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Deadlock Tiers

Assassin · Spreadshot

Apollo hero artApollo Build & Counters

Assassin — finesse, mobility, a cut above, with a spreadshot weapon.

Updated ·Refreshed daily from public match data·Methodology

Tier

B

Win rate

49.1%▼ 0.9

Games

134K

27% pick

How to play Apollo right now

Apollo wins 49.1% of 134K games, 0.8 pts above the median hero, down 0.9 pts on last week. Strongest in Initiate – Acolyte lobbies (53.2%), weakest in Ascendant – Eternus (48.6%). Struggles into Paige in lane (41%). Apollo is an assassin (finesse and mobility assassin). Build around Mystic Burst, Mystic Expansion, Improved Spirit, put early points into Flawless Advance, and respect Paige in lane.
  • Core items: Mystic Burst, Mystic Expansion, Improved Spirit, Tankbuster
  • Max first: Flawless Advance
  • Hardest lanes: Paige, Graves, Rat King
  • Best teammates: Rat King, Paige, Graves

Last 7 days, all ranks

Apollo stats

Win rate

49.1%

#16 of 41

Pick rate

27.1%

of matches

Ban share

4.2%

of ranked bans

K / D / A

6.9 / 7.1 / 12.3

KDA 2.70

Souls

39K

per game

Hero damage

32K

per game

Win rate, last 30 days

September 12, 2026 → October 11, 2026 · low 48.4% · high 51.6%

Compare Apollo with another hero in the hero comparison tool.

Ranked matches, last 7 days

Apollo by rank

Initiate – Acolyte

53.2%S

7.4K games

Sentinel – Ritualist

51.8%S

6.0K games

Emissary – Phantom

51.3%A

7.7K games

Ascendant – Eternus

48.6%B

1.7K games

See every hero for your bracket on the Deadlock tier list.

Items by game phase · last 7 days

Apollo build

Buy rate = share of Apollo games where the item was bought; grouped by average purchase time. Late items always show higher win rates because they are bought in longer, often winning games — compare items within the same phase.

Recommended build — buy in this order

The 12 items most Apollo players buy, sorted by when they are usually bought.

  1. 1Mystic BurstMystic Burst3m
  2. 2Extra RegenExtra Regen5m
  3. 3Extra SpiritExtra Spirit6m
  4. 4Mystic ExpansionMystic Expansion6m
  5. 5Improved SpiritImproved Spirit11m
  6. 6Healing BoosterHealing Booster13m
  7. 7HealbaneHealbane14m
  8. 8Compress CooldownCompress Cooldown19m
  9. 9TankbusterTankbuster22m
  10. 10Boundless SpiritBoundless Spirit25m
  11. 11Superior CooldownSuperior Cooldown25m
  12. 12Greater ExpansionGreater Expansion26m

High-rank build — Phantom and above

What Apollo players in Phantom+ ranked lobbies buy (15K games, last 30 days), in buying order.

  1. 1Mystic BurstMystic Burst3m
  2. 2Extra RegenExtra Regen4m
  3. 3Extra SpiritExtra Spirit5m
  4. 4Mystic ExpansionMystic Expansion7m
  5. 5Improved SpiritImproved Spirit10m
  6. 6Spirit StrikeSpirit Strike11m
  7. 7Healing BoosterHealing Booster12m
  8. 8HealbaneHealbane13m
  9. 9Spirit SnatchSpirit Snatch17m
  10. 10Dispel MagicDispel Magic19m
  11. 11Boundless SpiritBoundless Spirit23m
  12. 12TankbusterTankbuster23m

Laning 0–10 min

Mid game 10–20 min

Late game 20+ min

Situational picks that win

Bought in under 20% of games, but with the highest win rates when they are.

Most played ability upgrade paths

Apollo skill order

Most popular58.3% win4.5K games
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil1········101112
RiposteRiposte···4········
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance·23·5·7·····
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn·····6·89···
Option 256.6% win3.7K games
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil··3·······1112
RiposteRiposte···4···8910··
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance12··5·7·····
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn·····6······
Option 354.1% win3.2K games
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil1···········
RiposteRiposte···4···8910··
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance·23·5·7·····
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn·····6····1112

Apollo abilities

Disengaging Sigil1Disengaging Sigil12s cooldown

Draw a sigil sphere in front of you and then leap backwards as it explodes, damaging and slowing enemies caught in it.

Cooldown 12sCast Delay 0.5sDamage 85Slow Duration 4sMove Speed 24%
  1. 1 APGain +25% Fire Rate and +25% Bullet Speed for 8s
  2. 2 APOn Player Hit: +1 stamina restored and resets Air Jump/Dash limit
  3. 5 APCan be Recast within 4s

Riposte2Riposte22s cooldown

Prepare to deflect the next incoming attack. On a successful deflection, briefly become invulnerable and target an enemy hero to dash towards them, stunning them and reducing their Melee Resist. Press Ability 2 to select a target. Does not trigger against trooper or neutral damage.

Cooldown 22sDash Speed 3000mDamage Threshold 60Slow Duration 4sMove Speed 40%Spirit Lifesteal 50%Stun Duration 0.8sMelee Resist Reduction Duration 3.0s
  1. 1 AP-8s Cooldown
  2. 2 AP-25% Melee Resist and +0.4s Stun Duration
  3. 5 APGain 75% Bullet, Spirit & Melee Lifesteal against the Riposte target for 13s

Flawless Advance3Flawless Advance26s cooldown

Perform a series of lunges in any direction, delivering piercing stabs ahead of you. Hold your ability key to time your attacks, dealing more damage the longer it's held. Releasing your attack during the perfect window deals maximum damage. Press Ability 3 to re-cast.

Cooldown 26sDuration 8sCast Delay 0.1sDash Speed 1100mPerfect Window Start 0.525sPerfect Window Duration 0.25sBase Hold Damage 25Max Hold Damage 40Perfect Damage 65Max Stacks 2
  1. 1 APPerfect Hit on Hero: Heal 35
  2. 2 AP-12s Cooldown. Gain +60% Bullet Resist during lunge
  3. 5 AP+65 Perfect Damage with improved Spirit scaling. Increased lunge speed & distance.

Itani Lo Sahn4Itani Lo SahnUltimate145s cooldown

Charge up and perform a long range slash. Struck enemies cannot take action or heal and are stuck in slow motion. When this effect expires, they suffer devastating damage, dealing bonus damage against half-health enemies. While in slow motion, Apollo is invulnerable and enemies take reduced damage. Hold Ability 4 or to delay the cast.

Cooldown 145sCast Delay 1.5sDash Speed 10000mDebuff Duration 1.8sImpact Damage 70Delayed Damage 200Low Health Threshold 50%Bonus Damage 60%Time Slow Damage Reduction 70%
  1. 1 AP+8m Dash Range
  2. 2 AP-35s Cooldown
  3. 5 AP+50% Bonus Damage

Same-lane win rate · last 7 days

How to counter Apollo

Apollo has the hardest time in lane against Paige, Graves, Rat King. Items that work best into Apollo: Armor Piercer, Spellbreaker, Cheat Death.

Hardest lanes for Apollo

Apollo wins lane vs

Best teammates

Apollo vs every hero — full counters table →

Last 30 days · win-rate gain over other items in the same games

Best items against Apollo

Armor PiercerArmor Piercer6,400 souls · 32K games+0.956.0% winSpellbreakerSpellbreaker6,400 souls · 129K games+0.853.9% winCheat DeathCheat Death6,400 souls · 59K games+0.855.9% winInhibitorInhibitor6,400 souls · 107K games+0.856.2% winEthereal ShiftEthereal Shift6,400 souls · 63K games+0.757.5% winColossusColossus6,400 souls · 78K games+0.758.5% win

Compared with the other items bought into Apollo, these ones lift their owner's win rate the most — good picks when you are laning against or chasing Apollo.

Most-played in-game builds · last 7 days

Popular Apollo builds

Community builds from the in-game build browser, ranked by how many games used them. Search the build ID in-game (Hero Builds → search) to import it.

ABL (twitch ablkz)49.9%1.2K games
TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK51.3%964 games

Early 4.8 Green!

Dispel MagicDispel MagicWarp StoneWarp Stone

Apollo - Spirit-Close Range [53% WR] [tracklock.gg]50.1%651 games
SN|P3R : ϟ Devil May Care ϟ51.2%484 games
twitch.tv/oses45.7%350 games
FREDTHEFINCH APOLLO50.7%304 games

Recent Apollo changes

August 12, 2026 — Minor Update - 08-12-2026
  • • Riposte melee resist reduction increased from -22% to -25%
  • • Riposte T2 changed from "-30% Melee Resist" to "-25% Melee Resist and +0.4s Stun Duration"
  • • Riposte T3 increased from 60% Lifesteal for 7s to 75% Lifesteal for 13s
  • • Fixed Itani Lo Sahn being canceled with movement abilities
July 28, 2026 — Minor Update - 07-28-2026
  • • Riposte base stun duration increased from 0.6s to 0.8s
  • • Riposte T3 changed from +1.6s Stun Duration to +60% Bullet, Spirit and Melee Lifesteal against the target for 7s
June 30, 2026 — Minor Update - 06-30-2026
  • • Riposte T1 increased from -7s Cooldown to -8s
  • • Riposte grace window to target after channel increased from +1s to +1.3s
  • • Riposte cast range increased from 25m to 35m
  • • Riposte targeting angle increased from 70 to 90
  • • Flawless Advance Heal on hero hit spirit scaling increased from 1 to 1.3
  • • Itani Lo Sahn T3 increased from +40% Bonus Damage to +50%

About Apollo

Base stats (level 1)

Health
770
Health regen
1/s
Move speed
7.2 m/s
Sprint speed
1.6 m/s
Stamina
3
Light melee
63
Heavy melee
116

Apollo lore

A land of beauty, tradition and conflict; North Ixia is no stranger to brutal political violence. So when Apollo was told that it was for his own safety he was being sent to New York for school, he knew the situation was serious.

Adjusting to life at Blackmore Academy didn’t come easy to Apollo. His school was supposed to be filled with The Cursed Apple’s best and brightest but all he saw, with few exceptions, was a sea of aggressive mediocrity. Electing not to waste his time with frivolous things like parties and dances, he instead put his energy on the piste, where he rigorously trains as captain of the Blackmore fencing team.

However, at the end of the day Apollo does not fret too much on the tedium of life in New York. He knows that eventually the time will come when his father will call on him to come home and he will get to show that he is worthy of wielding his family's ancestral blade.

Official in-game biography.

Apollo voice linesListen to all 2,153 lines, grouped by situation.▶

Apollo FAQ

Is Apollo good in Deadlock right now?＋

Average — fine in the right hands. Apollo is B tier (#16 of 41) with a 49.1% win rate over 134K games in the last 7 days. Apollo wins 49.1% of 134K games, 0.8 pts above the median hero, down 0.9 pts on last week. Strongest in Initiate – Acolyte lobbies (53.2%), weakest in Ascendant – Eternus (48.6%). Struggles into Paige in lane (41%).

What is the best Apollo build?＋

Most Apollo players buy Mystic Burst, Mystic Expansion, Improved Spirit, Tankbuster — the four items bought most often. Start with Mystic Burst, Mystic Expansion, Extra Spirit in lane, then Improved Spirit, Healbane, Healing Booster by mid game.

Who counters Apollo?＋

In lane, Apollo has the lowest win rate against Paige (41.5%), Graves (42.0%), Rat King (42.8%). Apollo does best against Shiv (55.3%), Pocket (54.9%), Mirage (54.7%).

How do you counter Apollo?＋

Pick a hero that wins the lane into Apollo — Paige, Graves, Rat King do best this week — and build Armor Piercer or Spellbreaker, which win more often than other items when Apollo is on the enemy team.

What should I max first on Apollo?＋

The most common skill order puts points into Flawless Advance first; it wins 58.3% of 4.5K games. Full order is in the skill order table above.

Other Assassin heroes

Calico build →

Wreaks havoc from the sidelines. Calico uses the shadows to her advantage, weaving in and

Drifter build →

Assassin — stalker, bloodthirsty, cruel, with a spreadshot weapon.

Haze build →

Sneaks in and sprays bullets. When Haze fixates on a target she can hold her own in a fire

Lash build →

Dives down to stomp his foes. Lash gives his enemies little room to breathe, either by fly

Mirage build →

Times his shots and catches fleeing targets. Mirage can envelop himself in a violent torna

Pocket build →

Infiltrates and disrupts the backline. With a powerful shotgun and a thin frame, Pocket re