How to win lane as Zaahen against Locke · 50.7% win rate over 412 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Level 1 is even farm - his nails sting but nothing forces a real trade yet. |
| Level 2 | Locke | Level 2 is his: Q Ritual Nails poke and on-hit stakes tax you before your combo is assembled. |
| Level 3 | Locke | Level 3 stays his - layered marks into W Soul Ignition burst while his E resets deny your answer. |
| Levels 4-5 | Zaahen | At 4-5 you spike: Q Darkin Glaive poke and E Golden Onslaught burst punish his short range and thin frame. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 is even - your R Final Retribution lockdown against his R Purgatory totem comes down to who commits first. |
| First item | Zaahen | On your first bruiser item W Ominous Return drain and your sustained rotation out-last his single burst window. |
| Two+ items | Even / skill | Late settles to skill - your rotation wins straight duels, but his growing execute threshold deletes any over-extension. |
Level 1 is even farming - his nails sting but nothing forces a trade. Levels 2-3 are his: Q Ritual Nails marks plus on-hit stakes bleed you before your kit assembles, and his E Ashen Pursuit resets slide out of the early E Golden Onslaught you try to answer with - farm with glaive from range and stay above half.
The full Zaahen 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 Zaahen guide →
All Zaahen top lane matchups →