Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Librarian Husky One of the former worst agents in all of Valor has suddenly burst into the meta. Deadlock has become a very strong agent, but a lot of people don’t know how to play her properly. In this guide, we’re going to break down everything you need to know to dominate on Deadlock, so that you can start to get win after win in your ranked games and abuse this new meta agent.

Understanding Deadlock’s Role

While Deadlock does fall into the Sentinel role, what exactly does she do? She’s obviously not the same as many of the other Sentinels. Deadlock is a space denial character capable of denying enemy pushes, gathering information about where enemies are pushing, and overall preventing enemies from entering an area that you don’t want them to enter, at least not easily.

Mastering Deadlock’s Abilities

In order to better understand exactly how to dominate with this character, we’re going to go over every single one of her abilities. Then, we’ll talk about five things you need to know, including how to play this character just like the pros are abusing in this current meta.

The Grab Net Ability

The first ability we’ve got to talk about is definitely Grab Net. Grab Net is going to slow enemies that are hit by it, and they have to actually remove it, very similar to Cypher’s Trapwire, if they want to get rid of the slowing effect that forces them to crouch. This is a fantastic tool to combo with many abilities, whether it’s Gecko’s Mosh Pit, Raze’s Paint Shells, or just trying to wallbang fire.

Using Grab Net to Control Enemy Movements

If you’re trying to deny someone from peeking an angle or potentially punishing someone from peeking out of Haven window on attack, you could easily throw a Grab Net and combo it with an ability or fire. It’s also a great ability to use to delay a rush, especially a burst-out rush. You can use this in response to enemies using abilities to burst out in a specific area. When the enemy throws a grenade, throws a smoke, or anything that indicates they’re about to enter the site, you can respond with a Grab Net to stop most of the enemies from entering.

Forcing Enemy Rotations

This gives you an opportunity to get a kill without being traded out immediately or potentially force the enemies to completely back off and rotate. As a Sentinel user, forcing a rotation off a site is your number one goal, and Grab Net can help you achieve that.

Dynamic Usage in Gunfights

You can also use it dynamically in a fight because you’re forcing enemies to crouch and move slowly. It’s super easy for you to win the gun duel if you hit someone with this. If you know there’s an enemy nearby, you can bounce it off a wall, slow them down, force them to crouch, and easily get that kill. Just make sure you’re adjusting your crosshair placement appropriately for them being crouched.

Deadlock’s Strength as a Retake Agent

It’s going to be a really unfair fight in your favor, but something that a lot of people don’t talk about is that Deadlock is a really strong retake agent. There are many lineups you can use with Grab Net to actually retake space, whether you’re trying to retake a point or defuse a bomb. Having Grab Net lineups can be amazing, and there are other lineups with this character as well, like the lineup with Annihilation, her ultimate.

Utilizing Lineups for Maximum Impact

We go over all of this in our Deadlock guide, where we break down the exact lineups that pros use and show you how to use them dynamically in your games. This way, you can get consistent value and start clutching up in 1v4 or 1v5 scenarios, really bringing home the win for your team.

Maximizing Deadlock’s Sonic Sensor Ability

The next ability is Sonic Sensor, and a lot of people are finding difficulty getting value out of this ability mainly because enemies can sneak by it easily. You want to place it where enemies are actually going to trigger the sound aspect of the sensor. This is why it’s really good to use at the entrance to certain sites, so when enemies decide to fully commit, it’s going to go off, giving you a slight indication before they enter. This allows you to respond effectively to many situations.

Utilizing Sonic Sensor for Maximum Effect

This ability can mess up the enemy’s rhythm or use of abilities, preventing them from slipping through cracks and entering the site undetected. It’s especially important to have someone nearby who can play off the Sonic Sensor, whether that’s you or a teammate. This extra bit of information, which comes a few seconds earlier, can be crucial for setting up a denial or making a strategic play.

Combining Sonic Sensor with Other Abilities

Similar to most abilities in Deadlock’s kit, the Sonic Sensor is great to combine with other abilities, especially Cypher’s tripwires, which are currently popular in the meta. We will discuss this in more detail when we break down the entire meta setup with Deadlock.

The Power of Barrier Mesh

Barrier Mesh is probably Deadlock‘s most individually powerful ability, aside from her ultimate. This ability is incredibly strong because it can deny routing, space, and pushes from the enemy, but it does not block the line of sight. While it prevents enemies from pushing into a site, if it gives them access to open lanes, they can still gather information and potentially kill you when other enemies enter the site. It’s essential to be cautious about what exactly you’re denying, as line of sight might be all they need. Additionally, it’s not always the best option for flanking.

Strategic Use of Barrier Mesh

When using Barrier Mesh to deny a certain lane on the flank, it’s important to consider that enemies will still have line of sight. If you rotate back and destroy your own Barrier Mesh, enemies could be waiting right outside, turning it into a double-edged sword. While it can be used to deny flanking in a pinch, this isn’t its best use. The most effective use of Barrier Mesh is to deny a specific aspect of the site from enemies, ensuring they can’t push until they break it. This provides sound indication, allowing you to be close by to combine it with other abilities or make a play yourself.

Combining Barrier Mesh with Other Utilities

Remember, you can still shoot through Barrier Mesh. If an enemy in a 1v1 scenario is shooting it, you have a great indication to swing and secure a free kill. There are many ways to play around Barrier Mesh to gain a significant advantage over your opponents. It is especially effective when combined with other utilities, such as mollies, to push enemies away from it or trap them in certain areas. This forces them to either retreat or die to combo utility. Barrier Mesh is extremely powerful, but try not to use it in situations where other abilities like Grab Net would accomplish the same task, as this could waste its unique potential.

Mastering the Annihilation Ultimate

Last but certainly not least is Annihilation, which can be one of the most powerful ultimates if used correctly. Grabbing enemies when you’re with your team can be extremely powerful because even if their team destroys it right away, the enemy is often left stranded, resulting in a kill. When you’re stacking with teammates, it can be used more aggressively, especially if the enemy is jiggle-peeking you.

Effective Use in 1v1 and 1v2 Scenarios

Annihilation is also a great ultimate in 1v2 or 1v1 scenarios. It forces enemies to take risky duels on your terms, not theirs. They have to peek into you, and when combined with your other utilities, you can put the enemy in a situation where they have no good options. They either challenge you in a 1v1 and lose, or they die because their teammate falls to Annihilation.

Tips for Maximizing Annihilation’s Impact

To maximize its impact, ensure you’re bouncing it off walls and using lineups effectively. Jiggle peeking while activating it can help you avoid getting caught with no weapon out, giving you a fair fight. Consider combining this ultimate with other utilities to create situations where the enemy is trapped between a rock and a hard place, ensuring victory.

Mastering Deadlock in the Meta

If you want to master Deadlock in the current meta, here’s what you need to know. First, Deadlock is seeing a lot of play on Abyss, a map where many players struggle to win consistently. Deadlock excels, especially in a double Sentinel setup. When combined with Cypher, her power is amplified, particularly when using tripwires and the sound sensor. This combination often forces an enemy to destroy the tripwire only to trigger the sound sensor, a powerful combo to lock down a site completely.

Deadlock as a Supplemental Sentinel

In general, Deadlock is a great supplemental Sentinel. While she doesn’t do everything that other Sentinels like Killjoy and Cypher can, when combined with other Sentinel abilities, she becomes even stronger. You can even have just one Sentinel plus Deadlock on a site and completely shut it down. This allows you to stack the other site with more people, making defense easier. Deadlock is also excellent at punishing Duelists who are too aggressive. Characters like Jett, Raze, and Neon can get out in front of their team, only to be stalled or exposed by Deadlock’s kit, leaving them as sitting ducks with no reinforcements.

Space Control with Deadlock

The next crucial aspect to understand about Deadlock is Space Control. Deadlock excels at denying enemy areas on the map, which is one of the most powerful things you can do as a Sentinel, especially in ranked play.

Simplifying Your Strategy with Deadlock

I don’t want to make this overly complicated—just deny a rush and force the enemy team to rotate. This is especially true for players below the Platinum rank. In those elos, strategies are simpler; teams tend to rush one site after another with less defaulting and fewer rotations. You know from experience that when your team tries to rotate, it often fails. Some players rotate too slowly and never fully commit to the next site, while others linger too long and die. Whatever the case, rotations often fail. There is a lot more full commitment in these ranks, and if you can just deny enemies from committing, which Deadlock is fantastic at doing, you’re going to win round after round.

Denying Enemy Pushes and Forcing Rotations

By denying the enemy the ability to push, you give them no option besides pushing into your team, where all five of you are finally there, or rotating off. That’s exactly what you want—you want them to rotate off, waste their utility, and lose coordination. This is the kind of situation you can create with Deadlock, and it will win rounds for you by itself.

Playing Deadlock on Offense

While many people understand the power of dual Sentinels, the number one question we get is how to avoid throwing on attack. How do you play Deadlock on offense? There are actually two powerful things you can do with Deadlock on offense, and the first is making sure that once you secure the site, you can hold it effectively.

Fortifying the Site with Deadlock

You can essentially turn the site into a fortress. Once you’ve cleared the site, you can make it so that if enemies want to retake it, they have to get through your utility. This forces them to give away their location, making it harder and harder for them to push the site. This is a great tactic that you’ll use frequently, but there’s another powerful strategy you can employ with Deadlock—Lurking.

The Power of Lurking with Deadlock

Lurking on Deadlock can be incredibly effective. Once you have a general idea of where the enemies are, you can set up traps for them, such as sound sensors or barrier meshes, forcing them to reveal their position. When enemies are rotating alone, Deadlock can set up a counterplay, catching them off guard. For instance, if the enemy is trying to rotate through Haven B and suddenly encounters a Barrier Mesh, they’ll be unsure of what to do. They need to break it to proceed, but they have no idea if you’re nearby or pushed up.

Creating Uncertainty for Enemies

The uncertainty created by Deadlock’s traps gives you a massive advantage. The enemies won’t know where you are, and you could be playing in multiple locations. Whether you’re Lurking in mid, ready to follow them for more kills, or just around the corner, the versatility in being able to cut off sections of the map makes Deadlock an extremely powerful agent in these scenarios.

Effective Use of Lurking with Deadlock

I wouldn’t suggest Lurking every single time on attack, but doing it even once and having an impactful lurk can make the enemy second-guess their decisions for the rest of the game. This strategy is incredibly strong and can disrupt the enemy’s plans significantly.

Is Deadlock the Agent for You?

Deadlock has a very unique playstyle that suits players who are extremely calm under pressure, able to take in every bit of information, and can quickly make decisions based on where enemies are and aren’t. Using utility to set up strategic advantages for themselves and their team is key. If you don’t traditionally play Sentinel roles, you might still find aspects of Deadlock appealing. If you’re looking for another character to play and fill in your roster, Deadlock is the perfect character for you to pick up.

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