Pyke is the only assassin in the support role. His kit is designed around hooking, stunning, and executing — and his R grants full kill gold to both him and his assisting ally, making him the ultimate snowball machine. Play him to roam, stack executes, and delete squishies.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Gift of the Drowned Ones
Passive
When Pyke is hidden from enemies, he regenerates damage that he has recently taken from champions. Pyke also cannot gain extra Maximum Health from any source, and instead gains Bonus AD.
Bone Skewer bonus damage converts excess HP into bonus AD — full lethality build maximizes this. Don't build HP items.
Q
Bone Skewer
Skillshot · Hook · Slow
Pyke either stabs an enemy in front of him or pulls an enemy towards him.
CD: 10/9.5/9/8.5/8 · Cost: 70/75/80/85/90
Tap Q is a fast close-range pull. Hold Q to throw at max range. Use tap Q in close-range engages, hold Q for long-range hooks.
W
Ghostwater Dive
Stealth · Speed · Regen
Pyke enters Camouflage and gains significant Move Speed that decays over time.
CD: 14/13/12/11/10 · Cost: 65
W regen only works while stationary and out of combat. Use it to heal before engaging, not during fights.
E
Phantom Undertow
Dash · Stun · Line
Pyke dashes and leaves behind a phantom that will return to him, stunning enemy champions along its path.
CD: 15/14/13/12/11 · Cost: 40
E stun hits everyone in the line — position so your E hits both the ADC and support. The dash distance can be used as a gap closer.
R
Death From Below
Execute · Reset · Gold Share
Pyke blinks to and executes low health enemies, allowing him to cast this spell again and granting additional gold to an ally who assists.
CD: 100/85/70 · Cost: 100
The X marks where R lands — learn to read the X on enemies to know if they're in execute range. Gold goes to the last ally who damaged them.
Skill Leveling Order — Max E first, then Q, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q — hook for level 1 CC | ||||
| 2 | E — stun for all-in combo | ||||
| 3 | W — stealth and regen online | ||||
| 4 | Level E | ||||
| 5 | Level E | ||||
| 6 | R — Death from Below unlocked | ||||
| 7 | Level E | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 14 | Start leveling W | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Spellthief's Edge
Gold generation through poke — works with your Q harass on the enemy support.
400g
Refillable Potion
Sustain during the aggressive early laning phase.
150g
Core Build
Boots of Swiftness
Movement speed is everything for Pyke — roam faster, chase better, escape easier.
900g
Serpent's Fang
Shield reduction destroys any enchanter protecting their carry from your executes.
2600g
Edge of Night
Lethality + spellshield lets you safely walk up for your engage combo.
2900g
Ghostblade
Movement speed active for chasing and more lethality for harder executes.
2800g
Situational
Lethality Item
Stack more lethality to lower the execute threshold of R.
3000g
Guardian Angel
Second life for risky deep flanks and all-ins.
3200g
Shadowflame
Magic pen for the magic damage component of your kit.
3000g
Never build HP items — your passive converts excess HP into AD. Every HP item is a wasted stat. Full lethality only.
Roam-Focused
Boots of Swiftness
Fastest roam speed in the game — essential for Pyke's playstyle.
900g
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
Alternative boots for more CDR and more frequent R resets.
950g
Edge of Night
Safe engage with spellshield, lethality for damage.
2900g
Serpent's Fang
Anti-shield is mandatory against any enchanter support.
2600g
After completing Spellthief's, roam constantly. Every minute in botlane is a wasted roam opportunity.
Runes
Inspiration Primary
Glacial Augment
Slows after your Q hook makes it nearly impossible for hooked targets to escape your full combo.
Magical Footwear
Free fast boots — more gold for lethality items, and you get them at 12 minutes.
Biscuit Delivery
Mana sustain so you can harass frequently in lane without going OOM.
Cosmic Insight
CDR on summoners and items — more frequent Flash and Ignite for all-ins.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on R kill resets — keeps you alive through multi-kill execute chains.
Legend: Alacrity
Attack speed for auto-weaving in combos and AA-based damage during fights.
Shards
Ability Haste · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Pyke
01
Early Game
Hook, Combo, Execute, Roam
- Hook the enemy support on cooldown — they take more damage than the ADC and die faster.
- The full combo is: Q hook → E dash through target (stun) → R if they're in execute range → repeat.
- Use W to regenerate HP out of combat between engagements. Don't use W during fights.
- If you get a kill, immediately roam mid while your ADC freezes the wave.
- Level 6 is your first major spike — R resets let you execute multiple targets in one fight.
02
Mid Game
Roam Every Wave to Stack R Kills
- Leave botlane the moment you've secured a kill or advantageous trade.
- W through jungle to roam unseen — enemies won't see you coming from fog of war.
- Look for R kills on low-HP targets in midlane skirmishes. Each R kill gives your ally full gold.
- Track the enemy jungler and attempt to intercept them with Q hook in the river.
- Buy Serpent's Fang if the enemy has any enchanter — you hard-counter them with it.
03
Late Game
Flank and Chain Execute Carries
- In teamfights, flank from fog of war. Never engage from the front as a support assassin.
- Chain R resets — if you kill one carry with R, immediately find the next R target.
- Your entire team benefits from R kill gold — this scales your whole roster, not just you.
- Prioritize their ADC and mid laner as R execute targets. Never waste R on tanks.
- E stun can hit multiple targets in a line — drag combos through clusters for multi-stuns.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Pyke
Pyke teamfights from the shadows. You don't frontline — you flank, execute whoever is low, and chain R resets to delete multiple targets. Your E stun can hit the whole enemy team if they're clumped.
1
Pre-Fight — Find the Flank
Before engage
01
Position in fog of war before the fight starts — never approach from the front.
02
Track low-HP enemies — identify who will be in R execute range once the fight starts.
03
Check W HP — make sure you've regenerated before committing.
Never start a teamfight as Pyke. Let your team engage first, then flank and pick off weakened targets. You are not a tank.
2
Engage — Q Hook into E Stun
Fight opening
01
Q hook the carry — pull them out of position and toward your team.
02
E dash through them immediately — stun them in place.
03
R if they're in execute range — the X marker tells you. If not, auto-attack to lower their HP.
04
Reset R and chain to the next target immediately after.
3
Chain Executes — Clean Up
Mid-fight
01
Chain R resets — each kill resets R and gives gold. Never stop pressing R.
02
E stun retreating enemies — line up your dash to hit multiple targets fleeing.
03
Use W to escape if you're being collapsed on — regenerate and re-engage.
The ally who last-hit the target before your R also gets full kill gold. Coordinate with your ADC — let them damage the target last before you R for maximum gold generation.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Pyke.
Basic
Read the X Marker
R only executes when the X appears on an enemy — this means they're below the execute threshold. Learn what HP percentage triggers the X for each item level so you don't waste R on targets who survive.
Basic
Never Build HP
Your passive converts excess HP into bonus AD. HP items give you nothing. Every gold spent on HP is wasted — stack lethality exclusively.
Intermediate
Tap vs Hold Q
Tap Q pulls enemies at close range — faster cast time. Hold Q throws the full-range hook. Use tap Q after E-stun for close-range burst, hold Q for long-range catch attempts.
Intermediate
W Stealth Regen Timing
W only regens HP when you stand still and are not in combat. After a trade, walk behind a minion wave, activate W, stand still for 2-3 seconds, then re-engage at full health.
Intermediate
E Stun Line-Up
E hits everyone in a straight line behind where you dash through. Position so your E passes through both the support and ADC simultaneously — double stun wins the lane instantly.
Advanced
R Gold Sharing Optimization
Make sure the ally who will get R kill gold is the one who needs it most. If your mid laner is behind, group with them before using R so they get the gold bounty instead of your ADC.
Advanced
Roam Windows
Roam immediately after: (1) getting a kill in botlane, (2) backing with Spellthief's fully stacked, (3) wave crashing. Never roam with a slow push — freeze the wave first, then leave.
Basic
Ignite + R Execute Combo
Ignite lowers the R execute threshold by reducing HP. Land Ignite first to bring targets into R execute range faster. Essential for killing tanky ADCs.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Pyke struggles against tanky champions who can't be executed and shields that prevent his burst. He excels against squishy, immobile supports and ADCs.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Lulu's Whimsy polymorph stops your combo entirely and her Ult prevents your R execute by making targets too large and high-HP. Her shields keep targets alive above your R threshold.
All-in before Lulu can react with Whimsy. Hook the ADC when Lulu's abilities are on cooldown.
Black Shield absorbs your E stun and Q is blockable. Without your CC chain, your damage is too low to execute anyone.
Bait Black Shield with a fake approach, then Q hook when it's on cooldown. Never engage into an active Black Shield.
Thresh outranges your Q hook and his Flay knocks you away mid-combo. He also builds health stacks making targets tanky enough to avoid your R execute threshold.
Dodge Thresh Q before engaging. His hook animation is telegraphed — sidestep it and immediately counter-hook.
Wins Against
Soraka has no CC to stop your combo and is squishy enough to be executed easily. Her healing can't keep the ADC alive through your burst.
Always target Soraka first with your combo — dead Soraka means the ADC gets no heals.
Sona is the squishiest support in the game with no reliable escape. One full combo kills her from near-full HP at most levels.
Hook Sona out of her power chord range. She needs to auto you to deal meaningful damage — deny her that.
Kill the ADC and Yuumi becomes a free kill with no mobility or defenses. Yuumi attached to her host can't dodge your hook.
Focus entirely on the ADC. Once dead, Yuumi is helpless and you can R her for an easy reset.