Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Exceptional gap closing with Q+AA slow combo enables catch potential and lockdown
- +Dragoon passive stacking provides exponential damage scaling in extended fights with automatic lifesteal
- +W attack speed buff + R damage reduction creates sustained duel advantage while enabling team repositioning
Weaknesses
- −Lacks hard CC beyond 50% slow, making him vulnerable to coordinated burst and kiting
- −Passive stack reliance means weak early game when fights are short and stacks reset frequently
- −No mobility tool post-engage leaves him vulnerable to enemy follow-up once Q is used
Abilities
PDragoon
Zanis gains 12 physical attack and recovers 5% HP when he kills or assists an enemy. Stacks up to 20 times.
1Blood Wyrm
Zanis gains 80% movement speed for 1.5s. His next auto attack deals physical damage to nearby enemies and slows them by 50% for 2.5s. Cleanse all negative effects when using this ability.
2Roar
Zanis stomps the ground, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies and increasing his attack speed by 50% for 5s.
RDragon's Wrath
Zanis leaps and strikes enemies, dealing true damage and knocking them up for 0.75s. Afterwards, he gains enhanced auto attacks and takes 20% reduced damage for 5s. Each auto attack deals true damage.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Blood Wyrm | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | 13 | · | · |
2Roar | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | 14 | · |
RDragon's Wrath | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Awake
Spirit
Dragon's ClawStandard Build
1
2
3
4
5
6Core Combos
Chase Lock
1Engage with Q for 80% MS and slow next AA target by 50% for 2.5s. Use when enemy is retreating or extending in sidelane.
AOE Clear + Duel
2RW to stack attack speed and clear minions/enemies, follow with autos to generate Dragoon stacks, then R to disengage if focus fired while maintaining damage reduction.
Full Rotation
12ROpen with Q slow, chain W for attack speed and AOE, stack Dragoon with sustained autos, finish with R for true damage and safety. Best in 2v2+ skirmishes.
Gameplan
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Farm safely and avoid prolonged 1v1s before Dragoon stacks accumulate; focus on poke with Q+AA when trading
- →Rotate to skirmishes where Dragoon stacking pays off; avoid isolated duels against early-game dominants
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →Position as mid-layer frontline, using W+R defensively while teammates deal burst damage; let Dragoon stacks accumulate naturally
- →Use Q to catch out-of-position ranged heroes and chain CC with team, then W for attack speed to convert stacks into damage
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →Stack Dragoon before major teamfights by farming or poking; enter fights once at 12+ stacks for meaningful damage and lifesteal
- →Prioritize staying alive over kills to maintain Dragoon stacks; use R reactively when burst threats appear
Matchups
Zanis gets countered by
ZillOne-shots before Dragoon stacks accumulate; high mobility negates Q slow
MalochOutduels with spell vamp and sustain; W attack speed buff doesn't overcome true damage poke
Kil'GrothEarly CC rotation prevents Dragoon stacking; True damage ignores R's damage reduction
Zanis synergizes with
VeeraCC from Veera enables Zanis to enter and stack uninterrupted; combines high sustain for 2v2 extended trades
LaurielAOE burst amplifies Dragoon-stacked autos; damage reduction synergizes with Lauriel's positioning requirements
GrakkHard engage chains Zanis Q slow; protected positioning lets Zanis farm stacks safely while outputting damage
Pro Tips
- →Stack Dragoon passively before teamfights by CSing or poking isolated enemies—entering a 5v5 at max stacks (20x 12 AD + lifesteal) is worth a 5s farm delay
- →R damage reduction applies to all sources including turret damage; use it defensively when rotating through enemy high-ground or when focused by skillshots
- →Chain Q→AA into W when chasing; the slow allows W's AOE to hit multiple targets while repositioning you for a favorable duel
Zanis excels in extended skirmishes and team fights where Dragoon stacking creates scaling advantage, but his 50% win rate and C-tier placement reflect vulnerability to burst meta and early-game weakness. Pick into compositions lacking hard engage where you can farm stacks safely and teamfight in the mid-game 3v3/4v4 phase.