How to win lane as Gangplank against Zac · 51.91% win rate over 601 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Q-poke pays you gold and costs him nothing he can't lick back with blobs -- a true even start where you just bank last-hits and watch his E charge up. |
| Level 2 | Zac | A fog-charged Elastic Slingshot knockup into Q grab can chain an all-in before your single early keg can detonate -- this is his one real kill window. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Your full kit is online so you can keg-zone again, but he can Slingshot out of a chain and heal the trade with passive blobs -- it nets to skill. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | A second keg point lets you Parrrley-poke him as he walks up to farm, but anti-heal decides it -- without it his blob regen erases your chip and the lane stays even. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Cannon Barrage adds zone and dive pressure but isn't a duel-winning spike on its own, so the straight 1v1 against his sustain stays roughly even. |
| First item | Gangplank | Sheen/Essence Reaver into the keg build is your flip -- empowered Parrrley plus a full chained detonation finally out-damages his Cell Division regen. |
| Two+ items | Gangplank | Two items on, chained kegs and global Cannon Barrage outscale a pure tank -- he can engage you but can't kill you, and you erase the backline he dives for. |
Zac is an off-meta top pick, so most opponents won't pilot the lane cleanly, but the threat is real early: he has no waveclear pressure on you, yet his Elastic Slingshot (E) is a charged leap-knockup that starts a full all-in while your Powder Kegs are still on their long cooldown and easy for him to free-hit and pop. Don't place a keg right next to you and stand on it -- he'll Slingshot in, grab you with Q (Stretching Strike) and stack blobs faster than you can detonate. Last-hit with the tip of Parrrley, keep a keg at max range for zoning, and never facecheck a bush or fog line where he can charge E.
The full Gangplank vs Zac report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Zac vs Gangplank guide →
All Gangplank top lane matchups →