Counter Deadlock Heroes: Draft & Gameplay Tips

Drafting in Deadlock: A Practical Definition That Works in Any Queue

Deadlock doesn’t always feel like a traditional MOBA draft, but “drafting” still matters because your team is choosing:

how much frontline you have,
how much crowd control you have,
how fast you can rotate,
whether you can save your carry,
and whether you have the item tools to answer enemy threats.

So for this guide, “draft” means: your hero picks + your team’s role coverage + your early plan.

Even in solo queue, you can draft smarter by filling what your team lacks instead of stacking the same archetype.

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The 6-Question Draft Checklist (Use This Every Match)

Before the match starts, answer these questions. If you can’t, you’re gambling.

Do we have a real frontline?
If not, your backline will be forced into open space, and every enemy engage becomes deadly.
Do we have reliable CC to stop dives or escapes?
If not, fights become “everyone chases and nobody dies.”
Do we have a save tool for our carry?
This can be a support hero, a tank with peel, or item actives (barriers/cleanses). If you have zero, you’re begging to lose to one diver.
Do we have anti-heal?
If the enemy has sustain and you don’t have healing reduction, midgame fights become unwinnable.
Do we have wave clear and tempo?
No wave clear means you arrive late to objectives, lose lanes while rotating, and never get clean setups.
Do we have an objective conversion plan?
Who hits Walkers? Who tanks? Who zones? Who peels? If nobody knows, you’ll win fights and still lose the game.

If you fix just one missing category in your pick, you will feel the match become easier immediately.

Counter Drafting by Archetype (Easy Mode)

Instead of trying to counter every specific hero, counter the enemy’s team shape.

If the enemy has heavy dive (multiple heroes that want backline access):

Draft a real frontline + peel support.
Draft at least one “hard stop” CC hero or reliable displacement/deny.
Plan to fight front-to-back and punish divers first.

If the enemy has a deathball (group-up push comp):

Draft wave clear + area control + long-range poke.
Draft anti-heal and at least one strong fight reset tool (barrier/cleanse).
Plan to stall, take safe waves, and punish overcommits near Walkers.

If the enemy has long-range poke (snipers/bow/zone):

Draft engage tools that can force them off angles.
Draft mobility and flank pressure.
Plan to rotate early and fight on corners, not open streets.

If the enemy has sustain bruisers/tanks:

Draft percent-based pressure and consistent DPS.
Draft anti-heal and resist shred tools.
Plan to kill what you can kill fast (supports/carries) and don’t tunnel tanks forever.

This approach stays correct even when patches shift numbers, because you’re countering structure, not just names.

The Counter Item Layer: The Real “Draft” Happens in the Shop

In Deadlock, item actives are often the difference between “we can’t play” and “we hard counter that.” If you want a climbing advantage, learn a small set of counter items and buy them on time.

Below are the most reliable counter item categories and what they do.

Anti-Mobility: Stop Escapes and Stop Divers

These items win games because so many heroes rely on movement to survive.

Slowing Hex: A targeted slow that also disables movement-based items and abilities and reduces dash distance. Use it to lock down slippery heroes, stop chases, or prevent escapes.
Knockdown: A delayed stun that becomes stronger against airborne targets. Use it to punish flyers, high-mobility jumpers, or heroes that rely on staying off the ground during fights.

When you face a hero that “always gets away,” anti-mobility is usually the answer.

Anti-Heal: Turn Damage Into Kills

If fights feel like you’re “winning trades” but nobody dies, you need healing reduction.

Healbane: Your spirit damage applies healing reduction; if an enemy hero dies under the effect, you get a big heal. Great when your kit or items apply spirit damage consistently.
Decay: An active damage-over-time that also applies heavy healing reduction. Strong into high sustain targets and frontliners who refuse to die.

Buy anti-heal earlier than you think. If you wait until late game, the enemy already got value from being unkillable.

Anti-CC and Cleanse: Get Your Controls Back

A huge number of “unfair” deaths are just CC chains. You counter them with resist, purge, and pre-block tools.

Reactive Barrier: Triggers a barrier and restores stamina when you’re movement locked, stunned, chained, immobilized, or slept. It’s a lifesaver versus catch and chain-CC.
Debuff Reducer / Debuff Remover: Reduce debuff duration, and (with Remover) purge negative effects with a heal and speed bonus—great against slows, DoTs, and control-heavy comps.
Dispel Magic: Purges non-ultimate negative effects on you, heals if it removed anything, and grants movement speed. Can’t be used while stunned or slept—so it’s best as a “cleanse after control ends” tool.
Counterspell: Gives you a spell-parry window tied to your next parry, protecting you from damage and effects of abilities/items; successful spell parry gives heal, move speed, and spirit.
Unstoppable: A timed immunity to major disables (stun, silence, sleep, root, disarm). This is the “I will get my ultimate off” button and the “I refuse to be chain-CC’d” answer.
Divine Barrier / Guardian Ward: Team or self barriers that also grant movement speed; Divine Barrier also removes non-stun debuffs. These are huge for keeping your carry alive through the first burst.

If you’re dying before you get to play, you don’t need more damage. You need control resistance and a plan.

Anti-Gun Carry: Reduce Their Uptime

Some matches are decided by one gun carry sitting in a safe angle and melting your team.

Suppressor: When you deal spirit damage, it reduces the enemy’s fire rate. Great for shutting down sustained shooters.
Disarming Hex: Disarms the enemy and reduces their bullet resist. Great for stopping one fed shooter from deciding the entire fight.
Cursed Relic: A high-impact disable that interrupts, silences, disarms, prevents item usage, and removes non-ultimate buffs. This is the “turn off one hero” tool for late fights.

If one hero is ruining your games, stop trying to out-aim them—turn them off with items.

The Gameplay Layer: Countering Starts in Lane

Countering isn’t only teamfights. It begins the moment waves meet.

Here are the lane concepts that counter almost every “popular hero” pattern.

Lane Counter Fundamentals: Deny the First Spike

Most heroes become scary at a predictable time: first major item timing, first ultimate timing, or first roam timing. You counter that by controlling two things:

Souls per minute: Don’t miss waves, secure your value, and don’t chase useless fights.
Tempo: Crash the wave before you shop, roam, or take an objective. If you leave on a neutral wave, you lose economy and arrive weak.

If you keep pace in Souls and don’t donate deaths, many “hard matchups” become playable.

Positioning Counter Fundamentals: Don’t Stand Where They Want You

Most oppressive heroes are oppressive because you stand in their ideal zone.

Versus hook/catch heroes: don’t stand in predictable lines; hold corners and break line of sight.
Versus burst divers: don’t stand alone; keep an exit route and stay near peel.
Versus long-range poke: don’t duel them in open space; take fights in cover-rich geometry.
Versus sustain tanks: don’t stack and feed their multi-target value; spread, kite, then collapse.

A lot of “counterplay” is simply refusing to fight on the enemy’s preferred terms.

Teamfight Counter Fundamentals: Threat + Access Beats Ego

In fights, you counter popular heroes by focusing correctly. Use this rule:

Hit the highest threat you can safely kill quickly.

That means:

peel the diver killing your carry,
punish the pick hero who stepped too far,
burn the low target you can actually finish,
then convert.

Trying to “reach the backline at all costs” is how fights split and you lose.

Objective Counter Fundamentals: Stop the Conversion

Many heroes feel unstoppable because they convert every win into a Walker, then flex slots, then mid boss pressure, then Shrines. Countering that is macro:

Fix lanes before major fights so you don’t lose structures while rotating.
Arrive early to Urn/Mid Boss fights so you control angles instead of face-checking.
After you win a defensive fight, don’t chase—reset and take back map control.

Stopping conversion often matters more than winning one duel.

Counterplay for Seven

Seven is dangerous because he combines strong damage, area control, and fight presence. His kit includes tools like Lightning Ball, Static Charge (delayed stun), and large fight pressure through his ultimate-style area threat.

Draft answers (what beats Seven’s game plan):

Hard engage that forces him off ideal angles.
Anti-CC and anti-burst so you don’t lose the fight instantly when his setup lands.
A frontline that can hold space so your backline isn’t forced into open ground.

Gameplay answers (what to do in fights):

Don’t group in the obvious place. His value spikes when multiple targets are in the same zone.
Fight around cover and corners so you can break line-of-sight and reset.
If your team is getting stunned or slowed into death zones, play more spread and re-enter together.

Item answers (what to buy):

Anti-CC and cleanse layers (Reactive Barrier, Debuff Remover, Dispel Magic) so you stay active.
If he’s deciding fights with one big window, consider late-game “turn off” items like Cursed Relic.

Counterplay for Haze

Haze is a classic solo-queue terror because she punishes mistakes. She has Sleep Dagger, Smoke Bomb, a ramping threat tool (Fixation), and a lethal ultimate pattern (Bullet Dance).

Draft answers:

Peel and instant saves. Haze wants isolated targets; deny isolation.
Reliable CC to punish her when she commits.
A comp that can fight front-to-back so her dive becomes a liability.

Lane answers:

Track her dagger timing. If she uses it and misses, you get a window to step up for farm and pressure.
Don’t walk into open space to “secure a deny” when she’s missing—she thrives on catching greedy positioning.
Keep your stamina reserve. If you spend all stamina on poke, you can’t dodge the real engage.

Teamfight answers:

If Haze jumps your carry, that’s the first target. Peel, delete, then counter-push.
Spread slightly so her “one target disappears” plan doesn’t instantly become “the whole backline collapses.”

Item answers:

Reactive Barrier is excellent into sleep/catch patterns because it can trigger barrier and stamina when you get locked.
Debuff Remover / Dispel Magic to recover from debuffs and reposition.
Divine Barrier or Guardian Ward to keep the focus target alive through her burst window.
Slowing Hex to punish her commit and prevent clean escapes.

Counterplay for Abrams

Abrams is a tank/brawler with high survivability and strong close-range threat. He wants to close distance, force contact, and win fights by outlasting and disrupting.

Draft answers:

A backline that can kite (movement discipline) plus a frontline that can hold him at the edge of the fight.
Anti-heal and sustained DPS so he can’t “heal through everything.”
Crowd control that punishes his approach.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t panic and shoot him forever while the enemy carry is free. If Abrams is doing his job, he’s trying to become your only target.
Kite him through corners and back toward your team, not deeper into open space.
If he overcommits into your formation, punish with focus fire and anti-heal—make his aggression expensive.

Item answers:

Healbane or Decay when sustain is the reason he never dies.
Enduring Speed when slows and pressure prevent you from kiting correctly.
Unstoppable if you need to guarantee your own ultimate or escape through heavy CC while he’s in your face.

Counterplay for Warden

Warden is a bruiser/initiator who can chase and lock down targets. He’s especially annoying when he’s ahead because he turns tempo into constant pressure.

Draft answers:

Peel and anti-dive tools. Warden wants to force a fight on his timing; remove his ability to choose.
A strong wave-clear plan so he can’t roam for free.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t let him take “free duels.” If he’s playing as a duelist, you win by refusing to fight alone.
Fight around cover so his chase line breaks and you can reset.
If Warden is burning stamina and cooldowns to commit, punish the moment he’s overextended and can’t leave.

Item answers:

Slowing Hex to reduce his chase threat and dash distance.
Reactive Barrier and Debuff tools if his lockdown chain is what kills you.
Disarming Hex if he’s built as a heavy gun threat and your team needs a clean “turn off” moment.

Counterplay for Lash

Lash is a mobility monster with displacement/knockups and strong pick potential. He thrives on messy maps, late rotations, and isolated targets.

Draft answers:

Reliable peel and instant CC. Lash hates getting stopped mid-play.
Teamfight structure: frontline + backline that stays connected.
A hero or two that can punish flanks (roam-checkers).

Gameplay answers:

Expect him from angles, not from front door. Lash kills teams that stare forward.
Don’t chase him across open space. He wants you to split.
When he misses a displacement window, that’s your chance to punish—force a fight while his tools are down.

Item answers:

Knockdown can punish airborne patterns and make his entries riskier.
Debuff Remover / Dispel Magic to recover when you get controlled or slowed into bad space.
If he’s doing “one pick ends the fight,” a strong save item (Divine Barrier) can flip the outcome.

Counterplay for Mo & Krill

Mo & Krill are a durable utility tank built around disruption: slows, disarms, lockdown, and sustain. They win when they can sit in your space and deny your carry.

Draft answers:

Consistent ranged DPS and kiting—don’t let them live comfortably in melee range.
Anti-heal so their sustain doesn’t turn fights into a slow loss.
A comp that can punish overcommit with burst or displacement.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t stack on top of each other; you feed their multi-target disruption value.
When they commit deep, either punish with focus fire + anti-heal or disengage and re-enter after their big tools fade.
If they are locking down your carry, your teamfight plan must include “peel first, then fight.”

Item answers:

Healbane or Decay to reduce sustain.
Disarming Hex can be brutal if your team needs to stop their shutdown on your carry (especially if the enemy comp leans heavily on one shooter).
Unstoppable is huge for carries that must keep shooting even under heavy lockdown.

Counterplay for Victor

Victor has a high-impact “second life” style ultimate (Shocking Reanimation) with a leap and stun on landing, and strong pressure tools around sustain and area presence.

Draft answers:

Don’t rely on “one big pick wins the fight.” Victor can turn a near-death moment into a re-entry.
Bring disables and focus patterns that either secure the kill window or pivot to a better target when he’s in revive mode.
Bring anti-heal and anti-burst tools so his sustain patterns don’t outlast you.

Gameplay answers:

Track his re-entry. When he’s about to re-enter with a landing stun, spread and prepare to dodge rather than stacking in a perfect circle.
Don’t waste your entire kit into a target that’s about to revive—shift to another high-value threat if the kill isn’t guaranteed.
Objective fights: if Victor is anchoring a point, don’t fight him at his preferred location. Pull the fight with lane pressure or flank angles.

Item answers:

Silence Wave is a strong midgame control button into many casters and slippery heroes; it can help you win the first seconds of a fight.
Cursed Relic is a late answer when you need to shut down one decisive hero.

Counterplay for Pocket

Pocket is a mobile shotgun burst hero with high outplay potential. They want to get in, delete a target, and escape before punishment arrives.

Draft answers:

Point-and-click control or reliable delayed control (so escapes aren’t free).
Peel tools for your backline. Pocket loves isolated squishies.
A frontline that can keep Pocket from entering for free.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t take “solo peeks” midgame. Pocket punishes corner-checking alone.
Force Pocket to commit into your team, not into a single target.
When Pocket uses mobility to enter, punish the exit path—many Pockets die on the way out, not on the way in.

Item answers:

Knockdown can punish mobility timing and force them to respect your threat.
Ethereal Shift is a powerful late defensive tool if you’re the focus target and your team can’t protect you.
Debuff Remover is a common answer into ability-heavy pressure and “I can’t play my hero” moments.

Counterplay for Graves

Graves is an area-denial style hero with a “necromancer” vibe who thrives when fights happen in tight spaces and when teams don’t respect zone control.

Draft answers:

Mobility and flank angles so you don’t have to walk through the worst zones.
Engage tools that can start fights on your terms instead of standing in denial fields.
A plan to spread out—area denial gets max value when you’re clumped.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t fight in the same choke repeatedly. Rotate earlier, take another entrance, or force them to reposition.
Win with tempo: shove waves, arrive first, take the better space. Zone heroes hate losing setup time.
If Graves is forcing you off objectives, either commit with a strong frontline + saves or delay and take a trade elsewhere.

Item answers:

Divine Barrier and other saves are powerful when area denial plus debuffs is what kills your carries.
Dispel Magic and Debuff Remover help you keep moving through debuff-heavy fights.

Counterplay for Rem

Rem is a unique utility/support hero. Their “helpers” can do chores like collecting boxes, assisting Sinner’s Sacrifice, following allies, and picking up souls when no hero is nearby—creating extra value and tempo.

Draft answers:

Pressure and picks. Rem shines when the game slows down into “value loops.”
Heroes that can punish a support backline and force fights before Rem’s utility snowballs.

Gameplay answers:

Treat Rem’s team like they have extra tempo and information. Don’t take lazy rotations or you’ll get punished.
If Rem is enabling one unkillable frontline, stop trying to brute-force that frontline without anti-heal and “turn-off” tools.
When you win fights, convert fast—Rem loves long games where utility stacks up.

Item answers:

Decay and Healbane if the enemy frontline becomes immortal.
Cursed Relic as a late-game “turn off” button if one hero is being over-enabled.
Silence Wave to disrupt ability-based teamfight flow and reduce the enemy’s clean execution.

Counterplay for Silver

Silver has a dual-form identity and can spike hard through short burst windows (like Slam Fire) and a brawler transformation pattern. Silver becomes scary when allowed to take repeated short trades that build momentum.

Draft answers:

Point control and peel. Silver wants to hit targets repeatedly and stay in range.
Anti-mobility to punish the entry, plus saves to deny the finishing burst.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t feed her free “hit stacks.” Make her work for every shot with cover and spacing.
If Silver commits into the fight during her power window, punish the exit—she often relies on winning the short exchange, not the long one.
Respect the midgame: if she’s spiking, don’t take open-street fights. Fight around corners and peel lanes.

Item answers:

Slowing Hex and Knockdown can help control her mobility windows.
Disarming Hex is strong when she becomes the primary gun threat.
A defensive save tool (Guardian Ward/Divine Barrier) often flips the “one target dies” moment.

Counterplay for Kelvin

Kelvin provides map presence, movement tools, and strong supportive value. His Ice Path gives movement bonuses and slow resistance, and he can control tempo with rotations and sustain.

Draft answers:

Don’t let Kelvin’s team be the only team that arrives early. You need wave clear and rotation discipline.
Anti-heal if his sustain patterns keep resetting fights.

Gameplay answers:

When Kelvin creates a speed route, don’t chase blindly. Instead, cut off the destination or take a better angle.
If he’s saving teammates repeatedly, switch priorities: stop hitting the “almost dead target” and instead pressure Kelvin or force him out of range.
Objective fights: arrive early and hold angles so his movement paths are less valuable.

Item answers:

Enduring Speed helps you keep up and reduces the impact of slows from many comps.
Decay/Healbane if healing and sustain are deciding fights.
Silence Wave can reduce the enemy’s ability usage tempo in key moments.

Counterplay for Infernus

Infernus is a mobile engager who applies burns and thrives in extended fights where enemies can’t reset cleanly.

Draft answers:

Burst and resets. Don’t let him farm value for 15 seconds straight.
Anti-heal and control to prevent endless sustain patterns.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t stack and feed multi-target burn value. Spread, kite, then re-enter.
If he dives, peel and punish; if he stays at range applying burns, break line of sight and reset before you commit.
Win by timing: take short fights on cooldown windows, then convert to objectives.

Item answers:

Debuff Remover / Dispel Magic to reduce debuff pressure and restore movement control.
Healbane/Decay if he becomes a sustain monster.
Ethereal Shift can deny lethal burst windows and force the enemy to waste a commit.

Counterplay for Grey Talon

Grey Talon is a ranged bow hero with traps and a global ultimate threat (the owl). He wins when he gets clean sightlines and punishes predictable movement.

Draft answers:

Hard engage and flanks. Don’t play a “front door” fight where he gets free shots.
A hero or item plan to punish long-range angles (control, knockdowns, or fast access tools).

Gameplay answers:

Don’t rotate in straight lines through obvious streets when his ultimate is available. Use cover routes.
Fight in spaces where he can’t maintain perfect distance. Corners and vertical routes are your friend.
If your team is losing HP before fights even start, stop walking into poke. Push waves, arrive early, and force him to respond.

Item answers:

Knockdown is a strong tool when airborne targets or long-range setups are deciding fights.
Ethereal Shift can save you from “you were marked and now you’re gone” moments when you’re the priority target.

Counterplay for Vindicta

Vindicta has strong lane setup (like Stake), aerial positioning (Flight), and a charged execution-style threat (Assassinate). She wins when she’s allowed to control vertical space and pick targets from safety.

Draft answers:

Anti-air control and engage tools. If you can’t threaten her positioning, she farms free value.
A frontline that can hold space while someone threatens her backline.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t stand at half HP in open space when she’s missing or when fights are starting. Reset and re-enter; don’t donate free executes.
Force fights where her flight angle is awkward—tight spaces with cover lines and multiple entrances.
If she’s farming picks, stop giving isolated targets. Move as pairs and keep an escape plan.

Item answers:

Knockdown is one of the cleanest answers into airborne targets, and it’s a common “stop the flyer” purchase.
Ethereal Shift is a strong late defensive answer if you are consistently the execute target.

Counterplay for Bebop

Bebop is a pick and burst playmaker with Hook and bomb pressure (Sticky Bomb). He thrives on catching one target and turning it into an instant numbers advantage.

Draft answers:

A frontline that can stand between Bebop and your carry.
A comp that can punish his miss: if he whiffs hook, you get a window to step forward.
A save plan (barrier/cleanse) so one hook doesn’t automatically end the fight.

Lane answers:

Break line of sight. Don’t stand in the obvious hook lane.
Respect hook timing: if you see it used, you have a window to farm and pressure.

Teamfight answers:

Don’t stack so bombs get max value.
Identify “the hooked target” plan: either save them instantly or punish Bebop for stepping forward to capitalize.

Item answers:

Reactive Barrier helps when the fight is decided by one catch/lock moment.
Divine Barrier / Guardian Ward can save hook targets and flip fights.
If Bebop’s team relies on one big ability cycle, Silence Wave can disrupt their rhythm.

Counterplay for Dynamo

Dynamo is a teamfight monster because one good Singularity-style ultimate can win or flip a game. He thrives when enemies clump and when teams walk into choke points late.

Draft answers:

Spread damage and multiple angles. Don’t be a team that must stack.
A plan to arrive early to objectives so you’re not walking into his setup.
A “turn off” tool for late game if he’s deciding every fight.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t face-check into tight entrances. Hold angles first.
Save a defensive tool for the moment his ultimate hits: barrier, cleanse, or disengage.
When Dynamo’s ultimate is down, you get a tempo window—take a Walker or force a fight then.

Item answers:

Unstoppable can be game-changing if you must guarantee your own play through heavy CC.
Cursed Relic is a late “stop the playmaker” purchase when one hero is defining fights.

Counterplay for Ivy

Ivy is extremely versatile and can play DPS, support, roam, and disruptive utility. She can also fly and even pick up an ally and reposition them aggressively.

Draft answers:

Treat Ivy like a “force multiplier.” Don’t ignore her presence just because she isn’t top damage.
Bring control and anti-mobility so her reposition plays don’t happen for free.

Gameplay answers:

Watch for ally-carry reposition plays: Ivy wants to deliver a teammate into your backline or into your objective zone. Hold one control tool for that moment.
Don’t let her roam for free. When Ivy leaves lane, shove and punish objectives or take camps and tempo.
Fight with structure: if Ivy is enabling dive, peel first and punish the overcommit.

Item answers:

Knockdown and Slowing Hex can help control flight/mobility patterns.
Disarming Hex is strong if she becomes the key gun threat.
Divine Barrier is excellent when her team is layering debuffs and burst.

Counterplay for Yamato

Yamato is a high-skill duelist who can become extremely oppressive with ultimate windows that enable invulnerability and cooldown resets. She wins by forcing chaotic skirmishes and punishing isolated targets.

Draft answers:

Peel, anti-mobility, and reliable CC. Yamato wants to pick you apart; deny that by staying connected.
A comp that can punish her exit or force her ultimate defensively.

Gameplay answers:

Don’t fight her alone. Yamato wins “honest” duels when ahead.
Bait the ultimate timing: force her to use it defensively, then disengage and re-enter after it ends.
Keep track of her rotations—she thrives on catching the side lane and turning it into a kill.

Item answers:

Slowing Hex and Knockdown can punish mobility windows and make escapes harder.
Disarming Hex if her gun damage is the threat and you need a clean shutdown moment.
Ethereal Shift can deny lethal burst windows when you’re the focus target.

The “Counter Plan” You Can Execute With Any Team

Even if your teammates are silent, you can still play a counter plan by focusing on three actions:

Protect your carry’s uptime
Stand where you can peel. Buy one save tool. Don’t chase deep while your carry is being hunted.
Force fights to happen near something you can convert
A random jungle brawl is a coin flip. A fight near a Walker is a win condition.
Buy one counter item that solves the match
If one enemy is deciding the game, one correct counter item often flips the whole match:

anti-heal if nobody dies,
anti-mobility if nobody escapes,
cleanse if nobody can play,
disarm if one shooter deletes everyone.

This is the difference between “we got out-skilled” and “we adapted.”

Practical Rules

Counter the win condition, not the hero name.
If your team is getting picked, stop face-checking and start playing corners.
If your team is getting dove, peel first, kill the diver, then counter-push.
If nobody dies, buy healing reduction earlier (Healbane/Decay).
If you can’t move or cast, buy anti-CC and cleanse (Reactive Barrier, Debuff Remover, Dispel Magic, Counterspell).
If one gun carry wins every fight, buy anti-uptime (Suppressor, Disarming Hex) and protect your own carry.
If flyers and long-range angles decide fights, buy Knockdown and fight from cover.
After every won fight: take the nearest permanent objective (usually a Walker), secure value, reset, and shop.

BoostRoom

If you’re tired of “counter guides” that feel theoretical, BoostRoom focuses on what actually wins matches: building a simple plan you can repeat under pressure. Countering popular heroes becomes easy when you (1) recognize the enemy win condition, (2) buy the right counter item on time, and (3) place yourself correctly in fights so you’re never giving free value.

BoostRoom can help you improve faster by:

Building a small hero pool that naturally counters common solo-queue threats
Learning matchup-specific lane plans so you stop feeding early spikes
Creating a personal counter-item checklist (anti-heal, anti-CC, anti-mobility, anti-carry)
Fixing teamfight positioning so you peel and focus correctly
Turning every win into Walkers, then Shrines, then Patron—so games actually end

If you want climbing results, counters aren’t a secret list—they’re a system. BoostRoom helps you build that system.

FAQ

What’s the best way to counter “OP” heroes in Deadlock?

Identify the win condition (dive, sustain, pick, zone, or objective conversion), then deny it with positioning and one correct counter item.

Do I need to counter-pick heroes, or can items do the job?

Items can do a lot in Deadlock. If your hero pool is small, you can still counter through itemization (anti-heal, anti-CC, anti-mobility, disarm, and saves).

When should I buy anti-heal?

The moment you notice fights aren’t producing kills because enemies heal back to full or sustain through pressure. Buying it early often wins the midgame.

What should I buy when I’m getting chain-stunned or slept?

Reactive Barrier is a common early answer, followed by debuff duration reduction and cleanse tools like Debuff Remover, Dispel Magic, and Counterspell. If the game is decided by hard disables, Unstoppable becomes a late-game win button.

How do I counter flyers and long-range execute heroes?

Fight from cover, arrive early to objectives, and consider Knockdown to punish airborne targets. If you’re the focus target, defensive tools like Ethereal Shift can save you.

What’s the single best anti-mobility item?

Slowing Hex is one of the most reliable because it slows, reduces dash distance, and disables movement-based items and abilities—perfect for stopping escapes or dives.

We keep winning fights but still lose—why?

You’re not converting. After a win, take a Walker, secure the value, reset, and shop. If you chase kills for 20 seconds, you often throw your tempo.

How do I counter a fed gun carry that melts everyone?

Use Disarming Hex or Suppressor to reduce their uptime, protect your carry with barrier/cleanse, and fight front-to-back so the fed carry doesn’t get free angles.