The “Rise” of Zyra
In the early phase of patch 14.9, the Sage system has risen strongly thanks to avoiding the nerf aimed at 5-cost teams. However, players often used this system as a support option for carries like Kayn, Lee Sin, or Sylas. It wasn’t until the end of patch 14.9 that skilled players on the LPL server discovered a suitable playstyle for the Sage system to shine in the carry position with the Zyra – Spirit team.
The first strength of this team is the free Grievous Wounds effect from Zyra’s ability. In the context of melee carries like Yone, Kayn, and the Duelist system being very strong, having built-in healing reduction will help Zyra take them down extremely quickly. Combined with Diana’s tenacity and Morgana’s wide attack speed reduction, the Sage system will counter most melee compositions currently trending.
Furthermore, using Zyra allows players to have a significant advantage in maintaining health in the early game thanks to the 3 Sage threshold. After the bug fix of the Spirit system in patch 14.9b, this team became even stronger as Zyra’s damage was significantly amplified. Therefore, at this moment, Zyra – Spirit is considered an extremely strong playstyle due to its abundant damage, many annoying effects, and a team of incredibly resilient champions.
Building the Zyra – Spirit Team
As mentioned above, players should start with the 3 Sage threshold to ensure health maintenance in the early game. After that, resilient champions like Jax (activating the Guardian system with Garen) or Rek’Sai, Aatrox (activating the Brawler system with Riven) should be prioritized at this stage. If Zyra cannot be found early, players can opt for low-cost magic carries like Ahri, Lux, Kindred… to hold items.
In the mid-game phase, players should aim to reach level 6 quickly to increase the appearance rate of Zyra. Additionally, during the rerolling process for Zyra, Spirit units like Aatrox and Shen should also be invested in. They will help the frontline of the team become incredibly resilient and create ample space for Zyra to deal damage.
After successfully upgrading Zyra to 3 stars, players should aim for level 8 and include Sage units like Morgana, Diana… If there is enough gold, aiming for level 9 with valuable 5-cost champions like Wukong, Udyr, Lissandra… is also a great option. These units will provide the team with strong crowd control effects to compete for the top position.
Items and Augments
For Zyra as the carry, Spear of Shojin and Nashor’s Tooth will be essential items for effective damage output. For the third item slot, Rabadon’s Deathcap or Giant Slayer are worth considering. Regarding Augments, those providing item upgrades will be very valuable as this team has many sources of damage (Zyra, Morgana, Wukong). Additionally, Gemstone Inlay is also a very strong option that players should aim for.