Vi vs Locke Counter Pick

Across 1,433 logged games on patch 16.13.1, the matchup favors Vi with a 58.8% win rate, a sample large enough to trust. The two share 125 attack range, 655 starting health, physical damage, and 340 movement speed, so the edges that settle it are small and specific.

Locke plays on timing windows. Soul Ignition boosts his attack and movement speed while it deals damage to him, and it restores part of that damage as healing only once the duration expires. Silver Stake adds on-hit magic damage that grows with the target’s missing health. Both get stronger the longer a fight drags on. Cease and Desist works the other way: it pins one target instantly and shoves aside anyone in the path, cutting out the buildup that Locke depends on.

Denting Blows strips armor and adds attack speed. His 103.4 armor at level 18 sits below her 109.9, so in a physical trade the advantage drifts toward Vi as items come online. Blast Shield charges passively and activates on any ability hit, absorbing a portion of the self-damage he takes to build charge. His escape tools are Ashen Pursuit, a teleport into a dash, and Purgatory, which can execute outright, so a hurt Enforcer cannot simply retreat from a fight she is winning. Both use mana, and his 58 base attack damage is lower than her 63. Difficulty ratings read 5 against 4.