Is Zhuangzi good in Honor of Kings?

Current HOKMeta data lists Zhuangzi as Tier A, with 49.5% win rate and 0.7% pick rate. Zhuangzi is worth playing if your team needs reliable Roaming pressure, but you should avoid blind-picking into Allain, Wukong, Musashi without peel or defensive item planning.

How do you play Zhuangzi in teamfights?

In teamfights, Zhuangzi should respect enemy engage range first, then play around the hero's Tank job: dealing damage, protecting carries, or entering after key control is used. When behind, clear waves and preserve cooldowns instead of face-checking fog.

ARoaming

Zhuangzi Build, Items, Arcana & Counters

Zhuangzi is a Tier A Roaming pick. Get the best build, core items, arcana, battle spell, counters, and tool-backed item decisions.

WR 49.5%Pick 0.7%Ban 0.9%

Build answer

Zhuangzi best build for S15 (June 2026)

International server

Updated: 2026-07-20

Reviewed by: HOKMeta

Role, lane, difficulty

Roaming · Tank · Tier A · Easy

Current patch rates

49.5% WR · 0.7% Pick · 0.9% Ban

Core 3 items

Boots of Fortitude, Guardian - Redemption, Dawnlight

Best arcana

Lvl 5: Fate, Lvl 5: Harmony, Lvl 5: Void

Battle spell

Heal

Best into

Cirrus, Dian Wei, Menki

Watch out for

Allain, Wukong, Musashi

Zhuangzi TL;DR

Tier A49.5% WRRoaming

Zhuangzi: Periodically removes crowd control effects and increases Movement Speed and damage reduction.

Fast conclusion

Zhuangzi is a Tier A Roaming pick with 49.5% win rate.

Kaleidoscope → Sleep Starts → Butterfly Effect → weave basic attacks

Core 3 items

Boots of Fortitude

Guardian - Redemption

Dawnlight

Pick when

Your carry needs peel or engage setup, and your team can follow your first crowd-control window.

Avoid when

Main threats: Allain, Wukong, Musashi.

Open full counter pageMatchup notes, strong targets, and heroes that punish Zhuangzi.

Current patch decision guide

How to decide if Zhuangzi is the right pick

Pick Zhuangzi if

Pick Zhuangzi when your team needs a Tier A Roaming option and the draft gives this hero enough space to play around core cooldowns.

Avoid Zhuangzi if

Avoid Zhuangzi when the enemy composition directly attacks the hero's main weakness or your team cannot support the Roaming game plan.

Power spikes

First completed core item: check whether the hero can now contest lane or jungle tempo.
Two to three item point: decide whether to group for objectives or keep farming toward the late-game plan.
Final defensive or damage item: adapt to the enemy threat instead of following the build blindly.

Build decision

Start from the recommended build, then adjust based on whether the enemy is forcing burst survival, anti-tank damage, anti-heal, or safer positioning.

Matchup logic

Use the counter page and build compare tool together: first identify the threat, then test whether damage, defense, or utility gives the better answer.

Common mistakes

Following the build without checking the enemy draft.

Taking fights before the first meaningful item spike.

Ignoring wave state and vision before rotating.

30-day trend

Last 30 days of win rate, pick rate, and ban rate

Use daily snapshots to see whether this hero is heating up, cooling down, or simply staying popular without converting that attention into wins.

Win rate

Current 49.47%

7d change +0.05 pts

30d change -0.34 pts

Pick rate

Current 0.67%

7d change +0.02 pts

30d change -0.01 pts

Ban rate

Current 0.91%

7d change +0.01 pts

30d change -0.11 pts

Trend read

Zhuangzi currently sits at 49.47% win rate, with a 30-day move of -0.34 pts and a 7-day move of +0.05 pts.

Win rate is falling by -0.34 pts.

Pick rate is falling by -0.01 pts.

Ban rate is falling by -0.11 pts.

Patch reason

S15: Increased skill damage

Tools

Test Zhuangzi damage and item builds

Use the calculator for combo damage, or compare two item builds side by side before changing your ranked setup.

Damage calculator Compare builds

Best Build for Zhuangzi

End-game item order with gold costs and slot notes. Purchase path may differ in-match.

Build philosophy

Zhuangzi benefits from Survivability, Movement speed — match items and runes to kit scaling.

Passive: Periodically removes crowd control effects and increases Movement Speed and damage reduction.

SurvivabilityMovement speed

Arcana: Prioritize runes that boost Survivability, Movement speed for this hero's passive and skill scaling.

4 presets — switch by draft, lane, or CN meta. Default matches Roaming when available.

Recommended item build order
#	Item	Gold	Stats	Why
1	Boots of Fortitude	700g	PDEF +100, MDEF +50, MSPD +50 Reduces physical damage	Fits Movement speed priority — Passive - Swift — Grants 50 Movement Speed.
2	Guardian - Redemption	2,080g	HP +1,200, MSPD +7.5% Survivability aura	Fits Survivability priority — Active - Rescue — Grants a shield that negates (240–480 + 10%HP) damage to teammates within range for 4s.
3	Dawnlight	2,040g	PDEF +210, HP +900, CDR +10% Shields on dealing damage	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Firstlight — When dealing damage to enemy heroes with Basic Attacks or skills, grants a shield that negates (250–500 + 4% HP) damage to self and the nearby teammate with the lowest Health for 3s. When no teammates are nearby, shield value increases by 50%.
4	Succubus Cloak	2,020g	MDEF +300, HP +1,100 Negates magical damage	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Mist Veil — Grants a shield that negates 400–800 (+7% extra HP) magical damage every 15s.
5	Ominous Premonition	2,020g	PDEF +300, HP +1,200 Slows attackers	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Cold Steel — When taking damage, reduces the attacker's Attack Speed by 20%–40% and Movement Speed by 7.5%–15% for 2.5s.
6	Overlord's Platemail	2,450g	HP +1,800, PDEF +160, MDEF +80 Extra HP	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Fated — Increases HP by 4%.

Best Arcana & Spells

Arcana and battle spell setup
Slot	Choice	Effect
Primary	Fate	Recommended for Tank Roaming
Spell	Smite / Heal	Adjust Purify/Execute based on enemy dive.

Abilities

Skill Order

Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Butterfly Effect (max Skill 2 first)

Max primary utility/damage skill first, then Kaleidoscope, and Butterfly Effect on cooldown.

Passive

Nature's Will

Periodically removes crowd control effects and increases Movement Speed and damage reduction.

Skill 1

Kaleidoscope

Triggers Nature's Will, releasing dream butterflies in a cone-shaped area, inflicting damage and slowing enemies in range.

Skill 2

Sleep Starts

Damages enemies within range and increases teammates' Movement Speed. Gains a stack each time damage is dealt, up to 5 stacks. Each stack increases skill damage. Passive: Periodically uses Sleep Starts.

Ultimate

Butterfly Effect

Removes crowd control effects from teammates within range and provides a shield.

Combos

1. Standard trade
Kaleidoscope → Sleep Starts → Butterfly Effect → weave basic attacks
When: Roaming skirmish or objective fight

Counters & Matchups

🏛️ Camp Official Counter Data

Official counter reference from Camp HOK rank statistics.

Zhuangzi is strong into

Pick Zhuangzi when the enemy drafts these heroes.

Zhuangzi struggles into

Avoid Zhuangzi or ban these when they appear on the enemy team.

Full counter analysis →

vs Similar Heroes

Zhuangzi vs Kaizer (Tank, Tier S): Kaizer is 1.6% pick / 51.4% WR. Kaizer wins 1.5% more often globally. Choose Zhuangzi when you need Roaming identity; choose Kaizer for Clash Lane comfort.
Zhuangzi vs Dun (Tank, Tier S): Dun is 1.5% pick / 52.3% WR. Dun wins 2.4% more often globally. Choose Zhuangzi when you need Roaming identity; choose Dun for Clash Lane comfort.

Playstyle & Ranked Tips

Laning Phase

Help marksman crash wave, then rotate mid for picks. Return before Tyrant if your carry has no escape.

Teamfight Role

Engage on enemy carry when your team has follow-up. Body-block skillshots for your marksman.

High Rank (Diamond+)

Zhuangzi is a viable Tier A pick in high rank with 49.9% win rate — strong in one-trick hands or as a counter-pick. Ban rate 1.1% — expect Zhuangzi to be removed in tryhard lobbies; have a backup in the same role.

Related decisions

Keep researching Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi full guide

Lane plan, teamfight rules, ranked mistakes, and matchup notes.

Zhuangzi counters

Best counter picks, matchup notes, and draft risks.

Zhuangzi damage calculator

Test item damage against marksman, mage, fighter, and tank templates.

Zhuangzi build compare

Compare two item builds and get matchup-specific conclusions.

Best Tank heroes

Compare this pick with other heroes in the same role.

Zhuangzi Build 2026 FAQ

Quick answers for Zhuangzi builds, arcana, counters, lane choice, and ranked value.

What is the best Zhuangzi build in 2026?

The best Zhuangzi build in 2026 uses Boots of Fortitude, Guardian - Redemption, Dawnlight, Succubus Cloak, Ominous Premonition, Overlord's Platemail. Play Zhuangzi in Roaming, take Lvl 5: Fate, Lvl 5: Harmony, Lvl 5: Void arcana, and usually run Heal. This recommendation is aligned with S15 (June 2026) and the 2026-07-20 HOKMeta data snapshot.

What is the best arcana for Zhuangzi?

The best Zhuangzi arcana setup is Lvl 5: Fate, Lvl 5: Harmony, Lvl 5: Void. Keep the core damage arcana first, then adjust movement speed, pierce, or sustain only when the matchup makes your lane unsafe.

What should Zhuangzi build first?

Zhuangzi usually wants Boots of Fortitude first because the first item should stabilize Roaming clear speed, trading power, or tempo. If the lane is unsafe, adjust boots or a small defensive component first, but do not delay the core damage curve too long.

What should Zhuangzi build against tanks?

Use the HOKMeta damage calculator or build compare tool to test penetration, sustained damage, and survivability against tank templates. The best anti-tank item choice depends on whether Zhuangzi can keep attacking safely or needs a defensive item to survive the first engage.

Who counters Zhuangzi?

Zhuangzi is most vulnerable to Allain, Wukong, Musashi. Draft peel, respect engage range, and adjust items when the enemy lineup can dive or chain crowd control.

What lane does Zhuangzi play?

Zhuangzi is mainly played as a Tank in Roaming. In ranked games, prioritize a stable farm pattern and only rotate early when the wave state keeps your economy safe.