Ne Zha actually has a pretty strong 1v1 with his aspect. The HP damage he deals ontop of his base numbers lets him take all in trades very easily level 5 onwards. Sands will be a little weaker than an Axe or Bluestone start, but the early CD really helps out the rest of the build.
If you don't see the value in the MS from Regrowth, BoV is a solid alternative.
A slightly safer 1st option, the main downside of Erebus is that the tree it builds from is somewhat weak. Runeforged I'd say is overall a weaker item, but you could argue it has a better powerspike for the first set of Fire Imps which are very important. It's also just more sustain to help you get through rougher lanes.
Axe is pretty strong right now, and Ne Zha does abuse the poke potential with ring toss well. If you want value the poke and tankiness over the extra CD, it's an ok trade to make.
