Locke vs Teemo
You are stronger early. Look to snowball before your opponent scales.
Build vs Teemo
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Locke: Lich Bane, Shadowflame, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Stormsurge, Dark Seal, Banshee's Veil.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Teemo's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
If Teemo stands still and takes no actions for a short duration, he becomes Invisible indefinitely. If he's in brush, Teemo can enter and maintain his Invisibility while moving. After leaving Invisibility, Teemo gains the Element of Surprise, increasing his Attack Speed for a few seconds.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 14s | 0s | – |
| 6 | 7s | 14s | 0s | 0.25s |
| 9 | 7s | 14s | 0s | 0.25s |
| 11 | 7s | 14s | 0s | 0.25s |
| 16 | 7s | 14s | 0s | 0.25s |
| 18 | 7s | 14s | 0s | 0.25s |
Playing as Locke
Tips to maximize your impact
- Nails first, then Pursuit
Cast Ritual Nails (Q) before Ashen Pursuit (E): your hits consume the nails stuck in the target, and each extra nail adds damage.
- Finish them with autos
Finish off wounded targets with autos: Silver Stake (passive) adds magic damage that grows with their missing health.
- Activate W as the trade starts
Activate Soul Ignition (W) at the start of a trade: it costs you health, but at the end, you heal back part of the last damage taken, plus more based on your missing health.
- Save E for a kill or a gank
Save Ashen Pursuit (E) for a sure kill or to escape a gank: it's your only instant movement, it has a 10-second cooldown, and only a takedown resets it.
- Save Purgatory to finish
Save Purgatory (R) to finish: it seals marked enemies below a health threshold, and when you pick up the artifact, each sealed champion raises that threshold for good.
Playing against Teemo
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Only close in for a real trade
Only get close to him to start a real trade: each Teemo auto poisons you with Toxic Shot (E), and the poison keeps ticking while you back off.
- Trade after his dart
If you rely on autos, start your trade right after Blinding Dart (Q): he has nothing left to blind you with during its 7-second cooldown.
- Reveal his mushrooms
Before a dragon or Baron, move in with an Oracle Lens or a Control Ward: they reveal the Noxious Trap (R) mushrooms, which otherwise stay stealthed for minutes.
- Call your jungler when he steps up
Ask for a gank when he steps up in your lane: Teemo has no dash, and only the Move Quick (W) sprint helps him escape.
Other Locke matchups
Patch 16.21.1