Mo & Krill

Mo & Krill is a Deadlock tank and initiator, two heroes in one, who burrow under enemies with Burrow, heal with Scorn, disarm with Sand Blast, and hold one target with their ultimate, Combo, gaining max health for every kill it secures. They have been in the playtest since 2024.

8:15 Mo & Krill is a Deadlock hero, a pair played as one, who burrow underground to get the drop on enemies: Burrow travels under the map and erupts in a spinning knock-up, Scorn damages everything nearby and heals them, Sand Blast disarms, and their ultimate, Combo, stuns and holds a single target, permanently adding max health for each kill. The game's role line is "Burrows underneath his enemies" in the game files (Oct 26, 2026). They are original playtest heroes, on the roster Esports.gg listed for 2024, before Valve admitted Deadlock existed on Aug 23, 2024.

Quick facts

Role	Brawler (the game's class), tagged Tag-Team, Initiator and Burrower
Added	In the 2024 playtest roster, before the Aug 23, 2024 reveal
Complexity	3 of 4 in the game files
Health	930 (+65 per boon), and 20% less critical damage taken
Bullet damage	4 pellets of 2.82 (+0.0847 per boon)
Weapon	Yellow Canary, a scattergun: 5.29 shots per second, 59.7 DPS, falloff 20m to 58m
Ammo	20 rounds, 2.82s reload
Move speed	8.0 m/s (+1.6 m/s sprint), 3 stamina
Measured win rate	50.76% in 18.93% of matches (deadlock-api, Oct 15 to 25, 2026)

Source: the game files as read by deadlock-api and its item data, Oct 26, 2026 (current with Valve's Oct 14, 2026 patch); win rate from deadlock-api's measured hero stats, normal-mode matches Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026.

Abilities

Key	Ability	What it does	Cooldown
1	Scorn	50 damage to enemies within 9m, healing 1.2 times the damage dealt to heroes	13s
2	Burrow	Travel underground up to 5s at +5 m/s, then emerge spinning for 75 DPS in 5m with a knock-up	40s
3	Sand Blast	Sprays sand up to 25m, disarming enemies for 2.5s and dealing 40 damage	40s
4	Combo	Holds and stuns a target within 4m for a 2.4s channel at 40 DPS; a kill adds 40 max health for good	150s

Source: the game files as read by deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026.

0:52 Scorn is their sustain: it heals 1.2 times the damage dealt to heroes and 0.35 times against troopers and neutrals, with 0.75 spirit scaling. T1 adds 35 damage, T2 cuts 5s from the cooldown and adds 1m, and T3 applies a stacking debuff that makes the target take 15% more damage from Mo & Krill for 16s, per the game files.

Burrow is how they move and engage. Underground they have 60% bullet and 30% spirit resist, though hero damage cuts their speed, and since Mar 6, 2026 they can enter the map's tunnels. The spin deals 75 DPS (1.488 spirit scaling) for 1.5s. T1 adds 50 spin DPS, T2 adds 4s and 2m, and T3 cuts 20s from the cooldown and adds 4 m/s, per the game files.

2:47 Sand Blast shuts down gun heroes by disarming them. T1 adds 50 damage and 5m of range, T2 slows targets 24% and cuts their dash distance by 26%, and T3 adds 1.5s and cuts 25s from the cooldown, per the game files.

6:40 Combo is their pick tool. A kill during the channel or within 3s of it adds 40 max health (+2 per boon) for the rest of the match, raised from 30 + 1 on Jun 30, 2026, and since Jul 28, 2026 items can be used during it. T1 adds 100% lifesteal, T2 cuts 30s from the cooldown and adds 50% bullet resist, and T3 adds 0.7s and more DPS, per the game files: +40 DPS there, where Valve's Mar 2026 notes gave +50.

How to play

Mo & Krill play up close: burrowing through the ground lets them get the drop on almost anyone, with devastating results at short range, in the game's own hero text. Mobalytics' Mo & Krill guide lists mobility, strong heals, the disarm and Combo as strengths, and the need to be close, weakness to anti-heal and exposure while channeling Combo as weaknesses.

1:43 In lane, Scorn trades and heals at once, and the scattergun does most of its damage at short range. Dexerto's Mo & Krill build (Mar 2, 2026) takes Burrow first and maxes it by level 7, adds Combo at 6, then Scorn. See Ability Points and Leveling for how points come in.

5:29 In fights, Burrow under the enemy backline, erupt to knock them up, Sand Blast their best gun hero, and Combo whoever is isolated. Every Combo kill makes them tankier for the rest of the match, so securing the last hit with it matters.

Builds

The most bought items on Mo & Krill lean to spirit and cooldowns, as deadlock-api measured in their matches from Oct 15 to 25, 2026:

Phase	Most bought (share of their matches)
Lane	Mystic Burst 93%, Quicksilver Reload 59%, Sprint Boots 58%, Trophy Collector 49%
Mid game	Torment Pulse 66%, Tankbuster 52%, Compress Cooldown 48%
Late game	Transcendent Cooldown 36%, Escalating Exposure 27%, Scourge 26%

Source: deadlock-api, item stats for Mo & Krill, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026.

Late Escalating Exposure carried a 60% win rate in that sample. Dexerto's build runs Quicksilver Reload, Mystic Burst, Monster Rounds, Torment Pulse and Enduring Speed early; Superior Cooldown, Bullet Resilience, Fortitude, Stamina Mastery and Superior Duration mid; and Refresher, Transcendent Cooldown, Unstoppable, Colossus and Witchmail late. Torment Pulse, Tankbuster and Scourge are Spirit Items; Sprint Boots, Trophy Collector, Fortitude, Unstoppable and Colossus are Vitality Items; Monster Rounds is one of the Weapon Items. Items and Shop explains costs and slots.

Counters and matchups

3:41 Mo & Krill are countered by stuns, anti-heal and good aim, Mobalytics' guide says: their two heads mean two headshot targets (aim for the pig), a burrowed Mo & Krill cannot parry a heavy melee, and any stun stops Combo. Among Counter Items, Mobalytics' Street Brawl guide (Aug 27, 2026) lists Healbane against them.

Measured matchups put them worst against Graves (43.9% win rate when facing), Baba (44.5%) and Seven (45.5%), and best against Pocket (57.8%), Sinclair (57.3%) and Mina (56.3%), in deadlock-api's counter stats for Oct 15 to 25, 2026. Graves wins more against almost everyone in that window, so read those numbers against their own 50.76% average.

Patch history

Sep 16, 2026: every move slow in the game was cut by about 20% (Valve), which is why Sand Blast's T2 slow reads 24% in the game files after Valve's 30%.
Jul 28, 2026: Burrow's cooldown now starts when it is cast, not when it ends; items can be used during Combo (Valve).
Jun 30, 2026: Sand Blast's T2 slow raised from 25% to 30% and its T3 from -20s to -25s; Combo's max health per kill raised from 30 + 1 to 40 + 2 per boon (Valve). The same update made every ultimate's cooldowns 15% weaker, which is why Combo reads 150s with a -30s T2 in the game files after Valve's 130s and -35s in March.
May 22, 2026: a melee hit no longer knocks them up while burrowed; Sand Blast's T3 raised from +1s to +1.5s (Valve).
Apr 30, 2026: bullet damage growth raised 10%; Burrow speed raised from +4 to +5 m/s (Valve).
Mar 6, 2026: Burrow can enter the tunnels; Scorn, Sand Blast and Combo upgrades rewritten; Sand Blast's range cut from 35m to 25m; Combo's cooldown raised from 90s and its health per kill rescaled to 30 + 1 per boon (Valve).
Nov 21, 2025: health regen cut from 3 to 1 (Valve).

All Valve changes are in Patches and Updates.

Lore

38:03 Mo and Krill belong to The Tunnel Rats, Valve's in-game lore entry says: a crew that runs trade between the boroughs through underground tunnels and punishes gangs that misuse them (game files, Oct 26, 2026). More on the city in Lore and Setting.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mo & Krill good in Deadlock? Mo & Krill won 50.76% of normal-mode Deadlock matches from Oct 15 to 25, 2026 in deadlock-api's measurement, and appeared in 28.71% of Phantom 1 and higher matches. Both Dexerto's Oct 9, 2026 tier list and Mobalytics' expert list (Oct 22, 2026) put them in A tier.

What is the best Mo & Krill build in Deadlock? The most bought Mo & Krill items in Deadlock from Oct 15 to 25, 2026 were Mystic Burst, Quicksilver Reload and Sprint Boots in lane, Torment Pulse and Tankbuster mid game, and Transcendent Cooldown, Escalating Exposure and Scourge late, per deadlock-api.

How does Mo & Krill's Combo give health? In Deadlock, a kill during Mo & Krill's Combo or within 3s of it permanently adds 40 max health plus 2 per boon, per the game files (Oct 26, 2026) and Valve's Jun 30, 2026 notes.

Can Mo & Krill burrow into tunnels? Yes: since Valve's Mar 6, 2026 update, Mo & Krill's Burrow can enter Deadlock's underground tunnels.

How do you counter Mo & Krill? In Deadlock, stun Mo & Krill to stop Combo, buy anti-heal such as Healbane against Scorn, aim for the pig's head, and heavy melee them while they are burrowed, as Mobalytics advises.

Which ability should I max first on Mo & Krill? Dexerto's Mo & Krill guide takes Burrow first in Deadlock and maxes it by level 7, with Combo at level 6 and Scorn after.

Sources

Items and abilities (data read from the game files), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
Heroes (data read from the game files), deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
Hero stats, normal-mode matches Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
Hero stats, Phantom 1+ average badge, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
Hero counter stats, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
Item stats for Mo & Krill, Oct 15 to Oct 25, 2026, deadlock-api, Oct 26, 2026
Minor Update - 09-16-2026, Valve, Sep 16, 2026
Minor Update - 07-28-2026, Valve, Jul 28, 2026
Minor Update - 06-30-2026, Valve, Jun 30, 2026
Gameplay Update - 05-22-2026, Valve, May 22, 2026
Gameplay Update - 04-30-2026, Valve, Apr 30, 2026
Gameplay Update - 03-06-2026, Valve, Mar 6, 2026
11-21-2025 Update, Valve, Nov 21, 2025
Best Mo & Krill build in Deadlock, Dexerto (Cande Maldonado), Mar 2, 2026
Deadlock Tier List: Best characters to pick in the 2026 meta, Dexerto, Oct 9, 2026
Deadlock Mo & Krill Guide, Mobalytics, undated, read Oct 26, 2026
Expert Deadlock Tier List, Mobalytics (RinaVX), Oct 22, 2026
Deadlock Street Brawl Mode Explained, Mobalytics (dxvis), Aug 27, 2026
Deadlock hero abilities, Esports.gg, 2024
After four months, hundreds of leaked gameplay videos, and everybody you know having played it, Valve finally admitted Deadlock exists, PC Gamer (Ted Litchfield), Aug 23, 2024
How to DOMINATE with Mo and Krill - Deadlock Guide (In-Depth), Bavinn, Oct 3, 2024 (video)
The Complete Lore Of Valve's Next Game | Deadlock Story Explained, OhHeckItsTristan, Mar 28, 2026 (video)

Moments

How to DOMINATE with Mo and Krill - Deadlock Guide (In-Depth)

Bavinn

8:15 Mo & Krill is a Deadlock hero, a pair played as one, who burrow underground to get the drop on enemies: Burrow travels…
0:52 Scorn is their sustain: it heals 1.2 times the damage dealt to heroes and 0.35 times against troopers and neutrals…
2:47 Sand Blast shuts down gun heroes by disarming them. T1 adds 50 damage and 5m of range, T2 slows targets 24% and cuts…
6:40 Combo is their pick tool. A kill during the channel or within 3s of it adds 40 max health (+2 per boon) for the rest…
1:43 In lane, Scorn trades and heals at once, and the scattergun does most of its damage at short range. Dexerto's Mo &…
5:29 In fights, Burrow under the enemy backline, erupt to knock them up, Sand Blast their best gun hero, and Combo whoever…
3:41 Mo & Krill are countered by stuns, anti-heal and good aim, Mobalytics' guide says: their two heads mean two headshot…