Tbh Zoe has a HUGE skill curve on learning to play, and is horrible at low levels as a main damage dealer. Her skills cost way too much mana, and her basic role in early game is to roam and supplement other lanes and steal their kills. Only if she does that will she actually scale enough damage.
Her high AP build is game changing and champ killing. The path getting there will almost never happen in Solo/Duo queue ranked, because the team assists will not be there or reliable enough.
I'm finding there are a TON of champs that counter her and actually getting off paddle star angles, while easy, is usually blocked unless you have another teammate there.
She's basically acting like an Evelynn without Stealth: Sucks if she doesn't get the early game kills until way late game, can't really interact at close range that well, and predictable enough that players who have champs that counter her will counter her (her R is super choreographed, and getting kills on her is super easy).
And, her Spell thief is annoyingly complicated to use correctly. If your pick up is an Ignite or an Exhaust, it's very likely you shut down the ability until those skills are expired, because on Passive, she can't renew and grab another one. Goodbye 3-4 Flashes sitting on the ground if you picked up an Exhaust, because Zoe just has trouble engaging at close range and burning that exhaust.
It's also rather annoying that her R is basically soley used for her Q, and really sucks as a damage/ambush mitigator. Anyone on the other team knows: You have no choice but to tele back to your starting point, so guess what? They time the nuke for when you ult, and just wait for you to go back, and hit you before you have an escape.
She's great in the hands of mechanically skilled players who never lose any hp to mobs or jungle, and has an organized team. She sucks hard in lower elos - moderate aggressive elos. There's just not enough time to snowball in lower elo with her lack of early game force.
