Survive the first waves and manufacture the first exit

0:00–6:00, or until the first clean crash and recall window

During the opening waves, decide whether you can contest the push or should preserve health and mana for a later window. If you can reach the wave safely, crash before recalling or moving; if the opponent controls the center and your E is your only escape, take XP and safe CS rather than forcing contact. Trade when the enemy commits to a last hit, your wave is not outnumbered, and Q plus W can create a short exchange. Your transition is a stable crash and first damage purchase, not a random level-one duel.

Lane

Build a safe lane state before spending E

If the enemy can contest the first three waves and Fizz has mana for Q and E, then prioritize a controlled crash over a forced trade. His early lane plan is to reach a wave state where the opponent must walk up, then use Q to enter and E to avoid the return damage. If the opponent's key trade spell is down or the wave is thinner, take a short W-enhanced attack window and exit before the enemy can extend the fight.

With Fizz

• If Fizz is your mid laner, help him turn a crashed wave into information rather than demanding a blind river fight. When he moves first after the crash, place the play where he can reach an isolated target; if the wave is still under his tower, do not start a side skirmish that requires him to abandon it.
• Fizz wants a target who has already used a dash, cleanse-like answer, or defensive spell. If you have hard crowd control, hold it for the moment after his initial contact so the enemy cannot simply disengage when his E ends. If Fizz misses Chum the Waters, switch from forcing to controlling space until the next window.
• Around an objective, let Fizz arrive with a reset wave and usable mana rather than asking him to face-check first. If he finds a fish or pick in the approach, burn the objective immediately while the enemy is displaced or dead; if the enemy is grouped, protect his flank and let him enter after the first engage instead of expecting him to start a five-player fight.
• If Fizz is ahead, give him access to side-lane information and play near the opposite pressure point so the enemy cannot answer every wave together. If he is behind, let him collect safe farm and use his threat as peel or counter-engage; forcing him to dive a fed carry without vision removes the one resource that can still create a comeback.
• Fizz's E is not a team signal by itself. If he becomes untargetable while your team is too far away, the enemy can wait out the moment and collapse on him. Follow only when you are already within a practical follow-up distance; otherwise hold the area he is trying to escape through and punish the enemy's pursuit.