Shiv builds, abilities and matchups

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

Shiv

Tier 5 Brawler · Late game · Spirit focus

Melee fighter who dives in with bleed and dashes and finishes with Killing Blow

Win rate44.5%
Pick rate26.2%
Under 28 min42.0%
Over 40 min47.0%
1234

Item builds last 30 days, 851,275 Shiv games · average win rate 44.6%

Rank 1 / 2This build 145,463 games (17.1% of Shiv games)Win rate 55.8%vs games of the same length +10.1%p

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

Max order 1. Serrated Knives → 2. Slice and Dice → 4. Killing Blow → 3. Bloodletting

Level12356812131516182328293136
1. Serrated KnivesUnlock123
2. Slice and DiceUnlock123
3. BloodlettingUnlock123
4. Killing BlowUnlock123
Picked98%97%98%84%91%72%80%48%90%59%86%77%68%100%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 6 (level 8): 4. Killing Blow 72.0% · 2. Slice and Dice 26.8% / Step 8 (level 13): 4. Killing Blow 48.0% · 2. Slice and Dice 44.0% / Step 10 (level 16): 2. Slice and Dice 58.7% · 3. Bloodletting 38.1% / Step 13 (level 28): 4. Killing Blow 67.6% · 3. Bloodletting 32.4%

Early0~10 min#1~3

Core · #1~3 in order · components included

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

Situational

Mid10~25 min#4~7

Core · #4~7 in order · components included

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

Situational

Late25 min~#8~19

Core · #8~19 in order · components included

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

Situational

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.

3 upgrades that merge components
  • Extra Regen → Healing Booster
  • Compress Cooldown → Superior Cooldown
  • Superior Cooldown → Transcendent Cooldown

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 2 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 · Healing Booster

56% of games · win rate 45.9% · 846 gamesSpirit +20%p vs other styles

Weapon 5%Spirit 59%Vitality 36%
Mid (10~20 min)
  1. Radiant Regeneration10:10 · 95%
  2. Healbane11:54 · 79%
  3. Healing Booster13:10 · 58%
  4. Enchanter's Emblem13:52 · 34%
Late (20 min~)
  1. Rapid Recharge20:30 · 38%
  2. Dispel Magic20:49 · 47%
  3. Torment Pulse20:53 · 70%
  4. Spirit Resilience25:39 · 32%
  5. Escalating Exposure28:27 · 54%
  6. Transcendent Cooldown32:45 · 35%

Weapon-focused · Bullet Resist Shredder

44% of games · win rate 45.6% · 654 gamesWeapon +21%p vs other styles

Weapon 47%Spirit 19%Vitality 34%
Early (~10 min)
  1. Restorative Shot1:23 · 40%
  2. Close Quarters3:24 · 51%
  3. Battle Vest9:24 · 63%
Mid (10~20 min)
  1. Bullet Resist Shredder10:03 · 87%
  2. Radiant Regeneration10:15 · 97%
  3. Healbane12:40 · 41%
  4. Hunter's Aura16:32 · 93%
  5. Dispel Magic18:04 · 54%
  6. Fleetfoot19:26 · 35%
Late (20 min~)
  1. Express Shot20:19 · 92%
  2. Berserker24:05 · 68%
  3. Spirit Resilience25:19 · 47%
  4. Lucky Shot29:17 · 53%

"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

1. Serrated Knives88%
2. Slice and Dice7%
4. Killing Blow4%
3. Bloodletting0%

Abilities

1. Serrated Knives

Throw a knife that bleeds an enemy. Each additional hit adds a stack and refreshes the bleed duration, causing the bleed to increase per stack.

Against it: The bleed grows with each hit, so don't take hits in a row

2. Slice and Dice 12m

Perform a dash forward, damaging enemies along the path. Hit Enemies have their spirit resist reduced. This debuff can stack.

Against it: Getting hit lowers your Spirit Resist, so watch for follow-up abilities

3. Bloodletting

Take only a portion of incoming damage immediately and defer the rest to be taken over time. Activate to clear a portion of the deferred damage.

Against it: He takes the damage later, so drag the fight out and keep pressure

4. Killing Blow 12m

Against it: Shiv leaps in when you're low, so make distance early

Gun
Shiv's gun

6 pellets · Ammo 10 · 1.8 bullets/sec · DPS 52 · full damage to 20m, minimum from 41m

Playing against

  • Back off before the knife bleed stacks up
  • Stay away from Shiv when your health is low
  • Bloodletting holds back damage, so keep pressuring instead of short trades

Counter items

Healbane

Strengths

  • Serrated Knives bleed gives steady poke
  • Bloodletting spreads out damage taken so he lasts longer
  • Killing Blow finishes low-health enemies

Weaknesses

  • Has to get close, weak against long-range poke
  • Loses sustain when hit by healing reduction
  • Hard to escape once Slice and Dice is used

Game plan

Laning

Stack bleed with Serrated Knives and dash in and out with Slice and Dice.

Mid game

Join other lanes and finish kills with Killing Blow.

Late game

Hold on with Bloodletting, dive into the enemy and pick off low-health enemies.

Power spikes

Serrated Knives and Slice and Dice let him fight early, and Killing Blow lets him reliably finish low-health enemies. Bloodletting also helps him survive after going in.

With them on your team

  • Use Spirit abilities on enemies whose Spirit Resist Shiv cut with his dash
  • When an enemy is low, let Shiv finish them with Killing Blow

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