- Win Rate
- 51.2%
- Pick Rate
- 2.7%
- Ban Rate
- 20.5%
Locke How to Play: Tips & Power Spikes
- Patch
- 26.19
- Games
- 2,478
- Lane
- Mid
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 5, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
How to play Locke in Patch 26.19, built from ranked games: power spikes, the lane plan, how leads convert, and the habits that separate Locke wins from losses.
- Max order
- Q > E > W
- First item
- Lich Bane11.2 min
- Gold vs lane at 15
- +235
- Win rate 1k gold ahead
- 66.5%
- Win rate 1k gold behind
- 26.0%
Locke Power Spikes (Patch 26.19)
MidWhen Locke Mid gets stronger, in the order it happens in a typical ranked game: ability unlocks from the most common skill order, item spikes at the median minute players finish them, and the game length Locke wins most.
- Lv 3All three basic abilities at level 3Locke's full combo is online — the first point where trading all-in is realistic.
- Lv 6Ultimate rank 1 at level 6The biggest early spike: look for a kill or a roam as soon as Locke hits it.
- Lv 11Ultimate rank 2 at level 11Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Locke can start or win.
- Lv 16Ultimate rank 3 at level 16Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Locke can start or win.
- 11.2 minFirst item at 11.2 min
Lich Bane is done — Locke's first real damage or durability spike. - 19.8 minTwo items at 19.8 min
Lich Bane + Shadowflame: the window to group and take objectives. - 20 minStrongest in games of about 20 minutesLocke wins 57.6% of games that end around this point.
- 20.3 minThree-item core at 20.3 min
Lich Bane + Shadowflame + Mejai's Soulstealer completes Locke's core build.
Item timings are medians: half of players finish later. Fall behind in farm and every item spike moves back with it.
Locke Mid Laning Plan
Locke is a lane bully: trade early and often, push the advantage, and turn the gold lead into the first item spike. On average Locke Mid is 235 gold ahead of the lane opponent at 15 minutes and ahead in 55% of games. A 1,000-gold lead at 15 turns into a 67% win rate; a 1,000-gold deficit leaves 26%. Locke averages 1.31 solo kills by 15 minutes.
Locke Mid and Late Game
What Locke does better or worse than other champions after laning, from this patch's ranked games — percentiles where 100 is the highest of every champion.
Play to these strengths
- Locke heals a lot (percentile 76): extended fights and sieges favor Locke.
- Locke wins 2.1 points more in short games than long ones: group, take objectives and end before the enemy scales.
These expert Locke tips are generated by MetaBot's advanced analysis of thousands of Locke games. Learn the best strategies, ability combos, and gameplay tactics to master Locke and climb the ranked ladder. Follow these tips to maximize your Locke performance.
- Locke has less crowd control than most champions. This can make locking down kills or ganking for other players more difficult.
- Locke has less damage per game than most other damage-based champions. Your value to the team may be better oriented towards crowd control or securing objectives.
- Locke has a high rate of healing compared to other champions. They may be good at exchanging hit trades in lane or before teamfights since they can recover through self-healing.
- Locke has a much higher early late game win rate than their late game win rate. Take advantage of this by playing aggressive early on and trying to snowball through kills.
- Locke has more health regen than most champions, making their playstyle optimal for aggressive trades in lane.
Help us maintain accuracy! If you notice incorrect stats, missing data, or any issues, your feedback directly improves the quality of our data for the entire community.
How to Play Locke FAQ - Patch 26.19
When does Locke power spike?
Locke's spikes in a typical ranked game: All three basic abilities at level 3; Ultimate rank 1 at level 6; Ultimate rank 2 at level 11; Ultimate rank 3 at level 16; First item at 11.2 min.
Can Locke come back from behind?
Locke wins 33% of games when behind in gold at 15 minutes (over 2,465 games), against 61% when ahead — so a lost lane costs Locke games, but it is not decisive.
What is Locke's first item?
Most Locke players finish Lich Bane first, at a median of 11.2 minutes.
Which lanes are hardest for Locke?
By gold at 15 minutes, Locke falls furthest behind against Irelia, Diana, LeBlanc. Play those lanes safe and scale.
How do you play Locke Mid?
From this patch's ranked data, Locke wins by playing to these strengths: take long fights and sieges; end the game early.