How to counter Infernus 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
Fire bruiser. Napalm weakens you, Flame Dash leaves a fire trail, Afterburn burns you with every hit, and Concussive Combustion is a big stun explosion around him.
Key principle
Infernus' damage comes from the burn. Remove the burn and anti heal his sustain, and he's much weaker.
Lane phase items≈ 0-10 min
- Enchanter's Emblem his damage is spirit.
- Healbane cuts his lifesteal.
- Spirit Shielding barrier against the burn.
- Reactive Barrier gives you a barrier the moment his ult stun hits you, and later upgrades into Indomitable.
- Slowing Hex silences Flame Dash.
Mid game items≈ 10-25 min
- Dispel Magic wipes Afterburn and Napalm. Most important item here.
- Counterspell How to use: his ult has a short delay before it explodes. Parry just before the blast and you take no damage and no stun.
- Spirit Resilience core spirit armor.
- Decay strong anti heal.
- Knockdown stun him as he Flame Dashes in.
- Blood Tribute toggle it for 35% debuff resist so his burn and Napalm wear off faster.
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Late game items≈ 25 min +
- Spellbreaker cuts the big ult hit.
- Witchmail heavy spirit resist.
- Indomitable cleanses the ult stun.
- Silencer for gun heroes, cuts his spirit damage by 25%.
- Unstoppable immune to his ult stun while it's active.
- Focus Lens silences him for 4.5 seconds and lowers his spirit power.
- Scourge spirit resist, debuff resist and shorter burns for you or a teammate.
- Divine Barrier removes Afterburn and other non stun debuffs from a teammate and gives them a 600 barrier.
Patch note
10-05-2026: no direct Infernus change, but from recent patches his bullet size is large, so his gun lands reliably, the matchup feels more bullet heavy. Build some Bullet mitigation (Plated Armor/Battle Vest) as a secondary if he goes gun stacking. Dispel remains the core answer to Afterburn.
Tips for your hero against Infernus
Abrams
- Shoulder Charge him after Flame Dash; anti heal his lifesteal and tank the Afterburn while you brawl.
Apollo
- Riposte his Flame Dash; Sigil poke and don't sit in Afterburn range.
Bebop
- Hook him out of Flame Dash; Sticky burst before Afterburn out DoTs you.
Billy
- Bashdown his Flame Dash; silence him, don't close range gun trade into Afterburn.
Calico
- Kite his Napalm slow; Gloom Bombs from range, don't sit in Afterburn.
Celeste
- Float above his Flame Dash; Light Eater burst him, cleanse the Afterburn amp.
Drifter
- Stalker's Mark him after Flame Dash; anti heal his Leech snowball.
Dynamo
- Kinetic Pulse his Flame Dash; Singularity him mid Concussive Combustion windup.
Graves
- Grasping Hands his Flame Dash; Deadheads chip him, anti heal his sustain.
Grey Talon
- Charged Shot him before Flame Dash closes; trap his engage lane.
Haze
- Sleep Dagger his engage; out DPS him but bring anti heal for his Leech.
Holliday
- Bounce Pad off his Flame Dash; Spirit Lasso him out of Concussive Combustion.
Ivy
- Kite his Napalm; anti heal his Leech, Air Drop away from his ult stun.
Kelvin
- Frost Grenade his Flame Dash; anti heal his sustain, Frozen Shelter eats his burst.
Lady Geist
- Essence Bomb him at range; Malice him, don't sit in Afterburn.
Lash
- Death Slam him from height; Ground Strike his Flame Dash landing.
McGinnis
- Wall his Flame Dash; turrets zone him, don't melee trade into Afterburn.
Mina
- Burst and retreat past his Afterburn; anti heal his Leech.
Mirage
- Tornado his Flame Dash; Traveler onto him, cleanse Afterburn before you commit.
Mo & Krill
- Burrow stun his Flame Dash; Combo ult him, anti heal his sustain.
Paige
- Bookwyrm chips him at range; Captivating Read locks his Flame Dash.
Paradox
- Time Wall his engage lane; Kinetic Carbine stun his Flame Dash.
- Kite his Napalm; Affliction anti heals his Leech, don't sit in Afterburn.
Rat King
- Royal Pestments soaks his ult burst. Swarm him so he has to dash off rats instead of fighting.
Rem
- Naptime his Flame Dash; out heal his Afterburn poke on the team.
Seven
- Lightning Ball his Flame Dash; Storm Cloud zones him, anti heal his Leech.
Shiv
- Bleed him but anti heal his Leech; Slice him after Flame Dash whiffs.
Silver
- Wolf burst him after Flame Dash; Entangling Bola grounds his engage, anti heal.
The Doorman
- Door his Flame Dash lane; Luggage Cart him out of Concussive Combustion.
The Magnificent Sinclair
- Illusions bait his Flame Dash; Rabbit Hex him, cleanse the Afterburn.
Open The Magnificent Sinclair against Infernus in the web app
Venator
- Snap Trap his Flame Dash lane; Gutshot poke, anti heal his Leech.
Victor
- Pain Battery fills quickly from Afterburn. Buy anti heal and fight in your Aura.
Vindicta
- Assassinate him before Flame Dash; Crow stun his engage.
Viscous
- Cube your ally vs his ult; Puddle Punch his Flame Dash, anti heal his Leech.
Vyper
- Out ammo him at range; Petrifying Bola his Flame Dash, don't sit in Afterburn.
Warden
- Don't gun trade early, Afterburn wins close range trades.
- Binding Word when he dashes in, the root keeps him in your flask slow zone (place the flask closer post nerf). Last Stand + he can't disengage.
- Willpower still cleanses Afterburn retroactively, but at 30% resist it's a fallback, Dispel is the reliable Afterburn answer now.
Wraith
- Telekinesis lift him mid Flame Dash; Full Auto him, anti heal his Leech.
Yamato
- Crimson Slash out sustains his Afterburn; Flying Slash him after Flame Dash, anti heal his Leech.