Why Pyke is struggling

Pyke breaks the rules of the summoner's code. That is to say, while playing Pyke obviously isn't against the rules, Pyke's concept as a champion is.

Here are two of several cases that set a precedent for what counts as such a blatant disregard for allies' roles that it warrants a suspension: https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/player-behavior-moderation/FrILlWp7-14-day-ban-because-playing-nunu-support-with-smite-is-stealing-other-peoples-roles https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/player-behavior-moderation/79aGu3wR-support-singed-isnt-banable-but-thats-not-the-point

In both cases, the players actually performed relatively well at what they were doing. And they did so over many, many games. In fact, the Nunu was actually the #1 Nunu in NA at the time, playing like that every game. They didn't run it down mid or afk. But they played what they wanted without regards to the fact it wasn't cohesive with a team. When they picked Nunu or Singed support, it left the team without any of the strengths a support champion would normally provide. In the Nunu case, it effectively forced the ally jungle never to get to counter-jungle. And in the Singed case, the very nature of the champion is completely opposed to the role of a support.

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Here's where Pyke comes in. He may have two forms of hard CC, but unlike even something as silly as Riven or Camille support, he is literally incapable of building defense effectively. And the fact he isn't a long-range poke mage means he doesn't directly counter any supports, either. He is an assassin through and through, with the only aspect of his kit that supports allies more than it benefits himself being the gold he sometimes shares.

This means that, like in the two cases cited above, the entire team must pick and/or play around the fact they don't have a support-- they instead have a Pyke, who is incapable of effectively buying anything supportive besides an income item for himself. This is why we see Pyke instead being played jungle, where having an assassin is perfectly conducive with a functioning team in most matchups. But even then, he isn't performing because he isn't balanced around farming jungle camps.

I'm not saying that people who play Pyke should be punished, but Riot should scrap the idea of him being played mainly as a support just as they were forced to scrap the idea of Mordekaiser being played mainly as a bot laner. They should balance him entirely around being a jungler, instead, so he can do his job without hindering the entire team.