Hi there. My name is Swagnaros and i am a Danish D2 EUW Pyke main who has been spamming the champ since release going through a lot of trial and error to find out what really works on him. This is the first guide i have created so suggestions and questions are welcome and you can usually find me on my stream during streaming hours where i will try to answer your questions as best i can :)

The guide is still work in progress and i will try to improve it as i myself learn more about the champ.

You can find me at twitch.tv/AaBSwagnaros and dont forget to follow so you get notified when i'm live!

CONTROL WARDS WIN GAMES IF YOU USE THEM RIGHT

I do coin vs most matchups. The bonus AD from relic shield isn't very high and the ability to spam more in lane with coin on top of the MS, CDR and higher gold generation makes it my go to starter in most cases

I go relic shield if i'm in a lane where my carry is gonna get poked completely out and will not be able to lane if i dont have sustain for them. Lanes such as brand+fiddle etc.


On first buy i usually go for nomads+boots or parts of cleaver depending on the buy i get. Nomads + kindlegem is nice if youre stomping early.

I usually finish boots on 2nd and i buy mercs or tabi depending on the enemy team in 90% of my games. I usually run Unflinching so either i have a lot of tenacity if im against heavy cc or fiddle support and the likes or i have a bit of tenacity while still getting tabi into heavy AD

After that you want to finish towards your cleaver and then i either go one of these most of the time:(remember it's important to always adapt to the game you are playing. So think about what you and your team needs)

A: Zekes if i have an ADC who scales hard off it (Draven, Caitlyn etc.)
B: Hexdrinker if they have heavy AP burst and i dont have an ADC
C: GA if they have heavy AD burst
D: Frozen Heart
E: Deadman's if you need to get around the map fast and dont need GA or CDR

I always go aftershock, i'm not a fan of how squishy i am with electrocute and i think the extra burst of tankyness gives me so much more freedom to make plays without sacrficing that much damage. While Pyke is an assassin we are still playing support ^^

Swap unflinching for revitalize if they are very low on CC or their CC cant be reduced by tenacity(Knock-ups etc.)

Swap Precision secondary runes for Sorcery with Nullifying Orb and Transcendence if they are heavy AP or you are against double AP botlane or Brand

Inspiration secondary with biscuits and Cosmic Insight is also a viable option if they have heavy poke. I usually go Revitalize instead of Unflinching with this setup unless their CC is heavy

Not much to note here. Bone skewer lvl 1 in 99% games as it is such a versatile spell allowing both heavy damage, a hook or a fling.

Q > E - Your E cancels the pull-back animation when you hit a hook so if you have a guaranteed hook you can instantly E for a guaranteed stun if they are within the fixed pull-distance.

E > W > Q - EXTREMELY RISKY. This combo leaves you wide open to get turned on so only use it in situations where an engage guarantees you a won fight in lane. Use the speed up from your W to get around your enemy after you E towards them, then fling them into your team while they are stunned.

E > R > Q - I usually use this combo when i'm trying to get use out of a reset after a pick where i get my execute. E either towards your enemy to get into R range or to the side for confusion, then position your R so that you blink to the other side of them and land the E-stun. Follow up with a fling into your team and you've got a stew going. This combo takes a bit of practice.

E > Flash > Q - Simple but effective if you want an almost guaranteed engage. The best way to execute this is to E close to your enemy and then right before your ghost catches up to you, flash on the other side of them leaving them as little reaction time as possible.

Always ping your lane-partner back before you roam, especially in lower elos if they look like they are gonna get themselves killed.

Roam when your lane is pushed and you have setup vision in river. If your jungler is botside then you can try to get a ward on the enemy raptors or a gank off mid. Dont waste too much time and leave your carry open for a dive botlane though. If you have a Kog'maw hes probably not gonna do aswell against a dive as Vladimir or Heimer so always consider the game you are in.

Roaming is a fine art and there are way more situations where u want to roam so i will try to expand on this chapter in the future.

Vision is key to performing consistently as a support player as this gives you the information you use to make the right decisions.

Generally you always want to get atleast 1 control ward every base and use it when you push in the "safe bush" on your side(Tri-bush botlane on blue side and the river bush on red-side) early game or for objectives. Alternatively the dot-bush near mid is good for scuttle control if your jungler or mid doesn't ward it.

Speaking of the dot-bush near mid. Dropping a ward in the one botside if you know their jungle starts bot and is strong early can save you from an early cheese gank.
I ward it before i go to leash or lane(1:26ish) if i'm red side and against a lvl 2 ganker like J4 or someone who might invade my blue if our jungle is starting topside.

Try to be creative with your regular wards if the enemy is protecting their pink in their "safe-bush" and place it out of reach of their pink but still along a junglers path.

As with Roaming, vision is a very deep subject and can always be expanded on which i will look to do in the future.