Champion Roadmap: April 2018
Never turn your back on the Sea[1]
Let’s reset a bit and wade right into the next champion we’re adding to the list. We felt it was time to execute on a new support with a darker, deeper thematic than most of our support cast. We also wanted to create an aggressive playmaker, someone who doesn’t just save a drowning ally, but who forces their enemies to drown themselves… by their own hands.
Keep your health high, your eyes to the sea, and pray you aren’t on the list.
Champion Reveal: Pyke
Abandoned by his crew to the leviathans of the deep, Pyke drowned—but didn’t stay dead. Years later, a fabled revenant known as the Bloodharbor Ripper still stalks the Slaughter Docks, crossing names off a list that never seems to end. Wait...you look familiar...[2]
- Gift of the Drowned Ones
- Bone Skewer
Tap: Pyke stabs and greatly slows all enemies in front of him.
Hold: Pyke readies and then throws his harpoon, impaling the first enemy struck and pulling them a fixed distance towards him.
- Ghostwater Dive
Pyke dives into spectral waters, entering camouflage and gaining a significant increase to his movement speed that decays over a few seconds.
Camouflage hides Pyke from view while enemies remain outside his immediate area. Attacking or casting spells immediately ends camouflage.
- Phantom Undertow
- Death from Below
- Playing as Pyke
Gameplay - Playing as Pyke
As Pyke, you’re a cutthroat who cripples and kills all who cross you—which is everyone you come across. Start by stalking your victims with a Ghostwater Dive, lurking right at the edge of their vision. Resurface with a swift Bone Skewer to butcher multiple enemies at point-blank range. Hold the blade a little longer to harpoon just one foe instead, reeling them in to your territory before gutting them like a fish.
Get even more aggressive by rushing foes with a Phantom Undertow, leaving opponents paralyzed with fear as the rest of your crew closes in. When you smell blood in the water, finish the job with Death from Belowto clinch the kill and cross multiple names off your list.
- Playing with Pyke
Gameplay - Playing with Pyke
They say death is the best crowd control, and Pyke makes a great argument. In lane he’s constantly angling for the all-in, using hooks and stuns to set up kills. While he can maim foes from any spot in a fight, he’s better suited to a flank than the frontline, so expect him to make more picks than peels. And don’t worry if he ends up doing lots of murdering himself—there’s extra gold for whoever assists in his vendetta.
Pyke likes to kill, but he needs help with his homicides. Injuring opponents by trading and poking is key before Pyke drags them under. Even when he catches an enemy alone, he’ll need to take a couple stabs at his target—enough time for their friends to intervene. His high mobility is also offset by low survivability: Pyke is easily punished if he dives deep for a kill he can’t quite finish. The Ripper didn’t get his name by playing passive, though, so be ready for violence at any moment.
- Tips and Tricks
- Bone Skewer’s harpoon always pulls your catch the same distance—which means charging up and spearing an enemy right in front of you will fling them backwards into the jaws of your team.
- Take a second to slip out of sight after a skirmish and let Gift of the Drowned Ones recover a significant chunk of lost health. You don’t have to leave the area entirely—use Ghostwater Dive to circle enemies like a shark before going back in for the kill.
- Once you’ve put enemies in lane underwater, don’t hesitate to swim somewhere else and pick up kills across the map. Ghostwater Dive and Phantom Undertow double as mobility, letting you quickly segue from one crime scene to the next. Just make sure to signal your crew before diving into dangerous waters.
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