In Riot’s recent updates, we can see that they are trying to reduce the power of reroll compositions as much as possible. Two prime examples of this are Trundle and Katarina, both of whom have received heavy nerfs and are no longer hot units in the meta. However, this hasn’t deterred Teamfight Tactics players from abandoning the reroll playstyle; instead, they have turned to a newly buffed but highly meaningful unit, Zyra, as their new carry.
If you noticed, prior to patch 11.24, the delay between when Zyra casts her spell and the crowd control effect it creates was relatively long. This greatly affected Zyra’s ability to control and deal damage, leading to her being rated very low. With the delay time reduced in patch 11.24, Zyra’s effectiveness with each cast has improved significantly.
So the question arises, why does Zyra synergize well with the Recycler composition? The reason is quite simple: Recycler units not only activate numerous effects with a team featuring Zyra but they also have a similar cost to her. As a result, when you reroll to obtain a 3-star Zyra, the chances of upgrading Blitzcrank and Ziggs to 3 stars are also quite high. This makes the snowball potential of a Zyra-centric composition even more assured.
The Zyra – Recycler team composition will start with cheap yet powerful units like Darius, Twisted Fate, and Ziggs in the early levels. Once you reach level 5, you will start adding Zyra and Blitzcrank to the battlefield to activate important traits like Protectors and Gangsters. The player’s goal at this point will be to preserve as much health as possible and reach 50 gold as quickly as possible. After that, you need to employ a slow roll strategy at level 6 to push your units to 3 stars, especially Zyra.
After leveling Zyra to 3 stars, you need to quickly reach level 8 to add Jinx and Janna into your team. With the large shields from the Recycler trait, your composition will become much stronger and more resilient. This even serves as a very effective defensive strategy against the highly contested carry at the moment, Kai’Sa.
For the choice of upgrade cores, the Recycler Emblems and Hearts are what you should take immediately. Activating the 6-Recycler threshold early will further enhance this composition’s snowball potential. Additionally, upgrades like Ascension, Item Delivery, and Recycler’s Six Darts are all suitable cores for this composition.
Regarding item build, the two most important items you should aim for are Morello’s Evil Tome for Twisted Fate and Statikk Shiv for Zyra. Additionally, items that increase skill damage and energy regeneration like Rabadon’s Deathcap, Shojin’s Spear, or Blue Buff are also very suitable for Zyra.