How to win lane as Locke against Swain · 50.8% win rate over 628 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Skill: level 1 is even — his Q poke against your on-hit trades. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Skill: at 2 the lane hinges on whether his E lands, not raw stats. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Skill: level 3 stays even around his root cooldown. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Skill: through 4-5 dodging E keeps the trades a coin-flip. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Skill: at 6 his R heal offsets your fresh ult in a drawn-out fight. |
| First item | Locke | Locke-favoured: R (Purgatory) executes him through his R drain before it stabilises. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Skill: with items his drain-tank scaling neutralises your single-target burst. |
Skill lane early — Swain's main threat is E (Nevermove), a delayed root that sets up his Q (Death's Hand) barrage, so bait or dodge it with your E (Ashen Pursuit) blink. When his root and W are down he's exposed; step in for Q (Ritual Nails) marks and Silver Stake on-hits.
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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Playing the other side? Swain vs Locke guide →
All Locke top lane matchups →
Also played in: Mid Lane