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Locke vs Zed

Mid Lane Matchup

Locke vs Zed MID matchup tips: who wins, how to trade, wave control and common mistakes.

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Who Wins

Pre-6, Zed wins most extended trades due to his poke with Q and the threat of W-Q-E burst, but you can contest short trades by landing Q stacks and immediately auto-canceling into E before he can reposition — level 3 is your first real window since E gives you the mobility to close gap after stacking Q.
Post-6, your R's 99% slow and execution threshold fundamentally changes the dynamic: if you land R on a low-health Zed, his shadow repositioning becomes nearly irrelevant, but he still wins if he gets to engage on his terms before you set up.

Your optimal trade pattern is to land two or three Q stacks at range, bait out his W shadow placement by feigning aggression, then E in to consume stacks and chain into W for the sustained damage window — the W true damage ticking while you auto-attack with passive bonus damage on a low-health target is your highest damage output.
Never E in without at least two Q stacks active, because without the stack consumption bonus you lose the trade to his raw burst and shadow escape.

Push the wave early to deny him safe Q poke under tower and force him to farm in a position where your Q can hit him without minion interference — Zed's wave clear with Q is strong, so you need to match his push or you'll be shoved in and zoned from XP.
Once you hit level 6, consider freezing near your tower to bait an aggressive shadow play from him, since a misplaced W shadow near your tower is a death sentence for him if your R is available.

Do not use E as a pure gap-closer without Q stacks already applied — it wastes your primary damage amplifier and leaves you in melee range against a champion who can shadow out and punish your cooldowns.
Also avoid activating W reactively after he lands his full combo, because by then the healing may not offset the burst; W is better used proactively during your all-in to sustain through his damage while you're dealing yours.

Created on 06/25/2026

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