How to win lane as Naafiri against Locke · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
An assassin duel where you brought backup — even strings favor the side with six health bars.
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 Naafiri's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Locke.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | No sample exists on this opponent, so level 1 is a pure skill read. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 favour is even because neither kit has a known tempo edge here. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | At level 3 both of you hit a small power spike, keeping it a coinflip. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 stay even as trades depend on execution, not matchup. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Even at six your R and their unknown answer cancel out to a skill check. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item leaves favour even since the lane pattern isn't matchup-defined. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Two items in, the outcome rides on fight execution, not any lane edge. |
Levels 1-2 are a genuine unknown, so default to fundamentals: last-hit with Q, keep packmates alive, and don't throw the first trade until you've seen what spell they lead with. 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 Naafiri's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Naafiri 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 — Naafiri 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 Naafiri vs Locke is a skill check.
Naafiri takes Electrocute on the Domination tree with Sudden Impact, Grisly Mementos and Relentless Hunter, and Precision secondary (Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace) vs Locke.
Start Doran's Blade + Health Potion and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his sustain. Build Eclipse / Profane Hydra first, then Serylda's path, with Mercury's Treads / Lucidity.
Playing the other side? Locke vs Naafiri guide →
All Naafiri mid lane matchups →
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