League of Legends Reveals Pyke’s Abilities

League of Legends has now fully revealed the new champion called Pyke, the Bloodharbor Ripper.

The new champion is one that Riot Games says is a support, but his abilities might make you rethink where you’ll take him. He’s not a support that’s geared around healing and saving his teammates but is instead there to make sure the enemies don’t make it through the laning phase.

A brief preview of the champion’s story was shared through the reveal page before diving into Pyke’s individual abilities.

“Abandoned by his crew to the leviathans of the deep, Pyke drowned—but didn’t stay dead,” the story summary said. “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.”

PASSIVE: GIFT OF THE DROWNED ONES

Gift of the Drowned Ones

• When Pyke is unseen by enemies, he rapidly regenerates some of the health recently lost to enemy champions.

Pyke’s passive lets the champion regenerate some health between skirmishes, but unlike Evelynn’s it doesn’t appear that he’ll be able to regenerate health for free. Instead, he’ll only be able to get back some of the health that he recently lost to enemy champions. Looking at the rest of the champion’s aggressive abiliites, it makes sense that he’d have a passive that lets him catch his breath before going back in for the next fight.

Q: BONE SKEWER

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.

Pyke’s “Q” is one that support mains who play Blitzcrank and Thresh will enjoy since it gives him a hook ability to yank enemies towards him. By holding down the ability, he can toss the harpoon a decent distance and pull enemies back to a midway point.

Outside of pulling the first enemy hit, players can also simply tap the ability to inflict some minimal CC on everyone in front of them by slowing minions and champs alike for a short time.

W: GHOSTWATER DIVE

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.

Much like the way that the other two hook champions can wreak havoc on other lanes, it looks like Pyke will be an excellent roamer as well. His Ghostwater Dive ability allows him to become camouflaged as he moves around enemies, though he can still be spotted by those who get too close as well as by Vision Wards. The stealth ends when entering combat, but that should still give Pyke more than enough time to get in place for his Bone Skewer.

E: PHANTOM UNDERTOW

Phantom Undertow

• Pyke dashes, leaving behind a drowned phantom. After a delay, the phantom returns to Pyke, damaging and stunning enemies it passes through.

If the hook, stealth, and slow weren’t enough on their own, Pyke also has a stun-and-dash combo in his arsenal through his Phantom Undertow.

After dashing through an enemy, he’ll leave behind the spectral version of himself that’s seen in the trailer above. If you get hit by that ghost, you’ll also be stunned, and it can even be used in tandem with abilities like Flash to curve the spirit.

R: DEATH FROM BELOW

Death From Below

• Pyke strikes in an X-shaped area, blinking to champions and executing those below a certain flat amount of health. Enemies in the X that are not executed take damage equal to this amount.
• When a champion dies in the X, the last ally to assist also gains full kill gold and kill credit, and Pyke can instantly use Death from Below again for a short period of time.

Rounding out Pyke’s kit is his ultimate, a blink, execute, and reset all in one.

Assuming Pyke can finish an enemy off while they’re in the ability’s “X” – which it looks like will be an easy task given the rest of his kit – he’ll be able to use the move again and blink on a new enemy.

Playing as Pyke

For those playing as Pyke, Riot Games also included some helpful tips for mastering the vengeful pirate.

“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 Below to clinch the kill and cross multiple names off your list.”

Playing With Pyke

Pyke is still a support though, so you’ll nee to know how to play with him if you’re the team’s AD carry. Riot provided some tips for doing this as well, but don’t be surprised if he ends up stealing some of your kills.

“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.”