Background Image
How to Win Zed vs Caitlyn Counter MatchupZed is in the b tier of champions

Zed vs Caitlyn

How to Beat Caitlyn as Zed in LoLZed is in the a tier of champions
Assassin
Marksman

How to Beat Caitlyn as Zed

based on 13,666 Zed vs Caitlyn matchups
Win Rate
48.5 %
K/D/A
2.15
Pick Rate
9.9 %

How We Analyze LoL Champion Counters

We calculate our counter stats from the millions of ranked League rounds that we review every week. Our guide on how to beat Caitlyn as Zed resulted from an examination of 13666 ranked games where both champs faced off against each other. This particular counter pairing is relatively uncommon. Zed has to counter Caitlyn in only 9.9% of his matches.

Zed vs Caitlyn Matchup Summary

Unfortunately, Zed does a below average job of beating Caitlyn. Typically, he wins a acceptable 48.5% of the time the champions battle each other in. In Zed versus Caitlyn games, Zed’s team is 0.1% less likely to obtain first blood. This implies that he probably won't be able to get first blood versus Caitlyn.

Best Zed vs Caitlyn Counter Build

Items

Starter Items

Time Target
Long SwordRefillable Potion

Early Items

~5 Mins
BootsThe Brutalizer

Core Zed Items

~22 Mins
Edge of NightAxiom ArcOpportunity

Optional Items

Guardian AngelSerylda's GrudgeYoumuu's GhostbladeThe Collector

Summoner Spells

summonerflash summoner spell D
summonerdot summoner spell F

Skill Order

First skill for Zed to level upq
>
Second ability for Zed to level upe
>
Last skill for Zed to max outw

Runes

InspirationFirst StrikeMagical FootwearFuture's MarketCosmic Insight
SorceryTranscendenceScorch
Attack SpeedAdaptive ForceArmor
Zed's passive ability p
Zed's q ability q
Zed's w ability w
Zed's e ability e
Zed's ultimate ability r
1
Q
2
E
3
W
4
Q
5
Q
6
R
7
Q
8
E
9
Q
10
E
11
R
12
E
13
E
14
W
15
W
16
R

Guide to Countering Caitlyn as Zed

Tips for Playing as Zed against Caitlyn

Placing a Living Shadow before using Death Mark can give Zed a safe escape from combat.

Saving energy and spell cooldowns until you use your ultimate will maximize Death Mark's damage.

Quickly double tapping Living Shadow will teleport Zed to his shadow immediately for rapid escapes.

Advice to Win Against Caitlyn

Keep behind allied minions if Caitlyn is harassing you with Piltover Peacemaker (it deals less damage with each subsequent target).

You can intercept Ace in the Hole's missile from hitting an ally if you stand in its path.

Zed vs Caitlyn Counter Stats

Zed Image
Win Rate
48.5 %
VS
Win Rate
51.5 %
Caitlyn Image
8.9
< Kills >
6.8
6.6
< Deaths >
6.4
5.3
< Assists >
6.7
2.06
< Killing Sprees >
1.59
158
< Minions Killed >
178
0.21
< Dragons Killed >
0.2
0.35
< Inhibitors >
0.52
22,178
< Physical Damage >
19,656
1,252
< Magic Damage >
1,466
1,242
< True Damage >
555
24,673
< Damage Dealt >
21,678
23,642
< Damage Taken >
20,485
12,613
< Gold Earned >
12,355
1.61
< Towers >
2.49
0.04
< Baron Takedowns >
0.06
3,815
< Total Healing >
5,528
14,918
< Experience >
12,964
18
< Vision Score >
18
8
< Wards Placed >
9
149
< Time Dealing CC >
88

How to Counter Caitlyn with Zed in LoL

The stat comparisons provided here clarify some influential Zed vs. Caitlyn counter statistics that may help us appreciate the differences between the pair. For instance, Zed’s KDA ratio ([kills + assists] / deaths) of NaN is more than Caitlyn’s KDA ratio of NaN, showing that Zed may be more central to his team's team fighting capacity than Caitlyn..

Zed normally has a slightly larger longest killing spree than his counter does. Typically, he takes more damage than Caitlyn. This commonly reflects different amounts of tankyness, yet it can also illustrate that the one champion has less mobility and thus is not able to escape additional damage when poked or engaged.

Differences between Zed and Caitlyn

Damage Types Compared

Zed
Caitlyn
Physical Damage
Magic Damage
True Damage

Champion Playstyles Compared

Zed
Caitlyn

Who is Better, Zed or Caitlyn?

Both League of Legends champs are great. Both champs have their strengths, weaknesses, and counters. In League's current meta, Zed usually loses when trying to fight Caitlyn, with a 48.5% win rate. Thus, Zed makes a bad counter to Caitlyn.

While Zed does have a lower win rate than Caitlyn, when facing one another, Zed also has a greater level of difficulty that makes him a more difficult champion to pick up and master. You should be careful when picking Zed into Caitlynas his relative depth means you may not be able to unleash his full potential without a significant amount of practice beforehand.

Furthermore, Zed has only a small amount of CC and other utility, a similar amount to Caitlyn. This often makes her just as valuable during teamfights, especially when fighting champions with a lot of burst damage.

While there isn't one best champion in League of Legends, in Zed vs Caitlyn matchups, Caitlyn is the better champ with a lower win rate, more champion depth, and a similar amount of utility to help out your teammates during teamfights.

Zed is a somewhat poor counter for Caitlyn. Make sure you focus your strategy on increasing your CS and clearing objectives. If you do that, you should hold your own as Zed against Caitlyn.

Additional Information for Zed Players

How We Calculated Our Zed vs Caitlyn Build and Stats

For this guide on countering Caitlyn as Zed, we analyzed 13,666 matchups from recent LoL games. We use rigorous data cleaning and processing methods to ensure that our counter stats are of the highest quality. You can rest assured that the recommended build to counter Caitlyn as Zed comes from real data and is not the fabrication of some random LoL player, as some other sites provide. You can use the filters at the top of the page to view the most relevant stats and items to your rank.

Other Useful Resources

Further Insights to Win this Matchup

To truly master Zed to counter Caitlyn during both the laning and mid / late game phases of League of Legends, you should keep reading to learn a few extra tips and tricks for this matchup. If you mind the build and tips presented here, you will grow your win rate significantly and be that much closer to League of Legends pro players.

Zed on average racks up a similar amount of CS relative to Caitlyn. Champs who on average don't get many minion kills usualy don't need much CS to be effective, such as sup champs. They are able to scale properly off of their abilities and first items alone. Yet, champs with a lot of CS, such as hyper-carries, often need a lot of items to be effective. In either case, try to surpass the numbers shown on this page to do well.

The most important items to have in your Zed versus Caitlyn build include Edge of Night, Axiom Arc, and Opportunity. When Zed combined at least these three items in his build, he performed significantly better when fighting Caitlyn than with many other commonly used counter builds. In fact, Zed boasted an average winrate of 48.5% when playing against Caitlyn with this counter build.

To have the highest likelihood of crushing Caitlyn as Zed, Zed players should take the First Strike, Magical Footwear, Future's Market, Cosmic Insight, Transcendence, and Scorch runes from the Inspiration and Sorcery rune sets. Out of all the rune combinations players picked for Zed vs Caitlyn face-offs, this blending of runes resulted in the greatest win rate. In fact, these runes averaged a 48.5% win rate overall.

By default, tips, stats, and builds on how to beat Caitlyn as Zed are presented for all ranked divisions combined. If you would like to scope the statistics and builds to a distinct division, you can use the selection menu earlier on the page.