Zaahen vs Locke Counter Pick

Both champions hit with physical damage, so the trade becomes a pure armor contest, and Zaahen comes out ahead. At level 1 he has 36 armor, climbing to 121 by level 18, while Locke begins at 32 and ends at 103.4. Once a game drags on, health shows the same split: Zaahen goes from 640 to 2,578, Locke from 655 to 2,508. Across 365 games on patch 16.13.1, Zaahen wins 55.9%.

Locke’s real danger is the burst he builds on a marked target. Ritual Nails applies marks and lets him cash them in for extra attack damage, Silver Stake deals on-hit magic damage that rises the more health a target has lost, and Purgatory can finish a champion off. Against that kind of setup, sustain is more useful than resistances. The Darkin Glaive restores health on its double slash, and Grim Deliverance gives back part of the damage it inflicts, so the health the mark combo takes can be recovered mid-fight. Soul Ignition trades Locke’s health for attack and move speed and returns only some of it when the duration ends, and that is the moment Dreaded Return should drag him back in. Zaahen also has the edge on reach, 175 to 125, and on move speed, 345 against 340. Locke rates 5 on difficulty to Zaahen’s 2, so the marks, the Ashen Pursuit teleport and the self-damage timing all need precise sequencing before he can seriously threaten a fighter sitting on 2,578 health. Locke’s full ability breakdown is on his Locke entry.