How to win lane as Locke against Gnar · 50.88% win rate over 678 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even — both trade with basic pokes and no engage tools online. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Level 2 stays skill-based as mini Gnar's Q return damage offsets your P chip. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 is even — his Hyper (E) kiting matches your E gap-close. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 remain a skill poke war with neither side committing. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 5 into 6 is even until your ult comes online. |
| First item | Locke | At 6 you're favoured — Purgatory (R) executes squishy mini Gnar under the threshold. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | 2+ items returns to skill as Mega Gnar's stun and bulk let him survive your burst. |
Mini Gnar's Boomerang (Q) and Hyper (E) win the poke war early, so farm safe, keep P Silver Stake chip on when you can trade, and don't force E Ashen Pursuit into a full Rage bar. Levels 1-2 are pure skill — match cooldowns and avoid the double-Q return hit.
The full Locke vs Gnar 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? Gnar vs Locke guide →
All Locke top lane matchups →