How to Teamfight With Zeri in LoL?

Riot Games loves to experiment with what their champions can do, and how they should do it. While most of the products of this philosophy tend to turn out just fine, there are some that become ever-so-difficult for players to grasp. One such example of these experimentations is Zeri, the spark of Zaun.

Her playstyle revolves around kiting. Besides, she’s extremely good at it, given the enemy doesn’t burst you down in a span of milliseconds. Since Zeri is played in the ADC role, it’s already tough as it is to survive. So, how can a player, deal damage, survive, and kite while getting kills – all in a matter of seconds?

Zeri’s kit revolves around movement speed. The more of it you have, the better, and since you don’t really have to click on enemy champions to auto attack, it’s more of a spray and pray kind of gameplay. Just add smooth movement to the mix, and she can prove to be a menace.

In this guide, we will be focusing on Zeri’s kit as a whole to analyze her teamfight playability, damage potential, and much more. So, with that out of the way, let’s jump and in get started!

Also read: Best Scaling ADCs in League of Legends

Playing Zeri: Abilities

Zeri possesses a pretty unique kit. While she’s not as bizarre as someone with a thousand weapons like Aphelios, the mispositioning of her Auto Attack command can throw you off pretty hard.

She has a completely different learning curve to her kit, and can often be hard to master. Overall, Zeri features a feast or famine gameplay in the sense that if you don’t ramp up, you won’t be able to deal any significant damage for your team.

Therefore, in order to familiarize yourself with how Zeri fundamentally works in League of Legends, let’s take an in-depth look at her kit!

Also check out: Jhin teamfight guide

Passive: – Living Battery

Zeri gains movement speed on damaging enemy shields. She also absorbs some of the enemy shields in the process and immediately shields herself for a brief period.

This passive lets her kite well against enchanters while mitigating the gap in tankiness between her and her enemies. As you might’ve guessed from the skill description, she’s not the solo-all-in type.

However, that also works out in her favor since she doesn’t get caught as easily as regular ADCs either. All in all, there’s not much to the ability itself other than the fact that it has decent skill expression – especially against enchanters in the Bot Lane.

Q – Burst Fire

All of Zeri’s auto-attacks are considered abilities while all of her Q casts are considered as auto-attacks instead. Now, whenever you move or cast Burst Fire, her Spark Pack gets filled.

Once her Spark Pack is full, Zeri’s next auto will zap the enemy —slowing them down while dealing bonus damage in the process. Whenever Zeri casts Burst Fire, a total of seven small rounds are released from her gun that deal damage on impact / successful enemy hit.

This ability makes Zeri pretty obnoxious to deal with since she can manually target her auto attacks in whichever direction she wants (just like Ezreal’s Q). However, it also means that your auto attacks have a chance of missing.

How To Master Burst Shot in League of Legends?

Here are some tips to help you improve your aim on Zeri’s Burst Shot ability:

• Practice your aim and learn the range and trajectory of Burst Shot. This will allow you to land your abilities more consistently and deal more damage.
• Pay attention to your minimap and the positioning of enemy champions. This will give you an idea of where they might be moving and allow you to set up shots in advance.
• Use terrain to your advantage. Burst Shot cannot be blocked or deflected by walls, so try to aim around or over these obstacles to catch enemies off guard.
• Pay attention to your champion’s animation and audio cues. You don’t always need to follow the entire trajectory or the cast animation of Zeri. Just listen to her sparky audio cues to get a rough feel of her Q’s hit timing.
• Practice predicting enemy movements. By predicting where enemies will be when the skill shot lands, you can increase your chances of hitting them.

Remember to always be patient and don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results – with time and practice, you can master skill shots and become a stronger player.

W – Ultrashock Laser

Zeri fires off a small bolt in a straight trajectory that damages the first enemy object in its path and vanishes into nothingness.

If this bolt manages to hit a wall or a construct, it expands into a long arching laser that deals damage while slowing all enemies in its hitbox.

This Laser is generally used to open up avenues for teamfighting by pre-amatively slowing an engaging or retreating enemy team. Plus, it can also help you survive an enemy gank by slowing the movement speeds of the ones chasing you.

However, the most common use case out of these is to slow enemies, so you can kite them into oblivion.

E – Spark Surge

This ability allows Zeri to dash to a short distance while empowering her next 3 rounds of Bust Fire. This buff causes every bullet to pierce through the enemy while hitting the ones in the backline.

If Zeri casts this ability near a wall, she will automatically vault on top of it, and electro-skate her way to the next end.

This one is a mix of both utility and offensive prowess. On one hand, it gives you the mobility necessary to stay out of harm’s way, while on the other, it boosts the damage you’re able to dish out.

Considering Zeri plays a hit-and-run style of League of Legends, the Spark Surge can be considered as an integral roundoff to her kit.

When To Use Zeri’s Spark Surge?

Here are some of the main use cases of Zeri’s Spark Surge with regards to teamfighting in League of Legends:

• Engaging or disengaging from fights: Spark Surge can be used to quickly close the gap on enemy champions or to escape danger. When combined with the vaulting effect, it can allow Zeri to reposition herself quickly and surprise the enemy team.
• Peeling for allies: Spark Surge can be used to protect allies by quickly getting in front of them and using the piercing effect to deal damage to enemy champions.
  This can be especially useful for protecting allies who are being focused by the enemy team. However, you are generally the one that needs protecting, so it might not be the best idea to play hero in every scenario.
• Picking off low-health enemies: The piercing effect of Spark Surge can be used to finish off low-health enemies who are trying to escape or are hiding behind minions or other objects.
• Split pushing: Spark Surge can be used to quickly clear waves of minions and push lanes. When combined with the vaulting effect, it can allow Zeri to move quickly between lanes and apply pressure to multiple objectives.
• Ganking: Spark Surge can be used to catch enemies off guard and initiate fights by quickly closing the gap and using the piercing effect to deal damage. This can be especially effective when combined with the vaulting effect to surprise enemies from unexpected angles.

In essence, you’re pretty much good to go as long as you optimize the use timing of this ability.

R – Lightning Crash

Zeri releases a nova of charge from her body, while simultaneously overcharging herself. In this state, she gains more damage – along with stacking movement speed which can be stacked whenever you land hits on enemy champions.

The more hits you land, the higher your movement speed will be. During this effect, your Burst Fire is able to chain lightning between enemies while being a faster triple shot than its base form.

Lightning Crash – Uses

You can use Zeri’s ultimate ability in the following scenarios:

• When engaging in fights: Lightning Crash can be used to deal more damage and move faster, making it a useful ability for initiating fights or finishing off low-health enemies.
• When chasing down enemies: Lightning Crash’s move speed buff can help you catch up to enemies and deal more damage, making it a useful ability for chasing down fleeing enemies.
• When you need to escape danger: Overcharge’s move speed buff can help you get out of harm’s way more quickly, making it a useful ability for escaping ganks or dangerous situations.

Also read: 5 Hardest ADCs in League of Legends

What’s The Best Teamfight Build on Zeri?

Zeri’s build options can vary greatly depending on the ongoing patch and meta, as well as her own unique abilities and playstyle. While it can be tempting to stick to a single tried-and-true build, it can be beneficial to experiment with different item combinations and see what works best for you in different situations.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that Zeri is restricted in what she can and cannot build, unlike some other champions who have more flexible options. This means that it’s important to carefully consider each item choice and how it will affect your playstyle and effectiveness in teamfights.

With all of this in mind, here are a few potential build options to consider when looking to succeed in teamfights with Zeri:

Runes

Since Zeri benefits from longer teamfights, she should generally focus on building on-hit, rather than a more crit, defensive or utility-based build. This means prioritizing runes that increase her damage output and attack speed, rather than runes that provide more utility.

For this reason, it may be best for Zeri to go with the Lethal Tempo rune as her main choice, rather than Precision or First Strike. This will allow her to increase her attack speed and deal more damage over time, which can be especially useful in longer teamfights.

Pair all of this up with ample sustain, and you’re pretty much good to go! However, if you’re planning to go AP on Zeri, then it might be best to check our AP Zeri build guide instead.

Items

As mentioned previously, you want to mix on-hit with sustain in order to find success with Zeri. Therefore, Kraken Slayer with Blade of the Ruined King, and Rageblade is the way to go.

However, Zeri often tends to get nerfed to oblivion on Riot Games’ whims. Therefore, you might find more success with donning defensive items like Shieldbow, and Titanic Hydra in certain patches.

Needless to say, both are just different sides of the same coin. The ultimate goal is to deal percentage-based bonus damage instead of flat-crits or lethality shots.

Dying Too Much On Zeri: How To Improve?

If you’re having trouble finding success while playing as Zeri in League of Legends, there are a few key things you can focus on to improve your performance.

It’s important to note that Zeri has a shorter range than many other champions and requires high mechanical skill to play effectively. This means that positioning and aim are especially important for her.

To improve your performance as Zeri, try to focus on the following:

• Pay attention to your positioning: Zeri’s shorter range means that she needs to be careful about where she stands in relation to enemy champions. Try to position yourself in a way that allows you to deal damage while staying out of harm’s way.
• Practice your aim and mechanics: Improving your aim and overall mechanics can help you deal more damage and avoid taking unnecessary damage. Practice your skills and try to improve your accuracy and reaction time.
• Communicate with your team: It’s important to communicate with your team and coordinate your attacks and movements. Zeri generally benefits from playing with meatshields, so try to work with your teammates and focus your damage on the right targets.
• Use your abilities wisely: Zeri has a limited number of abilities that can help her escape danger or reposition herself. Be sure to use your options wisely and at the right times to avoid getting caught out of position.

By following these tips and focusing on your mechanics, you should be able to improve your performance as Zeri in League of Legends. Remember to always be aware of your surroundings and the state of the game!

Zeri’s Teamfight Early, Mid, and Late Game

Here’s a breakdown of Zeri’s teamfight performance in the early, mid, and late game:

Early Game:

During the early game, Zeri can be quite weak due to her low base stats and lack of access to powerful items.

As a result, it’s generally best to avoid engaging in teamfights during this stage of the game unless you have a clear advantage or are able to catch an enemy champion out of position.

Mid Game:

As Zeri starts to build up her items and ramp up in power, she becomes much more effective in teamfights. During the mid-game, you should look for opportunities to engage in fights and try to capitalize on your powerspikes.

Remember that Zeri’s powerspikes come from her items, so be sure to prioritize your item choices accordingly.

Late Game:

By the late game, Zeri should be at her strongest and capable of dealing significant damage in teamfights. During this stage of the game, you generally want to fight as much as possible with Zeri, as she is likely to be one of your team’s main sources of damage.

However, it’s important to still be aware of your surroundings and the state of the game, and avoid getting caught out of position or taking unnecessary risks.

Overall, it’s important to remember that Zeri is a champion who excels in teamfights, but she is also vulnerable during the early game.

Teamfighting Tips and Tricks to Be a Better Zeri Player

Zeri’s entire kit revolves around kiting her enemies. This is quite integral during teamfights where you want to survive the enemy damage while dealing your own.

With that said, here are some tips for kiting with Zeri:

• Use Overcharge to gain increased damage and move speed: This will allow you to deal more damage and move faster, making it easier to kite enemies and avoid taking damage.
• Use Spark Surge to close the gap or escape danger: This ability can allow you to quickly get in range to attack enemies or to get out of harm’s way.
• Use Burst Fire to deal damage and chain lightning between enemies: This can help you deal damage to multiple enemies at once, especially when combined with the faster triple shot effect from Overcharge.
• Stay at a safe distance from enemies: Kiting is all about maintaining a safe distance from enemies while still dealing damage. Use your abilities to attack from a safe range and avoid getting too close.
• Use terrain to your advantage: Kiting is often easier when you can use walls or other objects to block enemy attacks or create distance. Pay attention to your surroundings and use terrain to your advantage.

Remember to always be aware of your surroundings and the state of the game, and don’t be afraid to retreat or use your abilities to escape danger if necessary.

Conclusion

By practicing your skills and following these tips, you can improve your teamfighting abilities as Zeri in League of Legends. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results, and be open to learning from any mistakes you make.

This guide aims to provide helpful strategies that you can use to enhance your play and achieve success in the game. Pay attention to your mistakes and try to understand what went wrong and how you can avoid similar issues in the future.

Remember that becoming proficient at teamfighting as Zeri requires time and practice. By continuously learning and adapting, you can become a more skilled and effective player. Good luck and have fun playing as Zeri in League of Legends!

Also check out: Ezreal teamfight guide