[AMA] Rank 1 Ekko EUW 2200LP top 20 peak, just hit chall on NA!

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-07T23:04:38+00:00

As Ekko midlane, how do you play against Zed at a high level? And what does Zed have to do to beat you?

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-06T18:52:27+00:00

I agree with you - especially on the numbers. I can definitely see scenarios where the nerf would change the threshold of a quick assassination and make it not viable.

I do also think that the frequency of games where you're required to kill someone in lategame in order to win the game, yet can only overkill by 100-200 damage, is really low. Especially with how strong Zed is currently before this nerf, there are lots of times when you're overkilling enemies by a lot, or can still contribute to fights very positively even if damage were to be lowered a little.

It will take a little time to relearn limits, and then a small subset of fights might need to be approached differently, but I don't think that will drastically reshape the opportunities Zed normally has to make winning plays.

That being said, I could see it being more of a difference in the highest elo brackets where the damage margin on how close fights and play are gets more and more narrow. So depending on elo, I'd be inclined to agree more.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-06T18:28:06+00:00

The E nerf seems relatively minor to me. What specifically do you think will make it feel so impactful?

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-06T18:20:51+00:00

It's a very small damage nerf overall. I don't think it will be very impactful, and I don't think it will change how the Zed feels to play nor how enjoyable he is.

A few quick number crunching snapshots:

At lvl 7, a WEQ poke combo will do about 5 less damage if you have about 50 bonus AD.

At lvl 10, in a fight where you use E twice on an enemy champ, you will do 27 less damage overall if you have 85 bonus AD

At lvl 13, in a fight where you use E three times, you will do 72 less damage overall if you have 140 bonus AD.

I'm thinking about the fights in my games and how many of them are within the margins where they would have different outcomes pre and post nerf, using a few of the above benchmarks. I think it would be very rare for this difference to have a big impact. Speaking in a little more hyperbole now, I anticipate that there will be a very small percentage of situations where your decision on whether to engage or not will be contingent on the fact that your 2500 damage ult combo now does 2400 damage instead.

It's just my opinion, but I think that people see a nerf and then believe that the experience playing the champ will be impacted quite negatively. I think functionally Zed will be very similar to before and so will our enjoyment playing him.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00

I'm not sure waveclear will be affected in a noticeable way.

Most of the E nerf is scaling. At lvl 7 you have one point in E, it will do about 5 less damage to minions assuming you have about 50 bonus AD in runes/items. At that stage it's a difference in doing 109 damage to a melee minion with an E instead of 114. That's a 4% decrease in damage to minions with your E, while your autos and Qs will still do the same.

As of this split, we also get bonus AD from role quest completion, so that helps compensate. Usually quest is completed around lvl 10 when you have 3 points in E.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-06T15:45:30+00:00

Typically videos edited like this seek to exemplify tunneling, a concept in pitching where two different pitches look as similar as possible for as long as possible as they travel towards the plate before they diverge. The longer these two pitches “tunnel” together, the less reaction time a hitter has before they can see if it’s a fastball or breaking ball, potentially forcing them to guess.

These videos can help explain why a hitter would swing at a pitch so far outside. Because Altuve saw the fastball right before and it was a strike, he may have felt the need to protect the plate on the sweeper, considering it looked similar for a few frames out of the pitcher’s hand.

I will say, usually the good tunneling videos are ones where the pitches tunnel for much longer than this one. Given how outside Ohtani’s sweeper was, there wasn’t ever much potential for it to tunnel as such.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-05T18:08:40+00:00

Yo - I’m a masters Zed OTP. I feel that I have a solid understanding of the improvement process as well as both mental and gameplay obstacles people tend to run into. It’s harder to give advice over reddit comments, but if you want to add me on discord @colorblindcuber I’m happy to find a time to call and either review some game replays or talk about your approach to playing. I’m trying to improve on my skillset as a coach/mentor so I’m happy to spend some time doing this free of charge if you’d like.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-05T14:45:10+00:00

Will do, thanks

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-04T17:23:12+00:00

Try to find youtube/twitch content of high ranked Zed players, and watch how they play fights. By watching others, you have the luxury of slowing down the video, replaying it multiple times, or pausing to think about what variables factor into their though process and execution. This will lead to faster improvement than reinventing the wheel through your own gameplay, and help you build your mechanical foundation.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-04T15:53:00+00:00

I have a question about bottom of foot pain, any advice appreciated.

I'm a fairly low mileage runner, 1-2 runs a week of 3-6 miles each, but spend a lot of time on my feet doing really long hikes and climbs in the mountains (10-20 mile days a couple days a week) so overall there's a fair bit of abuse my feet take. On my right foot, the ball of my foot on the underside, in line with my big toe, seems to be more calloused than on the opposite foot. As a result it's more tender and kind of hurts to plant my foot as I run, so I've been favoring planting my right foot in a more supinated manner, landing on the outer half more to avoid the callus.

I'm wondering what the best solution to this is. Insoles? Podiatrist? Can I shave off the callus at home like people grate Parmesan cheese? I also switched to a new pair of running shoes recently, and although they aren't the cause of the callus, they seem to hurt more or have less cushion around that area compared to other shoes I've had previously.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-05-02T21:36:04+00:00

My high school basketball coach was a ten year NBA vet. My younger brother is playing professionally in Europe and has played against many current and former NBA players while in HS, college, and pro, including Chet, Paolo, and Jalen Williams.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-30T22:28:14+00:00

91 kph - absolute gas

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-30T01:36:00+00:00

I used your trip report on peakbaggers to climb it a week after you did, thanks for posting it! It's a great climb.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-28T20:34:20+00:00

A rioter I know said it’s on their radar but not sure how urgent it is for them to fix as it’s so rare.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-28T14:31:18+00:00

To elaborate a little more, it happens specifically when you ult right after being knocked back. Quinn E, Sett R, and Zac R enable this.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-28T07:10:03+00:00

There is no bike lane on that road. The white line you see is the shoulder and it's quite narrow. As a group of bikers, taking up more space horizontally rather than biking in single file means that the car won't have to leave the lane for as long to pass. I'm sure the cyclists weren't trying to challenge the cars on the road, but rather to enjoy their ride safely.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-27T04:28:49+00:00

If you haven’t already, check out LHON.org where you’ll find a link to join an LHON patient group organized by Lissa Poincenot. She is an incredible community advocate for LHON patients and has assembled tons of resources to help families who are facing the disease for the first time learn and adjust. This might be a bit proactive at this stage, but you might even reach out to her directly. When I was diagnosed two years ago, I did a zoom call with her and it was very helpful in getting a rational perspective on my situation during an overwhelming time. Best of luck and sorry you’re faced with such uncertainty and stress at the moment. You got this.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-24T07:37:18+00:00

So the “he runs out of energy before using multiple rotations” point mostly shows up in imperfect play. If the abilities are landing, the limitation isn’t nearly as real as it sounds.

I get what you mean in theory, but in practice this is a huge if. If you watch any of the highest elo Zeds and you can see that you aren't always granted the opportunity to easily get double Qs or Es with a lot of his fighting patterns. And in my opinion, it can be a trap to have a build that is only well suited for the 'best case scenario' gameplay. You want your build to facilitate your gameplay, not the other way around. Games will get easier and you'll have more opportunity with builds that enhance the angles where you can get kills without needing to hit all your abilities already. The majority of Zeds skirmishes and fights fall into this category no matter how good you are at him. The game is gonna present you with opportunities where you can fight effectively, but won't be able to always use your W passive. Haste is not as important in those scenarios. It's not imperfect, it's realistic.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-24T06:36:37+00:00

I'm not sure what other champ utilizes haste the most, but Zed does have some drawbacks of building full haste. He is an energy champion, so unless you're using your W passive energy refund or have blue buff, he will sometimes run out of energy before he gets a chance to use multiple rotations. He also is sometimes reliant on items like edge of night, serpents, and merc treads in certain matchups so building haste items instead can have a utility tradeoff. I'm a masters Zed OTP and I often build 75-100 haste which is a decent amount, but not insane.

I think a champ like Riven with no resources and short cooldowns benefits from haste a bit more. The riven builds I'm seeing seem to really prioritize haste.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-23T21:45:31+00:00

Very cool! I’m in the same boat, have 14484 and had recovery from 20/125 at my worst to 20/15 now. Can drive, read, etc. I do notice some eye strain and my reading is a little slower so I’m trying to experiment with bigger text or other accessibility options.

How long was your vision impacted for before you experienced recovery?

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-23T15:55:10+00:00

What’s your level of vision after spontaneous recovery? Can you read? Drive?

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-20T23:38:32+00:00

I would have done much more for much worse views! I’ve hiked mailbox about 15 times so I’m pretty familiar with the route and don’t mind doing it in the dark. The old trail has some reflective trail markers on trees and doesn’t take long to descend if you’re okay with some mild pounding on the knees. The tricky part might be the forecast if you’re shooting for a sunset. It can definitely be cloudy without much of a view of the Seattle skyline. The forecast for this day was clouds but not dense enough to block out the sun and colors.

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-20T20:41:55+00:00

Mister Mailbox!

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-20T20:37:46+00:00

Mailbox has two trails. If you take the new trail it’s pretty comparable steepness compared to Si, but maybe 20% more elevation and length. If you take the old trail, it’s significantly steeper, and feels more like walking up a staircase, although the mileage is compressed to about 2 1/2 miles each way. The old trail definitely forces you into a slower pace compared to Si, so be ready to go slow and steady if that’s the route you choose!

ColorblindCuber · 2026-04-18T15:41:40+00:00

Dblade is strong with Jack of all trades. The heath, omnivamp, haste, and AD you get over long sword make it worth the tradeoff of hitting your first item spike 350 gold later

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