[2.3] Ziggs Guide - Ziggs: Blastin' Makes Me Feel Good

Ziggs has two main aspects that define his playstyle. He is fragile, and he is very good at outputting damage from long range. Ziggs is at his best when he's behind the charge; surrounded by teammates, hiding behind them as he lobs bombs onto the enemy from the edges. To get caught out, ganked, or focused as a Ziggs is to perish quickly. Out without a bang, which is a terrible fate. He suffers from not being able to escape combat easily; Satchel Charge is an okay option, able to launch you over walls and decent distances while knocking the enemy back, but a botched or panicked placement can make it useless or even seal your fate to be smashed by that Darius over there.
 When Ziggs is safe, however, whether under a turret or behind a teammate, he is a nightmare. Bouncing Bomb is spammable as hell, and Satchel Charge and Hexplosive Minefield are great CC and AOEs. It's hard as hell to push turret on a Ziggs who knows what they're doing, and it's even harder to defend a turret from one. Let's get a bit in-depth, shall we?

Ziggs is a master of the lane; there are few other champs quite so good at both defending a turret, and shredding one to rubble when given the chance. However, Ziggs is also very weak indeed in the earlygame. So how does one little yordle survive the harsh world of midlaning, with nothing to their name but large amounts of heavy explosives?

1. Play It Safe.

This is *incredibly* important. Ward the river as often as possible. Don't try to push turret before it's defenses lower. Never too get close to the enemy midlaner. An uncautious Ziggs is a Ziggs who feeds. If you think you're in an unsafe position, keep your Satchel Charge ready to use as an escape. Never chase for kills, either; Ziggs sucks at it and you'll just find yourself walking into danger.

2. Conserve Mana.

It's veeeery tempting to toss all your abilities out constantly at the enemy midlaner and at minion waves, but with Ziggs, mana is a precious resource. Until you pick up Rod of Ages and get some of those sweet Veteran stacks, be sparing with your abilities and how you use them, moreso Satchel Charge and Hexplosive Minefield then Bouncing Bomb . Use Bouncing Bomb and Short Fuse to waveclear and chip at the enemy, and reserve your other two abilities for escape options unless you're guaranteed to hit the champion with them. Heading back early because you ran out of mana gives your foe a chance to get the edge.

3. Try Not To Roam

I know, I know, the Midlaner is supposed to roam and help out in Top and Bot lanes after a bit. Ziggs, however, really, really needs gold, and trekking through river to try and hop in on a fight is also not playing it safe. Until you get Liandry's Torment , try to stick around and farm instead of roaming, with the exceptions of dragons or maybe rift herald. Do, however, take advantage of Mega Inferno Bomb 's stupid huge range to blast at ongoing fights where you can without stepping too far away from safety. 

Now this is the good part. Ziggs, when it comes down to it, does not care about kills. What he cares about is dealing so much damage the enemy turns tail and runs before they get close to the fight.

1. Don't Touch Em With A Ten Foot Pole.

Zigg's main advantage in a fight is his range; you have no business getting within melee range of an enemy, ever. Short Fuse deals good damage, but don't sacrifice your safety to land it unless the enemy is clearly preoccupied. Satchel Charge and Minefield are great for keeping anyone who looks ready to stab you away, and just spam Bouncing Bomb constantly.

2. CC The Hell Out Of Them.

Zigg's capacity for crowd control is oft overlooked, but his 2 and 3 are powerful stuff. Use them without hesitation to keep enemies off turrets, allies, and epic monsters, to throw wrenches in their positioning, and to keep racking up that sweet sweet Damage. Remember that Satchel Charge can hang around for a second or two before exploding; it's a good deterrent to keeping someone off a particular spot if you don't detonate it right away.

3. Atomize Turrets.

If you aren't joining on a turret push, then you aren't using your Ziggs power to full capacity. You are a siege's worst enemy. Remember to toss around your 1 and 3 to recharge Short Fuse faster when trying to mow down a turret, and place your Satchel Charge a little bit before the turret hits the 'can be instantly wrecked' threshold to blast it as soon as possible. If you think you can be sneaky about it, use the jungle as a route to get to low-health turrets and obliterate them with your 2 without having to push that lane solo.

4. Use Your Ult.

Ziggs' Mega Inferno Bomb is powerful. Very powerful. When should you use it? Literally every chance you get and you think you can hit somebody. Tossing it in a teamfight is a surefire way to turn the tides of the battle. It's also, if you're good at predicting movements, a great finisher on recalling foes. Or even just a way to scare the enemy team off a spot for a second.

5. Stay With Your Pals

With the exception of the aforementioned 'sneak up and bust up low health turrets', Ziggs should not be traveling alone, ever. Stay with the team, or in a tight spot where your inhibitor turrets got destroyed and it's risky to leave the nexus alone, stay back and defend. No matter how much damage Ziggs can do, he can't really win a trade with no backup and no turret. You are a force multiplier, but on your own you might as well be bait.