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Pyke is arguably one of the most notorious champions to play against in League of Legends. His ability to dash in and out of fights, hook enemies, lock them in place and execute low health bar ADCs has made him one of the most feared support to play against.
However, just Pyke is not meant to be invincible. There are quite a few counter picks that can neutralize him quite well and make sure that he is unable to do anything within the rest of the game.
Counter picks does not mean that an average player will be able to showcase the same effectiveness when facing a highly competent Pyke. Therefore, skill differences will still come into play, apart from the usual lane awareness, warding and positioning.
Either way, the following list will atleast ensure that players who end up encountering a Pyke in a game will not have to remain scared and show more confidence in the bot-lane.
Every champion that can counter Pyke effectively in lane within League of Legends
1) Maokai
Maokai might not be the most popular champion in the current meta, but he is definitely worth picking as a counter to Pyke in the game. Firstly, he is a bit tanky and can effectively shield the ally ADC, while also dealing with Pyke's hooks quite well.
Secondly, he can both knockback Pyke and stun him in place, which practically neutralizes most of Pyke's kit. Finally, his ultimate can also effectively root Pyke not just in the lane but also in teamfights. The only problem is that his ultimate can be dodged unless the fight breaks out at a chokepoint or in a constricted space.
2) Soraka
Despite being a squishy champion, Soraka is one of the best counters to Pyke in the current meta. As it stands, she has a win rate of 53.98%, which is quite high.
The reason why she is so good is quite apparent. Pyke relies on mobility and his E ability to re-position himself quickly to deal with enemies. Soraka completely neutralizes that as she can not only reduce Pyke's movement speed, but she can also silence him, rendering his abilities useless.
Apart from that, she can consistently heal her ally ADC, which makes it difficult for Pyke to do anything in the lane.
3) Renata
Renata, the latest entrant to League of Legends' massive support pool, is by far one of the most effective counters to Pyke. Firstly, her Q ability can root Pyke in place, rendering him unable to move out.
Secondly, if her ally ADC gets killed, she can use her W (Bailout) ability to revive them for a short duration and continue the fight. This is a major counter to Pyke as if he is low HP and dies after Renata uses her W in the ally ADC, they get revived.
Finally, Renata's ultimate can make Pyke attack his allies and end up killing them, which will render the former alone in battle. Pyke is not a tank, and if he gets stranded in a place, then there is absolutely nothing left for him to do.
4) Alistar
Alistar is a bull in League of Legends who can make life quite difficult for Pyke at several levels. Ideally, the reason why Alistar might look good is that he is a tank and that he can knock Pyke out of the lane.
While those two aspects are pretty understandable, his ultimate is the primary reason why Pyke will be rendered useless against him. Alistar's ultimate ensures that all crowd control effects on him are removed, reducing incoming physical and magical damage.
This ability allows Alistar to stand in front of Pyke and challenge him in a head-to-head battle which the latter does not enjoy in any circumstances.
5) Nautilus
The final champion on this list, Nautilus, could be considered the best counter to Pyke. Nautilus is a bane for any champion who relies on mobility.
Firstly, Nautilus also has a hook, just like Pyke, with which he can pull in enemies effectively. Secondly, unlike Pyke, the hitbox of Nautilus's hook is harder to dodge, making it difficult for Pyke to run away.
Lastly, Nautilus's ultimate is a point-and-click ability that cannot be dodged. Once it hits an enemy, it stuns them in place, which is highly problematic for Pyke to deal with.
Nautilus is also extremely tanky, making it hard for Pyke to engage in any form of fight during the laning phase.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
