Kayn vs Zyra
Skill matchup
Build vs Zyra
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Kayn: Hubris, Voltaic Cyclosword, Axiom Arc, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Edge of Night, Serylda's Grudge, Bastionbreaker, Serpent's Fang.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Zyra's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Seeds spawn around Zyra periodically, becoming faster with level. Zyra can cast Deadly Spines or Grasping Roots near seeds to grow plants, who fight for Zyra.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 0s | 11s | – |
| 6 | 6s | 0s | 11s | 1m50 |
| 9 | 5s | 0s | 11s | 1m50 |
| 11 | 5s | 0s | 11s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 5s | 0s | 11s | 1m30 |
| 18 | 5s | 0s | 11s | 1m30 |
Playing as Kayn
Tips to maximize your impact
- Pick your form based on their team
Take Rhaast against a tanky team, Shadow Assassin against squishy targets: The Darkin Scythe (passive) gives one healing, the other bonus damage at the start of fights.
- Gank through walls
Gank through walls with Shadow Step (E): you move through terrain faster, and you heal when you first enter it.
- Hide inside an enemy
To dodge a burst, cast Umbral Trespass (R) on a champion you just hit: inside, you're untargetable while your spells come back up.
- As Rhaast, hit everyone
As Rhaast, hit as many champions as you can with your spells: The Darkin Scythe (passive) heals you for part of the ability damage they take.
Playing against Zyra
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge her roots
Get out of the line of Grasping Roots (E): the roots pass through minions and root every enemy hit, then her plants hit the trapped target.
- Step on her seeds
Step on her seeds to destroy them before she grows them: Rampant Growth (W) seeds reveal you for a moment, but leave her no plant.
- Kill her plants
Take down the plants born from Garden of Thorns (passive), or back off until they die: they take fixed damage, like a ward, and don't live long.
- Get out of her thorns
Get out of the Stranglethorns (R) zone as soon as it appears: the vines knock you into the air 2 seconds later, and her plants are empowered inside.
- Engage when her plants are far
If you can engage, go for Zyra when her plants are far from her: the Thorn Spitter from Deadly Spines (Q) only fires at 575 range.
Other Kayn matchups
Patch 16.21.1