Zephys Counters 2026: Best Counter Picks & Builds

Zephys is a melee fighter who gets tankier the longer the fight goes: his passive Resilience grants 1% damage reduction for every 3% of max HP lost, so the lower his HP, the harder he is to bring down. Skill 1 Javelin Thrust lets him lunge at a target and slow it with his next attack, skill 2 Combo Strike slashes 4 times in a row and heals on hit, and his ultimate Air Strike crashes down from the air, knocking up the whole group and applying a Resonance effect so his follow-up attacks deal bonus magic damage. Zephys ‘s weakness is that his staying power relies heavily on the healing from Combo Strike, and he has to dive into the middle of the enemy team to be effective. Anti-heal, true damage and well-timed crowd control are the three things he hates most. The most dangerous counters to Zephys are Maloch, Florentino, Max in the Clash Lane, Zanis, Veres in the jungle, Aleister in the mid lane, Thane as support and Thorne in the Abyssal Dragon Lane.

• Maloch
• Florentino
• Max

Maloch

After Cleave hits an enemy hero, Maloch enters Plunder : all damage from his skills and basic attacks becomes 100% true damage, including crits. The armor Zephys gets from items is nearly useless against Maloch, and Maloch also heals based on missing HP with each attack, so a drawn-out HP trade with Combo Strike doesn’t favor Zephys. His attack range, double that of a typical melee hero, also lets Maloch poke before Zephys can close in, while Souleater both slows and creates a shield that blocks damage when Zephys dives in with Javelin Thrust.

Florentino

Each strike of Triple Threat deals bonus true damage based on a portion of the target’s max HP, so the more HP Zephys stacks, the more it hurts. When a teamfight breaks out, Florentino uses Gentlemen's Duel to Duel Zephys: for those 5 seconds Florentino is immune to all crowd control, so the knock-back from Air Strike can’t interrupt him, while Zephys has his armor reduced and Florentino also becomes immune to damage from other enemies. The sword stance after each Charge also grants CC immunity, letting Florentino avoid the slow from the basic attack following Javelin Thrust.

Max

The passive Static Shock makes all of Max ‘s damage apply Static Shock: the target takes true damage every second and has reduced healing for the duration. This is exactly what Zephys fears most, since the healing from Combo Strike is what keeps him alive when he dives in. Max also has Smooth Moves to leap over and briefly stun Zephys while gaining a damage-reduction shield; his ultimate Liftoff grants another damage-reduction shield plus resistance, helping Max withstand Air Strike’s knock-up much better.

• Zanis
• Veres

Zanis

The passive Dragoon lets Zanis ‘s skills cleanse crowd control (except suppression), so the slow after Javelin Thrust or the knock-up from Air Strike can’t hold him for long. When Zephys dives into a teamfight, Zanis uses Dragon Wraith straight on him: this skill deals true damage with a stun and slow, and for the whole empowered duration all bonus damage is true damage. Tail Sweep also grants attack speed and lifesteal, letting Zanis stay in and trade against Combo Strike instead of getting cut down by Zephys.

Veres

Zephys is at his tankiest when low on HP thanks to Resilience, but Veres ‘s ultimate Death Chain deals true damage equal to the target’s lost HP, so the lower Zephys’s HP, the easier he is to finish off. Before that, Twin Chains stuns for 1 second if both chains hit, and Shackle Chain pulls or pushes Zephys and stuns him right after, enough to hold him for the team. Landing the ultimate puts Veres into Bloodlust, boosting attack speed, physical attack and armor penetration, making it easy to keep hitting a Zephys who’s out of HP.

• Aleister

Aleister

Zephys has to jump into the middle of the enemy team to deal damage, and that’s when Aleister ‘s Magic Prison shines: Aleister locks him in a magic prison, dealing magic damage per tick for 2.5 seconds, enough for the whole team to burst down a fighter with no way out. Magic Barrier stuns Zephys right as he closes in with Javelin Thrust, while the passive Wicked Plot triggers a true damage explosion every 3 stacks that Zephys’s armor can’t block.

• Thane

Thane

Zephys is strongest once he has lost a lot of HP thanks to his passive Resilience, but that is exactly when Thane ‘s ultimate Excalibur is most dangerous: Excalibur deals true damage plus 15% of the target’s lost HP as physical damage, so the lower Zephys’s HP, the more it hurts. While casting it, Thane gains 20% damage reduction and is unstoppable, so Zephys can’t interrupt him with Air Strike. Avalon's Fury knocks up and slows the whole group, holding Zephys in place for the team to burst down.

• Thorne

Thorne

Zephys ‘s favorite target is the marksman in the backline, but Thorne has the tools to fight back. Shooter Possession lets Thorne dash to keep his distance while empowering his attacks for 3 seconds: golden rounds stun Zephys the moment he lands, and purple rounds deal true damage based on lost HP, perfect for finishing off a Zephys who’s getting tanky from Resilience. At the start of a fight, the purple rounds from Magical Bullets deal bonus magic damage based on current HP, chipping away at his large health pool.