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How to play McGinnis

Best build by measured win rate · patch 09-29-2026 · updated Oct 14 · McGinnis wins 47.4% overall

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The McGinnis build

Each tier lists the items McGinnis players win with most often, out of 136,185 McGinnis games. Win % is how often McGinnis 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 McGinnis 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 McGinnis 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 McGinnis 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, McGinnis 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 McGinnis, 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 McGinnis 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 McGinnis plays

Strengths

  • Defines zone control: Spectral Wall Spectral Wall 50m Range6s Duration50s Cooldown Projects a barrier of spirit panels that slows enemies who pass through it, and can be detonated early to split the terrain and damage anything nearby. Crowd Control Slow on anyone passing through, increased by +24% at T3. Damage 60 damage on eruption (deadlock.one). Defensive Blocks line of sight and physical pathing; 1 +20% damage amp for McGinnis on hit enemies for 7s. 2 -20s cooldown, +2s duration. 5 deploys 2 Mini Turrets near the wall for 8s, +24% slow. plus Heavy Barrage Heavy Barrage 36m Range8s Duration200s Cooldown McGinnis unloads a continuous stream of rockets that home toward a designated location for a duration. Crowd Control T1 applies a 24% movement and dash slow for 1s to targets hit, which… Damage 21 damage per rocket (deadlock.one). Mobility She keeps moving and can use stamina during the channel, but is slowed. 1 24% movement and dash slow for 1s on hit. 2 -45s cooldown, +6s duration. 5 +2m radius, +15 damage per rocket with increased spirit scaling. can make an entire lane or objective unenterable.
  • Strongest anti-dive profile in the roster — turrets, wall and a heal zone mean diving her costs more than it gains.
  • Best-in-class sustained damage and objective pressure thanks to her magazine size.
  • Unusually low mechanical demand for the impact she has, which is why her win rate is stable near 50% at all skill levels.

In lane

  • A 66-round magazine plus Mini Turret Mini Turret 20m Range18s Cooldown Places a small automated turret that fires spirit damage at nearby enemies for a limited lifetime. Damage 24 DPS per turret with 100 turret health (deadlock.one). Defensive Turrets act as a tripwire and a damage sponge; 1 +10 turret DPS, +10m attack range. 2 +25% turret fire rate, +12s turret lifetime. gives her the best raw lane-hold in the game; she out-attrits almost any duo lane.
  • Spectral Wall Spectral Wall 50m Range6s Duration50s Cooldown Projects a barrier of spirit panels that slows enemies who pass through it, and can be detonated early to split the terrain and damage anything nearby. Crowd Control Slow on anyone passing through, increased by +24% at T3. Damage 60 damage on eruption (deadlock.one). Defensive Blocks line of sight and physical pathing; 1 +20% damage amp for McGinnis on hit enemies for 7s. 2 -20s cooldown, +2s duration. 5 deploys 2 Mini Turrets near the wall for 8s, +24% slow. denies orb contests and safely secures her own last hits by cutting off the enemy's approach angle.
  • Medicinal Specter Medicinal Specter 15m Range6.5s Duration50s Cooldown Summons a spirit at a location that heals McGinnis and nearby allies for a duration. Damage No damage. Heals +25/sec (deadlock.one). Mobility None, though T2 grants +100% stamina recovery inside it. Defensive Primary defensive tool; 1 +1.5s duration. 2 -20s cooldown, +100% stamina recovery. 5 +2% max HP regen, +3m heal radius, +40% spirit resist. means she almost never has to walk back, and she keeps her lane partner topped up too.

Power spikes

  • Spectral Wall Spectral Wall 50m Range6s Duration50s Cooldown Projects a barrier of spirit panels that slows enemies who pass through it, and can be detonated early to split the terrain and damage anything nearby. Crowd Control Slow on anyone passing through, increased by +24% at T3. Damage 60 damage on eruption (deadlock.one). Defensive Blocks line of sight and physical pathing; 1 +20% damage amp for McGinnis on hit enemies for 7s. 2 -20s cooldown, +2s duration. 5 deploys 2 Mini Turrets near the wall for 8s, +24% slow. unlock (level 1 priority) — Her defining tool is online immediately; the highest-win-rate skill order opens Spectral Wall, Medicinal Specter, Mini Turret (61.5% WR per deadlocklabs.gg).
  • Spectral Wall Spectral Wall 50m Range6s Duration50s Cooldown Projects a barrier of spirit panels that slows enemies who pass through it, and can be detonated early to split the terrain and damage anything nearby. Crowd Control Slow on anyone passing through, increased by +24% at T3. Damage 60 damage on eruption (deadlock.one). Defensive Blocks line of sight and physical pathing; 1 +20% damage amp for McGinnis on hit enemies for 7s. 2 -20s cooldown, +2s duration. 5 deploys 2 Mini Turrets near the wall for 8s, +24% slow. T2 (mid game) — -20s cooldown means she can wall every fight rather than every other fight, which changes how the whole map is contested.
  • Heavy Barrage Heavy Barrage 36m Range8s Duration200s Cooldown McGinnis unloads a continuous stream of rockets that home toward a designated location for a duration. Crowd Control T1 applies a 24% movement and dash slow for 1s to targets hit, which… Damage 21 damage per rocket (deadlock.one). Mobility She keeps moving and can use stamina during the channel, but is slowed. 1 24% movement and dash slow for 1s on hit. 2 -45s cooldown, +6s duration. 5 +2m radius, +15 damage per rocket with increased spirit scaling. T2 — -45s cooldown and +6s duration turn the ultimate from a once-a-fight tool into a standing area-denial presence.
  • Late 40min+ with Boundless Spirit Boundless Spirit 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPassive +30 Spirit Power +75 Bonus Health +4 Out of Combat Regen +15% Spirit Power Builds from Improved Spirit — Turret and barrage spirit scaling makes her zone genuinely lethal rather than merely annoying.

Weak points to cover

  • Zero mobility and zero escape. There is no button that saves her from a successful engage.
  • Low burst — she cannot punish a mistake quickly, only grind.
  • Loses to heroes who ignore her geometry: blinks and teleports walk through her entire kit.

Next

McGinnis’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) 56.2% duo win
  • Dynamo Dynamo SupportControllerMid rangeSpirit damage Singularity is a multi-target hard CC long enough to decide a teamfight outright Durability high (2/3) Burst low (1/3) Mobility high (2/3) Healing very high (3/3) 53.1% 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) 54.2% duo win

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