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Deadlock Tiers

Brawler · Spreadshot

Shiv hero artShiv Build & Counters

Bleeds out foes, then goes in for a kill. Shiv has zero interest in playing fair, which is why he relies on hit and run tactics to weaken enemies before he dives in for the kill.

Updated ·Refreshed daily from public match data·Methodology

Tier

D

Win rate

43.1%▼ 1.3

Games

119K

24% pick

How to play Shiv right now

Shiv wins 43.1% of 119K games, 5.1 pts below the median hero, down 1.3 pts on last week. Strongest in Ascendant – Eternus lobbies (46.6%), weakest in Initiate – Acolyte (43.0%). Struggles into Paige in lane (36%). Shiv is a brawler (bleeds out foes, then goes in for a kill). Build around Radiant Regeneration, Mystic Regeneration, Healbane, put early points into Serrated Knives, and respect Paige in lane.
  • Core items: Radiant Regeneration, Mystic Regeneration, Healbane, Extra Charge
  • Max first: Serrated Knives
  • Hardest lanes: Paige, Graves, Haze
  • Best teammates: Rat King, Paige, Graves

Last 7 days, all ranks

Shiv stats

Win rate

43.1%

#41 of 41

Pick rate

24.0%

of matches

Ban share

4.4%

of ranked bans

K / D / A

8.1 / 6.8 / 10.8

KDA 2.77

Souls

40K

per game

Hero damage

32K

per game

Win rate, last 30 days

September 12, 2026 → October 11, 2026 · low 40.2% · high 48.2%

Compare Shiv with another hero in the hero comparison tool.

Ranked matches, last 7 days

Shiv by rank

Initiate – Acolyte

43.0%D

8.0K games

Sentinel – Ritualist

43.7%D

8.1K games

Emissary – Phantom

45.1%D

12K games

Ascendant – Eternus

46.6%C

2.4K games

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

Items by game phase · last 7 days

Shiv build

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

  1. 1Restorative ShotRestorative Shot2m
  2. 2Extra RegenExtra Regen4m
  3. 3Extra ChargeExtra Charge4m
  4. 4Mystic RegenerationMystic Regeneration5m
  5. 5Radiant RegenerationRadiant Regeneration11m
  6. 6HealbaneHealbane13m
  7. 7Mystic VulnerabilityMystic Vulnerability17m
  8. 8Dispel MagicDispel Magic20m
  9. 9Compress CooldownCompress Cooldown21m
  10. 10Torment PulseTorment Pulse21m
  11. 11Superior CooldownSuperior Cooldown26m
  12. 12Escalating ExposureEscalating Exposure28m

High-rank build — Phantom and above

What Shiv players in Phantom+ ranked lobbies buy (26K games, last 30 days), in buying order.

  1. 1Restorative ShotRestorative Shot1m
  2. 2Extra RegenExtra Regen3m
  3. 3Extra ChargeExtra Charge4m
  4. 4Close QuartersClose Quarters4m
  5. 5Mystic RegenerationMystic Regeneration6m
  6. 6Battle VestBattle Vest10m
  7. 7Bullet Resist ShredderBullet Resist Shredder10m
  8. 8Radiant RegenerationRadiant Regeneration10m
  9. 9HealbaneHealbane13m
  10. 10Hunter's AuraHunter's Aura16m
  11. 11Dispel MagicDispel Magic19m
  12. 12Spirit ResilienceSpirit Resilience24m

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

Shiv skill order

Most popular52.4% win7.8K games
Serrated KnivesSerrated Knives12··5·7·····
Slice and DiceSlice and Dice··3······101112
BloodlettingBloodletting···4········
Killing BlowKilling Blow·····6·89···
Option 249.4% win5.7K games
Serrated KnivesSerrated Knives12··5··8····
Slice and DiceSlice and Dice··3··6······
BloodlettingBloodletting···4······1112
Killing BlowKilling Blow······7·910··
Option 352.2% win2.4K games
Serrated KnivesSerrated Knives12··5··8····
Slice and DiceSlice and Dice··3··6···1011·
BloodlettingBloodletting···4········
Killing BlowKilling Blow······7·9··12

Shiv abilities

Serrated Knives1Serrated Knives16s cooldown

Throw a knife that bleeds an enemy. Each additional hit adds a stack and refreshes the bleed duration, causing the bleed to increase per stack.

Cooldown 16sCharges 2Charge Delay 2sMovement Slow 28%Bleed DPS Per Knife 10Bleed Duration 5sCurrent Health Damage 3.5%
  1. 1 AP+2s Bleed Duration
  2. 2 AP+2 Charges
  3. 5 AP+12.0 Bleed DPS with increased Spirit scaling

Slice and Dice2Slice and Dice16s cooldown

Perform a dash forward, damaging enemies along the path. Hit Enemies have their spirit resist reduced. This debuff can stack.

Cooldown 16sCast Delay 0.25sDash Speed 2400mImpact Damage 75Debuff Duration 14s
  1. 1 AP-6s Cooldown
  2. 2 AP-4% Spirit Resist +2m Dash Range
  3. 5 AP+50 Impact Damage -2s Cooldown per Hero hit.

Bloodletting3Bloodletting25s cooldown

Take only a portion of incoming damage immediately and defer the rest to be taken over time. Activate to clear a portion of the deferred damage.

Cooldown 25sCast Delay 0.25sIncoming Damage Deferred 25%Deferred Damage Duration 6sDeferred Damage Cleared 30%Incoming Damage Deferred 15%
  1. 1 AP-15s Cooldown
  2. 2 AP+40% Deferred Damage Cleared
  3. 5 AP+15% Incoming Damage Deferred

Killing Blow4Killing BlowUltimate145s cooldown

Active: Leap forward, dealing spirit damage to the first enemy hero. If they are below the kill threshold, execute them instead. Finishing an enemy with Killing Blow lets you recast for 16s

Cooldown 145sCast Delay 0.05sFull Rage Damage Bonus 8%Damage 200Enemy health threshold 18%Recast Window 16s
  1. 1 AP+6 m Range +2 m/s in Full Rage.
  2. 2 AP+16% Full Rage Bonus Damage -25s Cooldown
  3. 5 AP+10% Enemy Health Threshold

Same-lane win rate · last 7 days

How to counter Shiv

Shiv has the hardest time in lane against Paige, Graves, Haze. Items that work best into Shiv: Express Shot, Radiant Regeneration, Active Reload.

Hardest lanes for Shiv

Shiv wins lane vs

Best teammates

Shiv vs every hero — full counters table →

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

Best items against Shiv

Express ShotExpress Shot3,200 souls · 119K games+1.252.7% winRadiant RegenerationRadiant Regeneration3,200 souls · 366K games+1.055.2% winActive ReloadActive Reload1,600 souls · 140K games+1.058.1% winMystic RegenerationMystic Regeneration800 souls · 385K games+0.954.5% winFury TranceFury Trance3,200 souls · 33K games+0.855.5% winBullet Resist ShredderBullet Resist Shredder1,600 souls · 332K games+0.856.4% win

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

Most-played in-game builds · last 7 days

Popular Shiv 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.

Lomein's One Shot Shiv [Made with Lockbuilds]44.0%894 games
PREDATOR HUNTER SHIV (THE METRO FILES)45.1%869 games
ttvcrayon_fps new meta demon build46.7%505 games
Dew45.2%462 games
oneshot (actual oneshot) | wouwei49.9%363 games
salty shiv45.4%346 games

Recent Shiv changes

September 16, 2026 — Minor Update - 09-16-2026
  • • Alt fire base damage increased by 4%
  • • Alt fire damage per boon increased from +0.2 to +0.24
  • • Serrated Knives while rage is full now deals 3.5% current HP damage on impact instead of ricocheting (0.01 spirit scaling)
July 28, 2026 — Minor Update - 07-28-2026
  • • Stamina regen increased from 5.5s to 6s
  • • Killing Blow recast window reduced from 20s to 16s
July 9, 2026 — Minor Update - 07-09-2026
  • • Serrated Knives T3 spirit scaling reduced from +0.09 to +0.07
  • • Slice and Dice spirit scaling reduced from 1.44 to 1.2
  • • Slice and Dice T2 reduced from -6% Spirit Resist to -4%
  • • Bloodletting cooldown increased from 20s to 25s
  • • Bloodletting T1 increased from -10s Cooldown to -15s
  • • Bloodletting Damage Cleared reduced from 35% to 30%
  • • Bloodletting T2 Damage Cleared increased from 35% to 40%
  • • Killing Blow Health Threshold reduced from 20% to 18%
  • • Killing Blow T3 Health Threshold increased from +8% to +10%

About Shiv

Base stats (level 1)

Health
830
Health regen
2/s
Move speed
6.5 m/s
Sprint speed
1.6 m/s
Stamina
3
Light melee
50
Heavy melee
116

Shiv lore

A loyal member of "The Baxter Society", an international order of monster hunters, Shiv travels across North America looking to put down creatures that prey on the living.

While his less polished nature and criminal past make some of the more traditional members of the Society wary, no one can deny his effectiveness.

Official in-game biography.

Shiv voice linesListen to all 2,311 lines, grouped by situation.▶

Shiv FAQ

Is Shiv good in Deadlock right now?＋

Weak this patch. Shiv is D tier (#41 of 41) with a 43.1% win rate over 119K games in the last 7 days. Shiv wins 43.1% of 119K games, 5.1 pts below the median hero, down 1.3 pts on last week. Strongest in Ascendant – Eternus lobbies (46.6%), weakest in Initiate – Acolyte (43.0%). Struggles into Paige in lane (36%).

What is the best Shiv build?＋

Most Shiv players buy Radiant Regeneration, Mystic Regeneration, Healbane, Extra Charge — the four items bought most often. Start with Mystic Regeneration, Extra Charge, Restorative Shot in lane, then Radiant Regeneration, Healbane, Mystic Vulnerability by mid game.

Who counters Shiv?＋

In lane, Shiv has the lowest win rate against Paige (35.7%), Graves (35.9%), Haze (37.4%). Shiv does best against Solomon (51.2%), Mirage (48.9%), Pocket (48.2%).

How do you counter Shiv?＋

Pick a hero that wins the lane into Shiv — Paige, Graves, Haze do best this week — and build Express Shot or Radiant Regeneration, which win more often than other items when Shiv is on the enemy team.

What should I max first on Shiv?＋

The most common skill order puts points into Serrated Knives first; it wins 52.4% of 7.8K games. Full order is in the skill order table above.

Other Brawler heroes

Abrams build →

Charges into close combat. Abrams has the bulk and sustain to lead from the front, often r

Bebop build →

Hooks an enemy for a knockout combo. Bebop can string together his abilities in many diffe

Billy build →

Brawler — punk, chaotic, g.o.a.t., with a close range weapon.

Kelvin build →

Freezes enemies in their tracks. Timely heals and splitting a teamfight properly is the di

Mo & Krill build →

Burrows underneath his enemies. By burrowing through the ground, Mo and Krill can get the

Rat King build →

Brawler — scrappy, regal, tenacious, with a spreadshot weapon.