Neeko vs Zyra Counter Pick

Zyra outranges Neeko at 575 against 550, and the 25-unit difference matters less than what she does with it: Garden of Thorns spawns seeds on its own, and any Deadly Spines or Grasping Roots cast near one grows a plant that keeps fighting without further investment. Neeko’s 43.7% over 268 games on patch 16.13.1 reflects a damage race she loses while standing still, because those plants add output that costs Zyra no cooldown.

Both sides deal magic damage only, run on mana, share 340 move speed and lean on roots for control, so the separation lives in durability and skill floor. Zyra is the frailer of the two at 574 health and 2,155 at eighteen against 610 and 2,378, and she carries a difficulty rating of 7 against a 5 — the deficit is not a mismatch of skill floors but of pressure patterns. Her armor runs higher early, 29 to 21, and lower late, 100.4 to 109.4.

The route back is killing seeds before they become plants and forcing the fight through Stranglethorns, which damages as it expands and knocks up only as it contracts, leaving a window between the two. Plants stop contributing the moment they die, so the second bloom of Blooming Burst doubles as plant control. Pop Blossom covers that window; Neeko reaching Zyra before it closes is the whole matchup.