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

Ziggs is a long-range poke mage in League of Legends, perfect for players who love controlling the lane and dealing massive damage from a safe distance. With his explosive spells, strong waveclear, and tower-destroying potential, Ziggs can dominate mid lane and pressure objectives like no other. Whether you’re poking enemies down in team fights or shredding turrets with Satchel Charge, this guide will cover the best build, runes, items, and combos to help you maximize Ziggs’ impact and carry games with pure firepower.

Ziggs Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Ziggs is a high-range artillery mage who excels at poking, waveclearing, and demolishing turrets. His kit is packed with explosive abilities that deal massive AoE damage and allow him to control team fights from a safe distance. Here’s a breakdown of all his abilities and how to use them effectively in League of Legends:

Passive – Short Fuse
Every few seconds, Ziggs’ next basic attack deals bonus magic damage. This cooldown is reduced when he casts abilities.
Why it matters: Use it to last-hit minions, poke champions, or chip turrets. Always auto after casting a spell to maximize damage.

Q – Bouncing Bomb
Ziggs throws a bomb that bounces up to two times before exploding on impact, dealing magic damage.
Use it for: Poking, zoning, and farming. It’s your main damage tool—practice hitting enemies with the first or second bounce for better accuracy.

W – Satchel Charge
Ziggs tosses a charge that explodes after a short delay or on reactivation, knocking back enemies and himself. It also instantly destroys turrets below a certain HP threshold.
Pro tip: Use it to escape ganks, reposition over walls, or finish towers. It’s one of the best tower-taking tools in the game.

E – Hexplosive Minefield
Ziggs scatters mines in an area that slow and damage enemies who walk over them.
When to use it: Zone enemies, control space in team fights, or cover your escape path. It’s great for deterring dives or setting up choke points.

R – Mega Inferno Bomb
Ziggs launches a massive bomb at a target location, dealing heavy magic damage in a large area. Enemies in the center take more damage.
Tip: Use it to snipe low-health enemies, zone out team fights, or finish off grouped targets. It has huge range—use it across the map to swing fights or secure kills.

Ziggs thrives when you keep your distance and constantly pressure with abilities. If you’re landing your poke, controlling the map, and using your W to secure towers, you’ll be a constant threat from early game to late.

How To Play Ziggs In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells for Ziggs

The best summoner spell combo for Ziggs is Flash and Teleport, giving him both safety and strong map presence.
• Flash – A must-have on Ziggs. He has no built-in mobility aside from his W, so Flash is essential for escaping ganks, repositioning in fights, or dodging key abilities.
• Teleport – Great for wave control and map pressure. Ziggs loves to push lanes and roam to take objectives, and Teleport lets him return to lane quickly or join fights from afar.

Optional:
• Barrier – If you’re up against heavy burst champions like Zed or LeBlanc and want extra lane safety, Barrier is a solid defensive pick.
• Heal – Rare, but can be useful in low-elo or duo scenarios where sustain and movement speed help you survive all-ins.

Still, Flash + Teleport remains the strongest and most consistent setup for Ziggs, letting you scale safely and influence the map throughout the game.

Best Runes for Ziggs

Ziggs excels at long-range poke, waveclear, and objective control, so the best rune setup focuses on scaling damage, mana sustain, and strong lane presence. The ideal primary tree is Sorcery, with Inspiration as secondary.

Primary: Sorcery
• Arcane Comet – Ziggs’ best keystone. It enhances your poke by adding bonus damage whenever you hit enemies with your Q, E, or R.
• Manaflow Band – Helps you manage mana in lane by restoring mana after landing abilities. Crucial for extended poke and waveclear.
• Transcendence – Grants bonus Ability Haste and reduces cooldowns on takedowns, helping you spam spells more often.
• Scorch – Adds extra poke damage in lane, making your Q even more annoying early on.

Secondary: Inspiration
• Magical Footwear – Gives you free boots at 12 minutes (or earlier with takedowns), saving gold and improving your mobility.
• Biscuit Delivery – Provides sustain and more mana regen in the early game, helping you survive poke and keep up pressure in lane.

Stat Shards
• • Adaptive Force
• • Adaptive Force
• • Armor or Magic Resist (based on matchup)

This rune setup gives Ziggs everything he needs: strong early poke, mana sustain, and cooldown reduction to control lanes and scale into a late-game siege machine.

Best Build for Ziggs

Ziggs is a poke-heavy mage who thrives on long-range damage, waveclear, and objective control. His best build focuses on high AP, mana sustain, and ability haste to keep his damage consistent throughout the game. Here’s the optimal build to maximize Ziggs’ effectiveness:

Core Items
• Liandry’s Anguish (Mythic)
Best Mythic for Ziggs. It deals bonus damage over time based on the enemy’s max health—perfect for poking tanks and bruisers. Also gives Ability Haste and mana, which Ziggs loves for spamming spells.
• Sorcerer’s Shoes
Boosts your magic penetration, letting your poke hit harder, especially in the early and mid game.
• Horizon Focus
Pairs extremely well with Ziggs’ long-range Q and R. It marks enemies hit from afar, increasing your damage against them. Great synergy for his playstyle.

Situational / Late-Game Items
• Shadowflame – Strong against shield-heavy comps and squishies. Adds flat magic pen for burst potential.
• Zhonya’s Hourglass – A must against assassins or heavy dive comps. Gives you survivability without sacrificing too much damage.
• Void Staff – Crucial if the enemy team is stacking magic resist. Helps you maintain damage output in the late game.
• Rabadon’s Deathcap – The best pure AP item. Pick this up late-game to supercharge your poke and burst damage.

Example Full Build
• Liandry’s Anguish
• Sorcerer’s Shoes
• Horizon Focus
• Shadowflame
• Void Staff or Zhonya’s Hourglass
• Rabadon’s Deathcap

This build gives Ziggs strong poke, consistent damage, and the tools to stay safe while sieging towers or pressuring from a distance. With the right positioning and skill timing, you’ll melt enemies and objectives before they can get close.

Best Combos to Learn for Ziggs

Ziggs isn’t about flashy all-ins—he’s about smart poke, zoning, and controlling space. That said, knowing how to chain his abilities properly can help you land more damage, force enemies out of lane, or secure kills from a safe distance. Here are the most important Ziggs combos to master:

1. Basic Poke Combo

Q → Auto → Q (again once cooldown resets)
Use Q (Bouncing Bomb) to poke from range, then weave in a basic attack if they’re close enough and your passive is ready. Early game, this can chunk enemies hard, especially with Scorch and Arcane Comet.

2. Zone Control Combo

E → Q
Throw E (Minefield) to slow them, then follow up with a Q for easy poke. The slow makes it harder for them to dodge your bomb, giving you better hit chances. Great for stopping engages or punishing oversteps.

3. Full Damage Combo

E → W → Q → R
Use E first to slow and zone, W (Satchel Charge) to knock them back or keep them in place, then hit Q, and finish with R (Mega Inferno Bomb) if they’re low.
Tip: Use this combo when the enemy is caught in a tight space or after your team CCs someone.

4. Tower Push Combo

W (on tower) → Q + Auto
If the enemy turret is low (below ~25%), drop W on it and detonate for an instant execute. Then use Q and your passive-boosted auto to deal extra chip damage before it falls. Ziggs is one of the best turret pushers in the game—abuse it.

5. Defensive Peel Combo

W (defensively) → E → Q
When getting chased, use W to knock yourself away or push the enemy back, E to block their path with slows, then Q for return poke while you reposition.

Pro Tips:
• Always auto after casting a spell to make use of your Passive – Short Fuse.
• Lead with E when possible—it makes landing Q easier.
• Use W not just for mobility, but to interrupt gap-closers or assassins diving on you.

Ziggs isn’t about diving in—he’s about controlling space and burning enemies down before they ever reach you. Learn these combos and you’ll consistently win trades, secure kills, and dominate fights from a distance.

Conclusion

Ziggs is the perfect League of Legends champion for players who love long-range poke, objective control, and smart zoning. With the right build, runes, and combos, he can dominate mid lane, pressure towers, and chip away at enemies before they even get close. Whether you’re sieging turrets, zoning enemies with minefields, or sniping low-health targets with your ultimate, mastering Ziggs lets you control the pace of the game and carry from a safe distance. If you want a mage who brings explosive impact without needing to dive in, Ziggs is a powerful and fun choice.