I feel like there's an important distinction here though. Zed's shadow magic is what allows him to do his dank assignations, but, outside of the ult- which still feels pretty physical, since you have to beat them up first for it to do anything- his magic is not the thing doing the assassinations; he's still the one introducing you to his very sharp friends. Contrast this with someone like Shikamaru Nara from Naruto, his shadow "magic" feels much more like a traditional mage's; but something like Kakashi's Raikiri feels very physical despite most of its potency coming from his chakra. I'm rambling, and I'm sure nothing I said here was new to you. And I get your point, I think! It was to illustrate that you guys know how to make a mage feel a physical damage dealer.
Oh, that giant ring blade is 100% the thing doing the assassinations