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Pantheon vs Locke

Mid Lane Matchup

Pantheon vs Locke MID matchup tips: who wins, how to trade, wave control and common mistakes.

You

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Who Wins

Pre-6, you win this matchup convincingly due to your W block negating Locke's passive on-hit damage and your Q poke being safe and consistent — at level 2 you can look for an aggressive trade with Q into W-empowered AA into E, as Locke has no reliable escape before getting E and struggles to retaliate without nail stacks built up.
Post-6, the matchup becomes more dangerous because Locke's R can set up an execution threshold that punishes you for being low, but your R gives you roam pressure and kill threat that Locke cannot match in a side lane or river skirmish.

Your best trading pattern is to poke with Q to stack your passive, then engage with W-shield active to absorb Locke's E burst on arrival, immediately following with E stun and empowered AA — the W block is critical here because it eats Locke's E damage and the subsequent dash, stripping the combo of most of its burst.
Avoid extended fights where Locke can freely apply Q stacks and cash them in with E, as the bonus magic damage per stack adds up significantly if you let the pattern repeat.

Push the wave early and look to roam, as Locke's wave clear before getting items is mediocre and you can create pressure elsewhere while denying him farm — your Q poke also discourages him from freely last-hitting under pressure.
If you're ahead, freezing near your tower forces Locke to overextend for CS, making him vulnerable to your all-in since he has no reliable disengage once E is burned.

Do not let Locke freely stack Q on you from range without responding — three stacks of Q dramatically amplify his E burst and make his all-in lethal even through your W shield if the timing is right.
Avoid fighting him when your W is on cooldown and his Q stacks are already applied, as that is the exact window where he wins the trade decisively.

Created on 09/04/2026

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