How to counter Apollo in Deadlock
Spirit hero. Counter items for lane, mid and late game, and tips for the hero you play.
Updated for patch 10-05-2026. Counter profile from 2026-10-06.
Threat profile
Spirit duelist built around Riposte, a stance that punishes you for attacking him. Disengaging Sigil slows, Flawless Advance dashes through you, and Itani Lo Sahn slows time on you before a big hit.
Key principle
Riposte punishes anyone who commits into him. Bait it with something cheap, then commit. His ult can be Counterspelled, so hold your parry for it.
Lane phase items≈ 0-10 min
- Enchanter's Emblem nearly all his damage is spirit.
- Spirit Sap lowers his spirit power and spirit resist.
- Reactive Barrier gives you a barrier the moment the Riposte stun hits you, and later upgrades into Indomitable.
- Slowing Hex silences his movement abilities so he can't dash out.
Mid game items≈ 10-25 min
- Counterspell How to use: save it for Itani Lo Sahn. Parry right as the ult reaches you and you ignore it completely. If you're already slowed, you can still parry, and that blocks the damage that comes after the slow. Don't burn it on Sigil pokes.
- Spirit Resilience core spirit armor.
- Dispel Magic removes the Sigil slow.
- Silence Wave silence him before he starts a combo.
- Knockdown stun him while he charges his ult.
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Late game items≈ 25 min +
- Indomitable cleanses the stun from walking into Riposte. It won't trigger on his ult.
- Spellbreaker cuts the big ult hit by 65%.
- Witchmail heavy spirit resist.
- Cursed Relic interrupts and locks him out completely.
- Focus Lens silences him for 4.5 seconds and lowers his spirit power.
- Ethereal Shift become untargetable through Itani Lo Sahn if Counterspell is on cooldown.
Patch note
10-05-2026: no direct Apollo change, but this is the one matchup where COUNTERSPELL is awkward, he is also a parry hero, so a mistimed Counterspell just trades parries. Prefer Dispel (reactive) and hard CC here over Counterspell.
Tips for your hero against Apollo
Abrams
- Don't Shoulder Charge blind into a Riposte; bait the parry first, then charge, and brawl him where he can't kite.
Bebop
- Don't Hook blind, Riposte parries it; bait the parry with an Uppercut, then Hook, and Hyper Beam his ult charge.
Billy
- Rising Ram to bait his Riposte, then re engage; silence him to shut his cooldown reliant kit.
Calico
- Out mobility him and don't feed single abilities into Riposte; Gloom Bombs poke and Return to Shadows reset his dives.
Celeste
- Stay above his vertical play; don't feed Light Eater burst into a Riposte, bait it first, then combo.
Drifter
- Stalker's Mark him after he burns Riposte; Rend anti heals his Flawless Advance sustain.
Dynamo
- Kinetic Pulse him out of the air; Singularity is a channel he can't Riposte, so catch him grouped.
Graves
- Grasping Hands roots him out of mobility; don't feed a single summon cast into a parry.
Grey Talon
- Charged Shot from max range, he can't Riposte what he can't reach; trap his approach lane.
Haze
- Sleep Dagger him after he uses Riposte; Bullet Dance melts him, but bring anti heal for Flawless Advance.
Holliday
- Deny his rooftops with your own vertical play; Spirit Lasso him out of the air, don't Crackshot into a Riposte.
Infernus
- Afterburn ignores his parry timing; Flame Dash to close and Napalm slow his kite.
Ivy
- Kill him fast with your carry buffed; Air Drop only after his Riposte is down.
Kelvin
- Frozen Shelter denies his burst window; Frost Grenade slows his kite, don't feed a big cast into Riposte.
Lady Geist
- Bait Riposte with a basic, then Essence Bomb; Life Drain punishes his short cooldowns.
Lash
- Death Slam him from height where his parry is useless; Ground Strike his landing.
McGinnis
- Wall him out of the fight; turrets chip through his mobility, don't feed Heavy Barrage into a parry.
Mina
- Bait Riposte, then burst and retreat; anti heal his Flawless Advance.
Mirage
- Traveler onto him after he burns Riposte; Tornado grounds his vertical play.
Mo & Krill
- Burrow stun his engage; Combo ult drains through Flawless Advance with anti heal.
Paige
- Bookwyrm pressures him at range; don't feed Plot Armor or summon casts into a parry.
Paradox
- Time Wall his kite lanes; Kinetic Carbine stun after he burns Riposte, then Swap him in.
- Out kite him with Flying Cloak; Affliction anti heals his Flawless Advance.
Rat King
- Don't shoot into Riposte. T3 Royal Pestments caps his ult hit, so you can stand your ground against Itani Lo Sahn.
Rem
- Naptime him after Riposte is down; Lil Helpers keep your carry topped through his poke.
Seven
- Lightning Ball stun after his parry; Storm Cloud denies his kite space.
Shiv
- Bleed him through Flawless Advance with anti heal; bait Riposte before Slice and Dice.
Silver
- Wolf form burst him once Riposte is down; Entangling Bola grounds his vertical play.
The Doorman
- Door him out of his kite lanes; Luggage Cart him after he burns Riposte.
The Magnificent Sinclair
- Illusions bait his Riposte; Rabbit Hex him when the parry is down.
Venator
- Snap Trap his kite lanes; Gutshot poke from range where Riposte can't reach.
Victor
- Don't hit into Riposte. Let Aura of Suffering do the damage while you wait out his parry.
Vindicta
- Assassinate from max range, beyond his Riposte reach; Stake Hook his approach.
Viscous
- Cube your bursted ally through his combo; Puddle Punch him out of the air.
Vyper
- Ammo stack from range and kite; Petrifying Bola him after Riposte is down.
Warden
- Never lead with Binding Word, Riposte parries it and stuns you. Bait the parry first.
- Alchemical Flask is still your Riposte bait even after the range nerf, the DoT triggers his parry without spending your real spell; then free cast Binding Word. You just have to be closer to land the flask now.
- Last Stand on top of him is devastating, Flawless Advance can't pull him out of the tether. Drag fights to the ground; deny him rooftops.
Wraith
- Card Trick poke to bait his Riposte; Telekinesis lift him when the parry is spent.
Yamato
- Crimson Slash out sustains his poke; bait Riposte, then Power Slash burst.