Which Jungle Champion is Better for Ranked Play in Patch 14.14: Zac or Shaco?

League of Legends is a fast-paced, competitive online game that blends the strategic elements of real-time strategy with the action and depth of a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).

League of Legends offers a variety of game modes, each providing unique experiences and challenges. Here are the primary game modes:

Summoner's Rift (Ranked and Normal): The classic 5v5 mode where players aim to destroy the enemy Nexus. It emphasizes strategy, teamwork, and individual skills.
ARAM (All Random All Mid): A 5v5 mode played on the Howling Abyss map where all players are randomly assigned a champion. It's fast-paced and focuses on constant team fights.
URF (Ultra Rapid Fire): A limited-time mode with significantly reduced cooldowns and increased mana regeneration, allowing for rapid and chaotic gameplay.

Teamfight Tactics (TFT): An auto-battler mode where players build teams of champions that automatically fight against other players’ teams.
Clash: A competitive tournament-style mode where pre-made teams compete for rewards and glory. When you embark on your journey, mmowow items can lend a helping hand when you need help. 

Champion Overview: Zac and Shaco
Zac (the Secret Weapon) and Shaco (the Demon Jester) play distinctive roles in the game, offering unique abilities and playstyles.

Zac's Role and Gameplay in Patch 14.14
Role: Zac is a tanky jungler who excels in crowd control (CC) and initiation. His elastic abilities allow for creative ganks and disruptive team fights.

Gameplay: In patch 14.14, Zac's performance remains solid with minor adjustments to his abilities' scaling and cooldowns, ensuring he remains a reliable pick for initiating fights and soaking damage.

Shaco's Role and Gameplay in Patch 14.14
Role: Shaco is an assassin jungler known for his stealth, deception, and burst damage. He excels in creating chaos, securing kills, and applying pressure through split-pushing.

Gameplay: In patch 14.14, Shaco has seen tweaks to his early-game power, ensuring his viability in creating early-game advantages through ganks and skirmishes.

Zac's Abilities and Skill Order
Abilities:

Cell Division (Passive): Upon taking fatal damage, Zac splits into bloblets that attempt to recombine.
Stretching Strikes (Q): Zac stretches his arms, dealing damage and slowing enemies.
Unstable Matter (W): Zac deals a percentage of health damage to nearby enemies.
Elastic Slingshot (E): Zac launches himself to a target location, knocking up enemies.
Let's Bounce! (R): Zac bounces four times, dealing damage and knocking up enemies.
Skill Order:

Max E first for increased engagement potential.
Max W second for consistent damage output.
Max Q last, as it is primarily for CC.
Shaco's Abilities and Skill Order
Abilities:

Backstab (Passive): Shaco deals bonus damage when attacking from behind.
Deceive (Q): Shaco becomes invisible and teleports, enhancing his next attack.
Jack in the Box (W): Shaco places a trap that fears and damages enemies.
Two-Shiv Poison (E): Shaco throws a dagger that slows and deals damage.
Hallucinate (R): Shaco creates a clone that explodes upon death, dealing damage.
Skill Order:

Max E first for burst damage and slow.
Max Q second for reduced cooldown and increased stealth duration.
Max W last for situational CC and map control.

Rune Setups
Zac's Runes
Primary Tree (Resolve):

Aftershock: Provides additional tankiness after immobilizing an enemy.
Font of Life: Heals allies when they attack immobilized enemies.
Conditioning: Increases resistances after 12 minutes.
Revitalize: Enhances healing and shields.
Secondary Tree (Inspiration):

Hextech Flashtraption: Enables creative ganking routes with Hexflash.
Cosmic Insight: Provides additional cooldown reduction.
Reasons: Zac benefits from tackiness and healing, allowing him to sustain longer in fights and disrupt enemies effectively.

Shaco's Runes
Primary Tree (Domination):

Electrocute: Enhances burst damage.
Sudden Impact: Boosts damage after using Deceive.
Eyeball Collection: Increases attack damage.
Relentless Hunter: Provides out-of-combat movement speed.

Secondary Tree (Precision):

Triumph: Restores health on kills.
Coup de Grace: Deals more damage to low-health targets.
Reasons: Shaco excels in burst damage and mobility, allowing him to secure kills and escape quickly.

Item Builds
Zac's Build
Mythic Item: Sunfire Aegis or Turbo Chemtank for tackiness and engage potential.
Core Items: Thornmail, Spirit Visage, and Gargoyle Stoneplate for survivability and team fight presence.
Situational Items: Abyssal Mask for additional magic resistance and synergy with his kit.
Reasons: Zac's build focuses on maximizing his tankiness and crowd control, enabling him to initiate fights and absorb damage.

Shaco's Build
Mythic Item: Duskblade of Draktharr for burst damage and stealth reset.
Core Items: Essence Reaver, Infinity Edge, and The Collector for critical strike and burst potential.
Situational Items: Guardian Angel for survivability and Lord Dominik's Regards for armor penetration.
Reasons: Shaco's build aims to maximize his burst damage and assassination potential, allowing him to quickly eliminate key targets.

Early, Mid, and Late Game Strategy
Zac's Gameplay
Early Game:

Focus on farming and ganking with Elastic Slingshot (E).
Secure objectives with your team.
Mid Game:

Initiate fights and create opportunities with your CC.
Peel for carries and absorb damage in team fights.
Late Game:

Use Let's Bounce! (R) to disrupt enemy formations.
Engage strategically to maximize your team's chances of winning fights.
Shaco's Gameplay
Early Game:

Utilize Deceive (Q) and Jack in the Box (W) for early ganks.
Apply pressure through jungle invades and securing kills.
Mid Game:

Focus on split-pushing and creating map pressure.
Pick off isolated targets with your burst damage.
Late Game:

Assassinate key carries and disrupt the enemy backline.
Use Hallucinate (R) strategically to sow confusion and deal damage.

Recommended Team Compositions
Zac's Recommended Compositions
Strong Initiation: Pair Zac with champions like Malphite, Leona, and Orianna for powerful engagement and follow-up.
Scaling Compositions: Combine Zac with scaling champions like Jinx, Kassadin, and Vladimir.
Individual Carry: Use Zac to peel and support hyper-carries like Vayne and Kog'Maw.

Shaco's Recommended Compositions
Pick Compositions: Pair Shaco with champions like Blitzcrank, Thresh, and Ahri to capitalize on picks and burst.
Split-Push Compositions: Combine Shaco with split-pushers like Jax, Tryndamere, and Camille.
Disruption Compositions: Use Shaco to create chaos with champions like Zoe, Fizz, and Rengar.

Laning Against Ornn: Zac and Shaco's Strategies
Zac vs. Ornn
Early Game:

Zac's primary goal early game is to farm safely and avoid taking unnecessary damage. Ornn is a strong laner with high durability and crowd control, making confrontations risky.
Focus on last-hitting minions and using Unstable Matter (W) to farm effectively.
Use Elastic Slingshot (E) to disengage if Ornn tries to engage or if the enemy jungler ganks.
Mid Game:

As Zac, look to impact other lanes with your ganking potential. Ornn’s immobility can be exploited by roaming to other lanes and initiating with Elastic Slingshot (E).
During skirmishes and objectives, utilize Zac's crowd control to disrupt Ornn's initiation. If Ornn tries to engage with the Call of the Forge God (R), position yourself to counter-initiate or peel for your carries.
Late Game:

In team fights, Zac should focus on diving the enemy backline and using Let's Bounce! (R) to create chaos. Keep Ornn away from your carries and neutralize his impact.
Utilize your tackiness to absorb damage and control the fight. Zac’s ability to engage from unexpected angles can catch Ornn and his team off guard.
Shaco vs. Ornn
Early Game:

Shaco’s strategy against Ornn involves avoiding confrontations and focusing on jungle control. Use Deceive (Q) and Jack in the Box (W) to gank other lanes and secure early kills.
If Ornn overextends, consider a gank with your stealth and burst damage. Be cautious of Ornn's crowd control and disengage quickly after your burst.
Mid Game:

Shaco should continue to pressure the map through split-pushing and creating pick opportunities. Ornn’s slower mobility makes him vulnerable to Shaco’s ambushes.
In team fights, target the enemy backline. Shaco’s ability to create chaos with hallucination (R) can disrupt Ornn’s initiation and provide an advantage for your team.
Late Game:

Shaco’s role transitions into assassinating key targets and maintaining map pressure through split-pushing. Utilize your stealth and burst to eliminate priority targets.
In team fights, position yourself to flank and disrupt the enemy backline. Avoid direct engagements with Ornn and instead focus on creating advantageous scenarios for your team.

Team Fight Strategies and Execution
Zac’s Team Fight Strategies
Initiation:

Zac excels at initiating fights with Elastic Slingshot (E). Aim to engage from the fog of war or unexpected angles to catch the enemy off guard.
Use Let's Bounce! (R) to knock up and displace key targets, creating opportunities for your team to follow up.
Peeling:

In scenarios where your carries are being focused, use Stretching Strikes (Q) and Unstable Matter (W) to peel for them.
Position yourself between Ornn and your carries to absorb damage and prevent Ornn from engaging effectively.
Disruption:

Zac’s tackiness and crowd control make him a prime candidate for disrupting enemy formations. Focus on creating space and preventing Ornn from executing his combo.

Shaco’s Team Fight Strategies
Assassination:

Shaco thrives in isolating and eliminating key targets. Use Deceive (Q) to approach from an unexpected angle and burst down squishy targets.
Use Two-Shiv Poison (E) and Hallucinate (R) to maximize your damage output and create confusion.
Split-Pushing:

Shaco’s split-pushing ability forces the enemy to respond, creating openings for your team to engage or secure objectives. Apply pressure on the map and force Ornn to deal with you, reducing his impact in team fights.
Flanking:

In team fights, position yourself to flank the enemy backline. Shaco’s burst can quickly eliminate key targets, shifting the fight in your favor.
Use your clone from Hallucinate (R) strategically to confuse the enemy and absorb critical abilities.

Practical Tips and Tricks for Zac
Elastic Slingshot (E): Use it creatively for ganks and engages. Charging from behind terrain can catch enemies off guard and ensure successful initiations.
Cell Division (Passive): Play around with your passive. In risky situations, your team can protect the bloblets to ensure you revive.
Jungle Pathing: Optimize your jungle path to secure early objectives and ganks. Zac's sustain allows for efficient farming and impactful ganks.
Positioning: Always position yourself to maximize your crowd control. Being in the right spot can turn the tide of a fight. However, when some players explore further and become familiar with heroes, some will buy League of Legends skins from a safe and reliable supplier.

Recommended Compositions for Zac
Strong Initiation: Pair Zac with champions like Malphite, Leona, and Orianna to enhance your team’s engagement potential.
Scaling: Combine Zac with scaling champions like Jinx, Kassadin, and Vladimir to protect them during their power spikes.
Carry Support: Use Zac to peel for hyper-carries like Vayne and Kog'Maw, ensuring they can deal damage safely.

Conclusion
Understanding the unique attributes and playstyles of Zac and Shaco can significantly enhance your gameplay experience in League of Legends. Zac's versatility as a tank and initiator makes him a valuable asset in various team compositions, while Shaco's burst and stealth provide strategic advantages in creating chaos and securing kills. By mastering the specific strategies and techniques outlined above, you can effectively counter champions like Ornn and lead your team to victory. Embrace these insights and dominate the Rift with confidence.


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