Zed

Zed is a 5-cost Galaxy Hunter champion that usually plays as a frontline sustain unit. Its sustain or shielding makes it valuable when it survives long enough to buy time for the rest of the board. Zed appears in Invader Zed lines, so keep copies when those boards are open.

Consider playing around Zed when your health and economy let you reach late levels and the board needs a high-cost capstone. For items, Edge of Night and Bloodthirster are strong signals that Zed can stay on the board. For team direction, it fits naturally when you are already moving toward Invader Zed. If it stays one-star, the traits do not activate, or the items point elsewhere, treat it as a transition unit instead of forcing the line.

Edge of Night, Bloodthirster and Spear of Shojin are recommended. Edge of Night drops aggro once to protect a fragile melee carry, Bloodthirster adds sustain and a low-health shield for extended melee fights and Spear of Shojin speeds up repeated casts. The point of the setup is to keep it alive long enough to cast and hold the frontline.

When the perfect setup is not available, use Quicksilver, Hand Of Justice, Sterak's Gage and Blue Buff as substitutes. For frontline substitutes, prioritize durability, sustain, and opening damage reduction without stealing every carry item. If Zed is only a trait slot, one useful item is enough and the premium items should go to your real carry or main tank.

Early: preserve health and economy instead of waiting for an expensive unit. Mid game: keep items flexible while leveling. Late game: Zed is a capstone piece, so once upgraded, build the final board around Galaxy Hunter and support its cast pattern.

Place Zed in the first row on a side, or in the second row when it needs protection. It should enter combat quickly without eating every enemy attack at once. It starts with some mana, making the first cast timing important.