MLBB Zetian Build Guide: Best Items, Skills, Emblem, and Combos to Master the Phoenix Empress

Iqbal Sandira
Aug 21
4 min read

The world of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is constantly evolving with new heroes that reshape the meta. One of the most anticipated mage heroes introduced in 2025 is Zetian, inspired by the legendary Empress Wu Zetian of Chinese history. Elegant, powerful, and disruptive, Zetian embodies the identity of a royal mage capable of dealing massive burst damage while providing team-wide utility.

This comprehensive MLBB Zetian Build Guide will cover her skills, recommended items, emblem setup, battle spells, combo execution, and counters, helping you dominate both ranked and competitive play.

Zetian’s Skill Analysis

Before diving into her item build, it’s crucial to understand her skill set. Zetian’s kit is unique in that it combines sustain, burst, crowd control, and map-wide impact.

Passive: Celestial Armament

Phoenix Crown: Hitting enemies with Phoenix Strike or Phoenix Descent grants Zetian Spell Vamp, stacking multiple times.
Celestial Robe: Periodically activates a shield that knocks back and stuns nearby enemies while scaling with Magic Power. This defensive layer makes her harder to assassinate.

Pro Tip: Since the shield has a long cooldown, be mindful of when it’s triggered. Aggressive enemies will try to bait it out before engaging.

Skill 1: Phoenix Strike

Zetian unleashes waves of phoenix fire, with each hit chaining into two additional waves. The last wave is the strongest, covering a wide area and pulling enemies slightly toward the center.

Deals high poke damage and provides wave clear.
Grants movement speed while casting, allowing kiting.
Works best when weaving auto-attacks for Spell Vamp sustain.

Skill 2: Phoenix Descent

Summons a Phoenix Spirit at a target location that slows and damages enemies. The spirit can be recast to dash to a new area, damaging and slowing again.

Excellent for zoning objectives like Turtle and Lord.
Weakens enemy Magic Defense, amplifying Zetian’s burst.
Flexible recast makes it both offensive and defensive.

Ultimate: Fury of the Phoenix

Zetian channels divine energy, revealing enemy positions across the map, stunning them briefly, and dealing significant damage. At the same time, she boosts the movement speed of all allies.

Functions as a global initiation tool.
Perfect for countering ambushes.
Can completely swing teamfights by revealing hidden enemies like Natalia or Helcurt.

Recommended Zetian Item Build

The best way to master Zetian is to maximize her cooldown reduction, sustain, and penetration. Here’s the optimal build path:

Magic Boots – Early cooldown reduction for spamming skills.
Enchanted Talisman – Provides mana regeneration and high cooldown reduction.
Concentrated Energy – Grants Spell Vamp, helping Zetian sustain in prolonged fights.
Glowing Wand – Excellent against tanky enemies with high HP regeneration.
Divine Glaive – Shreds through Magic Defense, essential in mid-to-late game.
Blood Wings or Ice Queen Wand – Choose Blood Wings for survivability or Ice Queen Wand for extra slows in teamfights.

Situational Swaps:

Athena’s Shield – If burst from enemy mages is overwhelming.
Immortality – For late-game insurance.

Best Emblem and Battle Spell Setup

Emblem: Custom Mage Emblem

Tier 1 – Rupture: Extra Adaptive Penetration for stronger poke.
Tier 2 – Bargain Hunter (cheaper items) or Weapon Master (extra stat scaling).
Tier 3 – Impure Rage or Lethal Ignition: Provides bonus damage and mana regeneration.

Recommended Battle Spells

Flicker: For repositioning and escape.
Purify: Best choice when facing heavy crowd control lineups.

Easy Combo Execution

Zetian’s kit makes her highly versatile. Here are some practical combo sequences:

Standard Poke Combo

Skill 1 (Phoenix Strike) → Skill 2 (Phoenix Descent recast for poke) → Basic Attack

Use this during lane phase to harass and sustain.

Teamfight Engagement Combo

Ultimate (Fury of the Phoenix) → Skill 2 (Phoenix Descent) → Skill 1 (Phoenix Strike spam)

Cast Ultimate first to reveal enemies and boost allies.
Drop Phoenix Spirit into grouped targets, then spam Phoenix Strike to deal AOE burst.

Escape or Kiting Combo

Skill 2 (Phoenix Descent recast away) → Flicker → Passive Shield activation

A lifesaver against assassins who dive into the backline.

Zetian’s Strengths

High Burst Damage – Phoenix Strike scales well with items.
Map Awareness – Ultimate reveals enemies globally.
Team Utility – Shields, stuns, slows, and speed boosts make her invaluable.
Counter-Assassin Potential – Passive shield punishes gap-closing assassins.

Zetian’s Weaknesses

Long Cooldown on Passive – Once the shield is down, she’s vulnerable.
Mobility Reliant on Spells – Without Flicker or Spirit recast, she can be cornered.
Requires Good Positioning – Misplaced Phoenix Spirit or early Ultimate can waste her team’s momentum.

Counters to Zetian

Hero Counters

Ling, Fanny, Nolan – Burst assassins who can strike quickly once her passive shield is down.
Natalia – Can bypass vision unless Zetian’s Ultimate is perfectly timed.

Item Counters

Radiant Armor / Athena’s Shield – Tanks can nullify her damage.
Sea Halberd / Necklace of Durance – Reduce her Spell Vamp sustain.
Glowing Wand – Mages can punish her with consistent burn damage.

Tips for Playing Zetian

Time your Ultimate – Don’t waste it on scouting alone unless your team risks ambush.
Synergize with Crowd Control Allies – Heroes like Tigreal, Atlas, or Khufra set up her AOE perfectly.
Balance Aggression and Defense – Her shield invites baiting; don’t overextend.
Rotate Early – Her wave clear allows roaming to side lanes and creating pressure.
Save Spirit Recast – Phoenix Descent’s second cast is often more useful as an escape than as a finisher.

Zetian in the Current Meta

As of August 2025, Zetian is considered a high-tier mage pick in MLBB’s ranked and competitive scenes. Her versatility fits multiple team comps:

Objective Control with Spirit zoning.
Anti-Assassin Backline Mage thanks to her knockback shield.
Teamfight Controller via her global ultimate.

Pro players value her especially in mid lane where her rotations influence all lanes.

Final Thoughts

This MLBB Zetian Build Guide highlights why Zetian has quickly become a favorite among mage users. Her combination of damage, sustain, utility, and global presence makes her both a threat and an asset in any match.

Mastering Zetian is about understanding her timing—when to shield, when to zone, and when to unleash her devastating Fury of the Phoenix. With the right items, emblems, and smart positioning, Zetian can dictate the pace of battles and carry her team to victory.

Whether you’re climbing ranked or preparing for competitive play, Zetian is a hero worth investing your time in. Once you master her combos and decision-making, you’ll see why she is often hailed as the Phoenix Empress of the Land of Dawn.