How to Counter Zoe in League of Legends – Top 3 Picks

LoL Esports

March 4, 2024

Davide Xu

If you are struggling against Zoe, here are the best counters you can consider playing to improve your win rate in LoL season 14.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Zoe counters in LoL – the top three picks

Zoe has faded a bit from the mid lane meta in the past few years, but she’s still a great pick in the right hands. She has incredible burst damage output, and she can pressure with her long-range abilities.

That being said, Zoe has several counters that she struggles to go against. Let’s go over the best three champions to play against her.

If you’re fairly new to the game, check out our guide on how counter picks work in League of Legends. You will understand why counter picks are important, and how you need to take advantage of them to increase your win rate. Make sure to also understand how classes counter one another in LoL so you always know what to pick in each game.

Ahri – the evergreen counter

While it’s still a skill matchup, Ahri has a great advantage over Zoe thanks to her mobility. As long as you are able to consistently dodge Zoe’s abilities, you should prevail. Landing more skill shots is imperative in this lane. Pay attention to when Zoe uses her ultimate and tries to hit the charm when she teleports back.

Naafiri – the AD counter

Naafiri does similar things to Ahri, with the exception that the former deals physical damage. Naafiri has great all-in potential and given Zoe’s lack of dashes, she can’t escape the enemy’s combos. The only thing that Naafiri must pay attention to is Zoe’s early game poke: she will try to abuse her longer range to harass you. Don’t lose too much health in the first minutes of the laning phase.

Twisted Fate – the greater map presence

While Twisted Fate doesn’t counter Zoe in the laning phase, the card master has the advantage when it comes to impacting the map. By roaming toward the side lanes, Twisted Fate can help his team snowball much better than Zoe. Unless the latter is able to hit E’s constantly, Zoe won’t be able to win here.

Worst Zoe counters

Viktor – punishing immobile mages

Viktor often loses to Zoe due to his weak early game and wave clearing. While he does scale better in the later stages of the game, the time needed to get the upgrades is too much: Zoe will have already gotten away with a lead. All the early game trades are in Zoe’s favor and every time she hits a bubble, chances are Viktor will die.

Azir – it’s all about the teamfights

Azir falls into the same category as Viktor, with the exception that at least Azir has a way to get out of danger somehow with his E. It won’t work all the time, though, and Zoe will be able to capitalize on that. All you can do in this matchup is farm up safely and pay attention to her trading patterns: find a way to dodge Qs and Es and you might have a chance.

How do you counter Zoe with the items?

When going up against Zoe, it’s recommended to stack magic resistance to lower her burst damage. Below is a list of items to build you should consider, based on the class of champion you’re playing:

Bruisers: Maw of Malmortius, Kaenic Rookern
AD assassins: Maw of Malmortius
ADC champions: Maw of Malmortius, Wit’s End
AP champions: Banshee’s Veil
Tanks: Kaenic Rookern, Force of Nature

What Champion counters Zoe?

The three best champions are Ahri, Naafiri, and Twisted Fate. You can also consider other picks such as Tristana, Annie, and Malzahar, depending on which champion you’re proficient at.

Does Zed counter Zoe?

The short answer is it depends. Zed has great all-in potential and can often find lethal on Zoe, especially if she misses her E. The issue is that Zoe can always hit a bubble if Zed ults in, as she knows he will appear behind her. This matchup is skill-based and whoever can force the enemy into a mistake will get the upper hand.