Learn all the best tips and tricks for Zeri!
LoL Champion Guide: Zeri
In this guide, we'll go over all the best tips and tricks to playing LoL's newest Marksman Zeri. With this guide you'll learn how to zip around your enemies and outplay them with ease.
We haven't had Zeri for long, but already we can tell she is going to impact the meta in a big way. Bringing an entirely new way to play ADC, and a strong kit for solo lane, Zeri will definitely play like no other champion before.
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How do you play Zeri?
Unlike her Valorant counterpart, Zeri should always be running and gunning. Zeri is a high-tempo Marksman who has several parts of her kit that encourage her to always be moving. Because Zeri's Q allows her to kite easier than other ADC's she's able to easily abuse her range advantage.
Make sure you use Zeri's E very wisely. Although it seems like Zeri is extremely mobile, she is very vulnerable while her E is on cooldown. This means she is very easy to collapse if she uses it too aggressively. Another reason you have to be smart about it, is her E is a big source of damage for her. Not only does it allow her Q to pierce enemies, but it causes more chain lightning from her R, which in turn lowers the cooldown of her E.
Essentially Zeri can shred multiple frontliners unlike anybody else. It just requires good management of her E and a little friend called Runaan's Hurricane.
Overall, always stay moving and make sure you mash that Q button because it has no cost. Weave in your W and passive auto whenever they are up for some mixed damage and utility. And make sure to use your E wisely, as good usage of it will make or break a good Zeri player. But when it's finally time to use her ultimate, make sure you go hard!
How Do You Build Zeri?
Zeri really likes anything that makes her go fast, whether that be movement speed or attack speed. However, to keep her balanced Riot gave her an attack speed cap, meaning there is such a thing as too much attack speed.
Two more things to note about Zeri is that she gets a lot of value from Sheen and on hit items, and she has really strong AP scaling. Meaning every game you want either an Essence Reaver, Tri-Force or Lich Bane. Nashor's Tooth will also be really strong on Zeri and will probably fit into almost any build. As for mythics, Tri-Force seems good but might get outvalued by items like Kraken Slayer and Immortal Shieldbow. Once you have your mythic and some on-hit items, there are a few items Zeri is looking to buy. Namely Runaans Hurricane for its incredibly strong interactions with her Q and E, as well as Navori Quickblades reducing her Q and E's cooldowns.
- Read up on Zeri's abilities right here in our Abilities Rundown!
In certain situations, Zeri might be able to get away with going full AP or at least Nashors Tooth + Lich Bane. These items give her some incredibly strong burst while still maintaining her DPS, it's definitely worth testing. But in most situations, Zeri is looking to build attack speed and critical strike chance.
For runes, Lethal Tempo and Conqueror both look to be strong, followed by Triumph, Legend: Bloodline, and Cut Down or Coup de Grace based on the game. For secondary runes, there are a lot of options, but domination and sorcery seem to be the best bet. For domination go Sudden Impact or Cheap Shot, and then Ravenous hunter. For Sorcery, take Absolute Focus and Gathering Storm to reach a stronger late game. You can pick whatever shards you think are best based off that current game.
When is Zeri Good?
Zeri excels when she can outpace her opponent, staying at the edge of their range while dealing a lot of DPS. Just like any ADC, you don't like fighting heavy dive compositions that have a really easy time finding and jumping on top of you. Zeri also doesn't have a huge amount of range, and she only gets really mobile when she has something to consistently hit. So champions like Xerath or Lux that have a lot of range can really box Zeri out of a fight. However, bruisers and other short range carries will really struggle to lock Zeri down, as she is too fast for them to catch.
Unlike other champions, Zeri has to wind up before she reaches her full damage, which is why any elonaged team fight will benefit Zeri. Why? Because she gets to make full use of her kit once she's fully charged. Although Zeri does have some burst damage, she will mostly do consistent damage, so watching out for those opportunities to start ramping up your power is really important.