How to beat Zilean

Common role: Support / Mid

A time keeper who doubles bombs into stuns and revives the dead.

What makes Zilean dangerous

Zilean sticks time bombs on you (two on one target = AoE stun), rewinds his own cooldowns, speeds allies and slows enemies massively, and his ultimate marks an ally to REVIVE on death — your perfect kill turns into a full-HP comeback.

How to play against Zilean

• 1Watch for the double-bomb: one bomb is poke, two is a stun setup — move instantly.
• 2Bait or play around the revive: kill the marked target LAST.
• 3He's slippery with self-speed — hard CC ends him instantly.
• 4His damage is bombs only — spread and they're just poke.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Kill the revive target last and his ult is wasted gold.
• ✓Squishy under hard CC despite the speed.
• ✓Bomb stuns need setup time — instant engages beat him.
• ✓Low waveclear mid — punish with roams.

Abilities & how to counter them

What each of Zilean's abilities does — and how to play around it.

• P
  Tempo in bottiglia

  Zilean immagazzina il tempo sotto forma di Esperienza e può conferirlo ai suoi alleati. Quando ha accumulato abbastanza Esperienza per completare l'aumento di livello di un alleato, può cliccarlo con il pulsante destro per conferirgliela. Zilean riceve la stessa quantità di Esperienza che conferisce.

  Strong: he banks XP and levels allies ahead of time. Weak: macro value only — nothing to dodge, just expect leveled lanes.

• Q
  Bomba temporale

  Lancia una bomba nell'area bersaglio che si attacca a qualunque unità ci vada vicino (priorità ai campioni). Esplode dopo 3 secondi, infliggendo danni ad area. Se una Bomba temporale viene fatta esplodere prima da un'altra Bomba temporale, stordisce i nemici.

  Strong: a sticking bomb; the SECOND on one target stuns AoE. Weak: watch for the double-cast rhythm — move the instant one lands on you.

• W
  Ricarica accelerata

  Zilean si prepara per i successivi incontri, riducendo i tempi di ricarica di tutte le sue altre abilità base.

  Strong: rewinds his own Q/E cooldowns for combo loops. Weak: no direct effect — its danger is only enabling the double bomb.

• E
  Incantesimo temporale

  Zilean piega il tempo attorno a qualsiasi unità, diminuendo la velocità di movimento di un nemico o aumentando la velocità di movimento di un alleato per un breve periodo.

  Strong: a massive slow on you or huge speed on an ally. Weak: single-target — a second diver still gets through.

• R
  Spostamento temporale

  Zilean piazza una runa temporale protettiva su un campione alleato, riportandolo indietro nel tempo a prima che subisse un danno letale.

  Strong: marks an ally to REVIVE on death — undoes your best play. Weak: kill the marked target LAST; the mark and cooldown are visible.

Itemization

Target selection wins: marked ally dies last. Instant engage beats the bomb dance; his revive is on a long cooldown — force it, then fight again.

This guide covers Zilean's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.