Hero builds · Deadlock Stats

Recommended build, generated from match data

Snapshot settings: Phantom+ ranked, normal mode, Oct 5, 2026 (Oct 5, 2026 update) to Oct 8, 2026 · 621 matches on this playstyle of 1,429 · generated Oct 9, 2026, 10:33 AM UTC

Built once from this sample and refreshed with new data; it isn't affected by any filter on this site.

Customise this build (swaps and imbue targets)

Situational swaps

Healbane instead of Healing Booster · Mid · when: enemies heal a lot (lifesteal, healing items or healers)
Debuff Reducer before Dispel Magic · Mid · when: enemies have several stuns, silences or roots
Metal Skin before Spirit Burn · 30+ · when: most of the enemy team's damage is bullets
Spirit Resilience before Greater Expansion · 30+ · when: most of the enemy team's damage is spirit damage
Warp Stone before Superior Cooldown · Late · when: you need an escape or a gap-closer

Imbue targets

Mystic Expansion
Compress Cooldown

Pick a swap or an imbue target to see a customised version. The recommended build above stays unchanged.

Popular builds · Current patch · All modes · All ranks. Guide usage can't be filtered by game mode, so “match mode” applies to ranked and unranked only.

Published guides that Apollo players started matches with in this period, most used first, with copies and near-identical guides removed. Usage comes from the API's analysed matches and counts the guide selected at match start; it doesn't show whether players followed it. Game mode can't be filtered for this data.

TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK

by Little ShmuckVersion 74Guide updated Oct 3, 2026Guide #448546Author's tags: For New Players

Matches started with it: 189
Won: 50.3%
Players: 161
In-game favourites: 34,563 (not match usage)

Items, as published

1Early game
Game stage
1. 1
  Mystic Burst
2. 2
  Mystic Expansion
3. 3
  Mystic Regeneration
4. 4
  Radiant Regeneration
  Built from Mystic Regeneration
5. 5
  Healbane
2Early 4.8 Green!
Author's category
1. 1
  Dispel Magic
  almost an always buy
2. 2
  Warp Stone
  dash dash dash
3Lane Optionalsoptional
Author's category
1. 1
  Extra Regen
2. 2
  Enchanter's Emblem
4Mid game
Game stage · Pick as needed
1. 1
  Torment Pulse
2. 2
  Stamina Mastery
3. 3
  Superior Cooldown
4. 4
5Resistancesoptional
Author's category · BUY AT LEAST ONE
1. 1
  Return Fire
2. 2
  Bullet Resilience
3. 3
  Metal Skin
4. 4
6Late game
Game stage
1. 1
  Spirit Snatch
2. 2
  Infuser
3. 3
  Escalating Exposure
4. 4
7Testing Branchoptional
Author's category
1. 1
  Duration Extender
2. 2
  Decay
3. 3
  Superior Duration
  Built from Duration Extender
4. 4

Skill order

Published by the guide's author (not measured from matches).

Skill order published in TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK, one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil	Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 1									Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 10	Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 11

Among the 12 most-used guides with at least 10 analysed matches: 5 copies and 1 near-identical guide hidden, 1 beyond the top 5. “Core items” counts items in the author's non-optional categories.

What to buy, in order

Tankbuster + Boundless Spirit + Spirit Snatch style

1Early
Extra Spirit
~2:59
2Early
Mystic Burst
~3:20
3Early
Extra Regen
~3:29
4Early
Mystic Expansion
~6:01
Imbue: Flawless Advance
5Early
Cold Front
~7:46
6Early
Improved Spirit
~8:39
from Extra Spirit
7Mid
Healing Booster
~10:33
from Extra Regen
8Mid
Spirit Strike
~11:50
9Mid
Melee Charge
~13:21
10Mid
Spirit Snatch
~16:42
from Spirit Strike
11Mid
Dispel Magic
~16:43
12Late
Boundless Spirit
~22:11
from Improved Spirit
13Late
Tankbuster
~23:46
from Mystic Burst
14Late
Compress Cooldown
~25:30
Imbue: Riposte
15Late
Superior Cooldown
~27:20
from Compress Cooldown
1630+
Greater Expansion
~30:19
from Mystic Expansion
1730+
Spirit Burn
~31:07

Times are when players on this build typically bought each item (observed guidance, not deadlines). Dashed steps are late continuations: this style's most-bought late items, added so the build runs to the late game. Stage details below show how many of this group bought each item, optional items and situational swaps.

By stage

“Bought” percentages say how many players in this group bought the item; they are not win rates. Swaps are our advice from each item's current game text, not measured matchup results.

1Early
0–9 min
1. 1
  Extra Spirit
  98% bought · ~2:59 · most 1–5 min
2. 2
  Mystic Burst
  99% bought · ~3:20 · most 1–5 min
3. 3

Skill order

The most common choice at each point among these 621 players. The first four points match 284 of them; 77 used this exact full order.

Apollo skill order: unlocks and upgrades in order, one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil	Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 1													Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 14	Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 15

Final inventory target

About this recommendation

Sample: Apollo, normal mode, ranked matches with average rank Phantom or higher, from Oct 5, 2026 (Oct 5, 2026 update) to Oct 8, 2026, never more than 14 days: 1,429 matches, 49.5% won. Unranked matches carry no badge, so a rank bracket means ranked matches only.
Playstyle: the most common trio of 3,200+ soul items by 30:00 was Tankbuster, Boundless Spirit, Spirit Snatch. 621 matches built all three (43% of the sample); 56.8% of them were won. That describes these players, not this exact build, which no one may have followed item for item.
Items: bought by at least 50% of the group; late items are counted among the 240 matches that reached 35:00. If that leaves fewer than 2 late items, the build continues with the group's most-bought late items (at least 30%). Order and times are the group's medians.
Inventory: checked after every purchase with game recipes, observed sales and the observed limits of 12 items and 4 active items.
Ranked Apollo matches by rank in this window: Oracle 770 · Mystic 608 · Phantom 836 · Acolyte 887 · Emissary 707 · Ritualist 587 · Seeker 1,051 · Initiate 425 · Sentinel 751 · Ascendant 444 · Eternus 149.
Snapshot generated Oct 9, 2026 from the Deadlock API public data lake (data as of Oct 8, 2026).

Report a build problem

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Build problem report
Hero: Apollo (77)
Build source: generated, Phantom+ ranked sample
Build version: 2026-10-09T10:33:01.627Z
Page: 
What's wrong:

Not claimed: that this is the best build, or that it wins more than alternatives. No win rate is computed for the assembled build.

TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK

by Little ShmuckVersion 74Guide updated Oct 3, 2026Guide #448546Author's tags: For New Players

Matches started with it: 189
Won: 50.3%
Players: 161
In-game favourites: 34,563 (not match usage)

Items, as published

1Early game
Game stage
1. 1
  Mystic Burst
2. 2
  Mystic Expansion
3. 3
  Mystic Regeneration
4. 4
  Radiant Regeneration
  Built from Mystic Regeneration
5. 5
  Healbane
2Early 4.8 Green!
Author's category
1. 1
  Dispel Magic
  almost an always buy
2. 2
  Warp Stone
  dash dash dash
3Lane Optionalsoptional
Author's category
1. 1
  Extra Regen
2. 2
  Enchanter's Emblem
4Mid game
Game stage · Pick as needed
1. 1
  Torment Pulse
2. 2
  Stamina Mastery
3. 3
  Superior Cooldown
4. 4
5Resistancesoptional
Author's category · BUY AT LEAST ONE
1. 1
  Return Fire
2. 2
  Bullet Resilience
3. 3
  Metal Skin
4. 4
6Late game
Game stage
1. 1
  Spirit Snatch
2. 2
  Infuser
3. 3
  Escalating Exposure
4. 4
7Testing Branchoptional
Author's category
1. 1
  Duration Extender
2. 2
  Decay
3. 3
  Superior Duration
  Built from Duration Extender
4. 4

Skill order

Published by the guide's author (not measured from matches).

Skill order published in TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK, one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil	Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 1									Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 10	Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 11

Among the 12 most-used guides with at least 10 analysed matches: 5 copies and 1 near-identical guide hidden, 1 beyond the top 5. “Core items” counts items in the author's non-optional categories.

Skill order

Published by the guide's author (not measured from matches).

Skill order published in ABL (twitch ablkz), one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil		Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 2									Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 11	Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 12		Disengaging Sigil: 5 AP upgrade, step 14
RiposteRiposte			Riposte: Ability unlocked, step 3					Riposte: 1 AP upgrade, step 8	Riposte: 2 AP upgrade, step 9	Riposte: 5 AP upgrade, step 10
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance	Flawless Advance: Ability unlocked, step 1				Flawless Advance: 1 AP upgrade, step 5	Flawless Advance: 2 AP upgrade, step 6	Flawless Advance: 5 AP upgrade, step 7
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn				Itani Lo Sahn: Ability unlocked, step 4									Itani Lo Sahn: 1 AP upgrade, step 13		Itani Lo Sahn: 2 AP upgrade, step 15	Itani Lo Sahn: 5 AP upgrade, step 16

Unlock1 / 2 / 5 AP upgrade costOrder only; no timings

Not shown: 15 entries after the order starts again.

Skill order

Published by the guide's author (not measured from matches).

Skill order published in Build Apollo (Ekzin) *NEW*, one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil	Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 1						Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 7		Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 9				Disengaging Sigil: 5 AP upgrade, step 13
RiposteRiposte				Riposte: Ability unlocked, step 4								Riposte: 1 AP upgrade, step 12			Riposte: 2 AP upgrade, step 15	Riposte: 5 AP upgrade, step 16
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance		Flawless Advance: Ability unlocked, step 2			Flawless Advance: 1 AP upgrade, step 5			Flawless Advance: 2 AP upgrade, step 8			Flawless Advance: 5 AP upgrade, step 11
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn			Itani Lo Sahn: Ability unlocked, step 3			Itani Lo Sahn: 1 AP upgrade, step 6				Itani Lo Sahn: 2 AP upgrade, step 10				Itani Lo Sahn: 5 AP upgrade, step 14

Unlock1 / 2 / 5 AP upgrade costOrder only; no timings

Skill order

Published by the guide's author (not measured from matches).

Skill order published in SunnyDriveApollo, one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil	Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 1													Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 14	Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 15	Disengaging Sigil: 5 AP upgrade, step 16
RiposteRiposte				Riposte: Ability unlocked, step 4				Riposte: 1 AP upgrade, step 8	Riposte: 2 AP upgrade, step 9	Riposte: 5 AP upgrade, step 10
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance		Flawless Advance: Ability unlocked, step 2	Flawless Advance: 1 AP upgrade, step 3		Flawless Advance: 2 AP upgrade, step 5		Flawless Advance: 5 AP upgrade, step 7
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn						Itani Lo Sahn: Ability unlocked, step 6					Itani Lo Sahn: 1 AP upgrade, step 11	Itani Lo Sahn: 2 AP upgrade, step 12	Itani Lo Sahn: 5 AP upgrade, step 13

Unlock1 / 2 / 5 AP upgrade costOrder only; no timings

Not shown: 5 entries for other heroes' abilities and 25 entries after the order starts again.

Skill order

Published by the guide's author (not measured from matches).

Skill order published in Infest Melee Apollo, one row per ability in slot order
Disengaging SigilDisengaging Sigil	Disengaging Sigil: Ability unlocked, step 1						Disengaging Sigil: 1 AP upgrade, step 7					Disengaging Sigil: 2 AP upgrade, step 12	Disengaging Sigil: 5 AP upgrade, step 13
RiposteRiposte		Riposte: Ability unlocked, step 2			Riposte: 1 AP upgrade, step 5	Riposte: 2 AP upgrade, step 6		Riposte: 5 AP upgrade, step 8
Flawless AdvanceFlawless Advance			Flawless Advance: Ability unlocked, step 3						Flawless Advance: 1 AP upgrade, step 9						Flawless Advance: 2 AP upgrade, step 15	Flawless Advance: 5 AP upgrade, step 16
Itani Lo SahnItani Lo Sahn				Itani Lo Sahn: Ability unlocked, step 4						Itani Lo Sahn: 1 AP upgrade, step 10	Itani Lo Sahn: 2 AP upgrade, step 11			Itani Lo Sahn: 5 AP upgrade, step 14

Unlock1 / 2 / 5 AP upgrade costOrder only; no timings

Not shown: 4 entries after the order starts again.

TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK

Items, as published

Skill order

ABL (twitch ablkz)

Items, as published

Build Apollo (Ekzin) NEW

Items, as published

SunnyDriveApollo

Items, as published

Infest Melee Apollo

Items, as published

Apollo builds

What to buy, in order

By stage

Skill order

Final inventory target

Upgrades and replacements

TOP 1 FENCER NA - SHMUCK

Items, as published

Skill order

ABL (twitch ablkz)

Items, as published

Build Apollo (Ekzin) NEW

Items, as published

SunnyDriveApollo

Items, as published

Infest Melee Apollo

Items, as published

Skill order

Skill order

Skill order

Skill order