How to win lane as Ahri against Locke · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
You are the assassin-proof mage — charm beats the engage, R beats the reset, and your poke wins everything between.
Track: Locke's Q — Ritual Nails (10–6s cooldown). The nail marks are his whole engine — without 2-3 stacks on you his blink-in barely dents; sidestep the recasts and punish the ten seconds of nothing.
Read from Ahri's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Locke.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | No matchup data exists yet, so early trades are decided by fundamentals and information gathering rather than a known kit edge. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Still an even, skill-based matchup absent specific data on the opposing kit. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Same uncertainty continues — treat this as a fair fight decided by execution. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | No clear advantage either way heading into the level 4-5 power spikes. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Ultimates arrive for both sides with no known asymmetry, keeping the all-in fight even. |
| First item | Even / skill | First items complete for both champions without a known edge, so it remains a skill matchup. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Late-game teamfight value is unproven for this opponent, so treat it as an even, fundamentals-driven fight. |
There isn't enough matchup data on Locke to call a clear early-game favorite, so play this as a standard skill matchup — trade when you have wave state and cooldown advantage, and avoid committing Charm until you understand their engage pattern. Track Locke Ritual Nails (Marks): matchup-defining — The nail marks are his whole engine — without 2-3 stacks on you his blink-in barely dents; sidestep the recasts and punish the ten seconds of nothing. Track it before every step-up.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Ahri's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Ahri vs Locke report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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No sample yet — Ahri vs Locke has no Emerald+ win-rate data for this patch; treat it as a skill matchup and play the plan below.
Yes — every one of the 7 stage windows in Ahri vs Locke is a skill check.
Ahri takes Electrocute on the Domination tree with Cheap Shot, Grisly Mementos and Ultimate Hunter, and Sorcery secondary (Manaflow Band and Transcendence) vs Locke.
Start Doran's Ring + 2 Health Potions and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — cuts his sustain. Build Malignance first, then Shadowflame, with Sorcerer's Shoes / Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Locke vs Ahri guide →
All Ahri mid lane matchups →
More Ahri mid lane matchups: vs Katarina · vs LeBlanc · vs Lissandra · vs Lux · vs Malzahar · vs Mel