Skarner vs Locke Counter Pick

Locke deals physical damage, and Skarner builds armor as a matter of course, 33 at level 1 and 109.5 by level 18. That is the short version of a 59.9% win rate from 284 jungle games on patch 16.13.1, graded Easy by the difficulty model.

The exception written into Locke’s kit is Silver Stake: bonus magic damage on every attack, scaling upward as the target’s health falls. Against a 2,500-health body that is a slow tax rather than a burst threat, but it means a long fight does not automatically favour the tank. Soul Ignition is the more dangerous window: attack speed and movement speed paid for with his own health, healed back at the end of the duration. Interrupting that period is worth more than any amount of chip damage, and Seismic Bastion’s shield and slowing earthquake exist for exactly that.

Reach is close, 150 against 125, and the starting bodies are similar, 630 health to 655, though Locke pulls ahead at level 18 with 2,508 to Skarner’s 2,500 while sitting on 103.4 armor. His escape tools are the real problem: Ashen Pursuit teleports before dashing to a target, and Purgatory can execute. Impale ignores both once it connects, dragging him wherever Skarner walks, and Threads of Vibration adds maximum-health magic damage his armor does not reduce. Both are rated 5 for difficulty and both use mana. Champion pages: Skarner and Locke.