Mid

Locke Build 26.21

Middle of the pack at 49.2% and sliding this patch, Locke is an assassin who has to load his burst before he can fire it. Stack the nails, cash them in with attacks, and only then does his ult execute whatever is already low. It is a follow-up, not an opener, so throw it after the target is hurt rather than to start the fight. The blink resetting on a takedown is what lets him carve through a teamfight instead of trading one for one.

#73 of 130 mid this patch · 10.9k games

Win rate49.2%−1.2Games10.9kPick rate7.5%Ban rate32.2%Last 8 patches−2.9 since 26.14Damage profilei

AP 85%AD 5%True 10%DifficultyiModerateRewards fundamentals

The 10-second answer standard · 49.2% WR

Spellslinger's Shoes SkillsQ›E›W Runes

Shards

ModernARAM Counter

173 champions

AatroxTopB49.4%AhriMidA50.9%AkaliMidC49.0%AkshanMidA51.2%AlistarSupportS52.7%AmbessaTopD46.8%AmumuJungleA51.2%AniviaMidB50.2%AnnieMidA51.9%ApheliosAD CarryB50.0%AsheAD CarryB49.8%Aurelion SolMidB50.6%AuroraMidB50.3%AzirMidD46.8%BardSupportC48.9%Bel'VethJungleA51.7%BlitzcrankSupportA51.7%BrandSupportB50.0%BraumSupportB50.0%BriarJungleA51.9%CaitlynAD CarryC48.2%CamilleTopB50.7%CassiopeiaMidC49.1%Cho'GathJungleS52.5%CorkiAD CarryB49.4%DariusTopB50.7%DianaJungleC49.2%Dr. MundoTopA51.1%DravenAD CarryB50.5%EkkoMidA51.7%EliseJungleA51.5%EvelynnJungleB50.5%EzrealAD CarryD47.3%FiddlesticksJungleA51.3%FioraTopA51.9%FizzMidS52.5%GalioMidC49.3%GangplankTopB50.7%GarenTopA52.3%GnarTopC49.2%GragasTopB49.8%GravesJungleC49.0%GwenTopB50.2%HecarimJungleB50.1%HeimerdingerTopB50.2%HweiMidA51.1%IllaoiTopA51.0%IreliaTopB50.4%IvernJungleA52.5%JannaSupportA51.4%Jarvan IVJungleC49.3%JaxTopB50.0%JayceTopC48.5%JhinAD CarryB49.3%JinxAD CarryB50.4%K'SanteTopD46.7%Kai'SaAD CarryB50.7%KalistaAD CarryB49.7%KarmaSupportC48.3%KarthusJungleB50.7%KassadinMidC48.7%KatarinaMidA52.1%KayleTopA51.9%KaynJungleA51.0%KennenTopB50.5%Kha'ZixJungleB50.1%KindredJungleA52.0%KledTopB50.5%Kog'MawAD CarryA50.9%LeBlancMidB50.4%Lee SinJungleC48.0%LeonaSupportA51.7%LilliaJungleA51.5%LissandraMidA51.2%LockeMidB49.2%LucianAD CarryC48.5%LuluSupportB49.4%LuxSupportB49.4%MalphiteTopA51.2%MalzaharMidB50.2%MaokaiSupportB49.6%Master YiJungleB50.2%MelMidD46.2%MilioSupportB49.6%Miss FortuneAD CarryA51.1%MordekaiserTopA50.9%MorganaSupportB50.5%NaafiriJungleC48.4%NamiSupportB50.2%NasusTopB50.5%NautilusSupportB50.0%NeekoSupportC48.1%NidaleeJungleA51.3%NilahAD CarryB50.2%NocturneJungleC48.0%Nunu & WillumpJungleB50.3%OlafTopA51.1%OriannaMidD47.7%OrnnTopA51.1%PantheonTopB49.6%PoppySupportA51.7%PykeSupportB50.0%QiyanaJungleD47.1%QuinnJungleB49.5%RakanSupportB50.8%RammusJungleC48.8%Rek'SaiJungleB50.7%RellSupportS53.1%Renata GlascSupportC48.3%RenektonTopB50.0%RengarJungleB49.3%RivenTopB49.5%RumbleTopD46.0%RyzeMidD46.4%SamiraAD CarryB50.2%SejuaniJungleA51.4%SennaSupportB50.8%SeraphineSupportB49.9%SettTopA51.5%ShacoJungleA52.3%ShenTopA51.4%ShyvanaJungleB50.1%SingedTopA51.1%SionTopB50.3%SivirAD CarryA51.2%SkarnerJungleS53.2%SmolderAD CarryB49.8%SonaSupportA51.8%SorakaSupportB50.1%SwainSupportC48.9%SylasMidB49.3%SyndraMidB50.4%Tahm KenchSupportB50.2%TaliyahJungleS+54.4%TalonJungleB49.6%TaricSupportA51.9%TeemoTopA50.8%ThreshSupportA51.8%TristanaAD CarryB50.6%TrundleTopB50.2%TryndamereTopA51.3%Twisted FateMidA51.8%TwitchAD CarryA52.0%UdyrJungleA51.7%UrgotTopB50.6%VarusAD CarryB49.7%VayneAD CarryC48.1%VeigarMidB50.5%Vel'KozSupportB50.2%VexMidS52.7%ViJungleC49.3%ViegoJungleB49.3%ViktorMidD47.5%VladimirMidB50.1%VolibearTopD47.7%WarwickJungleA52.2%WukongJungleB50.2%XayahAD CarryB50.8%XerathMidA51.2%Xin ZhaoJungleA52.3%YasuoMidA50.9%YoneMidB49.4%YorickTopC49.3%YunaraAD CarryB49.5%YuumiSupportC49.0%ZaahenTopA51.1%ZacJungleB49.7%ZedMidC48.5%ZeriAD CarryA51.8%ZiggsAD CarryB50.8%ZileanSupportA51.7%ZoeMidA51.6%ZyraSupportA52.0%

When Is Locke Strongest?

The early game is the peak, before the enemy team comes online, and games at this rank average around 28 minutes. Locke wins by using that window to hunt low targets and stack kills, since every execute and every takedown makes his next fight easier to close before enemies build the health to survive him.

Game timeline · Locke drag or hover to scrub · space plays · ←/→ step

your power minute by minute · gold = item spikes · small = components · dashed = objectives

Camps1:30Drake / Grubs5:00Herald14:00Baron20:00Avg end27:30

Ambush zone8:06–9:36 Power spike 25:37

14:02

11:50

20:29

25:37

0:00 10:00 20:00 30:00 40:00

At 12:00

Power 63/100 · Even

Core 1/3 items

Gold ~5.5k

Phase Lvl-6 window

Next spike Spellslinger's Shoes · 14:02

Locke Item Build

Locke is an attack-driven assassin whose hits punish wounded targets harder the lower their health drops. The build blends attack speed, ability power, and on-hit damage so his empowered strikes ramp up quickly and his execute finishes anyone he brings low.

Standard loadout · Locke The consensus path — reliable spikes, no dead time.

Starting items 500g

Doran's Ring×1

Health Potion×2 Core path · click an item for its recipe ›› Boots

Spellslinger's Shoes86% · 50.0%

Chainlaced Crushers14% · 47.6%

Situational items pick an opponent in the bar above — the right swaps light up

vs AP threatsTheir damage is mostly magic — stack magic resist before their second item.B

Banshee's Veil70752.6%

vs stacked resistsWhen resists stack, penetration beats raw stats — swap a damage slot.B

Bloodletter's Curse47051.3%S

Stormsurge3.5k50.0%V

Void Staff82448.7%

vision controlFights are decided a minute earlier by the team that sees first.O

Oracle Lens6.4k51.8%F

Farsight Alteration1.3k47.3%S

Stealth Ward3.1k44.7%

Best Locke Runes

Electrocute suits a champion who wants one loaded burst to land rather than a drawn-out duel. His nail stacks and empowered attack chain into the proc quickly once he commits, so the keystone rewards the exact moment he cashes in. Keep the rest built around landing that first full combo cleanly.

The pre-game page Electrocute · Domination + Resolve · keystone + 5 runes + 3 shards

Domination Primary

ElectrocuteHitting a champion with 3 separate attacks or abilities in 3s deals bonus adaptive damage.

Sudden Impact92% · 49.5%

Sixth Sense47% · 48.0%

Ultimate Hunter40% · 47.5%

Keystone plus three minors from Domination, two from Resolve, then three shards — no runebook, no masteries.

Resolve Secondary

Bone Plating45% · 47.7%

Revitalize46% · 48.1%

Stat shards Offense

Adaptive Force+9 Adaptive Force

Flex

Adaptive Force+9 Adaptive Force

Defense

Health Scaling+10–180 Health (by level)

Shards give +18Adaptive Force+10–180 Health (by level)

Build toward Lich Bane into Shadowflame and treat that item as the line between poking and deleting. You want an early lead here, so punish your winning matchups fast. Shadowflame lands around 20 minutes, and after it his nail stacks cash in for enough to drop targets into ult execute range on their own. Everything before that is setup, so play for the spike and let the resets chain your kills.

Locke Skill Order

Locke's Purgatory unlocks at 6 while Ritual Nails is still mid-max, finishing at 9, and the last ult rank at 16 lands well after Ashen Pursuit has filled 8, 10, 12 and 13. Soul Ignition sits on its level 3 rank right up to 14.

Skill order · Locke R at 6 / 11 / 16 — always

PriorityR

R›Q

Q›E

E›W

WMax Q first; E at level 2.

Lv 123456789101112131415161718

Q14579max 9

W31415max 15

E28101213max 13

R61116max 16

Locke Changes This Patch

Stat & ability changesPatch 26.22

Q Damage per Stack18 / 26 / 34 / 42 / 50 15 / 22 / 29 / 36 / 43Nerf

Locke Abilities

Soul Ignition is the button that keeps him alive through a fight, spending his own health for attack speed and move speed, then refunding a share of the damage he took once it ends. Ashen Pursuit chains a teleport into a dash, letting him blink in and cut through anyone he passes.

Abilities · Lockepatch 26.22 base numbers · click an ability · all ranks shown

Silver StakePassiveP

Ritual NailsMax 1stQ

Soul IgnitionMax lastW

Ashen PursuitMax 2ndE

PurgatoryUltRRank-up levels here match the skill order below.

Ritual NailsMagic damageMax 1stStatLV 1rank 1LV 4rank 2LV 5rank 3LV 7rank 4LV 9MAXDamage+8 per rank+20% APlv 140lv 448lv 556lv 764lv 972Cooldown-1 per ranklv 110slv 49slv 58slv 77slv 96sConstant at every rankCost70same at all ranks

Locke Base Stats

Base stats · LockePatch 26.22

Base statslevel 1 · +per levelAD58+3AS0.688+3.3%MS340Range125HP620+109HP59+0.9Armor32+4.2MR32+2.05MP280+60MP57+0.8

Locke Matchups

Locke wants a target he can grind to the execute threshold, so tanky or heavily-sustained lanes that never dip low blunt his whole payoff. Squishy enemies he can teleport onto and chase down are where his ramping on-hit damage snowballs.

Lane matchups · Locke click any opponent to retune the console

Hardest lanes · click to tune

Best hunting

How to lane vs assassins 01Respect their all in burst spike once they reach level six.02Buy armor or magic resist depending on the assassin damage type.03Stay near allies and vision so they cannot isolate you. Win rate by game lengthLocke overall · all matchupsUnder 20 min57.0%20–28 min49.4%28–35 min46.7%Over 35 min47.5%

Be careful into Katarina, Annie, and Akali, since Locke is fragile while he is still stacking nails and has no burst until he cashes them in. Save the blink to escape there instead of forcing a bad all-in. He pulls ahead against Mel, Azir, and Xerath, who cannot stop the execute once they dip low, so hunt them and ride the reset to the next kill.

ExploreWhere to go next after Locke

Keep climbing · Mid laneMid Lane Tier ListEvery mid laner ranked by tierSee Mid Lane Tier List