Jarvan IV vs Zed Counter Pick
Matchup Summary
What the Data Means
Jarvan IV, the Exemplar of Demacia, meets Zed, the Master of Shadows, in the jungle. 790 tracked games on 16.13.1 put Jarvan IV at a 54.4% win rate into Zed. That is 4.4 points above even, so Zed is one of the matchups Jarvan IV can lean on.
With Jarvan IV and Zed both dealing physical damage, stacking a single stat answers most of it. Starting health splits 654 to 640 in Zed’s favour, with armour at 36 against 32. At full build levels the gap widens to 2408 HP versus 2337, favouring Jarvan IV. Zed covers ground faster from level one (340 against 345).
This is a melee mirror in terms of reach — 175 versus 125 — so spacing matters less than ability timing.
Shadow Slash (E) is the ability Jarvan IV has to respect, just as Zed plays around Dragon Strike. Then it becomes Cataclysm against Death Mark, and the one still holding it sets the terms. Jarvan IV pays in Mana, Zed in Energy, so extended trades drain them at different rates.
The 790-game sample behind Jarvan IV versus Zed is data rather than opinion.
FAQ
Yes — Jarvan IV holds the statistical advantage in this matchup. Jarvan IV wins 54.4% of the recorded games.
54.4% from Jarvan IV's perspective, measured on patch 16.13.1.
790 ranked games at Emerald rank and above, across all regions.
The current Jarvan IV build — items, runes and skill order from the same data set — is on the Jarvan IV build page.