come mid game with possible fights around Dragon, leveling up Lucent Singularity first gives you good AOE damage to be used with your ultimate
  • Prismatic Barrier is best cast when the team fight starts. It is a boomerang ability where if the shield is reduced from the first cast, it can re-shield an ally for the full amount (around 300 health) if it passes through them again. You often get to cast it again to turn around close kills. That hypothetically equals 1200 bonus health for each team member
  • Your passive is less important in team fights compared to your positioning and skillshots
  • Look to team fight in narrow paths like jungle gaps
  • Unless you're cleaning up a kill, cast Final Spark on enemies who have been hit by your Q or E. Wait for their CD if you must as the added damage from your ultimate triggering your passive is worth it

Sneaky Tactics

  • Do not detonate Lucent Singularity when disengaging from an attempted initiation or gank. Most Lux players only use Light Binding to disengage forgetting the slow from her E is also as effective
  • Check brushes with Lucent Singularity so you don't have to face check
  • When running away from damage, cast Prismatic Barrier towards the direction you run as the shield hits you quicker on its return
  • When an enemy retreats near a wall on low health, cast your ultimate away from the wall making it impossible to juke
  • Track where the enemy jungler starts then place a ward on blue 1 minute before it respawns (so they don't see the ward go down) and steal it with your ultimate
  • Cast Q behind one wall of minions. Some people forget it carries onto the second target. It's a one-trick pony. They won't forget a second time
  • Annoy short-tempered enemies with Lux's tier-one laugh

Warnings

  • Has limited item paths. You want cooldown reduction and ability power
  • Illumination procs separates good Lux players from great Lux players
  • Don't smart cast her ultimate. You need to see its range
  • Pure skillshot-based champion

Lux is Countered By

Lux Counters

  • Karthus
  • Ryze
  • Annie

Counter Mechanics

  • Lux if played in a safe way cannot be countered due to her range, snare, and nuke potential. The Lady of Luminosity can poke and farm safely with her Lucent Singularity in lane and catch someone from a far distance with Light Binding
  • Lux counters squishy champions when she can take them out from a distance
  • Does well verse short range casters like Karthus and Ryze
  • Lux struggles against champions who can juke her abilities and quickly close the gap between them and her (like Katarina, Kassadin, or Fizz)
  • Juke her abilities to the side rather than backwards because all of her abilities have a long range
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Kassadin Guide – Build, Masteries, and Counters

Posted on July 1, 2016 by in Champion Guides

Need the exact tips, build, and masteries to win as Kassadin right now? Learn how to play any League of Legends champion like a pro to carry in solo queue. Become a Summoner School student by signing up.

The short, pro guide to dominate as Kassadin in mid lane. Learn the builds, masteries, counters, and special fighting tactics to carry as him in LoL.

Video

Lane Strategy

  • Acknowledge Kassadin's weakness early. Don't go for a last hit if you'll take multiple auto-attacks otherwise you'll get pushed out of lane fast. Consider Corrupting Potion for most lanes or Doran's Shield if you suspect a lot of autos will fly your way to try counter early weakness
  • Use Nether Blade to last hit under tower. Even if you know you'll miss a last hit, auto-attack to get mana from the ability's passive
  • Last hit siege minions with Null Sphere. The gold is worth the mana cost
  • Generally preserve Null Sphere for last hits because it gives you an auto-attack animation reset
  • You are unlikely able to get a kill on your lane opponent until level 6. Your lane strength comes once you hit 6
  • Your kill or harass combo in lane is R > E > W > Q. A good enemy can flash as your Q flies through the air unless you get close with your ultimate.

Team Fight Tactics

  • Get a Force Pulse across the maximum number of champions. The slow and damage is devastating. Coupled with Zhonyas to waste their abilities
  • Silence an enemy dependent on abilities. This may not always be an AP enemy. A Zed who ults in does no damage if you silence once he ults
  • Charge up your ult if you have the mana and know a fight is moments away. The added AOE damage will surprise
  • Your Riftwalks early in a team fight should allow you to reposition to combo a front line threat. Rarely are you able to dive straight into the back line
  • Have a pink or red trinket on the side near a team fight where you can remove enemy visibility then wait until a team fight starts so you jump in to assassinate a squishy
  • If the enemy team clumps and your team is around, Riftwalk and cast Force Pulse then quickly use Zhonya's Hourglass. it's an aggressive play with high reward potential
  • If your AD carry is fed, peel with your slow. You can wreak the enemy back line later with Riftwalk

Sneaky Tactics

  • Riftwalk under crowd control abilities like Morgana's Bind towards the enemy if you deem the situation to warrant instant aggression
  • Activate Nether Blade and Riftwalk when at base to charge up Force Pulse or Tear of the Goddess
  • Riftwalk in unusual places when you go to gank to surprise. Kassadin is one of the best roamers in League of Legends
  • Your Nether Blade wrecks tanks who go Sunfire Cape
  • As long as Riftwalk takes you over the halfway point of a wall, you appear on the other side
  • Backdoor like Xpeke

Warnings

  • Always weigh up if you should Riftwalk in for a momentary position advantage and damage versus Riftwalk out to escape
  • Your passive attack speed boost is useless against an AD-based team because it depends on receiving AP damage
  • A lot of champions can kill you mid level 2 or 3 due to their higher burst and synergy from abilities like Anivia, Brand, and Cassiopeia
  • Vulnerable to the enemy jungler camping because Kassadin is melee and has to move up further to last hit minions

Kassadin is Countered By

  • Bruisers like Irelia, Jax, Gangplank, Jayce, Riven, Zed, and Yasuo
  • Poke heavy like Ziggs, Anivia, Urgot, and Orianna, but you counter them late-game

Kassadin Counters

  • All squishy AP champions like Twisted Fate, Karthus, Lux, Veigar, and Ziggs

Counter Mechanics

  • Counter with early lane dominance through poke
  • Consider doing an early 2v1 against Kassadin to shut him down
  • Tanky bruisers hurt because they can sustain any poke and are not greatly limited by your silence
  • Kassadin works well against AP champs mid because he can burst with Riftwalk, which further gives him potential to chase down and dodge abilities
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Anivia Guide – Build, Masteries, and Counters

Posted on July 1, 2016 by in Champion Guides

Need the exact tips, build, and masteries to win as Anivia right now? Learn how to play any League of Legends champion like a pro to carry in solo queue. Become a Summoner School student by signing up now to carry in solo queue.

The short, pro guide to dominate as Anivia in mid lane. Learn the builds, masteries, counters, and special fighting tactics to carry as her in LoL.

Video

Lane Strategy

  • You get a power surge at level three with one ability in Flash Frost and two in Frostbite. Flash Frost can deal double damage as well as Frostbite from the frost proc
  • If your jungler has a non-skill shot crowd control like Maokai snare, wait until that lands before casting Flash Frost to guarantee you hit your stun and chain your abilities
  • Clear raptors only when you have blue buff or are about to back. You're too mana-dependent
  • Improve the chances of landing your slow stun by walling behind the enemy, seeing the direction he moves, then cast it
  • Once you hit 6, most of your harass will come from an ult into Frostbite combo. This sets you up to hit Flash Frost because your close and the enemy is slowed from your ult. Ideally you want to stun the target in your ult. If not, the stun then wall allows you to get another ult and Frostbite off seconds late
  • When you want to push a wave, tank the melee minions until they line up, then use Glacial Storm and Flash Frost to clear
  • Always know if your egg is up or not. You can be more ballsy when your passive is up

Team Fight Tactics

  • Your ability to clear waves and siege towers is fantastic. You can defend towers well and zone enemies with your wall
  • A level 5 Crystallize provides enormous catch potential when trying to taken an enemy tower
  • Fight in the jungle because your wall is guaranteed to separate a team while your ultimate covers most narrow passages
  • You have two common ways to initiate fights: get into the fog of war then cast Flash Frost or use Crystallize behind one unsuspecting enemy who steps too far forward
  • Get your ult on an attack-speed based champion to debuff their attack speed. You can save your other abilities for other champions
  • Look to use your wall early if you can keep an important enemy out of the fight
  • If an enemy bruiser initiates or gets caught too far from his team, use your wall to block the remaining enemies from engaging. Banish the engager then move onto the remaining enemies
  • If a tank does little damage to you but sticks on you, cast your ultimate on you and walk around in it
  • If your AD carry is more fed than the enemy AD carry, use all your abilities to peel
  • Be patient with your Flash Frost if you cannot kill or be killed. A good Flash Frost that passes through an enemy can double proc its damage when detonated and stun

Sneaky Tactics

  • Launch your Flash Frost as you auto-attack to confuse your opponent that the stun is coming. The particle affects are similar
  • Anivia works well with Ashe and Nunu because their movement speed debuffs proc the double damage from Frostbite
  • Crystallize brushes to gain vision without walking inside. Use it to check Baron from top side
  • Crystallize does one true damage if it shifts an enemy. Be aware it can lead you to take tower damage
  • Interrupt dashes with Crystallize as you see the enemy beginning the move. Good for Jarvan IV. (Example video)

Warnings

  • Be careful when laning while your Flash Frost is on cooldown
  • You're one of the slowest champions in the game
  • You're mana-heavy
  • CC cancels your ultimate

Anivia is Countered By

Anivia Counters

  • Mordekaiser
  • Karthus
  • Ekko

Counter Mechanics

  • Mobile enemies like Fizz and Kassadin counter you when they juke Flash Frost with their mobility to get close, deal massive damage, and disrupt Anivia's ult. Zed works in a similar fashion when he casts a shadow behind, switches to it to dodge the stun, then nukes
  • Vulnerable to large gap closers like Malphite and Cho'Gath who negate Crystallize
  • Does well verse champions like Mordekaiser and Karthus who get up close and are kept in Anivia's ultimate
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