Zagara Abilities and Strategy

• Baneling Barrage should be used primarily for waveclear to conserve valuable mana.
• When using Baneling Barrage on Minion Waves, try using it from a 90 degree angle. Aim at the Wizard Minion to maximize splash damage.
• Use Hunter Killer to zone enemies from team fights or lane.
• Always use Infested Drop when it is available to deal damage safely and provide vision. Infested Drop can also be used to tank Mercenary Camps and interrupt channeling of objectives (like Tributes on Cursed Hollow).
• Do not try to force Devouring Maw and instead wait for enemies to come into range.
• Place Nydus Worms provided by Nydus Network in spots clear of heavy foot-traffic to prevent them from being immediately destroyed.
• Always use all available Creep Tumors. Place them inside bushes and at other out-of-the-way locations to prevent the enemy from accidentally destroying them with AoE abilities.

Baneling Barrage (Q) Zagara

• Mana: 15
• Charges: 2
• Recharge Time: 4 seconds

Launch 2 Banelings that deal 80 (+4% per level) damage to enemies they hit.

Stores up to 2 charges.

Baneling Barrage causes Zagara to launch two Banelings in the targeted direction. If a Baneling comes in contact with an enemy or reaches its full range, it explodes and deals splash damage. Up to 2 charges of Baneling Barrage can be stored at one time, so you can shoot a total of 4 Banelings in quick succession. Each charge has a 3-second recharge time.

Baneling Barrage is Zagara's primary source of waveclear when in lane. Banelings do not have their own Health and cannot be destroyed until they either hit an enemy or reach the end of their range. Because of this, Banelings make for reliable poke, especially when contesting Objectives that have to be channeled for a few seconds (such as Tributes on Cursed Hollow). Keep in mind that Zagara's primary source of lane harass should come from her Basic Attacks, especially when under the effects of creep. Most opponents will quickly learn to avoid the relatively slow moving Banelings if they are relentlessly cast towards them.

Hunter Killer (W) Zagara

• Mana: 75
• Cooldown: 16 seconds

Summon a Hydralisk to attack a single target, dealing 71 (+5% per level) damage per second. Lasts 8 seconds.

Hunter Killer summons a Hydralisk to attack a single target. The Hydralisk can be killed and can only attack the target if it has vision. If the target is killed or cannot be found, the Hydralisk will travel to the nearest lane and push for its remaining duration. It despawns after 8 seconds.

Hunter Killer is a strong ability that deals a good amount of single-target damage. In lane, Zagara can completely zone out the enemy Hero simply by casting Hunter Killer on them. If they try to fight Zagara or the Hydralisk while it is active, they will take a significant amount of damage from the combination of the Hydralisk and Zagara's Basic Attacks. This allows you to maintain unsurpassed lane control and apply pressure to the surrounding map objectives or structures.

In team fights, Hunter Killer will go largely unnoticed, usually allowing it to deal damage for its full duration, although, it may die to significant AoE damage. Hunter Killer should be used on your primary target, and since the Hydralisk will not switch targets once it spawns, it is important to target the correct Hero. Note that the Hydralisk moves at about the same speed as a Hero, so it will struggle to keep up with fleeing Heroes, unless it is moving on Creep.

Infested Drop (E) Zagara

• Mana: 50
• Cooldown: 12 seconds

Bombard target area with a Zerg Drop Pod for 140 (+4% per level) damage.

The pod spawns 2 Roachlings that deal 30 (+4% per level) damage per second and last for 8 seconds.

Infested Drop bombards the targeted area with a Zerg Drop Pod, dealing damage. The pod spawns 2 Roaches that behave like minions. They last 8 seconds or until they are killed.

Infested Drop has a wide variety of uses. It can be used to deal damage, provide vision, clear minion waves, delay channeling of map objectives (like the tributes on Cursed Hollow), dismount enemy Heroes, or help clear Mercenary Camps. In lane, it can be another valuable method of pushing the minions. Keep in mind that hitting enemy Heroes with the Zerg Drop Pod can be relatively difficult as there is a noticeable delay in cast time. Bile Drop is a quest that not only permanently increases the initial damage of the Zerg Drop Pod, but will also increase its impact radius. When trying to complete this quest, try to focus the drops on enemy Heroes who are affected by crowd control. If you are playing extremely aggressively in lane, you can use Infested Drop behind the enemy Towers. This will provide vision of any Heroes hiding behind the walls, allowing Hunter Killer to be used on them.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Devouring Maw (R) Zagara

• Heroic
• Mana: 70
• Cooldown: 80 seconds

Summon a Devouring Maw that devours enemies for 4 seconds. Devoured enemies cannot fight and take 94 (+4% per level) damage per second.

Usable on Unstoppable enemies.

Devouring Maw summons a Devouring Maw at a target location to consume all enemies within its radius. Devoured enemies are unable to take any action and are untargetable for 4 seconds, taking damage each second. Devouring Maw acts as terrain while it exists, preventing Heroes, minions, mercenaries, or creatures from passing through it.

Devouring Maw can be a game-changing ability. Hitting multiple enemy Heroes does some damage and can allow your allies, like Jaina and E.T.C., to combo their abilities as soon as they are released from the Maw. However, even if Devouring Maw only hits a single target, it is essentially removing that Hero from play for 4 seconds. If that target is a Healer, it can allow your team to kill Heroes before they can be healed. Devouring Maw also acts as a terrain, allowing you to completely block off choke-points from enemy Heroes that are not devoured by the Maw.

The key to using Devouring Maw effectively and getting multi-Hero Maws is to be patient and wait until the right moment. Running into a fight and opening with Devouring Maw almost never works out well, since it is extremely difficult to land in those scenarios. Instead, you want to be engaging the enemy team with your other abilities and Basic Attacks, and use Devouring Maw when the opportunity arises.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Nydus Network (R) Zagara

• Heroic
• Mana: 50
• Charges: 2
• Recharge Time: 120 seconds

Summon a Nydus Worm on Creep anywhere that Zagara has vision. Zagara can enter a Nydus Worm and travel to any other Nydus Worm by right-clicking near it. While inside a Nydus Worm, Zagara regenerates 10% Health and Mana per second.

Stores up to 2 charges. Maximum of 4 Nydus Worms at a time.

Passive: Creep spreads 15% farther.

Passive: While on Creep, each Basic Attack reduces all of Zagara's cooldowns by 0.4 seconds.

Nydus Network summons a Nydus Worm at the target location that you can enter by right-clicking, after channeling for a short duration. You can right-click a location or press "R" to exit at any Nydus Worm around the map. While inside the Nydus Worm, your Health and Mana are restored at an incredibly high rate. Nydus Network can be cast while inside Nydus Network. Zagara exits Nydus Network instantly. You may only summon a Nydus Worm in areas covered by Zagara's creep. Channelling to enter a Nydus Worm can be interrupted by any damage or crowd control effects. You can hold 2 charges of Nydus Network.

The fact that Nydus Worms can only be placed on creep is very important to keep in mind. Enemy Heroes may soon begin hunting Nydus Worms once they begin accumulating. They can use their view of your creep on the ground as a clue to the location of Zagara's Worms. For this reason either try to keep the edge of creep harboring a Worm out of sight completely or over-saturate locations containing Worms as to not give opponents any idea as to where to begin looking. When talenting into Endless Creep at level 20, Nydus Network becomes an almost global ability. Zagara should travel from Worm to Worm, placing them deep within hidden locations of enemy territory. Be careful to keep a solid eye on the location of the enemy. Getting caught behind enemy lines at that stage of the match can very quickly end in defeat for Zagara's team.

Creep Tumor (D) Zagara

• Charges: 3
• Recharge Time: 18 seconds

Lay a Creep Tumor that generates Creep. While on Creep, Zagara moves 20% faster and her summons move 30% faster. Tumors last 240 seconds and reveal the surrounding area while active.

Stores up to 3 charges.

Creep Tumor places a Creep Tumor at the targeted location, spawning Creep that gives vision in the surrounding area and gives extra Movement Speed to Zagara and her Summons.

Creep only grants vision in areas that are directly within the line-of-sight of its respective Creep Tumor. This means that Creep will not grant vision inside a bush unless the Creep Tumor itself is placed inside the bush or around a corner near impassable terrain. You should prefer placing your Creep Tumors inside bushes whenever possible to maximize your vision. You should also place Creep Tumors at important locations, including common ganking paths, map objectives, and travel routes. For example, you should always place Creep Tumors around the turn-in on Blackheart's Bay or around Boss camps if they are being contested.