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Zoe Build Guide by

Preseason 2021 Zoe Mid Guide

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Runes: Electrocute

1 2

Domination

Electrocute

Taste of Blood

Eyeball Collection

Ravenous Hunter

Inspiration

Biscuit Delivery

Time Warp Tonic

Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10% Tenacity/Slow Resist

Spells:

1 2 3

Default

Flash

Ignite

Items

Starting items

First base

Core items

Boots

Situational items

Defensive items

Consumables

Swap trinket

Full build example

Ability Order R > Q > E > W

Zoe Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Anivia

Extreme

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Warning! The body text of the guide has not been updated yet!

GUIDE DETAILS		CHAMPION INFO		PRE GAME		GAMEPLAY
Introduction Conclusion Change log		Pros and Cons Abilities Skill orders Combos		Runes Summoner spells Items		Laning phase Powerspikes Mid game Teamfighting

Hi everyone. I am meetori and welcome to my In-Depth Zoe Guide.
Here you can find runes, items, summoner spells, skill orders, and combos which will help you take Zoe to the next level. The text and code in this guide are entirely written by me and will be constantly updated. This guide may be useful for both beginners and experienced Zoe players. Viewing the visual content of this guide is important. If you can't see banners, pics or gifs, try checking your access to imgur.com website, and try opening it if there is no access. If all else fails, try contacting Mobafire Support. In the conclusion section, you can find addendum with links where you can find useful information regarding Zoe. Also, there is a special thanks to the people who helped me on writing this guide.
If you found something that needs to be changed in this guide, or if you have any questions regarding Zoe or this guide, don't hesitate to leave a comment! I will reply you as soon as possible. I hope you will enjoy and learn something for yourself from this guide! <3

PROS

+ Fun to play + Huge damage from Q + Rare CC from E + Lots of combos with ult + Unique W's mechanics + High magic damage		Zoe is a burst mage, and she is very fun to play. Her Q deals huge magic damage and allows Zoe to oneshot squishes from a far distance. She has unusual CC ability, Sleepy Trouble Bubble, which allows Zoe to deal doubled damage from AA or Q to the target. Her ult doesn't do damage, but it makes it possible to use basic skills in a new way. Zoe has ability with unique mechanics, Spell Thief, which allows Zoe to use multiple summoner spells and actives. She has high magic damage, and she is the best mage if played without any mistakes.
CONS

- Skillshot dependant - Immobile without W - Squishy champion - Countered by tenacity - Can be easily caught - Hard to master		Zoe's skillshots such as Paddle Star and Sleepy Trouble Bubble are difficult to hit and also can be body blocked by enemy minions/champions. As she mage, she is a squisy champion but she has no escape ability, so she is very weak against assassins and divers who are very mobile. Zoe's Sleepy Trouble Bubble can be easily countered by Cleanse, Quicksilver Sash and certain abilities like Fizz's E. You need to have a good reaction and the ability to make quick decisions. This is especially true of a wide variety of spells in teamfights. Zoe is difficult champion to master. At first glance, the skills are simple, but you will have to practice a lot to achieve good results.

PASSIVE: MORE SPARKLES!

After casting an ability, Zoe's next basic attack or bubble within 5 seconds deals 16-130 (based on level) (+20% of ability power) bonus magic damage.

’s passive, increases the damage of her next basic attack after casting an ability. When you cast an ability, you can harass the target with an auto-attack. This passive well synergized with to deal more damage with auto attacks. The damage scales off of her AP and level. Try to weave in auto attacks during lane phase on the enemy to land some harass. Don't forget that both casts of your Q proc your passive, so try to get the most out of both AAs.

Q: PADDLE STAR

Zoe hurls a star in the target direction that collides with the first enemy hit, dealing 18-140 (based on level) (+ 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170) (+60% of ability power) magic damage and 80% of that damage in a small area.

Range: 800
Cooldown: 8.5 / 8 / 7.5 / 7 / 6.5
Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70

Paddle Star's base damage is increased by 7-50 (at levels 1-18). The total damage is also increased by up to 150% based on distance traveled. If the star does not collide with an enemy, it remains stationary for up to 1 second. Zoe can reactivate Paddle Star at any point to redirect the star to a new location near her, albeit resetting the current damage modifier. Both the initial cast and reactivation will prime More Sparkles!.

’s is her bread and butter ability which is used to poke and waveclear. On the first cast, she throws out a star in the targeted direction which will explode and deal AoE damage upon hitting any enemy. can be cast one more time while the star is out to redirect it to a new place. does more damage the farther it travels, so try to use the two casts mechanic to initially throw it behind you, and then towards the enemy so that it will travel farther and do more damage.

W: SPELL THIEF

Passive - Spell Thief: Whenever enemy champions cast a summoner spell or item active, they drop the corresponding Spell Shard onto the ground. Spell Shards last for 40 seconds.

Range: 550
Cooldown: 0.25

Some enemy minions spawn with random Spell Shards that only drop to the ground if killed by Zoe. Spell Shards from minions last 20 seconds. Collecting a Spell Shard allows Zoe to activate Spell Thief within the next 60 seconds, and she cannot pick up another Shard until she does.
Active: Zoe mimics the active of the collected Spell Shard.
Passive - Summoner Specialist: Casting Spell Thief or one of her own summoner spells grants Zoe 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 / 70% bonus movement speed as well as summoning three bubbles that orbit her for 2 / 2.25 / 2.5 / 2.75 / 3 seconds. The bubbles autonomously hurl themselves at nearest enemy, prioritizing her attack target, dealing 75 / 105 / 135 / 165 / 195 (+40% of ability power) magic damage per 3 bubbles.

is a very unique and fantastic ability. When enemies use their summoner spells or active items, can pick one of them up at the location it was casted and use it herself by activating her W. Sometimes, minions will drop random active items and summoner spells that you can pick up and use as well, but only when you last hit the minion with small bubble. On activation, uses the stored summoner spell / active item and gets a burst of movement speed and spawns three orbs that will automatically attack the nearest enemy in range. Also, these orbs and movement speed can be gained when you use your own summoner spells. This ability has no cooldown and it is extremely powerful, which means you can pick up many active items and summoner spells and use them all in quick succession in team fights. If you have a spell or active that you don’t really need and there is a better one available, use it to get rid of it and pick up the better one. The activation will still be useful as it provides movement speed and damage, but if you can't use it, right click on bubbles with summoner spells or actives in order to change it.

E: SLEEPY TROUBLE BUBBLE

Zoe kicks a ball that detonates on the first enemy hit, dealing 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 (+40% of ability power) magic damage and making the target Drowsy, slowing them by 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30%.

Range: 800
Cooldown: 20 / 18.5 / 17 / 15.5 / 14
Cost: 80

After a brief delay, the Drowsy target falls asleep for 2.2 seconds. Sleeping targets take double damage from the next attack or ability to hit them, up to a cap of Sleepy Trouble Bubble's damage, but are awoken early upon taking damage. The ball's range is doubled when it passes through terrain. If the ball does not hit an enemy, it lingers on the ground as a trap for 4 seconds, which primes after a 0.8s delay.

kicks a and throws it in a straight direction. Enemies hit by the bubble will feel drowsy and then fall asleep for 2.2 seconds. The next damage from AA or ability the slept target takes will be doubled and deal bonus true damage. The range of the bubble extends through terrain. Look for long range bubbles through terrain to surprise your enemies. If the bubble doesn’t hit a target, it will drop on the ground and make a trap for a short duration, applying its effects to any enemy that walks over it. It means that you can use your E as great zoning tool. Look to land your E from long range through walls or by using your R, to then follow up and hit slept enemies with your Q for massive, boosted damage. Also, there are some combos which can be used to extend range of E and hide it's animation.

ULTIMATE: PORTAL JUMP

Zoe targets a location and then dives into a portal that she opens beneath her, blinking to the target location after a very brief delay. After 1 second, she falls back through the portal and blinks back to her cast location.

Range: 575
Cooldown: 11 / 8 / 5
Cost: 50

Zoe remains able to attack and cast abilities during Portal Jump, and can see over walls, but cannot move.

’s ultimate, makes her blink a short distance towards a targeted location, but it teleports her back to her original location after one second. ’s has a short cooldown and is designed to synergize with her Q and E, allowing her to extend of her Q and E. You can also use this ability to quickly and safely check over walls for opponents, place wards and use Scryers. If she casts her R, her movement speed will be 0. If she was rooted then she will not be able to use her , and other spells like that during her ult. Only ’s Devour and ’s Hextech Ultimatum can stop from returning to her cast location. You can use in order to dodge skill shots, pick up far away spell shards, or cast close range s. Also, you are able to use it as gap closer.

R>Q>E>W


1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Q			Q	Q		Q		Q
	W												W	W		W	W
		E					E		E		E	E
					R					R					R

You have to max your Q first as is 's bread and butter ability, and the one that you get the most out of by putting points into after your ultimate. Take at level 2 to get shards to start spawning on enemy minions. Then, level up your E at level 3, and max this ability second after your Q. If you think your opponent wants to dive in you at level 2, you can level up your E second, then W at level 3. Level up your ultimate when possible at levels 6,11, and 16.

R>Q>W>E


1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Q			Q	Q		Q		Q
	W						W		W		W	W
		E											E	E		E	E
					R					R					R

If you take the rune page, go with the same skills at level three, but max your W after Q instead of E in order to get more spell shards from minions and use them against your opponent.

GENERAL

FLASH
				Flash is always taken by almost all champion, and it is strongly recommended for Zoe as she has no mobility. Also, with Flash you can make some combos. You can use it as gap closer only if it is safe.
IGNITE
				Ignite is recommended summoner spell for Zoe. This summoner spell is very suitable for her as it can be used to secure kills early game and to apply Grievous Wounds on enemies late game. Take this summoner spell if you are beginner on Zoe.
SITUATIONAL

CLEANSE
				Cleanse is very good against difficult matchups with hard CC or your opponent and jungle with hard CCs. For example: Syndra+ Amumu, Twisted Fate+ Elise, etc.
BARRIER
				Barrier is taken against difficult matchups with burst damage. For example: Fizz, Zed, Talon, Katarina, etc. Also, you can take Exhaust instead of Barrier against bruisers and several assassins.

KEYSTONES

GENERAL

is the recommended main rune for as she can proc it very easily. Also, this rune can let you dominate your opponent in the laning phase. I recommend to take this rune if you are just starting to play on .

is the recommended main rune for and veeery good rune against melee matchups such as , , , etc. You can proc this rune even using AAs.

SITUATIONAL

is main rune for which is very good in the late game. With this rune you will be able to one shot all squishes with Q + AA combo if you have a lot of souls.

is great main rune when you are facing champions on lane who can dive and burst you down quickly and easily. If you take , you should max W second instead of E (see "Ability sequences" section.

LESSER RUNES

DOMINATION

gives magic penetration when you use , so this rune is suitable for . gives more sustain on the lane, take this rune if you have difficult matchup.

is good rune for as it giver her more AP per stack. is taken in order to avoid deaths from ganks as you will have more vision with it.

gives more sustain for . Take this rune if you want to stay on lane as long as possible. gives you ability to use a lot of times. Also, it is very useful in teamfights.

SORCERY

is very suitable for as it gives movement speed after casting summoner spells. As doesn't have escape abilities, you can use summoner spells like or in order to escape ganks or dives if you don't have W.

gives more CDR and AP. If you don't take this rune, try to not break 40% cap of CDR. is good rune with and gives more and more mobility. is great rune in the late game when team fights are approaching.

is good rune for late game as it gives AP for throughout entire game. You can take it with and deal lots and lots of damage in the late game. is good rune with . Also it is good for securing kills.

INSPIRATION

gives more sustain and mana in the laning phase. is great rune if you want to farm faster in order to roam.

gives a lot of sustain. It is useful when you face difficult matchups. Also, always buy if you take this rune.

SHARDS

Every rune page uses 2x Adaptive Force and either armor or magic resistance for your defense stat, depending on your lane opponent. You can also take 2x magic resistance or armor if you have difficult matchup.

STARTING ITEMS

is a recommended starting item for , like for most mages. This item gives HP, mana regen, and AP. Also, if you have early back, you can buy one more .

Start when you need more sustain in laning phase. This item will give you more mana and HP than other starting items when you use all three charges. Also, always start when you go in your rune page as the rune procs every time when you use a charge of this potion.

CORE ITEMS

is core on as it gives some AP and 20% CDR. It also builds out of , which is a very strong item in the early game on its own and gives lots of mana sustain. Also, upgrades her waveclear and gives a bit of extra damage.

is core on as it gives AP, CDR, and a bit of HP. It also has active which gives a short range dash that does damage in a cone in front of you. The dash is very useful for since it can give her extra range to hit Q’s and E’s that she otherwise wouldn’t be able to land. Furthermore, it can be used in some combos.

is a core item for as it gives lots and lots of ability power. If you are very ahead and can pick it up early, this item can be purchased as second item after .

BOOTS

are the recommended boots on as it gives 18 flat magic penetration. This item is very good against targets with low magic resistance, especially in the early game.

Buy when you are facing difficult AP matchups like , and that can burst you down quickly.

Buy when you are facing difficult AD matchups like and that can poke and burst you.

SITUATIONAL ITEMS

OFFENSIVE

If you want to increase the damage of your auto-attacks, you can build . This item works well against melee matchups like , , , and . You can build this item after 1 core item to add some more damage from AAs.

adds more damage to your abilities. Build this item against targets that have built magic resistance as it gives 40% total magic penetration.

If you want more flat magic penetration, you can buy . Build only and only if you really need anti-healing!

If you have full stacked and you are very ahead, you can build . It will give you 5 AP per stack (125 AP overall).

DEFENSIVE

If you need to survive against AD enemy champions, you can build . It gives AP, CDR, and armor. The active on the item gives you stasis for 2.5 seconds, and makes you unable to act but also makes you invulnerable and untargetable for the duration. This can save you countless times and from burst combos, even from AP champions like . If you are against assassins, you can buy part of this item, , early game.

is a good defensive situational item against powerful AP abilities. The spell shield is very useful as it can block single abilities that can pick and kill you, like a 's stun or 's bind.

ITEM SET

CODE

Here you can find item set code with all items above. If you want to import them into your League Client , all you have to do is go to Collection > Items and click "Import" button. There you should paste everything that is written in the spoiler above.

At the beginning of the game, you have to usually start by pushing the lane. Try to deal damage with your long-range Paddle Stars and auto-attacks to the minions. Use Q + AA + Q + AA combo as much as you can to poke your opponent. Look for opportunities where you can hit the enemy mid laner and the minions at the same time. If you do it very well, it will give you lane priority, allowing you to assist your jungler first when he goes for scuttle crab or invades. Always try to last hit minions with spell shards, and use them against your opponent.



If the lane looks rough, and you think that enemy mid laner wants to dive you at level 2, take Sleepy Trouble Bubble after Q. When you reach level 3, start attempting to hit your Sleepy Trouble Bubble. Zoe is fairly weak before level 3 so make sure you harass with Q to make your enemy mid laner low HP. All in with E when you have the chance to do so or your opponent's abilities are down. Keep doing this combo and try to hit your bubble on your lane opponent. If you are doing well, you will have lane priority, and you will be able to roam when you reach level 6 and get your Portal Jump. Don't forget to push your lane before roaming!

has level and item power spikes which makes her a lot stronger than other champions in the game at that time. She power spikes when she reaches level 9, with her maxed Q and at level 13 with her maxed E or W depending on rune page. Also, powerspikes at level 13 when she has 2 points on her ultimate as she can make her combos more often. She also becomes very strong with when she reaches level 10 and has built with , which gives her 40% CDR total, so she can use her abilities very frequently.

After laning phase, you want to start roaming around the map. Try to use your Sleepy Trouble Bubble to catch targets off guard. Look for picks with your bubble and get an Oracle Lens to make sure you are in the fog of war when roaming to prevent you from getting counter ganked. Buy Control Wards as much as possible since vision is your best friend. Use angles in the walls in their jungle and clear vision so they will not find you.
SPLIT PUSHING

Never push side lanes as Zoe since she is not efficient in either top or bot lane, where she has limited places to catch enemies with E through terrain and she can be easily ganked there. Try to always push only mid and roam. Also, never face split pushers as it is not safe for you to do so and try to make your team to get one of your allies to go match them if the enemy team has a split pusher.

OBJECTIVE CONTROL

When you pushed mid, try to set up good vision control in the enemy jungle with your jungler. Keep buying Control Wards and your mid lane shoved under the enemy tower. Then look for roams, vision, or fights with your team while the enemy mid is stuck under tower farming.

Zoe is not great at teamfighting, so late game is when Zoe plays differently from most other mages. Try to focus on taking skirmishes and getting ambushes or picks on the enemy team. It is hard to hit with your E + Q combo when the enemy is grouped, because most likely one of the enemy champions body block your Q. However, your play is always the same. Try to look for picks by constantly hitting Sleepy Trouble Bubbles at the enemy team.



If you make your enemy to reset or even kill him, it gives your team time to take towers and objectives, or engage a fight 5v4. Never use your Portal Jump in open areas when it is not safe, because the enemy can catch you up and kill you easily. The jungle and areas around objectives are the best positions for Zoe to maximize her damage to the enemy, where you can land sneaky Sleepy Trouble Bubbles in places where the enemy doesn’t have vision of you. Try staying alive and out of range of the enemy. If you are alive as long as possible, the enemy team has to respect and be careful of your potential to make a pick on them.

Q1 + AA + Q2 + AA

DIFFICULTY

This combo is used to poke your opponent and to easily proc your . With this combo, you can farm more efficiently. Use this combo the entire game as much as possible.

Q1 + Q2 + R + AA

DIFFICULTY

This combo is used to poke your opponent from a far distance. Try to cast your R instantly after second Q to surprise your opponent and successfully poke or kill him.

Q1 + E + Q2

DIFFICULTY

This combo is used to hide 's animation using Q. Start by casting your Q behind you, then instantly cast your E to hide it's animation, then cast the back towards the enemy.

Q1 + R + E + Q2

DIFFICULTY

This combo is similar to the one above but it is with R. It focuses on hitting both the and almost at the same time from a far distance.

Q1 + Q2 + R + PROTOBELT + AA

DIFFICULTY

This combo is used to quickly get three hits on the enemy to proc as fast as possible. Use your Protobelt instantly after casting your second Q.

R + Q1 + E

DIFFICULTY

This combo is used to extend the range of 's . Use your R behind the wall then cast your Q and instantly E. It may not work with certain walls, keep in mind. This combo may be difficult at the beginning, so try this combo in practice mode. Also, you can use this combo to surprise your enemies. ;)

Q1 + Q2 + R + FLASH + PROTOBELT

DIFFICULTY

This combo is used when your target is very far away and you need to close the gap. Using , and allow you to extend your reach very far for your Q while also dealing with damage with . It is also difficult combo, try it in the practice mode.

If you are reading this, congratulations, you have reached the end of my Zoe guide!
I hope you learned something for yourself and enjoyed it. If you found some mistakes or code errors in this guide or if you have any suggestions for it, let me know in the comments section! If you have any questions about this guide, don't hesitate to ask me in the discussion tab. I will try to answer them as soon as possible.


If you don't mean: I will be glad if you vote on my guide and leave a comment with feedback, and it will help me to improve my current and future guides!
Also, thanks for Jhoijhoi for Making A Guide guide and Katasandra for A Table Coding guide. Without them, this guide would not be pretty. ;)
Addendum Here you can see links with useful information how to get better on Zoe: domisumReplay: Zoe - YouTube channel where you can watch Challenger / Grandmaster / Master replays only with Zoe r/zoemains - This is the perfect place to discuss everything about our favorite sparkly little Aspect Zoe Video Guides Playlist - This playlist can help you play better on Zoe (maybe outdated info) Mid Lane Video Guides Playlist - If you want to know fundamentals of the mid lane Comprehensive Mid Lane Video Guides Playlist - Watch this playlist if you want to be better as a mid laner Wave Management Video Guide - Worth to watch, especially if you don't know how to control minion waves Zoe R Interactions - Worth to watch, you should know how Zoe's R is interacting with other champion's abilities
Thank you for reading!

dd/mm/yyyy
08/10/2020 - Guide was updated to 10.20. Rune, item builds were changed. Guide design was changed (again). Spelling mistakes were fixed. More combos were added. Initial combos were fixed (combos with AA). Descriptions of game phases, abilities, combos, items, runes were changed.
02/09/2020 - Updated to 10.18
22/08/2020 - Updated to 10.17
20/08/2020 - Fixed items on cheatsheet
19/08/2020 - Updated design of the guide, added a lot of tables. Deleted some extra sections
06/08/2020 - Updated to 10.16
31/07/2020 - Added: Recommended VODs in gameplay section
Changed: Pros / Cons
30/07/2020 - Changed: Runes section, design of some sections, some information in runes, items
29/07/2020 - Added: Combos section, Mejai's Soulstealer, Gameplay section
Changed: Runes build and section, Items build and section, design of some sections
Removed: Early game, Mid game, Late game sections (they are no longer separate sections
25/07/2020 - Released Zoe guide
23/07/2020 - Released Zoe build