Zaahen · Top

Zaahen Safe Play Guide

DefensiveData-drivenEasyPatch 16.19.1

150Updated 16 hours ago

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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

This guide is about playing Zaahen safely and consistently. Safe top means freezing the wave near your tower, trading only when the enemy uses a key ability and waiting for your items. The kit brings crowd control (knock-up) with The Darkin Glaive, mobility with Aureate Rush and sustain with The Darkin Glaive.

Strengths

Mobility: Aureate Rush lets you reposition, engage or escape.
Sustain from The Darkin Glaive.
High physical damage: Riot rates it 8/10 in attack.

Weaknesses

Melee range: ranged opponents can poke it in lane.
Isolated lane: vulnerable to ganks when you push.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Defensive buildDefensiveRecommendedKeeps enough damage while adding health, magic resist and armor through Jak'Sho, The Protean, Bandlepipes and Zeke's Convergence. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.
Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor a team that kills with abilities: magic resist boots and a magic resist item in the core.

Builds

Defensive build

DefensiveRecommended

Open build

When to use it

Keeps enough damage while adding health, magic resist and armor through Jak'Sho, The Protean, Bandlepipes and Zeke's Convergence. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.

Where it's played

Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.

Summoner's RiftRed side · bottom leftBlue side · top right

TopMain100% of matches

Starting items

Doran's BladeHealth Potion

Core items

1Jak'Sho, The Protean
2Bandlepipes
3Zeke's Convergence

Boots

Plated Steelcaps

Situational

Death's DanceAgainst heavy physical damage.Mercurial ScimitarAgainst heavy magic damage.Guardian AngelAgainst burst and assassins.Chempunk ChainswordCuts the enemy's healing.Lord Dominik's RegardsAgainst tanky teams.

Runes

Primary· Resolve

Secondary· Precision

Shards

Summoner spells

Flash
Teleport

Abilities

Cultivation of WarPassiveZaahen's attacks and abilities against enemy champions grant him stacks of Determination, gaining bonus Attack Damage per stack. When filled with Determination, Zaahen gains increased Attack Damage and can revive.
QThe Darkin Glaive10/9/8/7/6s25 mpZaahen slashes twice on his next attack, dealing bonus damage and healing himself. Zaahen can recast this ability to have his next attack deal bonus damage and knock up his target.
Cooldown
10·9·8·7·6
Cost
25
Range
25000
Basic ability — applies a knock-up and heals. Use it on the target your team can kill.
WDreaded Return14/13.5/13/12.5/12s50 mpZaahen stabs in a direction, damaging enemies hit, then pulls them toward him.
Cooldown
14·13.5·13·12.5·12
Cost
50
Range
850
EAureate Rush10/9.5/9/8.5/8s40 mpZaahen dashes to a location and slices around himself.
Cooldown
10·9.5·9·8.5·8
Cost
40
Range
25000
RGrim DeliveranceUltimate110/95/80s100 mpZaahen rises then stabs downward, damaging enemies and healing for a portion of the damage dealt.
Cooldown
110·95·80
Cost
100
Range
600
Ultimate — heals. Time it for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.

Strategy

1Safe laning

Safe top means freezing the wave near your tower, trading only when the enemy uses a key ability and waiting for your items. Short trades win lanes: hit, use one ability and step back before the enemy's full combo comes back.

2Surviving fights

In fights, reach the enemy backline or protect your own; The Darkin Glaive is best used on the carry, not on the tank. Your way out is Aureate Rush: if it's on cooldown, stay further back.

3Positioning and peel

Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses. Hold The Darkin Glaive for the enemy diver.

4Playing from behind

When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.

Tips

Keep Aureate Rush for escaping, not for chasing.
Save The Darkin Glaive for whoever jumps on your team.
Keep The Darkin Glaive for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.

Matchups

Weak against

Riven
Ki Burst (stun) lets Riven pin Zaahen down before Aureate Rush gets them out.
Sett
Facebreaker (stun) lets Sett pin Zaahen down before Aureate Rush gets them out.
Heimerdinger
CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (stun) lets Heimerdinger pin Zaahen down before Aureate Rush gets them out.