How to win lane as Illaoi against Locke · 49.5% win rate over 499 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even — no tentacles planted yet, so it is basic-attack trades on level footing. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 stays skill — your W trades sustain you through his passive chip. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 is even: tentacle-backed trades offset his E gap-close — he jumps in, the tentacles answer. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 stay a skill war that revolves around him dodging Test of Spirit — land it and you win the stage, miss and it is neutral. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 holds even — the standoff persists while his execute setup is not yet fully online. |
| First item | Locke | First item is Locke's — his E escapes your Leap of Faith and Purgatory executes you afterward, so never burn R without his dash accounted for. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | 2+ items returns to skill — inside your R field the stationary brawl is yours; the fight is decided by whether he is forced to take it. |
The lane opens honest: no tentacles, no edge. Your job is terraforming — plant tentacles behind the wave, sustain his chip with W trades, and by level 3 every exchange on your terrain leans your way. Levels 4-5 revolve around one skillshot: land Test of Spirit and the stage is yours; miss it and you are both just farming politely.
The full Illaoi 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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Playing the other side? Locke vs Illaoi guide →
All Illaoi top lane matchups →