Hecarim vs Zed JUNGLE Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Champion

Opponent

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Hecarim

VS

Jungle

Zed

Hecarim vs Zed

Updated Jun 4, 2026

Overview

Use Hecarim's fast clear speed to maintain high camp tempo and pressure lanes that overextend early.
Leverage Hecarim's high gank threat and mobility to counter-gank Zed's early river moves and secure objective control.
Prioritize tempo resets before dragon or Rift Herald to maximize speed-based engage and objective setups.

Jungle Plan

Path aggressively to punish overextended lanes and convert high movement speed into counter-ganks against Zed's early pressure.
Contest river control and Scuttle Crab when your lanes can assist, using vision to deny Zed easy access to objectives.
Use resets on tempo before dragon or Rift Herald to set up coordinated engages with (R) fear, forcing fights on your terms.

Danger windows

Beware of early river fights where Zed's high burst and mobility can isolate you without lane support.
Avoid low-health clears where you can be forced into smite fights against Zed's burst damage.
Respect moments when Zed's lanes have priority and can collapse on you during invades or counter-jungling attempts.

Early game

Start with a full clear toward lanes likely to push forward to maximize level and item spikes.
Fight for first Scuttle only when nearby lanes have priority to avoid risky early invades.
Avoid direct early fights unless you have vision and lane priority to punish Zed's vulnerable early jungle presence.

Power spikes

Reach level 6 and item spikes quickly with fast clears to maximize mid-game diving and engage potential.
Respect Zed's level 3 unlock of (W)+(E)+(Q) combo as a strong poke and all-in threat; avoid giving him spacing to engage cleanly.
Track Zed's ultimate (R) cooldown closely to avoid lethal all-ins and punish after it is spent.

Win conditions

Convert fast camp cycling and high mobility into objective-side engages, securing dragons and Rift Herald with lane priority.
Punish Zed's vulnerable early jungle pathing by counter-invading and denying his scaling through tempo control.
Use (R) fear engages from fog of war to initiate teamfights and pick off carries, leveraging your mid-game power spike.