The next champion to be released to League is Zed. I'm going to buy him immediately. It looks like he'll be wielding the flippin' ninja buff, along with a hefty amount of burst. Since he was trained by the same master as Shen
and it ended very badly, I'm assuming Zed will provide a tankyish role just like his rival. Since he brings damage to the table, he'll be played top or jungle, and maybe a few people might even try to support on him.
Regardless, I'll be buying him. I need a new bruiser for top lane. Take a look at his abilities, they sound very interesting yet annoying for the opponent.
Abilities:
- Contempt for the Weak (Passive): Whenever Zed attacks
an enemy below 50% Health, he deals an additional 8% of their maximum
Health as magic damage. This effect has a short cooldown.
- Razor Shuriken: Zed and his shadow both throw their
shurikens, dealing physical damage to any target they pass through. Each
Shuriken deals less damage to targets beyond the first.
- Living Shadow: Zed’s shadow dashes forward, remaining in
place for a short duration. Zed’s shadow will duplicate his spells.
Activating Living Shadow again while his shadow is active will cause Zed
to switch positions with his shadow. If both Zed and his shadow strike
the same target with Razor Shurikens or Shadow Slash, Zed re-gains some
energy and the target suffers an additional effect: Razor Shurikens deal
additional bonus damage and the slow from Shadow Slash is dramatically
increased.
- Shadow Slash: Zed and his shadow both create a burst of
shadow, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies. Zed’s Shadow Slash
slightly reduces the cooldown of Living Shadow by for each unit struck.
The shadow’s Shadow Slash briefly slows enemies.
- Death Mark: Zed sinks into the shadows and dashes to his
target, dealing physical damage. He also spawns a Living Shadow beyond
the target, which duplicates his spells and marks the target. After 3
seconds, the mark will detonate, dealing physical damage based on the
damage dealt to the target by Zed and his shadow while the mark was
active. Zed can reactivate this ability to switch positions with this
shadow.
From reading his abilities all I can think is it's going to be really frustrating to counter him in the lane. I wonder how short the cooldown on his passive will be, it sounds very useful. When he gets fed, he'll be able to carry hard. His lore is very interesting, and I wonder if you'll be able to pick up some bonus effects by killing Shen on the opposite team.
Lore:
Zed is the first ninja in 200 years to unlock the ancient, forbidden
ways. He defied his clan and master, casting off the balance and
discipline that had shackled him all his life. Zed now offers power to
those who embrace knowledge of the shadows, and slays those who cling to
ignorance.
An orphan, Zed was taken in and trained by a great ninja master. Only
one other student appeared to be Zed's equal - the master's son, Shen.
It seemed Zed could never win the favor of the master, as every match
between the rivals ended in a draw. Frustrated and jealous, he sought an
advantage. The young ninja ventured into a sealed part of the clan's
temple, where he found an ornate, foreboding box. Sensing the dark
knowledge within, Zed knew he should not open it, but he peered inside
nonetheless. In an instant, shadows touched his mind, revealing
techniques that had long been hidden. Now armed with a secret edge, he
challenged Shen, and this time he defeated the master's son. He expected
praise and recognition in his moment of victory, but somehow the master
knew Zed had used forbidden ways, and banished him.
Humiliated, the young ninja wandered for years. His bitterness turned to
ambition, and he began to train others in the style of the shadows. As
his power grew, so did his circle of followers, but he knew that without
the box, his technique would never be perfect. One day, Zed looked at
his followers and saw that his students were now an army. He led them
back to the temple to claim his prize. At the gates, he was surprised to
find the old master waiting, receiving Zed and his disciples as if they
were welcome guests. The old man laid his sword at Zed's feet,
declaring that he had failed Zed as his master. By banishing his former
student, the master had doomed Zed to the shadows, instead of leading
him to the balanced path. The old man implored Zed to enter the temple,
destroy the box, and lead his followers to balance. The dark ninja
followed the master inside. Moments later, the assembled ninjas heard
Zed cry out in pain. Mysteriously, he emerged unscathed, and threw the
severed head of the master at Shen's feet. Screaming in rage, Zed
commanded his followers to slaughter the master's students and seize the
box.
That day, the old ninja order fell. Though many students died, some
escaped thanks to Shen's heroic efforts. Now the temple is a dark
training ground for the Order of the Shadow. Zed rules as the Order's
master, and his edict is simple: perfect one's technique, and kill all
ninjas who refuse to embrace the shadows.
''Balance is a lie - we are the true ninjas.''
-Zed
