League of Legends Zac Guide: Best Build, Runes, Combos

Zac is a tanky jungler in League of Legends known for his insane engage range, disruptive crowd control, and powerful sustain. Whether you’re diving into the backline or setting up game-winning team fights, Zac brings a mix of durability and utility that can shift the tide of any match. His unique playstyle lets him gank from unexpected angles and bounce into fights with huge impact. In this guide, we’ll break down the best build, runes, items, and combos to help you master Zac and become a reliable initiator and frontline force for your team.

Zac Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Zac is a disruptive tank jungler who thrives in chaotic team fights and unpredictable ganks. His kit revolves around crowd control, healing through his passive blobs, and long-range engages that can catch enemies completely off guard. Here’s a breakdown of Zac’s abilities and how to use them effectively:

Passive – Cell Division
When Zac takes damage, he drops blobs that heal him if he picks them up. Upon taking lethal damage, he splits into four mini-Zacs that try to reform him—if they survive for a few seconds, Zac revives.
Why it matters: The healing from blobs gives Zac excellent sustain in the jungle and during fights. His passive also makes him hard to kill if timed right with team support or tower dives.

Q – Stretching Strikes
Zac stretches his arm forward, damaging and slowing the first enemy hit. His next auto extends another arm—if it hits a different target, he slams them together, stunning both.
Tip: Try to land the second hit on a squishy target or pull enemies into each other for disruption and extra CC.

W – Unstable Matter
Zac deals AoE damage around him, with bonus damage based on the enemy’s max HP. Picking up blobs reduces this skill’s cooldown.
Use it for: Quick jungle clears, extra burst in trades, and steady AoE in team fights.

E – Elastic Slingshot
Zac charges and launches himself to a target location, knocking up all enemies in the area.
This is Zac’s signature move. Use it to gank from walls, engage from fog of war, or catch out unsuspecting enemies from long range.

R – Let’s Bounce!
Zac becomes unstoppable and bounces four times, knocking up and displacing enemies. He also drops blobs throughout the ult.
Combo it: After hitting a big Elastic Slingshot, activate R to cause chaos and peel or engage based on the fight.

Zac is a jungler who shines in coordination, timing, and map awareness. Mastering his unpredictable engage tools and healing through blob pickups makes you a nightmare for squishies and a reliable frontliner for your team.

How To Play Zac In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells for Zac

The best summoner spell combo for Zac in League of Legends is Smite and Flash, giving you jungle control and powerful playmaking potential.
• Smite – As a jungler, Smite is non-negotiable. It helps you clear camps, secure objectives like Dragon and Baron, and contest against the enemy jungler. Upgrade it to Chilling Smite for slow and chase potential, or Unsealed Smite (Green/Blue) depending on the game.
• Flash – Flash gives Zac the ability to extend or reposition his Elastic Slingshot (E) for unpredictable engages. You can even E + Flash mid-air for surprise combos that catch enemies completely off guard. It also gives you an escape option when your blobs or passive are at risk.

This setup gives you everything Zac needs: jungle control, gank potential, and game-changing team fight presence.

Best Runes for Zac

Zac thrives in long fights and engages, so the best rune setup focuses on durability, crowd control, and sustained impact. The ideal path is Resolve as your primary and Inspiration as your secondary.

Primary: Resolve
• Aftershock – Best keystone for Zac. After hitting enemies with your CC (like E or Q), you gain bonus resistances and deal a burst of damage. It perfectly matches Zac’s engage-heavy playstyle.
• Font of Life – Marks enemies you CC, allowing your allies to heal by attacking them. Great synergy with Zac’s team-focused engage style.
• Conditioning – Gives you bonus resistances after 12 minutes, helping Zac scale into a late-game frontline tank.
• Revitalize – Boosts your healing from blobs and improves the healing your allies receive from Font of Life. Helps you survive longer in extended fights.

Secondary: Inspiration
• Cosmic Insight – Reduces cooldowns on your Smite, Flash, and item actives—super valuable for playmaking and utility.
• Future’s Market – Lets you buy important components early and hit your power spikes faster. Great for Zac’s early jungle pathing and build curve.

Stat Shards
• • Ability Haste
• • Health
• • Armor or Magic Resist (based on your matchup)

This rune page gives Zac strong early-game survivability, powerful scaling, and consistent impact in every team fight. It’s the most reliable setup for ganking, engaging, and soaking damage for your team.

Best Build for Zac

Zac’s best build focuses on tankiness, engage potential, and sustain so he can soak up damage, start fights, and stay alive long enough to disrupt the enemy team. You want items that give health, resistances, and cooldown reduction while enhancing his healing from blobs and scaling into the late game.

Core Items
• Radiant Virtue (Mythic)
This is Zac’s best Mythic. It gives bonus health and cooldown reduction to you and nearby allies when you use your ultimate, making it perfect for extended team fights. It also boosts your healing and blob pickup value.
• Thornmail
Great for applying Grievous Wounds and punishing high auto-attack or healing champions. Pair it with your Q or R to constantly reduce healing from enemies.
• Spirit Visage
Massively increases your healing from blobs and synergizes well with Revitalize. Also provides magic resist and health, making you much tankier against AP-heavy teams.x

Situational / Late Game Items
• Sunfire Aegis – For more AoE damage and faster clear speed. It’s a strong pickup if you want extra damage while staying tanky.
• Abyssal Mask – Great if your team has lots of magic damage. It lowers enemy MR and gives you bonus healing when you take magic damage.
• Randuin’s Omen – Strong against crit-heavy champions like Jinx or Yasuo. Helps slow enemies and reduces burst damage.
• Warmog’s Armor – If you’ve already stacked enough HP, Warmog gives you insane sustain between fights.

Boots
• Plated Steelcaps – Best against AD-heavy comps or auto attackers.
• Mercury’s Treads – Use this if the enemy has lots of CC or magic damage.

Example Full Build
• Radiant Virtue
• Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads
• Spirit Visage
• Thornmail
• Abyssal Mask or Randuin’s Omen
• Warmog’s Armor

This build makes Zac a true frontliner—hard to kill, disruptive in fights, and always ready to engage. With the right positioning and item timings, you’ll be able to initiate fights, peel for your team, and survive even the messiest brawls.

Best Combos to Learn for Zac

Zac isn’t about fast mechanical combos—he’s about smart engages, surprise ganks, and chaining your crowd control to mess up the enemy team. Mastering these simple but powerful combos will make you a serious threat in both skirmishes and team fights.

1. Standard Engage Combo (E-Q-W-Auto)

E (Elastic Slingshot) → Q (Stretching Strikes) → Auto → W (Unstable Matter)
Use E to land on your target, quickly follow up with Q to slow and link to another enemy, then Auto the second target and W for AoE damage. This combo sets up a great CC chain and blob drop for sustain.
Tip: Always try to hit two targets with Q for the slam stun.

2. Flash Engage Combo (E + Flash → R)

E (charge) → Flash mid-air → R (Let’s Bounce!)
This is Zac’s surprise engage. Charge E, then Flash at the last second before landing to catch enemies off guard. Immediately press R to knock them up and cause chaos.
Tip: Flash extends the range and makes it nearly impossible for enemies to react.

3. Tower Dive Combo (E → R → Q → W → Exit)

E in from fog or jungle → R to displace → Q the target and slam them → W → walk out or passive triggers
Zac’s passive makes him one of the best tower divers. Displace enemies with R, apply CC with Q, and use W for extra burst. Let your blobs heal you through the tower damage or bait a revive with your passive.

4. Jungle Skirmish Combo (Q → Auto → W)

Q one target → auto another → W for AoE
In small fights around jungle or river, use this short combo to CC two enemies, do damage, and drop blobs. It’s great for early skirmishes when your E is on cooldown.

5. Disrupt Backline Combo (E → R → Q → Auto Squishy → W)

E into backline → R to knock up → Q the carry → Auto tank/frontline → W to burst
Perfect in late-game team fights. Go straight for the enemy ADC or mage, displace them with R, slam them into a tank with Q, then drop your W. This combo keeps the carry locked down while your team collapses.

Pro Tip: Always collect your blobs during combos—they reduce cooldowns and heal you. Zac is all about sustained impact, not one-shotting. Use your tools to chain CC, soak damage, and keep the fight in your team’s favor.

Conclusion

Zac is one of the most reliable and disruptive tank junglers in League of Legends, offering powerful engage tools, solid sustain, and crowd control that can turn any fight in your team’s favor. With the right build, rune setup, and combo execution, Zac becomes a frontlining menace that’s hard to kill and even harder to ignore. Whether you’re diving into the enemy backline or peeling for your carries, mastering Zac’s mechanics and map impact will make you a game-changing force from start to finish.