How to win lane as Diana against Locke · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
A dive mirror where your shield votes — trade three-hit strings behind W and out-sustain the burst exchange.
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 Diana's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Locke.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Both kits need a landed mark before threatening real damage at level 1, a true 50/50 |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Both remain skirmish-dependent through level 2, neither has a passive edge |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 all-in trades hinge on who lands their mark first, not raw kit strength |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 stay even since both scale identically off ability ranks |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Both ultimates are kill-securing tools of comparable strength, race to commit first |
| First item | Even / skill | First item power spikes (grey-health steroid vs shield-orbit) trade roughly evenly |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Both are reset-chain assassins late, outcome is decided by play and picks, not kit |
This is a mirrored skirmisher matchup — both champions need to land a mark before their dash-in does real damage, so poke carefully and don't walk into unmarked range. Whoever forces the other to engage without their mark up wins the trade. Play patient level 1-2 and look for moments when Locke oversteps his minion-wave safety. 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 Diana's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Diana 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 — Diana vs Locke has no Emerald+ win-rate data for this patch; treat it as a skill matchup and play the plan below.
Diana takes Electrocute on the Domination tree with Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos and Ultimate Hunter, and Precision secondary (Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace) vs Locke.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — cuts his sustain. Build Stormsurge / Riftmaker first, then Zhonya's Hourglass, with Mercury's Treads / Sorcerer's.
Playing the other side? Locke vs Diana guide →
All Diana mid lane matchups →
More Diana mid lane matchups: vs Katarina · vs LeBlanc · vs Lissandra · vs Lux · vs Malzahar · vs Mel