League Of Legends: How To Counter Pyke
"League of Legends" has had quite a stunning transformation since it was first released back in 2009. One thing that's changed drastically is the number of Champions to choose from. The incredibly popular MOBA has over 140 Champions, a huge increase from the original 40 that existed in the first year (via EBT).With so many options, it can be difficult to know how to pick the best Champion to counter some of the more oppressive characters.
For Support players, one of those oppressive picks is Pyke. The assassin-esque Support champ from Bilgewater can dominate the bottom lane by going invisible, yanking enemies around, stunning opponents, and dishing out massive damage. He's especially impactful against lower-range ADCs, like Nilah.
In general, countering Pyke means playing a Support who has shields to deal with Pyke's bursts of damage. This can be anyone who has shields in their kit or who can build them with good synergy. However, there are many Support Champions in "League of Legends" that fit this description, and some are much better at countering Pyke than others. In fact, two Champions stand out against the Bilgewater Support.
Taric and Blitzcrank are great counters to Pyke
Two of Pyke's best counters are Blitzcrank and Taric. Both of these picks can build incredibly tanky and should do so to keep Pyke from melting them down while protecting their ADC.
Blitzcrank can be incredibly strong because of his Rocket Grab ability. He can use this to grab Pyke when Pyke is trying to engage or pops out of his invisibility. Blitzcrank's grab also interrupts Pyke's abilities if he's in the middle of casting them, which can be frustrating for Pyke as he can't chain his abilities when he's pulled. Blitzcrank's other forms of CC are also helpful against Pyke and give the ADC plenty of time to destroy Pyke's health bar.
Taric is another great Support pick against Pyke because of the massive shield, healing, and invulnerability he can give his ADC. One way to counter Pyke is through items, but that takes resources away from the ADC that could go towards damage (which should normally be the ADC's main focus in items). Taric's abilities essentially ensure that Pyke isn't able to steamroll the ADC.
Another option for countering Pyke is playing a Support who can deal massive amounts of damage quickly, like Zyra. Pyke's passive ability makes it so that he can't gain more health from items, so a more offensive way to stop him in his tracks is to make sure he's looking at a gray screen most of the game.
Focus on items that shield
As an assassin-type Support, there's not much wiggle room in Pyke's build. This makes it much easier to buy items to counter him.
One of the most important Support items to build is Locket of the Iron Solari. This is a mythic item that costs 2500 gold, and while the stats it gives are great, the active ability of the item shines against Pyke. When activated, the item will give the user and all allies within range a pretty massive shield that decays over time. This is incredibly useful against Pyke's burst damage, and even the passive ability of the item is great as it gives allies extra armor if they're near the user.
For those who are looking to counter Pyke by dishing out damage, other mythic items may be more helpful. An example of this in the Support role would be Evenshroud. The item gives the same stat bonuses as the Locket of the Iron Solari, but instead of the massive shield, it makes the enemy take 10% increased damage. The only catch with Evenshroud is that enemies only take the reduced damage after they're been immobilized or grounded, so the Champion being played has to have a stun, root, or other similar ability for its passive ability to activate.