Pyke vs Swain
Skill matchup
Build vs Swain
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Pyke: Umbral Glaive, Youmuu's Ghostblade, Edge of Night, Boots of Swiftness, Celestial Opposition, Bloodsong, Serrated Dirk, Voltaic Cyclosword.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Swain's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Swain's ravens collect Soul Fragments that heal him and permanently increase his maximum health.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 20s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 5s | 20s | 12s | 2m |
| 9 | 3s | 19s | 12s | 2m |
| 11 | 3s | 18s | 12s | 2m |
| 16 | 3s | 16s | 11s | 2m |
| 18 | 3s | 16s | 10s | 2m |
Playing as Pyke
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hook from the fog of war
Charge Bone Skewer (Q) from a brush or the fog of war: when held, it pulls the first enemy hit, and refunds mana if it hits a champion.
- Dash through your target
Dash through your target with Phantom Undertow (E): the phantom left behind returns to you and stuns champions in its path.
- Leave their vision to recover
After a trade, get out of their vision: Gift of the Drowned Ones (passive) regenerates the damage champions just dealt you.
- Chain your executions
Cast Death From Below (R) on a target below the threshold: each champion who dies in the X lets you recast it, and your last assisting ally also gets the kill gold.
- Roam camouflaged
Roam or flank with Ghostwater Dive (W): you're camouflaged and gain a lot of move speed, which decays over time.
Playing against Swain
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Dodge Nevermove on its return
Get out of the Nevermove (E) path as it comes back: it only roots on its return to Swain, then he can pull each rooted champion to him.
- Leave the area of his eye
Leave the area as soon as Vision of Empire (W) appears: it strikes and slows 1.5 seconds later, and each champion hit gives him a Soul Fragment.
- Keep your distance during his ult
During Demonic Ascension (R), back off and hit from range if you can: he only drains nearby enemies, and his form ends when he stops draining.
- Cut his healing during his ult
If you have Grievous Wounds, apply it during Demonic Ascension (R): the drain heals him every second, and that healing keeps him alive.
Other Pyke matchups
Patch 16.21.1