How to counter Calico in Deadlock
Gun 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
Cat themed skirmisher. Gloom Bombs deal area damage and lower your melee resist, Leaping Slash jumps in, Ava is her cat companion, and Return to Shadows lets her vanish and reset.
Key principle
Calico lives on resets. Don't chase her into corners. Hit her when she commits with Leaping Slash, or ignore her and take objectives.
Lane phase items≈ 0-10 min
- Battle Vest her main damage is gun and melee.
- Rebuttal parry her melee.
- Slowing Hex silences Leaping Slash so she can't jump in or away.
- Return Fire she fights at close range.
Mid game items≈ 10-25 min
- Counterspell How to use: parry the moment Leaping Slash lands on you. It's a low priority buy here, only get it if she's the fed threat.
- Knockdown stuns longer if she's mid leap.
- Dispel Magic removes the Gloom Bomb resist shred.
- Bullet Resilience core bullet armor.
- Metal Skin ignore her gun for 5 seconds.
- Disarming Hex shuts off her gun for 4 seconds.
- Hunter's Aura lowers her bullet resist and fire rate when she jumps in close.
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Late game items≈ 25 min +
- Inhibitor cuts her damage by 30%.
- Juggernaut melee resist and slows her fire rate.
- Plated Armor deflects part of her bullets.
- Capacitor slows her hard and silences her movement abilities.
- Cursed Relic stops Return to Shadows and her items.
- Colossus grow bigger with 35% bullet and spirit resist and slow her when she lands near you.
Patch note
10-05-2026: no direct Calico change. If her team has a melee carry, her Gloom Bomb melee amp makes her an enabler, not just a skirmisher, buy Healbane/Decay earlier in that case. Slows now also drag her air resets slightly.
Tips for your hero against Calico
Abrams
- Don't chase her resets; Shoulder Charge only when she's committed, and Seismic to catch her mid Leaping Slash.
Apollo
- Riposte her Leaping Slash in; Sigil slow her reset and don't chase into her Return to Shadows.
Bebop
- Hook her out of a Leaping Slash; Sticky Bomb burst before she Return to Shadows resets.
Billy
- Bashdown her when she Leaping Slashs in; don't chase, and silence stops her transformation ult.
Celeste
- Float and Light Eater burst her on the Leaping Slash in; don't chase her Return to Shadows resets.
Drifter
- She's slippery, not isolated weak; Stalker's Mark her mid Leaping Slash and Rend before she resets.
Dynamo
- Kinetic Pulse her out of a Leaping Slash; Singularity catches her if she skirmishes in.
Graves
- Grasping Hands roots her reset; Deadheads punish her when she can't Leaping Slash away.
Grey Talon
- Spirit Snare her Leaping Slash path; Charged Shot her before she closes, don't chase.
Haze
- Sleep Dagger her engage; don't chase her Return to Shadows, Bullet Dance only when she's pinned.
Holliday
- Spirit Lasso her out of a Leaping Slash; don't chase, poke with Powder Keg.
Infernus
- Afterburn sticks through her resets; Napalm slow her Leaping Slash and don't chase into Return to Shadows.
Ivy
- Entangling Thorns slow her reset lane; don't over chase, Air Drop only when she's pinned.
Kelvin
- Frost Grenade kills her Leaping Slash reset; don't chase her Return to Shadows.
Lady Geist
- Essence Bomb her on the Leaping Slash in; don't chase, Malice her when she skirmishes.
Lash
- Ground Strike her Leaping Slash; Death Slam her when she can't reset.
McGinnis
- Wall her reset path; turrets zone her skirmish, don't chase into Return to Shadows.
Mina
- Match her mobility; burst her on the Leaping Slash in and Retreat before her reset.
Mirage
- Traveler slow her; Traveler her after she commits a Leaping Slash.
Mo & Krill
- Burrow stun her Leaping Slash; Combo ult her when she can't Return to Shadows away.
Paige
- Bookwyrm zones her skirmish; Captivating Read locks her reset.
Paradox
- Time Wall her reset lane; Kinetic Carbine stun her mid Leaping Slash.
- Match kites; Affliction sticks through her resets, don't chase into Return to Shadows.
Rat King
- Rat Swarm punishes her skirmishes, she has to burn stamina dashing the rats off.
Rem
- Naptime her Leaping Slash in; keep your carry topped as she skirmishes.
Seven
- Lightning Ball her Leaping Slash; Static Charge zones her reset, don't chase.
Shiv
- Bleed sticks through her resets; Slice and Dice onto her when she can't Leaping Slash.
Silver
- Wolf mobility catches her chases; Entangling Bola grounds her Leaping Slash.
The Doorman
- Door her reset lanes; Luggage Cart her out of a Leaping Slash, don't chase into Return to Shadows.
The Magnificent Sinclair
- Illusions bait her skirmish; Rabbit Hex her when she can't reset.
Venator
- Snap Trap her Leaping Slash path; Gutshot poke, don't chase into Return to Shadows.
Victor
- Aura of Suffering punishes her Leaping Slash engages. Don't chase her resets.
Vindicta
- Assassinate her before she closes; Stake Hook her Leaping Slash.
Viscous
- Puddle Punch onto her; The Cube saves your bursted ally, don't chase her Return to Shadows.
Vyper
- Out ammo her at range; Petrifying Bola her Leaping Slash, don't chase.
Warden
- Last Stand denies her Return to Shadows resets in teamfights; the tether stops her disengaging into stealth.
- Don't chase into LoS breaks. If she runs, let her, she isn't winning the fight by running.
- Flask in her dash path slows her enough for Binding Word to land, you need to place it closer now.
Wraith
- Telekinesis lift her out of a Leaping Slash; Full Auto her when pinned.
Yamato
- Flying Slash catches her chases; Power Slash burst when she can't reset.