Qiyana vs Locke Counter Pick

Terrashape ties Qiyana’s damage to the ground beneath her, and the jungle offers walls, brush and water in constant supply — a quieter advantage than any burst figure, and one reason the 58.0% she posts over 855 games on patch 16.13.1 holds up as an Easy rating.

Locke wants a target that is already wounded. Silver Stake adds on-hit magic damage scaling with missing health, Purgatory can execute what it binds, and Soul Ignition buys attack speed and move speed by damaging him first, returning only part of that health at the end. Against an assassin who front-loads through Royal Privilege on the opening hit and follows with a stun from Supreme Display of Talent, the self-inflicted cost is dangerous: he pays health for a window in which she can simply kill him.

Neither side holds much reach, at 150 against 125, so the clash turns on who commits second. Ashen Pursuit teleports him before the dash and gives away the angle, whereas Audacity moves straight onto a target. Locke is sturdier on paper with 655 base health against her 590 and 2,508 at level 18, but his physical damage meets her 32 magic resist while her magic damage meets his 32, so burst order matters more than resistances. His 340 move speed beats her 335 by a slim margin that only shows up in a chase.