How to win lane as Karma against Locke · 51.05% win rate over 1,710 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even: your Q poke trades into his farm, but neither side dominates the exchange. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 stays a skillshot duel around your Inner Flame — land it and you win the trade, miss it and you do not. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 stays even because your E shield offsets the dash he just unlocked. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 hinge on Mantra-cooldown play — poke when it is up, respect him when it is down; no clear edge either way. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 stays even as your fresh shields answer his first Purgatory attempt. |
| First item | Locke | At first item his R Purgatory execute beats your non-CC ult and fragile body — his one true window. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Late reverts to skill: your enchanter shields and speed peel his all-in. |
Trade Inner Flame into his last-hits from max range — levels 1 and 2 are an even skillshot duel neither of you should force. When his dash arrives at 3, keep E ready to shield and disengage; through 4-5 the lane hinges on who plays their Mantra windows better, so poke when it is up and back off when it is down.
The full Karma 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 Karma guide →
All Karma top lane matchups →
Also played in: Mid Lane