Rakan vs Zyra Counter Pick

Zone denial beats mobility here. Zyra holds ground with plants instead of with her own body, and Rakan has to enter that ground to accomplish anything. The record across 497 games on patch 16.13.1 is 46.1% for Rakan, a losing matchup.

• Garden of Thorns spawns seeds around her on a timer that shortens with level, and Rampant Growth lets her plant more, so the area she controls is rarely empty.
• Grasping Roots ensnares everything the vines travel through, the cleanest available punish for a champion who has just committed Grand Entrance.
• Stranglethorns expands, damages, then knocks enemies airborne as it contracts, unwinding an engage the moment it is made.
• An attack range of 575 against 300 hands her the poke phase outright, and she moves at 340 to his 335.

The compensation is fragility: 574 health at level one, 2155 at 18, and 100.4 armor. Rakan’s 610 and 2293 with 113.3 armor make him the sturdier body, and Fey Feathers layers a periodic shield on top of that. Since both champions deal magic damage, an early magic resist item does double duty for whoever faces them. Her plants keep fighting for her after the cast, so the damage does not stop when Rakan dashes past her original position. Zyra is rated 7 for difficulty against Rakan’s 5. Her abilities are listed on the Zyra page.