Why is Pyke so Broken Right Now?

Pyke was the first assassin support that Riot Games added to League of Legends. But at the time of his release, many considered him one of the worst support champions that ever entered the game. Of course, that was due to the meta of that time, which was centered around tanks. Pyke had a difficult time executing his opponents, so his popularity wasn’t high. However, Pyke is reigning terror in season 12 in LoL. And the only thing we can ask is, “Why is Pyke so broken right now?”

Even though it seems like an easy question to answer, there are many things that need to be explained. It’s not only one thing that makes Pyke broken, so I’m going to give you the top 5 reasons why Pyke is so OP right now in season 12 of League of Legends.

Let’s start!

5 Reasons Why Pyke is OP and Broken

Also read: Why Do League of Legends Streamers Hide Their Minimap?

1. Pyke has Invisibility

The most obvious advantage that Pyke has over most champions in the game, but especially supports, is that he has invisibility. His W, Ghostwater Dive, is a camouflage effect that turns him invisible and grants him movement speed. Enemies can see Pyke only if they get close to him. But otherwise, Pyke can move freely.

Pyke’s invisibility is a great tool for engaging in fights, setting up kills, and running away from enemies. It’s such a unique ability that perfectly fits his entire ability kit. For example, Pyke players often use their W to get near the enemy ADC so they can fling them back with their Q.

Thanks to this ability, Pyke can also roam around the map and set up kills for his entire team. He can assist his mid laner and jungler whenever he wants. And if there is danger, he can use his Ghostwater Dive to run away back to bot lane. All in all, a great ability to have in LoL.

2. Safe Playstyle

It may not seem like that, but Pyke is one of the safest support champions you can pick in League of Legends. Yes, he is a melee champion and needs to get in range to deal damage. However, he has multiple ways to get away, even if he messes up and finds himself in trouble.

Obviously, Pyke’s invisibility is a great tool for this. But his E, Phantom Undertow, is another amazing ability designed to outplay his opponents. For example, whenever the enemy jungler comes to gank, Pyke can simply dash away to safety. Or, he can fling the jungler with his Q and stun him with his E.

Not only does this make Pyke a safe champion, but it also saves the ADC from being attacked. Pyke has no shields and heals for his allies, so he has to compensate with damage and crowd control.

3. There’s No Counter to Lethality

As an AD assassin, Pyke builds only attack damage lethality items. Moreover, since Pyke’s extra maximum health gets converted into bonus AD, he’s forced to build AD and lethality. Because of this, Pyke gets up to 5 items (plus boots) lethality items per game. That usually amounts to 60+ lethality.

If you don’t know how lethality works and how it is any different than armor penetration, let me give you a quick explanation. While armor penetration works on percentages, lethality is flat and ignores the exact number of armor. For example, if you have 60 lethality, then you’ll ignore 60 armor from your target.

In League of Legends, there’s no counter to lethality. And unless you’re a Malphite tank with 300 armor, chances are that Pyke will deal tons of damage to you. Your only hope is building more maximum health. However, if you’re a carry and you need more damage, then Pyke will always be able to assassinate you.

4. Pyke Has Two Great Crowd Control Abilities

Now, it’s not uncommon for a support champion to have two or three CC abilities. After all, the role is supposed to set up kills for the entire team. However, Pyke’s two crowd control abilities are exceptional at this because they synergize with each other.

Pyke’s two crowd control abilities are Q and E., And as I mentioned above, Pyke can fling someone back then dash through them with his E. Not only does this displace the enemy champion, but it also stuns him for up to 2 seconds. 

In other words, Pyke doesn’t need anyone to help him provide crowd control. Sure, some champions synergize well with him, but he can do the job by himself too. 

5. Execute with Resets

And lastly, Pyke’s R is the most broken part of his champion design. Not only does this ability executes enemies below a certain percentage of HP, but it also resets with each kill. Remember that Pyke doesn’t even need to slay the target to get his reset, as long as he times the ability right.

Death from Below is one of the most valuable abilities in the late game. Pyke can use it to eliminate enemy carries when they have 50% HP. He is such a valuable teammate around this time because you only need to damage the enemy champions, and Pyke will take care of them for you.

Pyke’s R deals a lot of damage, and it’s honestly weird why Riot Games doesn’t do anything to lower its power. 

If you combine all the tools that Pyke has, you get a pretty broken champion in LoL.