Skip to content
Deadlock Tiers

Assassin · Spreadshot

Calico hero artCalico Build & Counters

Wreaks havoc from the sidelines. Calico uses the shadows to her advantage, weaving in and out of combat to hunt down her enemies one by one.

Updated ·Refreshed daily from public match data·Methodology

Tier

B

Win rate

47.7%▼ 1.6

Games

91K

18% pick

How to play Calico right now

Calico wins 47.7% of 91K games, 0.6 pts below the median hero, down 1.6 pts on last week. Strongest in Sentinel – Ritualist lobbies (49.6%), weakest in Ascendant – Eternus (47.5%). Struggles into Paige in lane (41%). Calico is an assassin (wreaks havoc from the sidelines). Build around Melee Lifesteal, Spirit Strike, Stalker, put early points into Ava, and respect Paige in lane.
  • Core items: Melee Lifesteal, Spirit Strike, Stalker, Spirit Snatch
  • Max first: Ava
  • Hardest lanes: Paige, Graves, Rat King
  • Best teammates: Rat King, Paige, Graves

Last 7 days, all ranks

Calico stats

Win rate

47.7%

#24 of 41

Pick rate

18.4%

of matches

Ban share

2.1%

of ranked bans

K / D / A

8.0 / 6.3 / 12.9

KDA 3.30

Souls

42K

per game

Hero damage

32K

per game

Win rate, last 30 days

September 12, 2026 → October 11, 2026 · low 46.4% · high 52.4%

Compare Calico with another hero in the hero comparison tool.

Ranked matches, last 7 days

Calico by rank

Initiate – Acolyte

49.5%B

5.7K games

Sentinel – Ritualist

49.6%A

6.8K games

Emissary – Phantom

48.2%B

11K games

Ascendant – Eternus

47.5%C

2.3K games

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

Items by game phase · last 7 days

Calico build

Buy rate = share of Calico 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 Calico players buy, sorted by when they are usually bought.

  1. 1Melee LifestealMelee Lifesteal2m
  2. 2Spirit StrikeSpirit Strike6m
  3. 3StalkerStalker6m
  4. 4Sprint BootsSprint Boots8m
  5. 5Trophy CollectorTrophy Collector9m
  6. 6Cold FrontCold Front10m
  7. 7Spirit SnatchSpirit Snatch14m
  8. 8Torment PulseTorment Pulse21m
  9. 9Improved SpiritImproved Spirit22m
  10. 10Arctic BlastArctic Blast23m
  11. 11Mystic VulnerabilityMystic Vulnerability23m
  12. 12Boundless SpiritBoundless Spirit29m

High-rank build — Phantom and above

What Calico players in Phantom+ ranked lobbies buy (27K games, last 30 days), in buying order.

  1. 1Melee LifestealMelee Lifesteal1m
  2. 2StalkerStalker5m
  3. 3Spirit StrikeSpirit Strike5m
  4. 4Sprint BootsSprint Boots8m
  5. 5Trophy CollectorTrophy Collector8m
  6. 6Cold FrontCold Front9m
  7. 7Spirit SnatchSpirit Snatch12m
  8. 8Dispel MagicDispel Magic20m
  9. 9Arctic BlastArctic Blast21m
  10. 10Mystic VulnerabilityMystic Vulnerability23m
  11. 11Improved SpiritImproved Spirit24m
  12. 12Boundless SpiritBoundless Spirit28m

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

Calico skill order

Most popular50.7% win28K games
Gloom BombsGloom Bombs·2·······101112
Leaping SlashLeaping Slash1···········
AvaAva··345·······
Return to ShadowsReturn to Shadows·····6789···
Option 255.5% win6.6K games
Gloom BombsGloom Bombs··3·······1112
Leaping SlashLeaping Slash12··········
AvaAva···456······
Return to ShadowsReturn to Shadows······78910··

Calico abilities

Gloom Bombs1Gloom Bombs14s cooldown

Throw a cluster of bombs that detonate after a delay, dealing spirit damage. Enemies hit by multiple bombs take 65% damage.

Cooldown 14sCast Delay .15sDamage 45Bomb Count 4Lifetime .75s
  1. 1 AP-3s Cooldown
  2. 2 APPer Bomb Touch : -6% Melee Resist for 6s
  3. 5 AP+3 Bomb Count

Leaping Slash2Leaping Slash13s cooldown

Dash forward before slashing all enemies in a circle, dealing melee damage. If the ability hits at least one hero, heal a small amount of health.

Cooldown 13sCast Delay 0.1sDash Speed 2400mImpact Damage 10Heal Amount 40
  1. 1 AP+25 Heal Amount
  2. 2 APHeroes killed within 3s grant +200 souls
  3. 5 AP+60 Damage & On Hero Hit: 50% Cooldown Refund

Ava3Ava30s cooldown

Turn to shadows and possess Ava. You gain bonus move speed that increases over time, and become hidden on the minimap. Taking damage from an enemy hero resets your bonus move speed and puts Ava on a brief cooldown.

Cooldown 30sBuff Duration 15sInterrupt Cooldown 6sTime for Max Bonus 4sMin Move Speed 30%Max Move Speed 65%
  1. 1 AP+15s Buff Duration
  2. 2 AP+15 Health Regen & +40% Max Move Speed
  3. 5 APGain Damage Amp over time, up to 18%. Lingers for 6s

Return to Shadows4Return to ShadowsUltimate115s cooldown

Instantly turn to shadows, becoming untargetable, gaining bonus move speed, and dealing spirit damage. After a delay, return from the shadows, dealing spirit damage again.

Cooldown 115sDamage 150Move Speed 20%
  1. 1 AP-20s Cooldown
  2. 2 AP+75 Damage and +20% Move Speed
  3. 5 APOn Completion: Heal for 450 and refund all ability cooldowns

Same-lane win rate · last 7 days

How to counter Calico

Calico has the hardest time in lane against Paige, Graves, Rat King. Items that work best into Calico: Weapon Shielding, Lifestrike, Bullet Resilience.

Hardest lanes for Calico

Calico wins lane vs

Best teammates

Calico vs every hero — full counters table →

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

Best items against Calico

Weapon ShieldingWeapon Shielding1,600 souls · 44K games+0.947.7% winLifestrikeLifestrike3,200 souls · 191K games+0.850.3% winBullet ResilienceBullet Resilience3,200 souls · 70K games+0.846.6% winSlowing BulletsSlowing Bullets1,600 souls · 95K games+0.749.7% winRebuttalRebuttal800 souls · 90K games+0.648.8% winWeighted ShotsWeighted Shots3,200 souls · 125K games+0.650.1% win

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

Most-played in-game builds · last 7 days

Popular Calico 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.

I'm gonna burst [REBORN]45.6%948 games

Lane optional

RebuttalRebuttal

When need

Dispel MagicDispel Magic

vraic (twitch.tv/vraic_)48.3%544 games
Calico - Spirit-Crowd Control [49% WR] [tracklock.gg]47.7%457 games
I love cat[girl]s! Skelly's Spirit Assassin Build49.3%420 games
Maldox Calico SPIRIT45.3%402 games

Lane Situationals

RebuttalRebuttalTrophy CollectorTrophy Collector

Mid-Game Counters

Slowing HexSlowing HexSilence WaveSilence Wave

Assassinations Path

Spirit SapSpirit SapFocus LensFocus Lens

ABL BOMBS (TWITCH ABLKZ)48.9%372 games

one of these for invest

Dispel MagicDispel MagicCounterspellCounterspell

must have in late

Ethereal ShiftEthereal ShiftJuggernautJuggernaut

Recent Calico changes

July 28, 2026 — Minor Update - 07-28-2026
  • • Ava T2 reduced from +45% Move Speed to +40%
  • • Ava T3 reduced from +20% damage amp to +18%
June 12, 2026 — Minor Update - 06-11-2026
  • • Gloom Bombs melee resist debuff now stacks additively
  • • Gloom Bombs T2 increased from -5% Melee Resist for 5s to -6% for 6s
  • • Gloom Bombs melee resist now applies on impact rather than explosion
  • • Return to Shadows damage increased from 140 to 150
  • • Return to Shadows T2 damage increased from +65 to +75
  • • Return to Shadows T3 heal increased from 350 to 450
May 22, 2026 — Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026
  • • Gloom Bomb T2 changed from "+75 Damage to Barriers" to "-5% Melee Resist for 5s Per Bomb" (stacks)

About Calico

Base stats (level 1)

Health
730
Health regen
2/s
Move speed
6.8 m/s
Sprint speed
1.6 m/s
Stamina
3
Light melee
63
Heavy melee
116

Calico lore

Once a decorated member of The Baxter Society, Calico left the august order once she realized that killing monsters for free was less profitable than killing people for money.

Now an in demand contract killer, Calico is living her best life ending someone else's.

Official in-game biography.

Calico voice linesListen to all 3,212 lines, grouped by situation.▶

Calico FAQ

Is Calico good in Deadlock right now?＋

Average — fine in the right hands. Calico is B tier (#24 of 41) with a 47.7% win rate over 91K games in the last 7 days. Calico wins 47.7% of 91K games, 0.6 pts below the median hero, down 1.6 pts on last week. Strongest in Sentinel – Ritualist lobbies (49.6%), weakest in Ascendant – Eternus (47.5%). Struggles into Paige in lane (41%).

What is the best Calico build?＋

Most Calico players buy Melee Lifesteal, Spirit Strike, Stalker, Spirit Snatch — the four items bought most often. Start with Melee Lifesteal, Spirit Strike, Stalker in lane, then Spirit Snatch, Hunter's Aura, Enduring Speed by mid game.

Who counters Calico?＋

In lane, Calico has the lowest win rate against Paige (41.3%), Graves (41.7%), Rat King (42.5%). Calico does best against Shiv (54.5%), Solomon (54.5%), Viscous (53.4%).

How do you counter Calico?＋

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

What should I max first on Calico?＋

The most common skill order puts points into Ava first; it wins 50.7% of 28K games. Full order is in the skill order table above.

Other Assassin heroes

Apollo build →

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

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