Pyke: entry strikes into a board-clearing assassin

Use Pyke as an actual removal payoff: build his Power through Lurk, then summon him for two entry strikes. Once leveled, kills can turn into a much larger clear while the rest of the Overwhelm board keeps attacking.

This three-star setup gives the champion a more active role than the six-star passive follower build. You give up deck-size stats and global protection in exchange for immediate strike attempts. The champion still needs enough Power, legal targets and a safe way to enter.

Two Stalker's Blade copies

Each summon makes the champion strike the weakest enemy. The pair provides two opportunities to deal damage and advance his fifteen-damage level-up requirement. No target means no strike, and two triggers don't guarantee enough damage for a level-up.

The Beast Within

Allies have Overwhelm, and those with a subtype receive extra stats. This helps the wider Lurker board keep dealing Nexus damage while the champion handles enemies. The Power also matters before you draw him.

The blades are Summon effects, so Death From Below can add its own directed strike alongside the relic triggers when it summons the champion. It is not limited to the original five-mana unit Play.

Mulligan for affordable Lurkers and useful attack access. The three-star power improves the Lurk stat gain. Triggering Lurk remains once per round: an extra attack in the same round isn't another automatic Lurk stat grant.

Use Bloodbait to arrange a later Lurker draw or top-deck when that fits the next attack. Snapjaw Swarm can produce a useful free attack, but inspect the attack token and enemy blockers before spending it merely to advance the plan.

When the champion or Death From Below is ready, compare current Power with enemy Health and his accumulated damage requirement. A weak entry into large enemies may do too little to level him or secure a kill. You can wait for more growth when your defenders can safely hold another round.

The normal unit Play and the spell-summoned entry both need actual enemies for the relics. If the first strike kills the only enemy, the second trigger doesn't hit the Nexus instead. Take the board advantage rather than counting an imaginary second hit.

After level-up, a kill can start the champion's strike chain. Its outcome depends on his current damage and the next targets; it isn't an unconditional Obliterate-all effect. Tough, damage prevention and low current Power can matter.

Keep attacking with the rest of the board. The global Overwhelm Power helps damage connect even while the champion removes blockers. At six stars, the extra Lurk follower-summon/card-draw effect is a separate improvement and isn't assumed in this three-star plan.

The blades come from the Rare pool, and the Beast from Gold Reliquaries. Level thirty supplies the third Rare slot even though only one Epic is equipped.

Echoing Spirit instead of one blade improves champion access and spell supply but reduces immediate entry damage. The existing passive build is a better starting point when the sixth-star follower engine is doing the work and the champion rarely reaches play. Choose the entry version when his actual strikes and removal are the reason you are investing the slots.

• What is the best relic for Pyke?, u/kwaninthehat, 9 Aug 2025; u/Carnith gives the exact Beast/double-Blade trio, u/dbaker3448 explains Death From Below's Summon interaction, and the comments distinguish champion and passive plans. Read 18 Oct 2026.
• Pyke build guide, exact pre-six-star Board Clear Assassin loadout in the snapshot collected 13 Oct 2026. Current Lurk and level-up requirements checked separately.