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How to play Abrams

Best build by measured win rate · patch 09-29-2026 · updated Oct 14 · Abrams wins 50.5% overall

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The Abrams build

Each tier lists the items Abrams players win with most often, out of 300,961 Abrams games. Win % is how often Abrams wins when the item is bought; the green or red number is how far that is above or below the rest of the same tier. Popularity is the share of Abrams games the item was bought in; Bought at is the average time. Only items bought in at least 1,500 games and by at least 5% of Abrams players count, so a lucky streak can’t make the list.

Lane · Tier 1 · 800 souls

Early mid game · Tier 2 · 1,600 souls

Mid game · Tier 3 · 3,200 souls

Late game · Tier 4 · 6,400 souls

Situational / optional

Fewer Abrams players buy these, usually against particular enemies, but those who do win clearly more than the rest of the same tier. Each still has at least 1,500 games behind it.

Popular, but behind the rest of their tier

Not wrong to buy, and sometimes the right answer to a specific enemy. On average, Abrams players who buy these win less than those who buy something else at that point.

How this build is chosen

Source: deadlock-api.com item results for Abrams, City Never Sleeps matches since 2026-09-30, refreshed daily. Items are compared with the rest of their own tier, because late items always show higher raw win rates (only players who are ahead can afford them). Ranking uses the low end of each item’s 95% confidence range, so more games beat a lucky few. It shows what winning Abrams players buy; it can’t prove the item caused the win. For what to change against a specific enemy team, use the matchup tool.

How Abrams plays

Strengths

  • Best-in-class self-sustain through Siphon Life Siphon Life 4s Duration42s Cooldown Abrams pulls health out of every enemy standing near him, ticking spirit damage over a short window and converting a share of that damage back into his own health. Damage 22 spirit damage per second base (deadlock.one, patch 09-16-2026 data). Defensive Heals Abrams for a portion of the damage it deals, scaling with how many… 1 large cooldown reduction (about 20s), letting him drain in almost every skirmish 2 +2s duration, extending the heal window through longer brawls 5 +2m radius and roughly +18 damage per second, so it covers a real teamfight footprint plus Infernal Resilience Infernal Resilience A permanent buff to Abrams' defensive stats. Defensive Bonus defensive stats plus regeneration proportional to damage taken; 1 +200 maximum health 2 +18% melee lifesteal 5 +20% debuff resistance and +9% damage regeneration regeneration
  • Reliable long-range initiation with Seismic Impact Seismic Impact 215s Cooldown Abrams launches high into the air and then crashes down at a chosen point, damaging and stunning everyone in the impact zone. Crowd Control AoE stun on landing; Tier 2 adds about +0.8s. Damage 100 spirit damage base (deadlock.one). Mobility A long airborne jump to a chosen ground location; 1 roughly -30s cooldown 2 +0.8s stun duration 5 +6m impact radius and 5s Unstoppable on cast that clears terrain
  • Very forgiving to play — his kit punishes bad enemy positioning rather than requiring precise aim
  • Excellent at soaking focus fire so a carry can free-hit from behind him

In lane

  • Siphon Life Siphon Life 4s Duration42s Cooldown Abrams pulls health out of every enemy standing near him, ticking spirit damage over a short window and converting a share of that damage back into his own health. Damage 22 spirit damage per second base (deadlock.one, patch 09-16-2026 data). Defensive Heals Abrams for a portion of the damage it deals, scaling with how many… 1 large cooldown reduction (about 20s), letting him drain in almost every skirmish 2 +2s duration, extending the heal window through longer brawls 5 +2m radius and roughly +18 damage per second, so it covers a real teamfight footprint clears the enemy's last-hit window and heals him back up at the same time, which lets him contest orbs he should lose
  • Shoulder Charge Shoulder Charge 1.4s Duration33s Cooldown Abrams barrels forward, scooping up any hero he contacts and carrying them along. Crowd Control Stun on wall impact only. Damage 30 base impact damage (deadlock.one). Mobility Forward charge with a speed bonus after connecting with a hero. 1 applies a 32% move-speed slow for 3s, giving the ability value even when no wall is… 2 +0.8s wall-slam stun duration 5 roughly -18s cooldown and +1.5 weapon damage for 6s after hitting a hero into the sidewalk wall of most lanes is a near-guaranteed Stun kill at low levels
  • His health pool and Infernal Resilience Infernal Resilience A permanent buff to Abrams' defensive stats. Defensive Bonus defensive stats plus regeneration proportional to damage taken; 1 +200 maximum health 2 +18% melee lifesteal 5 +20% debuff resistance and +9% damage regeneration regeneration let him take tower aggro to finish a kill that squishier laners cannot

Power spikes

  • Seismic Impact Seismic Impact 215s Cooldown Abrams launches high into the air and then crashes down at a chosen point, damaging and stunning everyone in the impact zone. Crowd Control AoE stun on landing; Tier 2 adds about +0.8s. Damage 100 spirit damage base (deadlock.one). Mobility A long airborne jump to a chosen ground location; 1 roughly -30s cooldown 2 +0.8s stun duration 5 +6m impact radius and 5s Unstoppable on cast unlock — Turns him from a lane bully with one charge into a real dive threat that can reach a backline over terrain
  • Shoulder Charge Shoulder Charge 1.4s Duration33s Cooldown Abrams barrels forward, scooping up any hero he contacts and carrying them along. Crowd Control Stun on wall impact only. Damage 30 base impact damage (deadlock.one). Mobility Forward charge with a speed bonus after connecting with a hero. 1 applies a 32% move-speed slow for 3s, giving the ability value even when no wall is… 2 +0.8s wall-slam stun duration 5 roughly -18s cooldown and +1.5 weapon damage for 6s after hitting a hero T1/T2 (roughly 3k souls) — The 32% slow and the extended wall Stun make the charge kill-confirming even when the wall hit is imperfect
  • Infernal Resilience Infernal Resilience A permanent buff to Abrams' defensive stats. Defensive Bonus defensive stats plus regeneration proportional to damage taken; 1 +200 maximum health 2 +18% melee lifesteal 5 +20% debuff resistance and +9% damage regeneration T3 plus vitality items — The 9% damage regeneration and 20% debuff resistance make him extremely hard to remove from a fight without anti-heal
  • Seismic Impact Seismic Impact 215s Cooldown Abrams launches high into the air and then crashes down at a chosen point, damaging and stunning everyone in the impact zone. Crowd Control AoE stun on landing; Tier 2 adds about +0.8s. Damage 100 spirit damage base (deadlock.one). Mobility A long airborne jump to a chosen ground location; 1 roughly -30s cooldown 2 +0.8s stun duration 5 +6m impact radius and 5s Unstoppable on cast T3 (late 35min+) — 5s Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer and +6m radius mean the engage can no longer be cancelled and reliably catches multiple heroes

Weak points to cover

  • Zero ranged threat; outside 17m he is functionally unarmed
  • Both of his engages are telegraphed and directional and can be dodged or interrupted
  • Anti-heal items gut the majority of his effective health

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Abrams’s hardest matchups

Best teammates

  • Rat King Rat King BruiserSupportClose rangeBullet damage Makes his whole team's guns better: stacking bullet-resist shred from Rat Swarm Durability high (2/3) Burst high (2/3) Mobility low (1/3) Healing low (1/3) 61.2% duo win
  • Paige Paige SupportControllerMid rangeSpirit damage Currently among the strongest heroes in the game: deadlocklabs.gg records 54.1% win rate at 2.8% pick, S tier, after a recent buff package worth about +2.2 points. Durability low (1/3) Burst low (1/3) Mobility none (0/3) Healing high (2/3) 58.2% duo win
  • Victor Victor BruiserInitiatorClose rangeSpirit damage Highest win rate in this group (around 56% on deadlock.one's current-patch sample) — currently a strong pick Durability very high (3/3) Burst high (2/3) Mobility high (2/3) Healing very high (3/3) 55.0% duo win

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