How to win lane as Locke against Swain · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
A stationary spell-battery vs a blink with an execute — survive the poke tax pre-6, then every low-HP recall becomes a Purgatory receipt.
Track: Swain's R — Demonic Ascension (120s cooldown). His drain mode — disengage and reset the fight when it starts.
Read from Locke's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Swain.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Locke | You win level 1 against a fully immobile champion who needs a dodgeable root. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | At level 2 his slow E telegraph lets you trade and step out freely. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 gives him his combo but every trade still starts on a root you can dodge. |
| Levels 4-5 | Locke | Through levels 4-5 his immobility keeps his lane pressure below yours. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | At 6 his R only helps in melee range, so at your range you stay favoured. |
| First item | Locke | After first item you outpace his scaling and pick him before he tanks up. |
| Two+ items | Locke | With two-plus items you kite his engage range and deny the pull he lives on. |
You beat Swain at every level because he is completely immobile and can only start a trade off a landed E root, which is slow and dodgeable. Respect the root, keep moving laterally, and poke him freely whenever his E is down. Swain is immobile and slow, relying on his W (Vision of Empire) landing and E (Nevermove) root to start a trade; sidestep the telegraphed E and he can't touch you, and every missed root is a free punish window.
The full Locke vs Swain 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 — Locke vs Swain has no Emerald+ win-rate data for this patch; Locke's plan below claims 4 of the 7 stage windows, so Locke sets the tempo.
Not exactly — Locke's plan claims 4 of the 7 stage windows, so Locke sets the lane's tempo.
Locke runs Electrocute · Sudden Impact · Sixth Sense · Ultimate Hunter · Bone Plating · Revitalize vs Swain.
Start Doran's Ring + 2 Health Potions and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — cut the sustain before the execute war. Build Lich Bane first, then Shadowflame / Mejai's (if sealing), with Mercury's Treads / Sorcerer's Shoes.
Playing the other side? Swain vs Locke guide →
All Locke mid lane matchups →
More Locke mid lane matchups: vs Pantheon · vs Qiyana · vs Ryze · vs Sylas · vs Syndra · vs Taliyah
Also played in: Top Lane