How to win lane as Yorick against Swain · 53.18% win rate (1,053 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
His drain out-sustains your swarm — build MR, dodge his E, anti-heal.
Track: Swain's R — Demonic Ascension (120s cooldown). His drain. Don’t fight into it.
Read from Yorick's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Swain.
This is Yorick's own plan; across 1,053 pooled games the lane is leaning Yorick.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Death's Hand out-ranges you at 750, but level 1 he has one spell and no root. |
| Level 2 | Swain | Swain wins level 2 as W Vision of Empire adds zone-poke you can't answer. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 is even once your ghoul pack lets you contest CS and trades. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Levels 4-5 are even if you body-block E Nevermove and dodge his poke. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Demonic Ascension is 120s and drains — Grievous Wounds is what makes six even. |
| First item | Swain | Swain wins first item as E-root into R is a full combo that out-sustains you. |
| Two+ items | Yorick | Two items in, Maiden and the pack take towers he cannot leave a fight to hold. |
Swain starts ahead: his Q Death's Hand and W Vision of Empire out-range your E Mourning Mist, so he pokes you off CS before your ghouls can pressure him at all in levels 1-2.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Yorick's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Yorick 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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Yorick, slightly — a 53.18% win rate edge over 1,053 games; execution can flip it.
Mostly — Yorick has a small statistical edge (53.18% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
Not a hard counter — Yorick has a slight edge (53.18% win rate), and play quality decides the rest.
Yorick takes Press the Attack on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Bone Plating) vs Swain.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion (vs his poke) and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Trinity Force (the all-purpose spike) first, then Hullbreaker, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Swain vs Yorick guide →
All Yorick top lane matchups →
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