Hey,
Do you remember when Zyra was first released? If not, let's just say you could one shot most people with her ult at the time (LoL).
I think Riot is trying to keep away from just buffing Zyra's scaling, which is smart because that monstrosity was crazy.
I don't disagree with you; she not as highly contested as other supports. She is missing a lot of things in her kit that other Supports DO possess:
-A Heal
-Point and Click CC
-Tankiness or Sustain
Most of those things are the essentials for making plays or surviving throughout the laning phase, which makes her super susceptible to early deaths.
Basically, Zyra's late game is in a good spot, but it is very hard to get there. Zyra relies on poke and roots to get through the laning phase with a decent score.
On the flip side, Mid lane Zyra, she is lacking an escape, sustain, etc. also. Makes her laning difficult early on, but she has zone and lane control, which I think is good. Mid lane Zyra is also in a good place, it's just, plants are very fragile.
What is really cool about Zyra, I believe, is her plants. They're the most interesting and unique "Pet" in the game, in my opinion, able to be put on steroids, morphed, and changed, depending on what spells Zyra hits them with.
With all that being said, I think Zyra's base stats (besides maybe her Hp) are in a Great spot. Her scalings and mana costs are pretty normal for a Mage or Poke Support for her power level.
To fill the hole that prevents her from being played over other champions, I believe her Plants need to be Reworked. Zyra is the Lady of Plants, like come on, this can be COOL!
What if, instead of only a measly two plants, Zyra had the ability to spawn as many as 3 at a time, and double the growth with her ult? I think that'd be really cool.
My suggestion to give Zyra her power as a Support (Sorry, nothing for Mage point of view, but I suppose she is still playable Mid):
-Change her passive to "Rise of the Thorns": When Zyra's spells hit champions, a Plant spawns near them. Depending on which spell is used, the plant has varying effects (can only occur 1/2/3 times per spell at level 1/6/11):
These plants will prioritize enemy champions, or who Zyra is attacking.
They passively attack once per second.
Q, Deadly Bloom- The Plant has increased Range and Damage.
W, Photosynthesis- The Plant Reduces Champion Healing and Damage for a few seconds. Upon attacking an enemy champion, Zyra's Cooldowns are reduced by .5 with each attack.
E, Grasping Roots- The Plant Reduces Champion Movement Speed for a few seconds.
R, Stranglethorns- All of the spawned plants gain Additional Attack Speed, and Grant Vision of their Targets.
-Rework W to "Photosynthesis": Zyra channels for 1.5/1/.5 seconds before healing herself (and another ally champion) through Photosynthesis. Zyra will spawn a plant nearby the Champion she selects to heal, although she can heal just herself for a greater heal.
The above change would remove Zyra's W, Rampant Growth, but the CDR provided is compensated for in the W plant effects description, and makes her feel more healthy and rewarding.
That is pretty much it, my goal was to shift Zyra's power into her spells, and more into her plants.
I hope you like it, if not, let me know why!
Thanks~ :D
is in. Her damage is just slightly unreliable. Her plants are stupid but if you do the maths on her damage she's actually quite strong. She needs better AI on her plants and a buff to her passive, like allow to shoot it three more times or something like that.