Pyke Counter Picks

  I've noticed that a lot of new players—and even most support mains—get super scared and have a miserable time when they see a Pyke (speaking from experience lol). So I decided to write down some counters.

First, let's get one thing straight: Pyke has the worst expiration date of any support. If the lane goes even, you've already lost, and his waveclear is trash. But that doesn't mean his laning phase is weak; if he lands a hook and stun, he'll either kill you or blow your flash 90% of the time ;;;; You gotta play against him to get it...

1. Rakan   The classic Pyke counter. He has two mobility spells, so even if he gets hooked, he can just dash right back, making him unkillable. Roaming is great, and late game (value) and teamfights are completely out of Pyke's league.

The catch is that Rakan's a bit tricky to play, but once you learn him, it's a free matchup against Pyke ezpz. Of course, don't go in thinking you'll dominate the lane—just play smart.

2. Rell   The absolute hardest counter. Even if Pyke hooks her, she can either use W to disengage or just dive right back in and stat-check him. Like Rakan, her late game (value) and teamfighting are amazing. Plus, she's actually easier to play, can stomp lane, and is even more fun—she's a strictly better counter than Rakan. OP highly recommends this champ!

3. Maokai   His winrate against Pyke is so dominant that even Rakan and Rell can't compete. Reason is his W makes him really hard to stun, and since Pyke likes to hang around in bushes, saplings everywhere are insanely annoying. He can waveclear, stat-check, and his late-game (value) and teamfighting are just on another level. But if Pyke roams, his ult is basically a guaranteed kill on your ADC.

4. Soraka   On Namu Wiki she's listed as a hard counter to Pyke, but honestly, she's more of a theoretical counter—calling her a true Pyke counter feels iffy. Her waveclear is way better than the other three, sure, but dealing with Pyke is actually pretty tricky. You need godlike reaction time on your healing puddle, and if you ever get hooked, you're dead. You can't trade with him, and if Pyke waits for your E cooldown and jumps on you, you're basically gone... I said she's a theoretical counter, but even if we count her as one, I'd say she's the easiest counter for Pyke to deal with. Still, her winrate is really good, so I included her.

Other picks like Bard, Renata, Nautilus, and Braum also work, but I'll stop here. Feel free to ask if you're curious.

Questions, feedback, topic requests, or unsolicited advice are all welcome.