Skarner vs Locke Counter Pick

Locke is a physical damage champion, while Skarner stacks armor from the start: 33 at level 1, rising to 109.5 by level 18. Those numbers sit behind a 59.9% win rate across 284 jungle games on patch 16.13.1, and the difficulty model rates him Easy.

Locke’s kit has one notable twist in Silver Stake, which adds bonus magic damage to each attack and grows stronger as the target loses health. Against a 2,500-health target this works as a steady drain rather than a burst threat, though it means a prolonged brawl won’t simply belong to the tank. Soul Ignition is the bigger concern: it boosts attack speed and movement speed at the cost of his own health, which he recovers when the effect ends. Breaking up that window matters more than any chip damage, and Seismic Bastion, with its shield and slowing earthquake, is built for that job.

Skarner has the edge in range, 150 to 125, and the two start with similar health pools, 630 and 655. Locke overtakes by level 18, reaching 2,508 health to Skarner’s 2,500 and holding 103.4 armor. Locke’s mobility is what makes him difficult to pin down: Ashen Pursuit teleports him ahead of a dash onto a target, and Purgatory can finish off a low-health enemy. Once Impale lands, it negates both of those tricks and pulls him toward wherever Skarner moves. Threads of Vibration deals magic damage based on maximum health that armor doesn’t mitigate. Both abilities are rated 5 for difficulty and both cost mana. Champion pages: Skarner and Locke.