Calico builds, abilities and matchups

Deadlock Calico abilities, item builds, game plan and matchups. Statistics cover 30 days as of 2026-10-25.

Calico

Tier 3 Assassin · Late game · Spirit focus

Assassin who slips in through the shadows for close-range ambushes

Win rate48.8%
Pick rate17.6%
Under 28 min45.8%
Over 40 min49.7%
1234

Item builds last 30 days, 559,104 Calico games · average win rate 48.4%

Rank 1 / 2This build 214,761 games (38.4% of Calico games)Win rate 52.4%vs games of the same length +3.6%p

Ability Point Order most common order in this build · numbers are upgrade tiers

Max order 4. Return to Shadows → 1. Gloom Bombs → 3. Ava → 2. Leaping Slash

Level123557891116171924293136
1. Gloom BombsUnlock123
2. Leaping SlashUnlock123
3. AvaUnlock123
4. Return to ShadowsUnlock123
Picked93%50%96%80%73%87%100%97%82%87%96%98%92%85%100%100%

Level: the earliest level that step can be taken (unlocks at levels 1·3·5·8, upgrades cost 1·2·5 points). Picked: of the games with the same order up to the step before, the share that took this ability.

Where it splits: Step 2 (level 2): 2. Leaping Slash 49.8% · 1. Gloom Bombs 49.3%

Early0~10 min#1~2

Core · #1~2 in order · components included

Skip components you have · if short on slots, buy the upgrade directly

Mid10~25 min#3~8

Core · #3~8 in order · components included

Skip components you have · if short on slots, buy the upgrade directly

Late25 min~#9~22

Core · #9~22 in order · components included

Skip components you have · if short on slots, buy the upgrade directly

Final build, late core bought

9 base slots + 3 unlocked slots · icon numbers are the overall buy order

12 / 12 slots
Extra slot
Extra slot
Extra slot

Destroy Walkers to unlock the extra slots and hold all 12. Situational and counter items replace items in this set; they are not a 13th buy.

5 upgrades that merge components
  • Sprint Boots → Trophy Collector
  • Extra Spirit → Improved Spirit
  • Compress Cooldown → Superior Cooldown
  • Improved Spirit → Boundless Spirit
  • Mystic Vulnerability → Escalating Exposure

Counters swap into the final build when needed

Not recommended often bought, but a poor fit for this build

Rank: games and win rate together. Builds are ordered by the lead over games of the same length times games ÷ (games + 30,000), so a build with few games gets less credit for its lead. Number under each icon: win rate difference against items at the same price. Games in this build where the item was bought are compared with games of the same length (5-min steps), then the average of items at the same price is taken away. Expensive items are bought more in games with Souls to spare (winning ones), so only items at the same price are compared. Click an item for its effects and full stats. Win rates shown are for the build group, not for holding all 12 items of the final build at once.

Build styles 1,500 real games (last 3 days, normal games of 20+ min) grouped into 3 styles by where the build went · grouped by: items bought by 20 min · the numbers beside an item are its average purchase time and the share of that style owning it · deadlock-api.com

New player pickSpirit-focused · Arctic Blast

41% of games · win rate 49.3% · 610 gamesSpirit +4%p vs other styles

Weapon 14%Spirit 65%Vitality 20%
Early (~10 min)
  1. Melee Lifesteal1:15 · 42%
  2. Stalker4:44 · 81%
  3. Trophy Collector8:41 · 79%
Mid (10~20 min)
  1. Spirit Snatch12:36 · 97%
  2. Arctic Blast19:26 · 91%
  3. Dispel Magic19:30 · 30%
Late (20 min~)
  1. Lifestrike20:22 · 34%
  2. Hunter's Aura21:22 · 33%
  3. Torment Pulse23:41 · 33%
  4. Boundless Spirit27:15 · 62%
  5. Spirit Burn31:40 · 31%

Spirit-focused · Enduring Speed

33% of games · win rate 40.7% · 491 gamesWeapon +3%p vs other styles

Weapon 20%Spirit 58%Vitality 22%
Early (~10 min)
  1. Melee Lifesteal1:24 · 33%
  2. Stalker5:04 · 79%
Mid (10~20 min)
  1. Enduring Speed12:52 · 71%
  2. Spirit Snatch14:02 · 88%
  3. Mystic Shot15:39 · 31%
Late (20 min~)
  1. Hunter's Aura20:06 · 38%
  2. Lifestrike20:11 · 43%
  3. Arctic Blast24:04 · 70%
  4. Mystic Vulnerability24:15 · 33%
  5. Boundless Spirit29:45 · 52%

Spirit-focused · Hunter's Aura

27% of games · win rate 47.9% · 399 games

Weapon 16%Spirit 61%Vitality 22%
Early (~10 min)
  1. Stalker4:48 · 77%
  2. Trophy Collector8:23 · 62%
Mid (10~20 min)
  1. Spirit Snatch13:46 · 92%
  2. Hunter's Aura16:51 · 76%
  3. Torment Pulse18:01 · 65%
Late (20 min~)
  1. Lifestrike20:07 · 41%
  2. Dispel Magic21:58 · 32%
  3. Arctic Blast23:59 · 76%
  4. Boundless Spirit30:17 · 52%
  5. Transcendent Cooldown34:58 · 35%

"New player pick" is the style with the highest win rate among those used in 15% or more of games. Win rates also reflect skill gaps, so within 2%p is about even. At first, buy the picked style in order; once comfortable, fit in counter items for the enemy comp.

Ability max order ability maxed first · last 30 days

4. Return to Shadows77%
2. Leaping Slash9%
1. Gloom Bombs8%
3. Ava6%

Abilities

1. Gloom Bombs Radius 3m

Throw a cluster of bombs that detonate after a delay, dealing spirit damage.Enemies hit by multiple bombs take 65% damage.

Against it: They explode after a delay, so leave where the bombs land at once

2. Leaping Slash 9m

Dash forward before slashing all enemies in a circle, dealing melee damage. If the ability hits at least one hero, heal a small amount of health.

Against it: She dashes in and slashes around her, so keep distance and step aside

3. Ava

Turn to shadows and possess Ava. You gain bonus move speed that increases over time, and become hidden on the minimap. Taking damage from an enemy hero resets your bonus move speed and puts Ava on a brief cooldown.

Against it: Damage resets her move speed, so hit her as soon as you see her

4. Return to Shadows Radius 7.5m

Instantly turn to shadows, becoming untargetable, gaining bonus move speed, and dealing spirit damage. After a delay, return from the shadows, dealing spirit damage again.

Against it: She deals damage again when she comes out of the shadows, so move away from that spot

Gun
Calico's gun

9 pellets · Ammo 12 · 4.8 bullets/sec · DPS 79 · full damage to 20m, minimum from 58m

Playing against

  • When Calico vanishes from the minimap, stay near allies and expect an ambush
  • If she comes at you as Ava, hit her at once to break her speed
  • Don't give her melee range; back off while poking

Strengths

  • Ava hides her from the minimap for ambushes
  • Leaping Slash closes in fast and heals a little
  • Return to Shadows makes her untargetable in a pinch

Weaknesses

  • Melee-focused, weak against long-range poke
  • Taking hits as Ava resets her move speed
  • Few ways out after going in

Game plan

Laning

Poke with Gloom Bombs and trade and heal with Leaping Slash.

Mid game

Roam the map as Ava and ambush enemies who are alone.

Late game

Ambush from the flank to kill enemy damage dealers and get out with Return to Shadows.

Power spikes

Gloom Bombs let her poke in lane, and once she has Return to Shadows she survives after going in, making her ambushes much stronger.

With them on your team

  • Go in with Calico when she ambushes and add damage
  • Calico is melee, so take the enemy's long-range poke for her

2026-10-25 · 30 days · deadlock-api.com, 랭크 기본 매치 · Deadlock API