How to counter Rat King 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
Tanky gun frontliner with a slow firing LMG that hits hard per bullet. Scrap Grenade bounces and detonates several times for weapon damage and a slow. Rat Swarm sends rats that latch onto you, deal spirit damage and lower your bullet resist with every bite. Royal Pestments gives him a barrier based on his max health, bounces some of your bullets back at you, and at T3 caps the damage he takes from any single hit. His ult Rule, Ratannia! charges forward, slams a banner that knocks up and slows enemies and sends rats at them, then gives his team move speed, slow immunity and damage reduction near the banner. He can also travel through the sewer tunnels.
Key principle
Rat King wants to fight you up close, behind Royal Pestments, with your bullet resist shredded by rats. Dash to shake the rats off, don't dump big hits or long magazines into his armor, fight him at range where his slow bullets miss, and back away from his banner until it runs out.
Rat King is brand new (released 10-02-2026). He launched with a very high win rate and counter strategies are still developing.
Lane phase items≈ 0-10 min
- Battle Vest his gun and Scrap Grenade are bullet damage, and the rats lower your bullet resist.
- Extra Stamina every ground or air dash knocks a rat off you, so more stamina means fewer bites.
- Rusted Barrel cuts his fire rate and bullet resist.
- Return Fire he fights at close range and dumps his LMG into you.
- Debuff Reducer shortens the rat debuff and the grenade slow.
- Mystic Vulnerability your spirit damage lowers his spirit resist, he often builds Spirit Resilience.
Mid game items≈ 10-25 min
- Counterspell How to use: his ult slams down after a short delay. Parry right as the sewers erupt under you and you skip the damage, the knockup, the slow and the rats. It should also block Rat Swarm if you parry as the rats leap at you. Don't waste it on Scrap Grenade, you can just melee the grenade away.
- Bullet Resilience core bullet armor, you'll need it once the rats start shredding your resist.
- Knockdown cast it as he charges his ult. He's in the air while charging, so the stun lasts longer.
- Stamina Mastery two more stamina and an extra air dash, so you can shake off a full swarm.
- Metal Skin only stops bullets, but that's his gun, most of his damage. Rat bites still hit you.
- Disarming Hex shuts off his LMG for 4 seconds.
- Toxic Bullets bleeds a percentage of his max health over time, which works well against his big health pool and armor.
- Dispel Magic should remove the rat bites' bullet resist shred and the grenade slow.
- Hunter's Aura lowers his bullet resist and fire rate while he's within 15m, doubled if he's the only enemy near you.
- Tankbuster your big ability hits deal extra damage based on his current health. Note that T3 Royal Pestments caps single hits.
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Late game items≈ 25 min +
- Juggernaut he fires 40% slower when he shoots you, and you shrug off his grenade slow.
- Plated Armor deflects part of his heavy bullets.
- Inhibitor cuts his damage by 30%.
- Cursed Relic silences, disarms and removes his non ultimate buffs. Curse him after Royal Pestments goes up and the armor should come off.
- Phantom Strike pull him out of his banner zone and disarm him.
- Armor Piercer your bullets often ignore his bullet resist completely.
Patch note
10-05-2026: Rat King's ult was nerfed hard. Cooldown 160s, damage reduction 15% (25% at T3), radius 20m, charge time 10s, and he now falls faster while charging. Scrap Grenade damage went up to 70 and Rat Swarm cooldown dropped to 24s, so expect more grenades and rats but fewer banners.
Tips for your hero against Rat King
Abrams
- Melee his Scrap Grenade away, and Shoulder Charge him only after Royal Pestments ends. Your heavy hits get capped by his T3 armor.
Apollo
- Wait for Royal Pestments to drop before Itani Lo Sahn, the T3 armor caps your ult hit. Dash to shake off rats between trades.
Bebop
- Hook him away from his banner into your team. Don't Hyper Beam into Royal Pestments, wait for it to drop.
Billy
- Chain Gang him while he charges his ult. Dash the rats off before you commit to a brawl.
Calico
- Keep stamina for dashing rats off. Hit him with Gloom Bombs when Royal Pestments is down.
Celeste
- Stay in the air, his slow bullets struggle to hit you there. Dash the rats off and burst him after Pestments drops.
Drifter
- He's tanky and rarely alone. Pick him off when he travels through the tunnels by himself.
Dynamo
- Singularity still pulls his team inside the banner, slow immunity doesn't stop it. Kinetic Pulse him out of his ult charge.
Graves
- Grasping Hands roots him outside his banner. Let your summons soak the grenade.
Grey Talon
- Out range him, his bullets are slow. Guided Owl him while he charges his ult.
Haze
- Don't Bullet Dance into Royal Pestments, it sends bullets back at you. Wait for the armor to drop.
Holliday
- Stay on high ground, his slow bullets struggle up there. Lasso him away from his banner.
Infernus
- Afterburn keeps burning through his armor with small ticks. Dash the rats off, then Flame Dash in.
Ivy
- Keep your carry away from his rats and banner. Air Drop your team around the banner, not into it.
Kelvin
- His banner makes his team immune to slows, so Frost Grenade and your dome slow don't work there. Fight away from it.
Lady Geist
- Essence Bomb is one big hit that T3 Pestments caps. Lean on Life Drain against him instead.
Lash
- Death Slam is one big hit, and T3 Pestments caps it. Slam his team, not him.
McGinnis
- Turrets chip through his barrier steadily. Spectral Wall him away from his banner.
Mina
- Love Bites build up through his armor. Dash the rats off before you dive.
Mirage
- Poke him from range and stack Djinn's Mark, his slow bullets miss you at distance.
Mo & Krill
- Burrow under his grenade. Combo him after Royal Pestments drops.
- Kite him, his slow bullets miss at range. Affliction ticks through his armor.
Rem
- Naptime him while he charges his ult. Keep your carry dashing off rats.
Seven
- Static Charge him during his ult charge. Storm Cloud chips his barrier steadily.
Shiv
- Your bleed ticks steadily through his armor. Don't save Killing Blow for while his T3 armor is up, the hit gets capped.
Silver
- Entangling Bola him while he charges his ult, or wait out the banner before you transform.
The Doorman
- Hotel Guest him to take him out of a fight, his team loses their frontliner and banner timing.
The Magnificent Sinclair
- Rabbit Hex him while he charges his ult.
Open The Magnificent Sinclair against Rat King in the web app
Venator
- Snap Trap the tunnel exits he uses. Gutshot him after Royal Pestments drops.
Victor
- Aura of Suffering chips his armor with steady ticks. Pain Battery fills fast from his LMG, so fire it back.
Vindicta
- Assassinate is one big hit that T3 Pestments caps. Shoot him from range instead, his bullets are too slow to trade back.
Viscous
- Cube an ally caught by his banner slam. Goo Ball him out of the banner zone.
Vyper
- Kite at range, his bullets are slow. Petrifying Bola him while he charges his ult.
Warden
- Last Stand pulses are small hits, so they work well through his armor. Binding Word him while he charges his ult.
Wraith
- Telekinesis him while he charges his ult. Don't Full Auto into Royal Pestments, it sends bullets back.
Yamato
- Power Slash is one big hit that T3 Pestments caps. Wait for the armor to drop before you commit.