Leverage Zed's high mobility and burst to punish Xin Zhao's vulnerable early clears before level 3.
Prioritize disrupting Xin Zhao's river control and first Scuttle to limit his strong early dueling and objective setups.
Jungle Plan
Contest river vision and Scuttle Crab when lanes can assist to deny Xin Zhao early river control.
Use mobility and burst to invade or counter-jungle camps away from Xin Zhao's strong lanes before he completes his first fighter item.
Coordinate with lanes holding priority to secure early dragon and Rift Herald, capitalizing on Xin Zhao's reliance on objective fights.
Danger windows
Xin Zhao's level 3 with (E) and (Q) ready creates a strong window for river fights; avoid isolated skirmishes without lane support.
Be cautious around Xin Zhao's ultimate zone control during objective setups as it can block your follow-up and limit escape routes.
Low-health clears or forced smite fights near river are high-risk; only contest with vision and lane priority to counter-gank.
Early game
Execute a fast first clear to hit level 3 quickly and unlock your full combo for safer trades and counter-invades.
Contest first Scuttle only when your nearby lanes have priority to avoid Xin Zhao's level 3 dueling power.
Avoid extended river fights early unless you have lane priority or numbers advantage to prevent getting engaged on by Xin Zhao.
Power spikes
Level 3 unlocks your (W)+(E)+(Q) combo, enabling burst trades and safer counter-invades; use this to contest river and camps aggressively.
Level 6 (R) grants lethal all-in potential and escape; track Xin Zhao's ultimate cooldown to pick safe fights or disengage.
First completed lethality item boosts your burst damage, allowing confident pressure on waves and jungle invades.
Win conditions
Convert early jungle pressure into securing first dragon and Rift Herald with lane priority and vision dominance.
Use burst and mobility to pick off Xin Zhao during his jungle pathing or isolated river fights before his key item breakpoints.
Deny Xin Zhao free farm and scaling by invading after your lethality item spike and forcing fights on your terms with coordinated ganks and counter-ganks.
Tip: For Zed vs Xin Zhao, read overview, trading pattern, and danger windows first for a fast Jungle lane check.
