Zilean

the Chronokeeper

SupportMageGeneral kit and base stats · version 16.19.1

Time In A Bottle

Zilean stores time as Experience and can grant it to his allies. When he has enough Experience to finish an ally's level up, he can right-click them to impart it. Zilean receives as much Experience as he gives.

Passive · no active cost or cooldown

Base statistics

Mana

Health: 574
Resource: 452
Armor: 24
Move speed: 335
Attack damage: 52
Attack speed: 0.658

Statistics patch

About this data

Viewing the current patch. If no sample is available yet, you can open an available historical patch.

Editorial plan reviewed for 26.15. This does not establish a review for statistics patch 16.19.

Game plan · Support

Create a second chance, then spend it on the map

Plan overview

Lane for a crash, not for random movement: create bomb pressure, protect the carry with Time Warp, and use Rewind when a second spell cycle changes the trade. Store experience for a level-up that matters before a contest or rotation. From the first tower transition, play toward the next timer and arrive after a reset with an ally who can convert your utility. When ahead, use speed and picks to take structures and objectives without giving the enemy a clean fight. When behind, slow the game with wave control and defensive Chronoshift, then take only fights where your protected ally is present and the enemy has committed. In every phase, ask whether the play still works if nobody follows; if not, wait for visible numbers and a crashed wave.

Plan by phase

Build a safe tempo lane

0:00–about 14:00; especially level-up windows, crashed waves, and the first dragon or Grubs setup 60–90 seconds before spawn

In the opening, protect your carry's farm while creating a credible double-bomb threat. If the enemy walks up for a last hit and your first bomb can attach without exposing your ADC, use the second bomb only when it creates a stun or forces space. Crash before recalling or roaming. If your lane is losing the push, keep Time Warp for the enemy's engage and use bombs to discourage a dive rather than chasing poke. Your first transition is a crashed wave plus a visible move, not a walk into unrevealed river.

Game situations

Choose a situation

Lane

Trade around the second bomb

If your wave is pushing and your ADC can safely farm, use the lane priority to threaten a bomb onto a champion rather than repeatedly throwing it at the wave. If the enemy has a hard engage ready or your ADC is being zoned, preserve Time Warp and keep the bomb threat for their entry. After a crash, choose between a short river move and a reset; do not leave while your carry is exposed to a 2v1.

With Zilean

Play around Zilean's timing, not just his damage. If he has a first bomb attached and Rewind available, stay within follow-up range without bunching together or rushing past his setup; his threat is strongest when you can convert the second bomb. If he uses Time Warp to start your entry, commit only when your team is close enough to capitalize.
When Zilean stores enough experience to finish your level, give him a clear moment to use it before a planned fight or lane transition. If you are the intended recipient, avoid taking an unnecessary recall or side skirmish during that window; the value is highest when the level-up changes who can contest the next play.
Treat Chronoshift as a fight-shaping resource. If it is available, you can threaten a deeper entry when Zilean is nearby and the team can continue after the return. If the spell is down, shorten your exposure and do not ask him to rescue an isolated engage that began outside his range.
For objectives, crash the nearby waves and reset together so Zilean arrives with the resources to control entrances. If he is already holding a choke with bombs, approach behind him rather than walking ahead into fog. When the enemy commits elsewhere and your team lacks a contest, take the safe cross-map wave or structure instead of asking Zilean to face-check.

Identity, strengths and limits

Turn one moment into two

SUPPORT · SPECIALIST · TEMPO CONTROL

Zilean is a specialist who converts time into action: stored experience can create an unexpected level-up, Time Warp changes who can reach or escape, and Chronoshift turns a lethal engage into a possible second life. He wins by controlling when fights begin and end rather than by sustained damage or durable frontline presence. His bombs become a real stun threat when the second bomb detonates the first, so enemies must respect both the area and the timing. He is not a default initiator, a solo damage carry, or a support who can spend every cooldown on the wave; his value falls when he uses utility without an ally ready to convert it.

Strengths

Turns stored experience into a surprise level-up timing.
Changes engage and escape windows with Time Warp.
Can convert a landed bomb sequence into area stun pressure.
Chronoshift can make a committed ally survive the enemy's first lethal sequence.
Creates strong objective control when his team arrives together and prepared.

Limits and risks

Forcing a double-bomb stun when the second cast exposes you and your ally cannot follow.
Roaming before the wave crashes, leaving your carry in a losing 2v1 and donating the returning wave.
Using Chronoshift on a target with no escape or follow-up, then losing the objective while the spell is unavailable.
Entering objective fog first when your team lacks priority, vision, or a safe retreat route.
Spending stored experience immediately instead of holding it for a level-up that changes a real contest.

One idea for your next game

For the next game, make every major spell cycle answer one question: who is getting a second chance? Before a roam or objective, identify the ally who can convert your speed, stun, and Chronoshift. If that ally is not in range, do not force the play. In lane, crash before moving; in fights, wait for the enemy to commit, then use Time Warp and the double-bomb threat to decide whether your team should engage or leave. Track your stored experience and spend it before a real level-up window, not merely because it is available.

Observed builds

No statistics for this patch yet

We do not have any games from patch 16.19 yet.

Champion lore

Once a powerful Icathian mage, Zilean became obsessed with the passage of time after witnessing his homeland's destruction by the Void. Unable to spare even a minute to grieve the catastrophic loss, he called upon ancient temporal magic to divine all possible outcomes. Having become functionally immortal, Zilean now drifts through the past, present, and future, bending and warping the flow of time around him, always searching for that elusive moment that will turn back the clock and undo Icathia's destruction.

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