I’ve been transported back to a childhood spent doodling plans in notebooks, with thoughts about what Deadlock duo lane I can craft next swirling in my head. My youthful days spent coming up with my very own made-up superhero teams has prepared me for this new obsession with Deadlock’s cast of hard-boiled heroic weirdos. If you’re anything like me, you too have been caught with thirty browser tabs open on Deadlock items and abilities and a wild look in your eyes. Friends, we need to band together and cook up the perfect lanes, let our weirdest and best ideas off the page and into the wilds to trouble our enemies.
To that end, I’ve been tormenting my own crew with ideas, and observing the whole range of duo lanes my opponents have brought to bear against me. Every early lead, failed skirmish, and "unfortunate" muttered under my breath following an untimely death has been meticulously recorded, all to perfect the art of the duo lane. Whether you want a fresh comp to inflict on your pals in your next session, or something serious to lock down your ranked climb to the top of Eternus: I’ve got thoughts to share, and they’re all connected by colored strings on my bulletin board cleanly laid out for you to digest below.
Abrams and McGinnis
“Blue Collar Bullies”
Strength: Lane sustain and skirmishes
Weaknesses: Range disadvantage
Abrams and McGinnis are perfect for each other—since they’re who you hate to lane against, it’s natural they belong together. With Abrams' shotgun and the massive magazine on McGinnis’ minigun, they have strong weapons for securing and denying souls or hammering enemies who don’t tuck into cover. Even better, McGinnis’ Spectral Wall ability can force enemies into fights they don’t want while setting up Abrams for his Shoulder Charge to get a stun. Even in difficult lanes where the pair struggle, Abrams and McGinnis bring a whole bunch of sustain to the lane, with Abrams' Infernal Resilience and McGinnis' Medicinal Specter. Thanks to all the healing, they can weather tough matchups that would normally crush the lane and continue to keep up in souls.
How to overcome a tough lane: Be patient, and watch your opponents' cooldowns and stamina usage closely. Wait for them to use key cooldowns and expend stamina so that you know they won’t be able to escape your Spectral Wall and Shoulder Charge or won’t be able to win damage trades. Remember that you can win a lane just as well by effectively securing and denying souls as by racking up kills.
Ivy and Warden
"Beauty and the Beast”
Strength: Poke and crowd control synergy
Weaknesses: Strong bullet damage lanes, mobility
Ivy and Warden are a sneaky pairing, with how they complement each other found in how perfectly they set up each other's crowd control. Warden’s Binding Word gives enemies lots of time to escape before activating, which normally means he has to use it carefully to have a chance to land it. With Ivy by his side, however, she can watch for Warden to throw his Binding Word on an enemy, then follow up with Kudzu Bomb for the movement slow, or just use Stone Form to stun them to secure the root. Once an enemy is rooted, Ivy’s powerful but short-ranged submachine gun can shred them with a streak of free headshots alongside Warden’s. Once they hit their ultimate abilities, there’s also another sneaky tactic they can use, with Warden starting to channel his Last Stand ultimate and Ivy picking him up with her Air Drop ultimate to carry him to enemies.
How to overcome a tough lane: Be ready to pivot your Ivy build to support your Warden, even if you plan to build damage (especially spirit) in the long run, especially against lanes where Warden’s Willpower shield provides little value. Grabbing an early Divine Barrier, Rescue Beam, or Slowing Hex/Withering Whip active item can shut down enemies and set up your Warden far faster than the slower route to getting Ivy’s damage online.
Dynamo and Haze
“Geometry Jumpscare”
Strength: Burst damage and ultimate synergy
Weaknesses: Tanky and mobile enemies
Bringing some of the strongest ultimates in the game together in a single lane makes for a terrifying ultimate power spike, and between Dynamo’s Singularity and Haze’s Bullet Dance your laning opponents (or the entire enemy team) can be easy marks for a skilled and coordinated duo. But even before the deadliest circles in the game come online at the 3,000 soul mark, Dynamo and Haze are scary in the lane. Dynamo’s Kinetic Pulse knockup is perfect for helping Haze land almost a full magazine of shots on a helpless enemy, and it’s even easier to land if Haze first nails the target with her Sleep Dagger. Dynamo also brings much needed utility to Haze’s laning phase, since he can use Quantum Entanglement to help her dodge powerful enemy abilities and Rejuvenating Aurora to heal up and keep the pressure on.
How to overcome a tough lane: Let your Dynamo be the bait against crowd control heavy lanes—with Quantum Entanglement he can dodge a lot of abilities, thus setting up Haze to wreak havoc without fear of being stopped. Also, learn to recognize the strength of shoving your lane at the right time. This can give you time to slip next door to surprise your neighboring lane without missing many souls in your own—as long as you’re quick, even Haze on her own can be absolutely deadly showing up from her Smoke Bomb stealth.
Vindicta and Grey Talon
“Deadlock Royal Air Force”
Strength: Range and safety
Weaknesses: Sustain and being outpoked
The two champions of keep-away are a nightmare to face unprepared in a lane together, and with both Vindicta and Grey Talon able to fly—courtesy of their Flight and Rain of Arrows abilities—you can rain destruction down on enemies from a safe distance. With the long range of both heroes' weapons, you can easily poke enemies who leave themselves open, and even play well behind your guardian if your opponents are being aggressive or have the upper hand. Even better, Vindicta’s Stake and Grey Talon’s Immobilizing Trap synergize, with a landed Immobilizing Trap meaning a Snare to follow up will definitely land. Holding an enemy in place for multiple seconds (plus an easy time landing Charged Shot and Crow Familiar) is deadly enough, but once both Vindicta and Grey Talon have their ultimates they’re a terror to deal with, and missing even a bit of health can mean that a Snare or Immobilizing Trap is a death sentence, as Guided Owl and Assassinate both excel at finishing low health enemies.
How to overcome a tough lane: When you can’t overcome high pressure or sustain lanes with your range, be fully prepared to pivot that same range to securing and denying souls to make you keep up or pull ahead. Practice and learn the best spots to park behind your guardian with good cover, so if you’re pressured back you can still farm and poke as safely as possible. Never forget that both Grey Talon and Vindicta can quickly and easily affect other lanes even if their own is giving them a tough time, either by using their ultimates or through their exceptional range and mobility.
Shiv and Mo & Krill
“Bruise Brothers”
Strength: Sustain and dive potential
Weaknesses: Range disadvantage
It’s tough to overstate just how obnoxious having both Shiv and Mo & Krill together in the same lane can be for enemies, with both being durable brawlers packing shotguns. Mo & Krill elevates Shiv’s laning phase by providing the crowd control he needs to get ahead—with both Burrow and Combo locking down enemies for Shiv to wail on to his heart's content, and Sand Blast giving both characters the opening to escape bad situations or press advantages. Once they reach their ultimates, Mo & Krill’s Combo ability plus Shiv’s Killing Blow means any enemy mistake is a nearly guaranteed kill, followed by the opening to pressure the enemy guardian and rotate to an adjacent lane for more pressure. Dealing with a Shiv that’s ahead can be a nightmare, and Mo & Krill is one of the best ways to make sure he gets there and stays there.
How to overcome a tough lane: One of the most important lessons is to wait for key power spikes, especially with your ultimates. If you can’t force kills in your lane, look to use pressure and cooldowns to cause your enemies to miss last hits, and secure key side objectives like nearby souls from boxes and jungle camps. If you can reach your ultimates before your laning opponents, you can still nearly always secure at least one kill and start to build a lead.
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