Who counters Zeri in League of Legends?

By rules over Riot's ability text, the picks that fit best against Zeri are Viego, Yasuo and Briar, and each one is listed on this page with its reason. This is Analysis, not a win rate.

Who is Zeri good against in League of Legends?

Read the other way round, the same rules over Riot's ability text find Zeri strong into Rumble, Olaf and Gangplank. The reason for each is on this page. This is Analysis, not a win rate.

Which lanes does Zeri play?

Data Dragon has no lane data. As a Marksman champion, Zeri typically plays Bot. This is a class-based filter, not a play rate.

How hard is Zeri to play?

Riot rates the difficulty of Zeri as Medium (6 out of 10).

Zeri Counter LoL: Best Picks & Why

Tactical identity

Zeri, Marksman

Zeri, The Spark of Zaun, is a Marksman champion in League of Legends. Everything below comes from Riot's Data Dragon for patch 16.21.1: ability text, base stats and Riot's tips. Counters and matchups by class are worked out from that text, and each one shows its reason.

Riot's ratings, out of 10

Attack: 8
Defense: 5
Magic: 3
Difficulty: 6

Typical lanes (class-based)Bot

ResourceMana

What the kit does

Analysis read from Riot's ability text. Each line shows the words it rests on.

Soft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)
Ultrashock Laser: "pulse that slows and damages"
Dash, leap or blink
Spark Surge: "Zeri dashes a short"
Area damage
Spark Surge: "Fire to pierce through enemies"
Zones with walls, traps or fields
Ultrashock Laser: "hits a wall it expands"

Zeri's abilities

Riot's own text and preview clip for each ability, from Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Pick an ability and its clip plays here, muted.

PPassive

Living Battery

Zeri's Attacks deal magic damage and are treated as Abilities. Moving and casting Burst Fire stores up energy in Zeri's Sparkpack. When fully charged her next Attack deals bonus damage.

Effects in the text

Magic damage
Ranged poke

QQ

Burst Fire

Range: 700

Burst Fire shoots a burst of 7 rounds that deal attack damage to the first enemy hit. This Ability is treated as an Attack.

Effects in the text

Ranged poke

WW

Ultrashock Laser

Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8 s
Cost (Mana): 50/60/70/80/90
Range: 1150

Zeri fires an electric pulse that slows and damages the first enemy hit. If the pulse hits a wall it expands into a long range laser.

Effects in the text

Soft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)
Zones with walls, traps or fields
Ranged poke

EE

Spark Surge

Cooldown: 24/22.5/21/19.5/18 s
Cost (Mana): 90/85/80/75/70

Zeri dashes a short distance and energizes Burst Fire to pierce through enemies. She will vault and grind over any terrain she touches.

Effects in the text

Dash, leap or blink
Area damage

RR

Lightning Crash

Cooldown: 80/75/70 s
Cost (Mana): 100
Range: 800

Zeri discharges a nova of electricity and overcharges herself, gaining increased damage and stacking Move Speed that refreshes and gets stronger every time she hits an enemy champion. While overcharged, Burst fire becomes a faster triple shot that chains lightning between enemies.

Effects in the text

Scales with time

Build direction, Analysis

Items and runes that fit Zeri

Riot publishes no builds and this page invents none. Below: completed items ranked by how many of the stats Zeri's kit uses they give (attack damage (AD) first), the runes whose official text matches the kit, and picks for each enemy type. A fit, not a strength ranking. No win rates.

Closest stat fit

Editorial estimate

Completed items ranked by how many of the stats Zeri's kit uses they give. A fit, not a verdict: Riot publishes no builds and no win rates.

Lord Dominik's Regards3,300
- +35 Attack DamageZeri scales with it
- +35% Armor Penetrationits damage is physical
- +25% Critical Strike Chanceits kit leans on basic attacks
Mortal Reminder3,000
- +35 Attack DamageZeri scales with it
- +30% Armor Penetrationits damage is physical
- +25% Critical Strike Chanceits kit leans on basic attacks
Stormrazor3,200
- +50 Attack DamageZeri scales with it
- +25% Attack Speedits kit leans on basic attacks
- +25% Critical Strike Chanceits kit leans on basic attacks
Yun Tal Wildarrows3,000
- +50 Attack DamageZeri scales with it
- +45% Attack Speedits kit leans on basic attacks
- +0% Critical Strike Chanceits kit leans on basic attacks
Blade of The Ruined King3,200
- +40 Attack DamageZeri scales with it
- +25% Attack Speedits kit leans on basic attacks
Experimental Hexplate3,000
- +40 Attack DamageZeri scales with it
- +20% Attack Speedits kit leans on basic attacks

More items with the same stat 38

Guinsoo's Rageblade3,000

Kraken Slayer3,000

Serylda's Grudge3,000

Immortal Shieldbow3,000

Chempunk Chainsword3,000

Hextech Gunblade3,000

Hubris2,800

Hullbreaker3,000

Manamune2,900

Maw of Malmortius3,100

Mercurial Scimitar3,200

Overlord's Bloodmail3,300

Voltaic Cyclosword3,000

Youmuu's Ghostblade2,800

Boots

Armored Advance1,200

Chainlaced Crushers1,250

Crimson Lucidity900

Immortal Path1,100

Spellslinger's Shoes1,100

Swiftmarch1,000

Rune fits

Editorial estimate

Runes whose official text matches the most things Zeri's kit does. Each line shows the words it rests on.

AftershockResolve, Keystone · Matches: 1
- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Ultrashock Laser: "pulse that slows and damages"
Arcane CometSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 1
- It deals damage with abilities: Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up"
Deathfire TouchSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 1
- It deals damage with abilities: Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up"
Manaflow BandSorcery · Matches: 3
- Its kit leans on basic attacks: Marksman role
- It deals damage with abilities: Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up"
- It uses mana: Mana
Sudden ImpactDomination · Matches: 3
- Its kit leans on basic attacks: Marksman role
- It deals damage with abilities: Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up"
- It has a dash, leap or blink: Spark Surge: "Zeri dashes a short"
Approach VelocityInspiration · Matches: 1
- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Ultrashock Laser: "pulse that slows and damages"

Against each enemy type

Editorial estimate

Situational picks, counted from what the champions of each class do in Riot's Data Dragon. Swap a slot when the enemy team has several of that class.

Tanks
Anti-heal 25 of 46 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Cleanse or tenacity 20 of 46 have two or more hard CC abilities
Chainlaced Crushers Endless Hunger
To cut through them Tanks stack armor and magic resist; these items give armor penetration.
Axiom Arc Bastionbreaker Edge of Night Hubris
Fighters
Anti-heal 40 of 60 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Armor 38 of 60 deal physical damage only
Chain Vest Dead Man's Plate
Assassins
Anti-heal 24 of 46 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Armor 23 of 46 deal physical damage only
Chain Vest Dead Man's Plate
Mages
Magic resist 53 of 75 deal magic damage only
Abyssal Mask Banshee's Veil
Anti-heal 30 of 75 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Marksmen
Armor 14 of 32 deal physical damage only
Chain Vest Dead Man's Plate
Supports
Magic resist 36 of 43 deal magic damage only
Abyssal Mask Banshee's Veil
Anti-heal 19 of 43 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon

Counted from the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. These are counts of champions, not win rates.

Rune trees

Lit runes: their official text matches something Zeri's kit does (Analysis). Select a rune to read why.

Precision4 lit

Domination3 lit

Sorcery7 lit

Resolve4 lit

Inspiration4 lit

Matchups by class

Zeri against each class of champion, counted from the official ability text. Choose a class or a lane to narrow it down.

Against all 172 champions: 6 ahead, 29 even, 137 behind. Each class is read against that, so check the best and toughest tags too.

Class

Lane

Patch

16.21.1Older patches: not available yet

Against Tanks

Weak

4 ahead · 7 even · 35 behind of 46

Ahead of

Struggles against

They cut your attack speed, which weakens auto-attack builds.
Their healing or shields outlast your poke.

What to do: A risky pick into tanks. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.

Against Fighters

Weak

6 ahead · 9 even · 45 behind of 60

Ahead of

Struggles against

Their healing or shields outlast your poke.
They can dive onto your squishy back line.

What to do: A risky pick into fighters. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.

Against Assassins

Weak

0 ahead · 4 even · 42 behind of 46

Struggles against

Viego

Yasuo

Briar

They can dive onto your squishy back line.
They have early pressure while you need time to scale.

What to do: A risky pick into assassins. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.

Against Mages

Weak

1 ahead · 18 even · 56 behind of 75

Ahead of

Struggles against

They cut your attack speed, which weakens auto-attack builds.
They clear waves faster and can push the lane.

What to do: A risky pick into mages. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.

Against Marksmen

Weak

Best class

0 ahead · 12 even · 20 behind of 32

Struggles against

Samira

Vayne

Akshan

They clear waves faster and can push the lane.
They have early pressure while you need time to scale.

What to do: A risky pick into marksmen. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.

Against Supports

Weak

Toughest class

0 ahead · 2 even · 41 behind of 43

Struggles against

Pyke

Maokai

Lulu

They can lock you down: you have few ways out.
They clear waves faster and can push the lane.

What to do: A risky pick into supports. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.

Source: Nexus Lab rules over the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. Each champion of the class is compared with Zeri one by one; the counts come from those rules, not from match results, so they are not win rates. Strong, even and weak compare the number of champions ahead and behind. Lanes are the lanes each class usually plays (Riot ships no lane data per champion), not play rates.

Picks that can punish Zeri

Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text.

Viego

Counters you

Viego can dive in (Spectral Maw: "up before dashing forward") on Zeri, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Marksman role).

2 more reasons

Viego has hard CC (Spectral Maw: "Mist that stuns the first") to catch Zeri, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).

Viego can outlast poke with healing or shields (Sovereign's Domination: "healing for a") against Zeri's ranged skillshots (Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up").

Watch out: Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Viego, a melee champion (Fighter role).

Yasuo

Counters you

Yasuo has hard CC (Steel Tempest: "whirlwind that knocks Airborne") to catch Zeri, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).

2 more reasons

Yasuo can block projectiles (Wind Wall: "wall that blocks all enemy projectiles for"), and Zeri relies on ranged skillshots (Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up").

Yasuo can dive in (Sweeping Blade: "Dashes through target") on Zeri, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Marksman role).

Watch out: Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Yasuo, a melee champion (Fighter role) with no sustain to recover.

Briar

Counters you

Briar has hard CC (Head Rush: "stunning them and") to catch Zeri, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).

2 more reasons

Briar can dive in (Head Rush: "Briar leaps to a") on Zeri, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Marksman role).

Briar can outlast poke with healing or shields (Crimson Curse: "bleed that heals her for") against Zeri's ranged skillshots (Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up").

Watch out: Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Briar, a melee champion (Fighter role).

Gragas

Counters you

Gragas has hard CC (Body Slam: "units and stunning them") to catch Zeri, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).

2 more reasons

Gragas can dive in (Body Slam: "Gragas charges to a location") on Zeri, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Marksman role).

Gragas can outlast poke with healing or shields (Happy Hour: "Gragas periodically heals upon using") against Zeri's ranged skillshots (Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up").

Watch out: Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Gragas, a melee champion (Fighter role).

Rengar

Counters you

Rengar can dive in (Unseen Predator: "Rengar leaps at his") on Zeri, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Marksman role).

2 more reasons

Rengar has hard CC (Bola Strike: "roots the target") to catch Zeri, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).

Rengar can outlast poke with healing or shields (Battle Roar: "enemies and healing for some") against Zeri's ranged skillshots (Living Battery: "casting Burst Fire stores up").

Watch out: Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Rengar, a melee champion (Assassin role).

Samira

Counters you

Samira can dive in (Daredevil Impulse: "effects will dash her to") on Zeri, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Marksman role).

2 more reasons

Samira has hard CC (Daredevil Impulse: "enemy is Knocked Up") to catch Zeri, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).

Zeri needs time to scale (Marksman role) and Samira has early pressure (Daredevil Impulse: "enemy is Knocked Up") to punish that.

Who Zeri is good against

The same rules, read the other way.

Rumble

You pressure

Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Rumble, a melee champion (Fighter role) with no sustain to recover.

Olaf

You pressure

Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Olaf, a melee champion (Fighter role) with no sustain to recover.

Gangplank

You pressure

Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Gangplank, a melee champion (Fighter role).

Nasus

You pressure

Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Nasus, a melee champion (Fighter role).

Trundle

You pressure

Zeri is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Trundle, a melee champion (Fighter role).

Counter picks are Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on. They are not win rates, and no League of Legends matchup list has been reviewed by hand yet.

Official story

Zeri's official story on Riot UniverseA link to the official source (in English). We do not copy its text.

Champion video guide

Video by 3 Minute League of Legends · Watch on YouTube The player loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only after you press play.

Measured numbers

Numbers published or counted by a named source. Each row names the source and the patch.

Attack8

Defense5

Magic3

Difficulty6

Riot data Riot's ratings out of 10, Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1

Base stats
Stat	Level 1	Per level	Level 18
Health	600	+110	2470
Mana	250	+45	1015
Armor	24	+4.2	95.4
Magic resist	33	+1.1	51.7
Attack damage	56	-	56
Attack speed	0.658	+2%	0.882
Attack range	550	-	550
Move speed	330	-	330
Health regen per 5 seconds	3.25	+0.7	15.15
Mana regen per 5 seconds	6	+0.8	19.6

Riot data Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Level 18 is calculated from Riot's growth formula on the same numbers.

Editorial estimates

Our reading of the data. These are not measured rates and they change when the rules or the data change.

Counter picks: 6 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
Good against: 5 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
Typical lanes: Bot Editorial estimateLanes of the class; Riot ships no lane data per champion
Best class (relative): Marksmen Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
Toughest class (relative): Supports Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1

What no source gives us

Win rate, pick rate and ban rate. Riot publishes none we may print (the Riot API cards are switched off) and no third-party statistics site is read, so none is shown.
Popular builds. Riot publishes no builds: the items and runes in Build & Runes are a fit to the kit, not a popularity ranking.

Sources

Riot Games Data Dragon
Names, ratings, base stats, ability text, cooldowns, costs, range, items, runes and art.
Patch 16.21.1, file generated 2026-10-26
Open
Riot ability preview clips
Played from Riot's own server when you press play; never copied here.
Each clip checked with a request before it is offered
League of Legends Wiki
Release dates and skin prices in RP (CC BY-SA).
Committed data, see the skins page
Open
Nexus Lab rules
Counters, matchups by class, item and rune fit: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on.
Patch 16.21.1
Riot Universe
The official story of Zeri (a link, nothing copied).
Open

Zeri League of Legends champion guide

Zeri, Marksman

What the kit does

Living Battery

Burst Fire

Ultrashock Laser

Spark Surge

Lightning Crash

Items and runes that fit Zeri

More items with the same stat 38

Boots

Tanks

Fighters

Assassins

Mages

Marksmen

Supports

Rune trees

Precision4 lit

Domination3 lit

Sorcery7 lit

Resolve4 lit

Inspiration4 lit

Picks that can punish Zeri

Who Zeri is good against

Official story

Get new stories and champion updates

Champion video guide

Zeri skins

Quick answers

Who counters Zeri in League of Legends?

Who is Zeri good against in League of Legends?

Which lanes does Zeri play?

How hard is Zeri to play?

Related champions

Next steps

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