Yorick vs Swain — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Yorick against Swain · 53.18% win rate over 1,053 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Winnable despite the lane — Swain owns 4 of the 7 game windows, yet the win rate favours Yorick: survive their windows and the game is yours. Yorick wins 53.18% of games vs Swain in top lane (1,053 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1SwainSwain wins level 1 because Q Death's Hand out-ranges and out-pokes your kit.
Level 2SwainSwain wins level 2 as W Vision of Empire adds zone-poke you can't answer.
Level 3Even / skillLevel 3 is even once your ghoul pack lets you contest CS and trades.
Levels 4-5Even / skillLevels 4-5 are even if you body-block E Nevermove and dodge his poke.
Level 6Even / skillLevel 6 favors Swain because R Demonic Ascension out-heals your all-in DPS.
First itemSwainSwain wins first item as E-root into R is a full combo that out-sustains you.
Two+ itemsSwainSwain wins 2+ items because his drain-tank frontline beats a straight duel.

Early game (levels 1–5)

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.

Read the rest of this matchup

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.

Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →

🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.

Related guides

Playing the other side? Swain vs Yorick guide →
All Yorick top lane matchups →