Kayn vs Locke Counter Pick

With 2,362 games behind it on patch 16.13.1, this is a well-populated sample, and 57.1% in Kayn’s favour is wide enough to read as a real edge rather than noise. Locke is an assassin-mage dealing physical damage from 125 range, which places both champions in the same close-quarters bracket, and there the raw statistics separate them.

• Armour: 38 at level one and 114.5 at level 18, against Locke’s 32 and 103.4.
• Attack damage: 68 to 58 at level one, with both champions moving at 340.
• Health at level 18 is where Locke draws ahead, 2,508 to 2,406, though Soul Ignition charges him health for its attack speed and move speed before returning a portion.

Locke’s threat is conditional. Silver Stake adds magic damage on hit that grows with the target’s missing health, Ritual Nails mark enemies so his attacks hit harder, and Purgatory can execute, so the kit punishes an opponent who is already low rather than one entering at full health. Kayn decides when that happens: Shadow Step crosses terrain for an unexpected angle, and Umbral Trespass strikes from inside the target instead of arriving through Ashen Pursuit, which teleports Locke before dashing to his next victim. Both champions deal physical damage, so armour is the column that settles trades, and Kayn leads it at level one and at level 18. Difficulty ratings read 5 and 8.