Zill — Patch 1.63 Verdict
[Web: A | Web: A | Web: C | Web: B] Ranked A on zathong.com. Ranked A on metatierlist.com. Ranked C on pillarofgaming.com. Ranked B on commonsensegamer.com.
Zill — Assassin Guide
Key Insights
- Dustdevil: hitting 3 marks triggers a passive proc that deals bonus magic damage and fully resets Wind Shift's cooldown.
- Wind Blade: the boomerang return shifts to Zill's new position, so dashing mid-flight lets the return blade hit from a fresh angle.
- Wind Blade: optimal cast range is about two-thirds of max range so both the outgoing and return blades connect for a double mark.
- Wind Shift: burning both charges before the passive procs is the most common Diamond-rank mistake; save the second cast as your escape.
- Tornado: Zill is untargetable for the full 2-second duration and each repeat hit on the same target deals up to 40% reduced damage, so never use it as a single-target nuke on a tank.
Strengths
Dustdevil reset on 
Wind Shift gives a built-in escape inside the kill combo.
Wind Blade hits twice on one cast, two marks before W or R even matter.
Tornado's untargetability hard-counters channeled ultimates like Violet or Natalya.- Tornado's multi-hit clears Dragon and Dark Slayer faster than his stats suggest.
Weaknesses
- Hard CC before the third Dustdevil mark kills the combo; he has no CC immunity outside Tornado.
- Tornado's per-target damage reduction makes him weak into two or more tanks.
- A missed Wind Blade boomerang return defuses the whole assassination and leaves him exposed.
- No heal, no shield, no hard CC; loses any sustained fight or grievous-wounds matchup.
Matchups
Abilities
PDustdevil
Zill's skill damage applies Wind Mark stacks to targets (fully stacked at 3 stacks) lasting 5 seconds. When fully stacked, slows enemies by 80% for 0.25 seconds. When Zill attacks a fully stacked target, she deals magic damage and resets Wind Shift's cooldown. Zill's auto attacks deal increased magic damage.
1Wind Blade
Zill throws dual blades in a specified direction, dealing magic damage and slowing targets by 50% for 1.5 seconds. After a delay, the blades return to Zill's position, dealing magic damage to enemies hit.
2Wind Shift
Zill dashes to a specified location, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies.
RTornado
Zill rapidly attacks 5 random enemies within 2 seconds, dealing magic damage per hit. Repeated attacks on the same target deal reduced damage (minimum 40%). Zill cannot be targeted while using this ability.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wind Blade | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2Wind Shift | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | · | · |
| RTornado | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Awake
Spirit
StainStandard Build
1
2
3
4
5
6Core Combos
Standard Single-Target Assassination
12PRCast Wind Blade at two-thirds range so both the outgoing and return blades connect, then blink in with Wind Shift to apply the third mark, auto-attack to detonate the passive and reset Wind Shift, then immediately pop Tornado for the untargetable damage and use the free second Wind Shift to exit. This is the bread-and-butter combo and should be drilled until it is fully muscle-memory.
Quick-Clear / Objective Burst
12RUsed on jungle monsters or when the passive reset is not needed for escape. Skip worrying about the boomerang return and just stack marks with auto-attacks between casts to keep Wind Blade cycling on cooldown.
Anti-Burst Defensive Combo
21PROpen with Wind Shift to close distance and apply one mark, then throw Wind Blade so both hits stack marks two and three, auto to detonate and reset Wind Shift, then immediately use Tornado if an enemy ultimate is being channeled. The invincibility absorbs the damage cleanly.
Expert Video Guide
ROV : แนวทางการเดินเกม Zill 70ดาว ตัวล้วงเวทย์ที่ทั้งถึกและมีดาเมจยืนนานโคตร — Jayop
Gameplan
Zill's first real power spike is Loki's Curse: the item's on-hit magic damage works with Dustdevil procs and makes level-four jungle ganks genuinely threatening rather than coinflip. His best window is the period between Hecate's Diadem and Rhea's Blessing, roughly the 12 to 18 minute mark, where his burst can delete a squishy carry in one full rotation before they react. Before that window, avoid 1v1s against tanky junglers. After Staff of Nuul is online, magic penetration is high enough to duel fighters. Late game, if teamfights drag out he falls off, so use Arctic Orb's active to survive dives rather than trying to be the primary damage dealer in a 5v5.
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Start Blue Buff and clear to level four before looking for a gank. Zill's marks take setup time that makes level-two ganks a net negative compared to farming for the Loki's Curse spike.
- →Target the mid-lane carry for the first gank: Wind Blade's double-hit at proper range guarantees two marks before Wind Shift is even cast, and mid-laners are almost always out of position enough to complete the third.
- →Contest the enemy jungler's second buff if you know their clear path. Punish at this stage wins the invade because Tornado's burst is faster than most jungle monsters' spawn cycles.
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →Rotate for Dragon the moment Hecate's Diadem completes. Tornado multi-hits shred it quickly and your burst is at its peak for the fights that follow the objective.
- →Identify the enemy's key carry, marksman or mid mage, and commit to hunting them every rotation rather than farming jungle, because Zill's window closes if the game drags past four items.
- →Avoid river fights where the enemy support is not on cooldown. Zill's entire gameplan collapses when he is locked up before the passive proc, and supports like Annette or Lumburr can interrupt the sequence cheaply.
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →Do not initiate teamfights. Wait for the frontline to absorb the first wave of crowd control before blinking onto the carry with Wind Shift, so Wind Blade's boomerang return is not blocked by a tank body.
- →Use Arctic Orb's active aggressively as a second untargetability window alongside Tornado. Back-to-back invincibility frames let you survive diving a fully-grouped five-man composition.
- →If ahead, pressure Dark Slayer with your jungler using Tornado's multi-hit. Do not attempt solo Dark Slayer unless you have both Punish and Tornado available.
Pro Tips
- →After throwing Wind Blade, immediately use Wind Shift to reposition so the boomerang return flies across the new angle. Enemies who side-step the outgoing throw will walk straight into the return blade if you reposition correctly.
- →Tornado grants untargetability on the cast frame, not at the end of the animation. You can queue it during a root or slow, though not a full stun, to dodge the follow-up burst that most players expect to finish you.
- →Track Wind Shift's cooldown timer during a combo. If you see the Dustdevil reset proc visually but you are already mid-Tornado animation, the second Wind Shift will still be available for a full second after the ultimate ends, giving you a real escape window.
- →Against tanky frontlines, deliberately spread Wind Blade and Wind Shift hits across two targets before using Tornado. This forces the random distribution to hit the carry more often rather than wasting hits on a Maloch sitting at 4,000 HP.
Zill is the right call for disciplined junglers who want an assassin with a built-in escape inside the kill combo itself. The Dustdevil reset loop on Wind Shift is one of the cleaner mechanics on the current AoV roster when it clicks. He is not for players who want to brawl or improvise; the mark-stacking sequence is non-negotiable, and matches are won or lost on whether you land both hits of Wind Blade. The habit to drill is repositioning with Wind Shift after throwing Wind Blade so the boomerang return becomes an unavoidable second mark. That one adjustment separates Diamond Zill players from the ones just mechanically going through the motions.
Zill — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zill good in the current ROV patch?+
Zill is a solid B-tier jungler on the Thai server this patch, viable in the right hands but not the strongest pick in the meta. His burst ceiling against squishy carries is real, but CC-heavy junglers and tanky frontlines that dilute Tornado's damage keep him from climbing higher. He rewards investment and is worth learning if you are comfortable with mark-tracking mechanics.
What is the best build for Zill?+
Standard high-rank build is Loki's Curse into Enchanted Kicks, then Hecate's Diadem, Rhea's Blessing, Staff of Nuul, and Arctic Orb. Loki's Curse is mandatory first; its on-hit magic damage syncs directly with Dustdevil procs. Arctic Orb's active gives you a second untargetability window on top of Tornado, which is essential for surviving deep dives in the late game.
How do you counter Zill?+
Hard crowd control that fires before his third Dustdevil mark detonates completely shuts down his assassination sequence. Heroes like Lauriel, Maloch, and Nakroth are all strong against him. You can also play around his Wind Blade boomerang return by moving toward him after the outgoing throw to dodge the return path, which denies the double-mark and forces him to use Wind Shift for mark generation instead.
Is Zill hard to play / good for beginners?+
Hard, and accurately so. The entire kit is built around a specific mark-stacking sequence that requires precise positioning and cooldown awareness to pull off consistently. Beginners find him frustrating because a single misplaced Wind Blade cancels the whole combo and usually leaves him overextended with no way out. Players coming from Murad or Quillen adapt the fastest.