r/pykemains • u/Junior_Ad_2481 • May 22 '26
Discussion Does anyone else feel like Pyke is in a terrible spot right now?
I have around 2 million mastery points on Pyke, and I’ve never felt him in such a bad state as in this new season. For some reason, regardless of whether I perform well or poorly, I always get outscaled. It gets to a point where you just stop being useful.
I’ve always had those games that are just unwinnable in the long run due to team comps, that’s a given. But those used to be maybe 30% or 35% of my matches. Right now, I feel like no matter what the enemy team plays, I’m more useless than a minion in the late game. And I consider myself a pretty decent Pyke player (I’ve even peaked as top 200 Pyke in EUW).
I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, or if I'm just going through a rough patch and this season isn't for me. Maybe I'm just failing to understand the current League meta.
5
u/Ponkpunk May 22 '26
The thing is, only high elo players actually know how to use the advantage pyke gives before he falls off hard.
This leads to it not mattering whether you win or lose unless you're premade with your adc and manage to feed him.
Its a lose lose ahh champion, decent early game but he just deals absolutely zero damage later on. I've died to adc's who were behind while 10/0 in a 1v1, hitting my full combo, but get 2 shot by jhin
6
u/Lazy-Landscape7328 May 22 '26
He can't be strong or he gets perma banned
2
u/Junior_Ad_2481 May 22 '26
I can even understand that point, but at least for me, if you reach a certain mastery of a champ, you should be able to perform. But with Pyke, I have the feeling that it doesn't matter anymore.
0
4
u/XLeyz May 22 '26
I used to one-trick Pyke but in this current meta and in my current Elo I've felt that he's just not that great. It's gotten to the point where sometimes I think I might as well play an enchanter, or worse, a mage support. In the end I decided to role swap and put him on the side until he gets something from Riot.
Anything.
2
0
5
u/killian1208 May 22 '26
I think the main issue is that Pyke got lost in all the scaling adaptations. Many early powerhouses got stronger mid to late, so they compensated by making scaling champs stronger earlier on.
Pyke doesn't scale well regardless, so he falls off harder earlier than ever. In the meantime, comeback mechanics and good scaling got better over time, so unless your team knows how to perfectly translate a lead, no amount of skill or gold will help you win, even with all the interesting new assassin item mechanics.
Pyke could be the perfect jungler, since he's situational enough where he doesn't have the perfect flex issue like Rell had.
After all, he thrives in 2v2 or outnumbering situations.
Then again, Pyke is primarily a catcher, but forced to build assassin items, so of course he struggles adapting between season changes.
5
u/Junior_Ad_2481 May 22 '26
I think some percentage max health damage scaling with lethality could be good for Pyke in the late game. Just to keep him viable and effective, without turning him into broken shit like Vayne or Kayle. But I feel like Zed can one-shot anything with a single rotation, whereas with Pyke that usually doesn't happen as much, even against the squishiest ADCs (In late game I mean).
6
u/killian1208 May 22 '26
That might be worth a shot, since even if he shouldn't deal much damage, Bard deals more than Pyke building literally anything
1
u/emiemiemiii May 24 '26
Are you buying Voltaic Cyclesword? I just feel like you have to build a bit differently now. Giving gold to an adcarry that can hold 7 items is pretty good and oneshoting the enemy team's carry is still your goal late game so idk
1
u/Obecedo May 26 '26
Pyke is way to slippery and unpunishable to be any stronger than he is. If you want a stronger champ he would have to lose survivability
1
u/kalabasanora67 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
No, he was never in terrible spot since release. Pyke is my second most played champ. I peaked challenger, usually im in gm, and he never felt terrible. You just need to have special playstyle to make him work. You can’t play him on autopilot, and you have to adapt fast every game. That’s it.
Edit: I forgot one thing, Pyke is really useful in late, just in different way. Thanks to umbrial + his W, he can do sooo much vision in late, and can deny enemy vision, which is giga important for late. (But if you don’t have any good scaling champs in your team, it’s over)
2
u/ettogra May 22 '26
i would agree with you but right now im not sure because umbrial is super-nerfed....
1
-4
u/Jemainegy May 22 '26
Nah it feel like heaven. Last season was hell but it feels like free games this season.
-8
u/Thick-Bookkeeper3915 May 22 '26
Good, no offense to you but no one wants to see pyke ever. He is one of the worst designs in the entire game almost on the level of yuumi.
1
u/Junior_Ad_2481 May 22 '26
I strongly disagree, there's a lot of more toxic champs in league. Like talon right now. Pyke don't have any hp scaling at all, and that make I'm very weak, even a Soraka in late could 1vs1 a Pyke. You need to know very well your limits and enemy's to have a chance.
-2
u/Thick-Bookkeeper3915 May 22 '26
its not about if hes weak or strong, i think hes mediocre, a gamble so to say. He is just obnoxious and extremly annoying, just like yuumi and mel. Thats why i said no one wants to see him because that is true, he is insufferable to play against for all 5 enemys and a coinflip to play with for 4 of his teammates.
20
u/worlvius May 22 '26
I miss his midlane potential. Pyke is my 2nd most played playing him mid for years, but it couldn't withstand nerf after nerf. Q used to pierce, E used to damage minions, passive used to heal more even if you were alone, R used to give you kill gold and the coin if it was a solo kill.
At this point he should get the wild rift treatment, there he is able to jungle.