INTRODUCTION

Ziggs is a long range poke and wave clear mage that saw a huge comeback during the NA LCS Summer Promotion Tournament. During the Team Dignitas vs Team Fusion match Ziggs was either played or banned in every game. Team Dignitas won the first couple games because of Ziggs domination. Ziggs is especially strong against the very popular heavy team fighting enemy compositions or "Death Ball" comps. I really believe Ziggs is primed for a comeback in the current meta and this short guide should help you get the bombs bouncing.

Strengths

- Long Range
- Strong AOE Team Fight Damage
- Massive Wave Clear
- Good Laning Phase
- Built In Escape

Weaknesses:

- Squishy
- Item Reliant
- Burns Mana Very Quickly
- Vulnerable to CC

RUNES

Marks: Magic Penetration (9) - These help you with last hitting and trading in the early game.

Seals: Mana Regeneration (9) - Ziggs biggest downside is the fact that he NEVER HAS MANA. These will help you have mana when you need it.

Glyphs: Magic Resistance (9) - These runes will help you stay alive in lane and keep you from being one shot from an enemy assassin.

Quintessences: Ability Power (3) - Flat AP is amazing on Ziggs. All of his abilities build on AP

MASTERIES: 21-0-9

This specific set of masteries makes sure Ziggs is doing the damage he is supposed to. The 21 points in the Offense tree are standard for mages, but most also but 9 points into Defense. I recommend moving those from Defense to Utility. Ziggs needs the extra movement speed to position himself in fights. Mana regeneration is also highly prioritized on Ziggs. Therefore, the 9 points in Utility make more sense for this specific champion in the mid lane.

SUMMONER SPELLS

Ignite and Flash are the best choices for Ziggs in the mid lane. I have also seen some mid laners run Heal and Flash, but personally I think this lowers your kill potential in lane too much.

SKILLS/SKILL ORDER

Passive - Short Fuse: Ziggs next basic attach deals bonus magic damage. This ability has a 12 second cooldown that is shortened by 4 seconds each time Ziggs casts a spell.

Q - Bouncing Bomb: Ziggs throws a bouncing bomb that does magic damage on contact with a minion, enemy champion, or terrain.

W - Satchel Charge: Ziggs main defensive ability. He throws down a charge on the ground which will explode on reactivation or after 4 seconds. Champions are knocked away from the center of the blast and take magic damage upon explosion. Ziggs himself is knocked back further and does not take damage from Satchel Charge.

E - Hexplosive Minefield: Ziggs throws down a circle of mines that do magic damage and apply slows to enemies that step on them.

R - Mega Inferno Bomb: Ziggs throws a long range bomb that does a large amount of AOE magic damage in a circle. Enemies in the primary blast zone take full magic damage while those further away only take 80%.

Leveling priority is as follows: R>Q>E>W

You should be leveling your Q first as Ziggs because of the short cooldown and high damage of that skill. Q is an excellent tool for last hitting and harassing enemy champions. After that you should level up your minefield for the extra damage and slow. Your W should be leveled last because it is mostly for enemy displacement and your own positioning.

ITEM BUILD

Starting Items: I usually start with Doran's Ring and 2 health potions, but you can also start with boots/pots (if the enemy has a lot of skill shots) or flask/pots for lanes where you need a lot of sustain. On your first back you should be picking up and Chalice of Harmony and a ward or 2 on top of some health potions to keep you in lane. You can also grab a Seekers Armguard on first or second back if you are facing a strong AD mid laner like Talon or Zed.

Mid Game: By mid game you should have your Athene's Unholy Grail and either Rabadon's Deathcap or Zhonya's Hourglass depending on your lane opponent. And you should be working towards the full mid game build of Athene's, Rabadon's and Zhonya's.

Final Build: Late game items should be catered to the team you are playing against. Are you getting blown up by an enemy assassin? Buy a Banshee's Veil for yourself. If you are able to attack from the back line a Lich Bane and Void Staff are your best bets for a full damage Ziggs build.

A good aggressive final build would be:

GAMEPLAY

Laning Phase: In the laning phase you should be focused more on farming than harassing your lane opponent. Ziggs is heavily item dependent and requires a lot of farm to get going. You can trade with your opponent with Q, E, and passive but farming should be your priority. Be sure you stay fairly close to the center of the lane while the enemy jungler is missing. You should be able to Satchel Charge yourself back in tower range when the ganks inevitably come. Your ultimate ability can also help secure kills and shove in lanes other than your own.

Group Phase: The group phase is where Ziggs really shines. His wave clear with Q and E is dead simple and his team fights are pretty straight forward as well. Ziggs thrives in his role of providing insane AOE follow up damage. This means that you should be positioning yourself in the back line of team fights and adding your damage only after another member of your team has initiated the team fight. Positioning is key with Ziggs, he can and will be one shot if you aren't careful. Your job is to skirt around the edge of fights throwing in your bombs to do damage. If you find yourself with an enemy champion in your face be sure to use your W to escape ASAP.

CONCLUSION

Ziggs is a champion who is incredibly fun to play. All of his abilities do damage and he has low cooldowns so you'll always be busy in fights. I hope this guide is helpful for those who'd like to pick up Ziggs for their next battle on the Rift. Feel free to contact me at @andyalbers on twitter if you have any questions or comments.