Zilean Counters: Who Beats Zilean

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

Zilean counters are supports who reach him before his double Time Bomb stun goes off, or who punish his ally once Chronoshift is spent. Zilean is a 550 range support mage with slows, a combo stun and an ultimate that rewinds an ally out of death, so hard engage and burst on the right target win the lane.

No win rates went into this list; it’s built from the kits.

Why is Zilean hard to counter?

• Time In A Bottle (passive): Zilean stores Experience and can hand it to an ally to finish their level, receiving the same amount.
• Time Bomb (Q): a bomb that sticks to nearby units and explodes after 3 seconds; set off early by a second bomb, it also stuns. Cooldown 10/9.5/9/8.5/8.
• Rewind (W): reduces the cooldowns of his other basic abilities. Cooldown 14/12/10/8/6.
• Time Warp (E): slows an enemy or speeds up an ally for a short time. Cooldown 15.
• Chronoshift (R): a rune on an ally that sends them back in time if they take lethal damage. Cooldown 120/90/60.

Zilean’s kit is about tempo. Rewind lets him throw a second Time Bomb right after the first, and that double bomb stuns. Time Warp either slows you or speeds his carry away. Chronoshift is the part that ruins dives, since the ally you just killed comes back. He also levels his lane partner faster with Time In A Bottle. What’s missing? A dash. He has nothing to get himself out of a fight except a Time Warp cast on his own feet, which only buys a few seconds of speed.

Which champions are the best Zilean counters?

Pyke

Pyke goes invisible with Ghostwater Dive and walks up with a burst of speed, so Zilean rarely sees the engage coming. From there, Bone Skewer yanks the old man in, and Phantom Undertow’s phantom stuns on its way back. Low enough? Death From Below blinks and executes, then resets for another target. Gift of the Drowned Ones heals Pyke while hidden, so poke from bombs fades between fights. In practice, Zilean has to keep a Time Warp ready just for him.

Blitzcrank

One good hook decides this lane. Rocket Grab pulls Zilean, who has no dash to dodge it, straight into Blitzcrank and his marksman, and Power Fist sends him airborne right after. Static Field’s active then silences everyone nearby for a moment, which buys time before Rewind and a second Time Bomb come out. Overdrive gives the speed to walk down a fleeing target.

Thresh

Thresh controls the lane from mid-range. Death Sentence chains its target and can pull Thresh in on recast, which makes Zilean’s slow-based defense less useful. Flay pushes enemies in a direction of his choosing, and The Box surrounds an area with walls that slow whoever breaks out. His lantern saves his own carry when Zilean’s bombs land. Every soul he picks up is permanent stats, so the longer the lane lasts, the tankier Thresh gets.

Rell

Rell is the all-in. Full Tilt sends her and an ally running at enemies with ramping Move Speed, doubled when heading toward them, and Ferromancy dismounts her with a knock-up. Magnet Storm then pulls every nearby enemy in. Shattering Strike stuns in a line and breaks shields, while her passive keeps stripping resistances from whatever she hits, which matters even against a support who builds no defense (Zilean rarely does). Zilean can slow her, sure. Slowing a Rell who’s already landed doesn’t do much.

Bard

Cosmic Binding (Q) stuns Zilean if it continues into a wall or a second enemy. His E opens a one-way portal through terrain (anyone can use it, enemies included), so Bard roams and returns from angles Zilean simply can’t watch while also keeping an eye on his own carry. Tempered Fate (R) puts everything in an area into stasis for a moment, a long window to line up damage. Caretaker’s Shrine (W) heals the first ally who touches it. Chimes power up his meeps. To be fair, it’s a tricky champion to play well.

How do you play the lane against Zilean?

• Move away from a stuck Time Bomb. It explodes after 3 seconds, and a second bomb makes it stun.
• Count Rewind. Without it, he can’t throw two bombs back to back.
• Bait Chronoshift before the kill. The ally rewinds only on lethal damage, and its cooldown is 120 seconds at rank 1.
• Engage when Time Warp is on cooldown; it’s his only way to slow you or speed his ally.
• Focus Zilean himself if the ally has Chronoshift, since he can’t put it on two champions at once.

Which items counter Zilean?

Zilean deals magic damage and relies on slows. Mercury’s Treads give Magic Resist and 30% Tenacity, which shortens both his slow and the stun. Banshee’s Veil carries Annul, so one Time Bomb can be blocked. For supports, Locket of the Iron Solari shields allies around you with its Devotion active. Purify on Mikael’s Blessing frees a teammate stuck in the double bomb. Boots of Swiftness reduce the effectiveness of slows. Long story short, Tenacity and spell shields blunt most of his kit. Compare them in the items database, and Mikael’s Blessing has a page of its own.

When is Zilean at his weakest?

When Chronoshift is down. With 120 seconds at rank 1 (60 at rank 3), a used ultimate leaves his team without its safety net for a long time. That’s when your team should dive.

He’s also weak against early engage. Zilean has no dash, and before Rewind has points in it, his double-bomb stun comes out slowly. Honestly, a support who reaches him early decides most of these lanes.

New to the support role? Our guide to LoL roles gives a quick overview. Every costume Riot has made for the Chronokeeper, old and new, is listed on the Zilean skins page, with prices. For the single-lane mode, read our Zilean ARAM guide. Zilean counters reach him before the double bomb, bait Chronoshift, and bring Tenacity.

FAQ

Who counters Zilean the most?

Pyke, Blitzcrank, Thresh, Rell and Bard, supports with hooks, engage or stuns who reach him before his bombs stun them.

How does Zilean’s stun work?

Time Bomb detonates after 3 seconds. If a second Time Bomb detonates it early, it also stuns enemies. Rewind lowers the cooldown so he can throw the second bomb quickly.

What does Chronoshift do?

A protective rune goes on one ally; lethal damage then rewinds that ally instead of killing them. Cooldown 120/90/60 seconds.

Does Zilean have an escape?

No dash. Time Warp can speed up an ally, including himself, or slow an enemy for a short time.

How were these Zilean counters chosen?

Each support’s abilities were compared with his patch 26.21 kit. No win-rate data was used.