Nami vs Zyra
Skill matchup
Build vs Zyra
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Nami: Echoes of Helia, Moonstone Renewer, Ardent Censer, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Dream Maker, Staff of Flowing Water, Mikael's Blessing, Imperial Mandate.
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 Nami
Tips to maximize your impact
- Bubble a slowed target
Cast Aqua Prison (Q) on a slowed or immobile target, or where they're heading: the bubble lands in an area and stuns every enemy on impact.
- Bless your ADC before their trade
Cast Tidecaller's Blessing (E) on your ADC just before they trade: their next autos and abilities slow and deal bonus magic damage.
- Bounce your Ebb and Flow
Cast Ebb and Flow (W) so it bounces from one champion to another: it heals each ally, damages each enemy, and only hits the same champion once.
- Tidal Wave to engage or disengage
Cast Tidal Wave (R) to engage or to break an enemy engage: enemies hit take a knock-up and a slow, which lasts longer on those farther away.
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 Nami matchups
Patch 16.21.1