Smolder vs Zed Counter Pick
Matchup Summary
What the Data Means
In Mid, this is Smolder versus Zed — a marksman/mage hybrid against a assassin. Over 117 ranked games on patch 16.13.1, Smolder closes out 33.3% of them. A deficit of 16.7 points is what earns Zed its counter flag in this matchup.
Smolder holds a 425-unit range advantage (550 to 125), and that shapes how the lane is traded out. Smolder can poke for free, so Zed has to pick a moment instead of trading blindly.
This is a physical-versus-physical exchange between Smolder and Zed. Smolder carries 575 base health to Zed’s 654, and 24 armour to 32. Zed can afford to take the first exchange, sitting on 8 extra armour. Late-game bases read 2275 health / 92 armour for Smolder and 2337 / 112 for Zed. Zed also hits harder before items — 63 AD to 58. Zed moves quicker at base (330 against 345), which shows up on roams.
Achooo! (W) and Death Mark (R) are usually what decide a trade between Smolder and Zed. The pressure spikes when MMOOOMMMM! and Death Mark come online together. One spends Mana and the other Energy, which changes how long each can keep poking.
Figures refresh from Emerald+ ranked play, so this Smolder page follows the live meta.
FAQ
No — current data marks this as a counter matchup: Zed has the statistical edge. Smolder wins 33.3% of the recorded games.
33.3% from Smolder's perspective, measured on patch 16.13.1.
117 ranked games at Emerald rank and above, across all regions.
The current Smolder build — items, runes and skill order from the same data set — is on the Smolder build page.