Ivy

3:33 Ivy is a Deadlock hero who plays as a support: she links to an ally to boost both of their guns and share their healing, slows and roots enemies with thorns, turns to stone to stun a group, and flies an ally across the battlefield before dropping them like a bomb. Valve's game files list her hero type as marksman and describe her as "Sets up a power duo with a lucky ally" (deadlock-api's copy of the game files, Oct 26, 2026). She is one of the 21 original Heroes who were in the closed playtest before Valve's Aug 23, 2024 reveal, per PCGamesN's roster count, and Valve reworked her on Mar 6, 2026. Deadlock is still an invite-only playtest, and Valve has not announced a release date.

Quick facts

Source: the game files as of Oct 26, 2026 (deadlock-api, heroes), Valve's Mar 6, 2026 update and deadlock-api's measurement of normal matches, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026.

Abilities

Source: the game files as of Oct 26, 2026 (deadlock-api, items); Air Drop's cooldown is 30% shorter when used on an ally, per Valve's Jun 30, 2026 update.

Entangling Thorns (Kudzu Bomb before Mar 6, 2026) is her area control: a 6 m thorn patch for 4s that deals 40 damage per second and slows 28%; Valve raised its spirit scaling from 0.45 to 0.55 on Jun 30, 2026. T1 adds a second charge 5s apart, T2 adds 2 m of radius and 0.5 spirit scaling, and T3 immobilizes enemies who stay in it for 2s, for 1.6s (game files, Oct 26, 2026).

Kudzu Connection (formerly Watcher's Covenant) is her duo buff. It tethers her to a nearby ally in line of sight for 12s, giving both +10% fire rate and 15% bullet lifesteal, copying 35% of either one's healing to the other (plus 0.85 per boon since Jun 30, 2026); with no ally linked she gets half (game files, Oct 26, 2026). T1 adds 2 m/s of move speed, T2 adds 8% fire rate and 8% bullet lifesteal, and T3 makes the ability always active.

Stone Form is her defensive stun. She turns to impervious stone for up to 3s, then smashes down for 75 damage and a 0.75s stun in 5.75 m and heals 6% of her maximum health (game files, Oct 26, 2026); Valve trimmed the radius from 6 m on Sep 16, 2026. T1 heals another 6% (cut from 7% that day), T2 cuts 25s from the 40s cooldown, and T3 adds 0.75s of stun and 1.5 spirit scaling, both cut in Jul and Aug 2026.

Air Drop is her signature ultimate. She grabs an ally within 22 m, or flies alone, for up to 21s, then drops them as a bomb for 115 spirit damage in 20 m, after which both get +20% outgoing damage for 8s; taking damage blocks the cast for 3.5s (game files, Oct 26, 2026). T1 gives her and the ally a 300 barrier on landing, T2 slows enemies hit for 3s (Valve set 40% on Mar 6, 2026; the game files list 32% after the Sep 16, 2026 cut of about 20% to every slow), and T3 silences enemies hit for 3s and improves the damage and barrier scaling.

How to play

Ivy's gun is strong early, so she can lane aggressively. The Mobalytics Support Ivy build by Suzu (updated Oct 15, 2026) says her gun "is very powerful early on" for denying, poking and taking the Guardian. Her weakness is sustain: Mobalytics' Ivy guide lists anti-heal, long cooldowns and needing team coordination as her weaknesses, and good mobility, great team utility and being hard to kill as her strengths. The Laning Guide covers the lane.

2:41 Her fights revolve around her tether partner: link Kudzu Connection to the ally doing the most damage, layer Entangling Thorns and Stone Form on their targets, and use Air Drop to fly that ally into a flank or out of danger. Air Drop also moves the Soul Urn: Mobalytics warns that she can carry its holder.

She is a common recommendation for newer players despite her 3 of 3 complexity rating. Dot Esports called Seven, Victor and Ivy "the easiest top-tier characters to recommend to newer players" on Aug 25, 2026.

Builds

Ivy is built as a utility and healing support. Suzu's Support Ivy on Mobalytics (Build ID 17302, Oct 15, 2026) is "an utility-focused Support Ivy build, with layering massive Area of Effect crowd control and spirit damage". Early it takes Titanic Magazine and Tesla Bullets for farming, Healing Rite into Healing Nova, and Extra Charge for Entangling Thorns; mid game Air Drop imbued with Mystic Expansion, Echo Shard ("double Stone Form is simply way too good"), Vortex Web and Lightning Scroll; late, Kudzu Connection with Healing Tempo, Indomitable, Divine Barrier, Diviner's Kevlar, Spellbreaker and Refresher. It mixes Weapon Items, Vitality Items and Spirit Items.

5:03 Players buy more gun items than the support build. deadlock-api measured Titanic Magazine in 79% of her games, Extended Magazine 75%, Tesla Bullets 71%, Mystic Expansion 58%, Capacitor 52%, Healing Booster 52% and Greater Expansion 50% from Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026; Healing Tempo, in 34% of games, won 57.2%. Suzu calls the situational Counterspell "the best defensive item in the game if used correctly". See Items and Shop and Builds and Itemization.

Counters and matchups

Healing reduction and early pressure counter Ivy. Mobalytics says to bully her weak lane, punish a solo Air Drop, bring healing reduction against her shared healing, and use crowd control or Knockdown to pull her out of Air Drop. More on Counter Items.

deadlock-api's matchup measurement (Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026) found Ivy's lowest win rates against Graves (44.7%), Rat King (47.0%), Paige (47.8%), Victor (48.0%) and Kelvin (48.4%), and her highest against Pocket (58.6%), Sinclair (58.1%), Silver (57.4%), Paradox (57.3%) and Viscous (57.2%). Stone Form also answers Seven: Mobalytics' Seven guide lists it among the ways to stop Static Charge's stun.

Outlets rank her near the top: S tier at Dot Esports (Aug 25, 2026) and in Mobalytics' expert list (Oct 22, 2026), A at Dexerto (Oct 9, 2026). She is stronger still at Phantom and above: 53.54%, in 24.8% of matches (deadlock-api, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026). See the Hero Tier List.

Patch history

• Sep 16, 2026: Stone Form radius from 6 m to 5.75 m and its T1 heal from 7% to 6% of maximum health (Valve).
• Aug 12, 2026: Stone Form T3 stun from +1s to +0.75s (Valve).
• Jul 28, 2026: Stone Form T3 spirit scaling from +1.7 to +1.5 (Valve).
• Jun 30, 2026: Entangling Thorns scaling from 0.45 to 0.55, Kudzu Connection's copied healing per boon from 0.5 to 0.85, and Air Drop's cooldown cut on allies from 25% to 30% (Valve); the same update raised every ultimate's cooldowns by 15%.
• Mar 6, 2026: a rework: -10% gravity, two abilities renamed, new upgrades on every ability, and Air Drop rebuilt with no cast time, a 20 m bomb and +20% outgoing damage, its cooldown going from 100s to 65s and then 85s (Valve).

Valve's Oct 5 and Oct 14, 2026 updates did not name Ivy; all changes are on Patches and Updates.

Lore

27:40 Ivy's in-game biography makes her a gargoyle that sprang to life to save "a big human and a small human"; the small human named her Ivy, which, "being covered in ivy at the time", the gargoyle "thought ... was a bit obvious" (game files, Oct 26, 2026). Her gun is "Protector's Hand", and Mobalytics names Jeannie Tirado as her voice actor. The setting is on Lore and Setting.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ivy good in Deadlock? Yes: Ivy won 52.87% of normal Deadlock matches from Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026 and 53.54% at Phantom rank and above, as deadlock-api measured, and Mobalytics' expert list and Dot Esports both rank her S tier.

What is the best Ivy build in Deadlock? Deadlock players build Ivy with Titanic Magazine, Extended Magazine, Tesla Bullets, Mystic Expansion and Capacitor most often (deadlock-api, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026); Mobalytics' Support Ivy build adds Healing Rite, Echo Shard and Healing Tempo.

How do you counter Ivy in Deadlock? In Deadlock, bully Ivy in lane, bring healing reduction against her shared healing, and use crowd control or Knockdown to pull her out of Air Drop, per Mobalytics. Punish her when she flies alone.

What does Ivy's Air Drop do? Air Drop is Ivy's ultimate in Deadlock: she carries an ally (or flies alone) for up to 21s, then drops them as a bomb for 115 damage in 20 m, on a 100s cooldown, 30% shorter on an ally (game files, Oct 26, 2026).

Is Ivy a support in Deadlock? Guides play Ivy as a support, since her Kudzu Connection buffs and heals an ally, though Valve's game files list her hero type as marksman. Dot Esports called her one of "the easiest top-tier characters to recommend to newer players".

Sources

• Assets API: heroes, deadlock-api (game files), Oct 26, 2026
• Assets API: items, deadlock-api (game files), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero stats, Phantom and above, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Hero counter stats, Oct 15 to Oct 26, 2026, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Item stats, Ivy, deadlock-api (measured), Oct 26, 2026
• Minor Update - 09-16-2026, Valve, Sep 16, 2026
• Minor Update - 08-12-2026, Valve, Aug 12, 2026
• Minor Update - 07-28-2026, Valve, Jul 28, 2026
• Minor Update - 06-30-2026, Valve, Jun 30, 2026
• Gameplay Update - 03-06-2026, Valve, Mar 6, 2026
• Deadlock adds four new heroes, PCGamesN (Jamie Hore), Jan 17, 2025
• Support Ivy by Suzu, Mobalytics (Suzu), Oct 15, 2026
• Deadlock Ivy Guide - Abilities, Overview & More, Mobalytics, undated, read Oct 26, 2026
• Deadlock Seven Guide, Mobalytics, undated, read Oct 26, 2026
• Expert Deadlock Tier List, Mobalytics (RinaVX), Oct 22, 2026
• Deadlock tier list: Best characters and heroes ranked, Dot Esports (Elizbar Ramazashvili), Aug 25, 2026
• Deadlock Tier List: Best characters to pick in the 2026 meta, Dexerto, Oct 9, 2026
• The ONLY Ivy Guide You ACTUALLY Need For Deadlock, DuckFilms, Nov 12, 2024 (video)
• The Complete Lore Of Valve's Next Game | Deadlock Story Explained, OhHeckItsTristan, Mar 28, 2026 (video)