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Zaahen Counters: Who Beats Zaahen

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Zaahen counters are top laners who stop his dash, cut his healing or win the extended fight before his Determination fills up. Zaahen is a 175 range Darkin fighter who stacks Attack Damage in fights, heals off his glaive and ultimate, and can even revive, so short trades and Grievous Wounds beat him.

These five were picked by comparing kits, one ability against another, and we didn’t use win rates for any of it.

Zaahen counters: Zaahen, The Unsundered, splash art

Why is Zaahen hard to counter?

  • Cultivation of War (passive): attacks and abilities on champions grant Determination stacks for bonus Attack Damage; when full, he gains more Attack Damage and can revive.
  • The Darkin Glaive (Q): his next attack slashes twice for bonus damage and heals him; a recast makes the next attack knock the target up. Cooldown 10/9/8/7/6.
  • Dreaded Return (W): a stab in a direction that damages and then pulls enemies toward him. Cooldown 14/13.5/13/12.5/12.
  • Aureate Rush (E): a dash to a location with a slice around him. Cooldown 10/9.5/9/8.5/8.
  • Grim Deliverance (R): he rises and stabs downward, damaging enemies and healing for part of the damage. Cooldown 110/95/80.

Zaahen’s kit snowballs inside a single fight. Every hit on a champion adds Determination, every stack adds Attack Damage, and once the bar is full he hits even harder and gets a revive on top. The Darkin Glaive and Grim Deliverance both heal. Dreaded Return pulls you back in when you try to leave. What does that leave you? Short fights. He wants long ones, so anything that ends a trade before Determination builds, or stops him reaching you, works.

Which champions are the best Zaahen counters?

Poppy

Aureate Rush is his only dash, and Steadfast Presence (W) stops dashes around Poppy, grounding and slowing the dasher. That shuts down his engage and his escape in one button. Heroic Charge (E) pins him into a wall for a stun, Hammer Shock (Q) slows, and Keeper’s Verdict (R) knocks him very far from the fight, which also stops Determination stacking for a while. Her passive buckler gives a shield when she picks it up.

Darius

Darius out-brawls Zaahen in the early lane. Hemorrhage (passive) makes him bleed for 5 seconds per hit, stacking up to 5 times, and at max stacks Darius enrages for massive Attack Damage. Decimate (Q) heals Darius per champion hit by the blade. Crippling Strike (W) slows. Apprehend (E) pulls Zaahen back if he dashes away, and Noxian Guillotine (R) leaps in for true damage that grows with each Hemorrhage stack. Who stacks faster? Usually Darius.

Illaoi

Test of Spirit (E) pulls Zaahen’s spirit out, and damage on the spirit echoes onto him. Kill the spirit or stray too far from it, and Tentacles start spawning around him. Tentacle Smash (Q) and Harsh Lesson (W) make the Tentacles swing at him, and Prophet of an Elder God (passive) heals Illaoi whenever a Tentacle hits a champion. Leap of Faith (R) spawns a Tentacle for each champion it hits. Fighting Illaoi in her own Tentacle zone is a bad idea for any fighter (and Zaahen is no exception).

Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser’s ultimate drags Zaahen into another dimension for a one-on-one and steals part of his stats, which takes away some of the Attack Damage his passive built. Damage flowing both ways fills his W shield, which can be cashed in for healing later. His E yanks everyone in a zone toward him. Obliterate (Q) deals more damage to a lone target, and Darkness Rise (passive) activates a damage aura after 3 hits. Put simply, he wins the isolated duel.

Camille

Camille’s ultimate, The Hextech Ultimatum, dashes to a champion and anchors them in the area, so Zaahen can’t Aureate Rush his way out of it. Adaptive Defenses (passive) gives her a shield against his damage type when she attacks a champion. Precision Protocol (Q) hits hard on a delayed second cast. Tactical Sweep (W) slows and heals her from its outer edge. Her E, Hookshot, grabs terrain and launches her into a landing that knocks up any champion caught there (a wall is never far away in top lane). She trades short and leaves. Thing is, that’s exactly what he hates.

How do you play the lane against Zaahen?

  • Keep trades short. Every hit on you gives him Determination and more Attack Damage.
  • Watch for The Darkin Glaive recast; it knocks the target up.
  • Dodge Dreaded Return. It damages, then pulls enemies toward him.
  • Expect a revive when his Determination is full, and save some damage for it.
  • Fight when Aureate Rush is on cooldown, since it’s his only dash.

Which items counter Zaahen?

Grievous Wounds first. Executioner’s Calling, Bramble Vest or Oblivion Orb apply 40% Wounds and reduce the healing from his Q and ultimate. Later, upgrade into Thornmail for tanks or Chempunk Chainsword for AD fighters. His damage is physical, so Plated Steelcaps reduce damage from his attacks, and Randuin’s Omen slows nearby enemies with Humility. Death’s Dance spreads part of his burst over 3 seconds. Honestly, Grievous Wounds early decides a lot of these lanes. Stats for each sit in our items database; Thornmail gets a closer look separately.

When is Zaahen at his weakest?

At the start of a fight. Cultivation of War builds Attack Damage through Determination stacks, so a fresh Zaahen with no stacks deals much less than one who’s been swinging for several seconds. Burst him early in each trade.

Right after Aureate Rush, too. At 10 seconds on rank 1 (8 at rank 5), it’s his only dash, and without it he can’t chase a ranged champion or escape a gank.

New to top lane? A quick read of our guide to LoL roles helps. His Darkin costumes are on the Zaahen skins page, and other matchups live on our guides hub. Long story short, Zaahen counters stop his dash, cut his healing and end trades before Determination fills.

FAQ

Who counters Zaahen the most?

Poppy, who stops his dash, Darius and Illaoi, who out-brawl him, Mordekaiser, who isolates him, and Camille, who anchors him in place.

Can Zaahen revive?

Yes. When Cultivation of War fills him with Determination, Zaahen gains increased Attack Damage and can revive.

How does Zaahen heal?

The Darkin Glaive heals him on its double slash, and Grim Deliverance heals for a portion of the damage it deals.

Does Grievous Wounds work against Zaahen?

Yes. Items such as Executioner’s Calling, Bramble Vest and Thornmail apply 40% Wounds, reducing the healing from his Q and ultimate.

How were these Zaahen counters picked?

Kit against kit on patch 26.21, with ranked statistics left out on purpose.