Combos · Support

Zilean combos

the Chronokeeper

3 Zilean combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is Q › Q › E. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Zilean combos

The stun

Q › Q › E

When: An enemy is within bomb range.

Throw a bomb, then a second: if one bomb explodes early because of another, the enemies are stunned; Time Warp slows the target.

Tempo

Q › W › Q

When: You want to recast your bombs fast.

Rewind reduces the cooldown of your other abilities: immediately recast Time Bomb.

Protection

R › E

When: Your carry is about to die.

Chronoshift places a rune on an ally that sends them back in time if they take lethal damage; Time Warp speeds up your team.

Common mistakes

• Placing the ultimate on an ally too late: it has to be placed before the lethal damage.
• Placing a bomb with no target approaching.
• Forgetting your passive: give experience to an ally.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Time Bomb	10/9.5/9/8.5/8	60/65/70/75/80 Mana	900
W · Rewind	14/12/10/8/6	35 Mana	600
E · Time Warp	15	50 Mana	550
R · Chronoshift	120/90/60	125/150/175 Mana	900

Official ability descriptions

PassiveTime In A Bottle

Zilean stores time as Experience and can grant it to his allies. When he has enough Experience to finish an ally's level up, he can right-click them to impart it. Zilean receives as much Experience as he gives.

QTime Bomb

Tosses a bomb to target area that sticks to units that come near it (prioritizes Champions). It detonates after 3 seconds, dealing area of effect damage. If a Time Bomb is detonated early by another Time Bomb, it also stuns enemies.

WRewind

Zilean can prepare himself for future confrontations, reducing the cooldowns of his other basic abilities.

ETime Warp

Zilean bends time around any unit, decreasing an enemy's Move Speed or increasing an ally's Move Speed for a short time.

RChronoshift

Zilean places a protective time rune on an allied champion, teleporting the champion back in time if they take lethal damage.

Skill order

Max order: E > W > Q61.1% · 18 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q	●													●	●
W		●						●		●		●	●
E			●	●	●		●		●
R						●					●

Max order: Q > E > W56.2% · 16 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q	●			●	●		●		●
W		●												●	●
E			●					●		●		●	●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 63 games).

Riot's official tips for playing Zilean

• You can combine the use of Time Bomb and Rewind to place two Time Bombs on a target quickly. Placing the second bomb will detonate the first and stun all nearby enemies.
• Time Warp is an effective way to enable allies to finish off enemies, or escape from a losing battle.
• Chronoshift is a powerful deterrent to attacking your carries, but casting Chronoshift too early in a fight can cause the enemy to switch targets too soon, making it less effective.

How to play around Zilean's combos

• If you're able to match Zilean's speed, it can sometimes be beneficial to wait until his ultimate has faded before landing the killing blow.
• Zilean is fragile if a team focuses on him, but otherwise he's very difficult to kill. Commit to killing him as a team.

Frequently asked questions

Build, runes and counters: full Zilean guide · every champion's combos · tier list