This guide assumes that you understand the basics of the champion. This guide is not intended for someone just starting to learn the champion. This guide is meant for experienced Pyke players that are looking to maximize their potential on the champion. I will not be going into an ability breakdown or anything like that.

Thank you!

Hello, my name is Marsie, and I am a Pyke main. I've been playing League for 13 years and started playing Pyke on his release. I have about 2.5-3 million mastery across all of my accounts. Most Pyke guides centre around a more passive and less involved playstyle. I wanted to make a guide to show you the BEST way to play Pyke regardless of matchup.
I do stream a lot of Pyke if you care to see the guide in action https://www.twitch.tv/marsie796

Caution

Sadly, although Pyke has this unbelievable ability to snowball he is not a one-man show. He is only as good as his team and only as good as his laner. Pyke can hit CC and do decent damage all game but if your team does not follow up and get people into execute range then it simply will not matter. Your focus should not be to win games but to simply perform as well as YOU can perform. Relying on your teammates to be able to reach your full potential can be very frustrating in lower ELO. That's just League basics though; I don't need to explain that. Just do your best and enjoy what is undoubtedly one of the flashiest and most fun support champions in the game.

Domination

The core of what makes Pyke so lethal as an assassin is Hail of Blades and Cheap Shot. Hail of Blades is so effective in the early game that if you can land a hook on an enemy adc and get your HoB procs off it will almost certainly leave them half-health. HoB becomes less relevant as you begin to team-fight, but if you can catch a squishy out of position late game you can still win most 1v1 matchups. This build is centred on confidence and aggression, Eyeball Collection and Ultimate Hunter complement it and the playstyle well.

Resolve

Resolve secondaries are the best to help give you some leeway in lane. If you mess up an engage or get caught out Bone Plating and Unflinching will increase your chances of survival. These secondaries also help you take better trades in lane. Armour tertiaries are usually best unless the enemy has three or more AP champs between bottom lane, middle lane, and jungle, in which case you can take magic resist tertiaries.

and

In most matchups, you will find more utility in Exhaust over Ignite. In certain matchups you will find ignite necessary to edge out your opponents in lane fights: ie, Yuumi, Milio, Soraka, etc. Spells always come down to matchup and personal preference. You can often catch your opponents off guard with a well-timed Flash + Q or Flash + E to set up good engages on the bot lane or even in 1v1's late game.

Mobility Boots

With an aggressive snowball playstyle, you will always find more utility in mobis over any other boot. Boots of Lucidity are alright but having the ability to quickly roam between lanes will help you surprise the other enemies.

Duskblade of Draktharr

DoD is what turns Pyke into the terrifying horror movie monster that he is. Combined with Pykes W and R, DoD offers you the ability to simply remain invisible from the moment you get an assist or kill until the end of the fight. You can re-engage and disengage with relative safety. Back out quickly and then rengage with your W to get another R proc off.

Prowler's Claw

Prowler's is the other core item that you will always consistently build. The additional AD and lethality are inherently good for the build but the unique passive is what unlocks Pykes true deadliness. Once you have this and mobis fully built the map is yours to play with.

Edge of Night

Not too much to say about EoN. Fantastic item and once you have this built you will undoubtedly be the focus of all carries on the enemy team. having the spell shield will increase your ability to take riskier trades. Don't get overconfident though as the spell shield has a decent cooldown.

Axiom Arc

Lethality. Lethality is the lifeblood of Pyke. You need as much as you can get when you're playing this aggressively. At this point in the game, you really can just roam and target split-pushing squishies. If you miss your ult you will still be able to refund a percentage of it thanks to Axiom. Also handy in team fights of course.

Guardian Angel

You are a ******* menace. You just want to rub salt in the wound. More damage. More engage protection. Just kill them all now.

Pyke has the potential to be one of the most lethal and high-impact supports in the game if played correctly and confidently. A fast, high damage, assassin support with the ability to go invisible and execute his enemies. The early game is where you can really shine and begin your snowball. Bush control is incredibly important with Pyke. You can ward one of the bottom bushes at 50 seconds and then return to base to buy oracles and maximize your vision potential and bush control in the early game. Once you have bush control, you can start to pressure the enemy with your presence, and your Q. You can often bait out enemy abilities by taking early bush control. Do not be afraid to start charging your hook in front of the enemy to pressure them back. If Pyke successfully hits an enemy champion or the channel does not complete successfully, 75% of the Mana cost is refunded, so I wouldn't recommend throwing out your hook unless you think it will connect. Do not engage on anything that you think is unsafe. You need to stay in lane as long as possible to maximize your XP and gold gain. Aggressive but smart engages are what you are looking for. Pykes level two is incredibly strong and you should definitely look to press a level two advantage if you get one. If the enemy shoves under your turret early on you can E directly through them to stun them under your turret. If people are shoving that aggressively this early they usually won't expect you to engage on them under turret like that. You can then try to land a careful hook to pull them further under turret for more punishment. If you play carefully your ADC will usually have to back before you. If you are healthy you can take this opportunity to roam mid without missing out on any lane XP or gold. Although Pykes roams are very strong you really cannot afford to miss out on any lane time. Only roam if it seems like a sure thing. If you play out lane properly you should already be ahead in most matchups and can begin your snowball into the mid and late game.

Mid Game

Once you have your DoD and Mobis built you can really look to roam and help out the other lanes. You still want to be careful that you aren't spending too much time out of lane as staying caught up in level can become difficult when you are roaming and killing everyone. Try your best to look for hooks to set up team fights.

Late Game

You are now the most terrifying person in the game. Feel free to roam where you want. Don't get too greedy. Make sure that you're still playing macro and helping your team with objectives. Kill everyone and have fun. You can literally 1v1 a full build Illaoi with this build at this point in the game. Have fun.

Thanks so much for checking out my guide. My first and only league guide. Hope that at least one person can better their gameplay and have some stellar Pyke games.

Appreciate yall <3