Zed vs Graves JUNGLE Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Zed

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Jungle

Graves

Zed vs Graves

Updated Jun 6, 2026

Overview

Use Zed's early burst and mobility to punish Graves's slower clears and invade windows.
Prioritize river vision and Scuttle control to limit Graves's strong dueling and counter-invade potential.

Jungle Plan

Path to maximize tempo: clear efficiently, then counter-invade when Graves commits to predictable gank paths.
Use lane priority to secure river entrances before dragon or Rift Herald spawns for safer objective control.
Invade Graves after his clears or when he is low health to deny farm and force reactive play.

Danger windows

Respect Graves's early invade windows when he has lane priority and can contest camps aggressively.
Avoid isolated river fights before level 3 and your full combo is available.
Do not force smite fights when low health or without vision, as Graves's dueling and burst can outmatch you.

Early game

Execute a fast full clear to hit level 3 quickly and unlock your (W)+(E)+(Q) combo for trades.
Contest first Scuttle only when nearby lanes have priority to avoid Graves's counter-invade.
Avoid extended fights before level 3 as Graves's early pressure can punish your weaker clears.

Power spikes

Level 3 unlocks your (W)+(E)+(Q) combo, enabling strong all-ins and poke to punish Graves's early pressure.
Level 6 (R) significantly increases kill threat and pick potential; use it for confirmed all-ins or roams.
First completed lethality item boosts burst damage, allowing more confident pressure on camps and trades.

Win conditions

Convert early tempo and counter-jungle pressure into dragon and Rift Herald control with lane priority and vision.
Use superior burst and mobility to pick off isolated targets and snowball through side-lane pressure.
Deny Graves free farm by invading after his clears, forcing him into reactive play and limiting his scaling.