Zoe is the kind of champion in League of Legends that you can go all nuts with. Whether it’s high damage or long-range, Zoe takes the crown as one of the greatest champions to carry Howling Fjord games with. What we’re going to discuss here will help you understand how to best build Zoe in ARAM in season 12, as well as play and master her to always win.
But first of all, why is Zoe so strong in ARAM?
Well, one reason – one-shot! You see, Zoe’s ability kit perfectly fits the craziness of ARAM. Zoe usually hits outside of her enemies’ visibility, thanks to her Q – Paddle Star and her R – Portal Jump. On top of that, her E – Sleepy Trouble Bubble can travel from base to base if you cast it vertically along the two main walls of Howling Fjord. And not to mention that Zoe grabs all Summoner’s Spells and items for free to either damage or heal herself!
All of this combined makes Zoe one of the deadliest and the safest champions to play in League of Legends. An experienced Zoe player would never put himself in real danger, while at the same time, he would destroy everyone on the map. This is the biggest strength of Zoe, and here we’re going to teach you how to take advantage of that by getting the best build specifically for ARAM in season 12. Let’s go!
Also read: Checking MMR in ARAM
Best Build for Zoe in ARAM in Season 12
Summoner’s Spells
Since you will be taking everyone else’s Summoner’s Spells, Flash and Ignite are the best ones for Zoe. Flash is here to get you out of trouble or to increase the range/damage of your Q, while Ignite will finish off opponents.
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Best Runes for Zoe on ARAM
Dark Harvest
- As Zoe, you would typically go something like Electrocute or Summon Aery in ranked games. But in ARAM, Dark Harvest is by far the best-performing keystone on this champion. If you’re only decent at skill shots, you’re going to collect a lot of souls. This will help you stack your potential and ultimately start one-shotting people only 10 minutes in the game!
Taste of Blood
- Taste of Blood is an excellent rune because Zoe is one of the easiest champions to kill, really. Besides her E, she doesn’t have any other defensive ability to protect herself if enemies come close to her. So, any healing you get out of your damaging spells is a huge bonus!
Eyeball Collection
- Eyeball Collection is the rune we choose in the third row of the Domination page, simply because it’s the only damage increase one. The rune stacks by slaying enemy champions, which you’re going to do anyway in ARAM, so it’s an awesome rune to have!
Ravenous Hunter
- Ravenous Hunter plays the same role as Taste of Blood. It boosts Zoe’s survivability and gives her a way to heal up when she gets close to dying. The best thing about it is that the healing happens through your damaging spells. So not only you don’t have to stop your DPS, but you will regenerate health thanks to it!
Presence of Mind
- Presence of Mind is the favorite rune of any mage, including Zoe! It significantly boosts your mana regeneration up to the point where your early game is secured. Plus, with every champion takedown, Presence of Mind restores 15% of your mana. And because kills happen all the time in ARAM, you can see why this rune is mandatory!
Coup de Grace
- And Coup de Grace is the second-best rune in the Precision tree. It increases your power against targets below 40% HP, which is fantastic for securing kills.
Bonuses
- As Zoe, you want to take two Adaptive Forces from your bonuses, as well as an Armor or a Magic Resist.
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Best Items for Zoe on ARAM
1. Luden’s Tempest
- Luden’s Tempest is the first must-have item we’re looking at for Zoe in ARAM. As a mythic item, it outperforms every other choice by far. It boosts Zoe’s first hit every 10 seconds and gives her an AOE effect. This helps her do more damage with only one ability and also have an easier time when collecting souls for Dark Harvest.
2. Sorcerer’s Shoes
- For a second item upgrade, it’s always good to go for Sorcerer’s Shoes. The extra magic penetration adds a lot of power to Zoe’s kit in the early game, especially if the enemy team doesn’t have much magic resist. It allows her to essentially melt enemy champions with her base abilities.
3. Horizon Focus
- Next, we have Horizon Focus. This item honestly looks like it’s made specifically for Zoe. Every time you hit someone over 750 range, that enemy is then revealed and takes more damage from you! So every time you land your Sleepy Trouble Bubble through a wall or your Paddle Star together with Portal Jump, you obliterate everyone on the other end!
4. Lich Bane
- Lich Bane is the fourth-best item for Zoe in ARAM. Thanks to its passive, you’ll be able to destroy Turrets and secure victories faster. Also, combined with Zoe’s passive – More Sparkles, her auto-attack can deal as much damage as an ability!
5. Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Rabadon’s Deathcap is a core item in Zoe’s build. It is best to be bought later in the game when you’ve already stacked on a bit of AP. Rabadon’s then will almost double your amount and make you a real death machine! So never forget to pick it up!
6. Void Staff
- And lastly, we have Void Staff. Unless your enemy team is full of tanks, Sorcerer’s Shoes will give you enough magic penetration for the first part of the game. However, when they start building MR, it’s almost mandatory for you to purchase Void Staff on Zoe. It keeps people away, and it helps you secure kills. So always buy it!
Also read: Zoe climbing tips
