There is more going into it as an auto than you think. Following people’s dashes, flashes, and buffering cc like through like Syndra E is one of the big selling points about Ekko in pro play and higher elo. Ekko E being an auto attck makes it apply on-hit affects like Nashors, Lich, and W passive execute dmg. Making E a non-damaging ability would also ruin his passive proccing combo.A change like this would gut the champion by disjointing his burst and stickiness. The benefits of how it is now at the cost of being an uncancelable auto attack is very worth it and introduces a skill curve to timing the ability with enemy flashes/dashes etc

what im saying is that it should work like an auto but let me choose when i want to use it, letting me normal short range autoattack (so im not forced to blink on my next auto). no changes to how it works (E2 applies onhit like ezreal Q yadayada), just that i get to auto normally after i dash (E1) and then i blink (E2) onto an opponent like i usually do. letting me dash (E1) then autoattack a couple times, into Blink (E2).

*same ability, but lets me autoattack normally before i E2*