I'd firstly like to say hello. Hello. This is my first guide here so I hope it's good enough. First of all I'd like to start with the fact that on this account I'm Silver 3 and possibly Silver 4 in a few day's time with these team diffs. I really hope you won't be scared away by my current rank, so let's get into it.

First of all, Zilean is amazing in Preseason 11. I will mostly talk about him filling the SUPP role since I don't really enjoy playing him MID. His early is a bit lacking, but not too bad and he still has great utility even if you build full AP. There are a few problems with playing him though, with the first one being aim. Unless your aim is good enough to hit two Qs in a row and stun the enemy, you're pretty much useless, extremely so during the early phase of the game. The second problem is HP. You can be VERY squishy during early, which, as I mentioned multiple times is a very hard part of the game for Zilean. Also, for full potential as a great AP Support or AP Support Carry(yes this does indeed exist in my dictionary) you need a good ADC that can follow your stuns, damage and slows up.

Now, I talked about how hard early game is for Zilean more than I should've in the intro. Let's make it a bit more detailed though.

This phase is basically what decides whether you're tilted the whole game, or can kill enemies with your basic combo. If you die once, everything's fine not much is lost yet. Start playing as cautiously as you can and don't be agressive. You CAN however go on the offensive if the enemy makes a sloppy mistake such as overextending without their partner. Some decent aim, one or two proper ganks from the jungler and you can overtake the enemy in 3-4 minutes.

I believe that this is when Zilean really shines. at this point you should already have built Liandry's and the boots. These make a great combo as you now not only stun and slow the enemy, but deal a decent and sometimes - more than enough damage. Don't be afraid to pop as many Qs as you want, since you shouldn't have that many problems with mana. Don't just throw them out though as that is extremely inefficient and makes not only yours, but also the enemy team wonder whether or not you're ******ed.

Zilean's late isn't too bad either. Again, you keep your efficiency as someone with CC and your R is excellent since you can save your team's carry and potentially win the teamfight. Now, if you get to fight with randoms and they just HAPPEN to be horrible at the game, you might have to carry it yourself. You indeed have that sort of potential as Zilean. In that case, don't be afraid to use R on yourself and use some of your teammates as meat shields so you can output enough damage. Unless the enemy has lifesteal-focused champs like Yone, Darius, Mundo and so on, skip the Morello and build right into Rabadon.

Now, Zilean can be sticky to play for a few reasons. Obviously, your aim for Q is the first one. Then come problems of your E and R. You need to know when to slow down the enemy with your E and when to give yourself or your ally a speed boost. Here's my tips on this. If you're chasing someone and they're in range, the best choice is to slow them down. if they're not in range, speed yourself up, use W to reset the CD of your E and then slow the enemy down. If you're being chased, there are two different scenarios. Either you're running from one enemy, or multiple enemies. If you're being chased by one, just slow them down. If there's more than one, speed yourself or your ally up.

Now the R is simple. You use it on either someone that is being focused and near to death, or on your carry, if your whole team is getting bashed. Don't be frightened to use it on yourself, but make sure that it's needed, since if you use it while you're full HP and there's absolutely no threat of you dying while your carry is getting bashed, you just have sloppy fingers or don't belong in this game.

Combos:

1. Q - W - Q
This is one of the most efficient combos for Zilean. You waste minmal mana and
mostly don't risk getting killed. If you land both Qs you also stun the enemy
and create the opportunity for your ADC to land a few pokes.
2. E-Q-W-Q
This combo is also quite simple and useful. You either slow the enemy or speed
someone up with your E, and then do the basic combo resulting in at least half
of the enemy's HP getting blown into the air(you can sometimes get more than
half of their HP depending on who you're fighting. This of course won't happen
if you're tilted).

And that's about it for that.

Hope you enjoyed the guide. Take some deep breaths if your game isn't going well and don't flame your allies since by doing that you waste the time of both yourself and the one you're flaming. If there's anything else you'd like me to add, be sure to comment or whatever. I dunno how this place works. Thanks for reading or viewing the guide. Cya~