Apollo vs Solomon

Do

• Plan for Scourge Scourge 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +35s Cooldown +10s Duration +0.25s Cast Delay +40% Spirit Resist +100 Bonus Health +20% Debuff Resist — know which tier it sits in so you are not improvising at the shop.
• Know what Kingside Knight Kingside Knight 28m Range7s Duration25s Cooldown Solomon promotes an ally to a knight, giving them a barrier and an extra stamina charge for a few seconds. Damage none. Barrier: 80 (+0.8 per Spirit) on an ally for 7s, 160 on himself. Game… Mobility Moves an ally 13m or himself 7m (both grow with his power level)… Defensive A barrier, an extra stamina charge for the ally, and a move that dodges… 1 -8s cooldown 2 +80 barrier and +1 stamina 5 targets two allies within range; looks like. It is the cooldown this lane revolves around.

Avoid

• Walking to lane on the same path every wave against a hero with Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's engage range.

Do

• 780 health and two shots a second; a fast-firing gun hero out-trades him when his bishop is out of position
• Eight shots per clip and a 3s reload leave long gaps in his damage
• The no-falloff-to-25m weapon means he wins medium-range trades against heroes whose damage is already degrading at that distance

Avoid

• A bishop parked in lane slides through both laners for 70 damage and a slow every few seconds
• Rook Battery Rook Battery 33s Cooldown Solomon releases two rooks that travel forward, dealing spirit damage and immobilizing every enemy they hit. Crowd Control Immobilize for 1s on hit (1.5s at Tier 3). Damage 50 spirit damage (+1.3 per Spirit). Defensive Rooting a diver in place stops the dive and gives him time to reposition. 1 on hit, -25% fire rate for 5s 2 on hit, +5% of current health as damage 5 +1 wall bounce, -12s cooldown and +0.5s immobilize roots a laner for a full second at 33s, setting up an easy trade

Do

• Their first real spike is ult unlock — respect it from that point, not before.
• Your spike is Flawless Advance Flawless Advance 8s Duration26s Cooldown Apollo performs a run of lunges in whatever direction he chooses, driving piercing stabs out in front of him. Damage 25 base hold damage, 40 at maximum hold, 65 on a perfect release… Mobility Directional lunges usable in any direction; Defensive Tier 2 grants 60% bullet resistance during the lunges, which makes it a… 1 hero hits restore 35 health (1.3 spirit scaling) 2 -12s cooldown (from a 26s base) and 60% bullet resistance during the lunges 5 +65 damage with improved spirit scaling, plus increased lunge speed and distance T2 (roughly 4-6k souls): -12s cooldown plus 60% bullet resistance during the lunges makes his primary damage tool repeatable and safe to use into gunfire

Avoid

• Taking an even fight against Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. on their spike timing when you could take the same fight ten minutes later on yours.

Do

• Watch for Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range . Move off the lines running out from where the queen lands before they activate — the delay is your window
• Read the board: stay out of the bishop's sliding path, step off squares the moment they light up, and leave the queen's lines before they fire

Avoid

• Spending your own escape before Kingside Knight Kingside Knight 28m Range7s Duration25s Cooldown Solomon promotes an ally to a knight, giving them a barrier and an extra stamina charge for a few seconds. Damage none. Barrier: 80 (+0.8 per Spirit) on an ally for 7s, 160 on himself. Game… Mobility Moves an ally 13m or himself 7m (both grow with his power level)… Defensive A barrier, an extra stamina charge for the ally, and a move that dodges… 1 -8s cooldown 2 +80 barrier and +1 stamina 5 targets two allies within range; is on cooldown.

• Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range Ultimate

  Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's fight-ender: 1.25s Stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2).

  • Move off the lines running out from where the queen lands before they activate — the delay is your window
  • Keep your health above 200 against a Tier 2 queen or you can be executed outright
  • Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer or a dispel saves you from the Stun; after the queen is spent, he has no ultimate for over three minutes
• Setup Bishop Setup Bishop 20m Range12s Cooldown Solomon places a bishop that stays where it is until he recalls it. Crowd Control A 30% slow that fades over 3s on every enemy the bishop passes through (45%… Damage 70 spirit damage on impact as it slides (+2 per Spirit), in a 2.5m radius. Mobility none for Solomon. The bishop moves up to 12m per move, with 3s between… 1 +5m move distance and +15% fading slow 2 +1 bishop, and it can be recast within 8s 5 +1 square range, and the squares reduce spirit resist by 2.5% per stack, up to 10 stacks Ability 1

  Sticking power rather than damage: a 30% slow that fades over 3s on every enemy the bishop passes through (45% at Tier 1).

  • Watch where the bishop is parked and don't line up in front of it — it slides in straight lines
  • Step off the diagonal squares as soon as they light up; they do their damage only while you stand on them
  • Spirit Resist cuts both the impact and the squares; spread out so one slide does not hit your whole team
• Rook Battery Rook Battery 33s Cooldown Solomon releases two rooks that travel forward, dealing spirit damage and immobilizing every enemy they hit. Crowd Control Immobilize for 1s on hit (1.5s at Tier 3). Damage 50 spirit damage (+1.3 per Spirit). Defensive Rooting a diver in place stops the dive and gives him time to reposition. 1 on hit, -25% fire rate for 5s 2 on hit, +5% of current health as damage 5 +1 wall bounce, -12s cooldown and +0.5s immobilize Ability 3

  Another window where you do not get to answer: immobilize for 1s on hit (1.5s at Tier 3).

  • Don't fight in narrow corridors against him — the rooks bounce off walls and come back
  • After you dodge the first pass, expect the split; keep moving rather than stopping beside the line
  • Debuff Reducer Debuff Reducer 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +25% Debuff Resist +90 Bonus Health shortens the Root; Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer ignores it
• Kingside Knight Kingside Knight 28m Range7s Duration25s Cooldown Solomon promotes an ally to a knight, giving them a barrier and an extra stamina charge for a few seconds. Damage none. Barrier: 80 (+0.8 per Spirit) on an ally for 7s, 160 on himself. Game… Mobility Moves an ally 13m or himself 7m (both grow with his power level)… Defensive A barrier, an extra stamina charge for the ally, and a move that dodges… 1 -8s cooldown 2 +80 barrier and +1 stamina 5 targets two allies within range; Ability 2

  His save. It shields a teammate and gives them an extra dash, then lets Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. lift that teammate out of a bad spot. On himself it is a barrier and a short untouchable hop.

  • Burst the target before the barrier lands, or wait out its 7 seconds before committing
  • Don't spend your Stun the instant the knight moves — the piece is invulnerable in flight, so hit it when it lands
  • Bait the knight onto one teammate, then switch to the one he can no longer save for 25 seconds

1. 1 Kingside Knight Kingside Knight 28m Range7s Duration25s Cooldown Solomon promotes an ally to a knight, giving them a barrier and an extra stamina charge for a few seconds. Damage none. Barrier: 80 (+0.8 per Spirit) on an ally for 7s, 160 on himself. Game… Mobility Moves an ally 13m or himself 7m (both grow with his power level)… Defensive A barrier, an extra stamina charge for the ally, and a move that dodges… 1 -8s cooldown 2 +80 barrier and +1 stamina 5 targets two allies within range;

   Kingside Knight first — threaten a teammate so he spends the save, then go for the real target

2. 2 Rook Battery Rook Battery 33s Cooldown Solomon releases two rooks that travel forward, dealing spirit damage and immobilizing every enemy they hit. Crowd Control Immobilize for 1s on hit (1.5s at Tier 3). Damage 50 spirit damage (+1.3 per Spirit). Defensive Rooting a diver in place stops the dive and gives him time to reposition. 1 on hit, -25% fire rate for 5s 2 on hit, +5% of current health as damage 5 +1 wall bounce, -12s cooldown and +0.5s immobilize

   Rook Battery second — show yourself in a lane he can bounce rooks through, then step aside

3. 3 Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range

   Develop Queen last — spread out so the first landing catches no one

• Low health and no healing in his kit Strategic
• Very long ultimate cooldown (210s) Strategic
• Everything travels in straight or diagonal lines, so players who read the board dodge most of it Strategic

• The bishop sits on the map and slides through you for 70 damage and a slow whenever he moves it, then lights up damaging squares Strategic
• Rook Battery Rook Battery 33s Cooldown Solomon releases two rooks that travel forward, dealing spirit damage and immobilizing every enemy they hit. Crowd Control Immobilize for 1s on hit (1.5s at Tier 3). Damage 50 spirit damage (+1.3 per Spirit). Defensive Rooting a diver in place stops the dive and gives him time to reposition. 1 on hit, -25% fire rate for 5s 2 on hit, +5% of current health as damage 5 +1 wall bounce, -12s cooldown and +0.5s immobilize roots you for a second and bounces off walls, so corridors are dangerous Strategic
• Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range crashes for 120, stuns along its lines, and leaps again up to twice more; at Tier 2 it executes heroes below 200 health Strategic
• Kingside Knight Kingside Knight 28m Range7s Duration25s Cooldown Solomon promotes an ally to a knight, giving them a barrier and an extra stamina charge for a few seconds. Damage none. Barrier: 80 (+0.8 per Spirit) on an ally for 7s, 160 on himself. Game… Mobility Moves an ally 13m or himself 7m (both grow with his power level)… Defensive A barrier, an extra stamina charge for the ally, and a move that dodges… 1 -8s cooldown 2 +80 barrier and +1 stamina 5 targets two allies within range; turns your kill into a barrier and an untouchable escape for his target Strategic
• Your mobility is a real advantage here, and Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's slows exist to delete it. Note that Debuff Resist barely helps against short hard slows because it only trims duration — spacing and cover do more than an item will. Strong evidence

• Read the board: stay out of the bishop's sliding path, step off squares the moment they light up, and leave the queen's lines before they fire Strategic
• Buy Spirit Resist and Debuff Reducer Debuff Reducer 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +25% Debuff Resist +90 Bonus Health early — the slides, squares, roots and stuns are all Spirit Damage or debuffs Strategic
• Dive him while the knight is spent: 780 health, no healing and only two shots a second Strategic
• Fight in the open, not in corridors, where the rooks cannot bounce back Strategic
• Make him use Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range early; then you have more than three minutes without it Strategic
• Wait out the knight's 7-second barrier, or burst the target before it lands Strategic
• Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. contributes through abilities, which makes a hard Silence worth more against them than any amount of resist. Focus Lens Focus Lens 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +45s Cooldown +4.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +35% Damage On Expire +10% Fire Rate -9% Spirit Resist -30 Spirit Power +12s Resist Reduction Duration Builds from Spirit Sap is the sharpest version: 4.5 seconds of single-target Silence at 20m, plus 30% of all damage dealt during the window applied when it expires, on a 45-second cooldown. Against a caster that is not a defensive purchase — it deletes their entire fight participation and then charges them for it. Strong evidence
• Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. adds barrier, not health, and barriers behave differently enough to change how you spend your combo. Resists apply before the barrier depletes, so a barrier multiplies with their resist rather than bypassing it — and it decays on its own. Overflow damage carries straight through to health, so one large hit does not stop at the barrier boundary. That argues for landing your whole burst in one window rather than chipping: chip is exactly what a decaying pool is designed to absorb. Strong evidence

• The 25 seconds after Kingside Knight Kingside Knight 28m Range7s Duration25s Cooldown Solomon promotes an ally to a knight, giving them a barrier and an extra stamina charge for a few seconds. Damage none. Barrier: 80 (+0.8 per Spirit) on an ally for 7s, 160 on himself. Game… Mobility Moves an ally 13m or himself 7m (both grow with his power level)… Defensive A barrier, an extra stamina charge for the ally, and a move that dodges… 1 -8s cooldown 2 +80 barrier and +1 stamina 5 targets two allies within range; — no barrier, no protected escape Strategic
• The 33 seconds after a missed Rook Battery Rook Battery 33s Cooldown Solomon releases two rooks that travel forward, dealing spirit damage and immobilizing every enemy they hit. Crowd Control Immobilize for 1s on hit (1.5s at Tier 3). Damage 50 spirit damage (+1.3 per Spirit). Defensive Rooting a diver in place stops the dive and gives him time to reposition. 1 on hit, -25% fire rate for 5s 2 on hit, +5% of current health as damage 5 +1 wall bounce, -12s cooldown and +0.5s immobilize — he has no Root Strategic
• The reload: 3 seconds with no gun after only 8 shots Strategic
• More than three minutes after Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range Strategic
• Being stunned by Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. now pauses your reload rather than restarting it, as of 09-16-2026. That quietly changes when it is safe to reload in this matchup: a reload caught by their Stun resumes where it left off instead of costing you the whole cycle, so the old rule of never reloading inside their engagement range is too conservative now. The compensating change is that parrying also pauses your reload, so a defensive parry no longer buys you free reload time. Documented
• When Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. puts up a barrier, do not reset the trade and wait for it to drop. Overflow damage carries through to health, so a single large hit spends the barrier and keeps going in one action — there is no wasted remainder. What does get wasted is chip, because barriers decay on their own and small hits are exactly what a temporary pool absorbs for free. Either commit your burst through it or disengage entirely; the middle option gives them a free absorb. Strong evidence

• Your escape route is vertical and the 09-16-2026 patch aimed at exactly that: slows now affect air drag at 35% of their value, where previously they mostly did not bite in the air. Going airborne to break Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's slow no longer restores your full movement — you carry a fraction of it into the air with you, at the moment you are also a stationary silhouette. The slow cut of ~20% partly offsets it, but the net is that air-escaping a slow is worse this patch than last. Documented
• You get value from moving around the map and Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. does not, but the 09-16-2026 patch made that harder to convert early: tunnel breakables Crates Breakable Streets, rooftops and tunnels — about 500 of them Ordinary breakables. Each has a 60% chance to drop souls; a Tough Crate always drops, for double. Souls 23 souls a crate, 60% of the time +2 a minute now spawn and respawn on 5 minutes rather than 3. The off-lane income that used to make a rotation pay for itself is roughly 40% less frequent, so before 6:00 a rotation has to be justified by pressure on Solomon or on the Guardian, not by the breakables you pick up on the way. Documented

• The first Unstable Rift lands around 11:00 and then every 7 minutes, and Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. beats you in exactly the fight it creates. Use the telegraph: a world-only visual appears on a random side-lane bridge roughly 60 seconds before the global announcement and map marker, which is the single biggest piece of free information in the mid game. Spend those 60 seconds either grouping or deliberately taking something elsewhere — the one thing you cannot afford is arriving at a Rift bridge late and alone. Strong evidence
• Urn spawns at 10, 15, 20 and 25 minutes, and you are the correct carrier in this matchup. Two changes make that stronger than old guides suggest: the runner is no longer revealed, and is no longer disarmed or silenced — you keep your whole kit while carrying. Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. cannot match your speed, so the only way they take it off you is melee, a Stun, or a kill. Route around their Stun range, not around their vision, and remember the bounty starts decaying after 45 seconds of carry. Documented

• You have a window where you cannot be hit and Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. does damage that does not need to target you. Untargetability of the Ethereal Shift Ethereal Shift 6,400 souls Tier 4TechInstantCast +37s Cooldown +4s Duration +5s Buff Duration +30% Spirit Resist +20 Spirit Power kind explicitly does not stop aura-type effects, and the same logic applies to persistent fields: going untargetable inside their zone means you emerge on the other side at the same health, having spent the cooldown for nothing. The window has to be used to leave the area, not to survive standing in it. Strong evidence
• Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. brings enough lockdown that Stun sequencing matters. Community reporting describes Stun diminishing returns of roughly 10% then 30% inside an 8-second window, applying to stuns only and not to silences, slows, disarms or hexes — so their follow-up chain may be shorter than the first one felt. Treat this as unconfirmed, but it is worth knowing before you burn a cleanse on the opening Stun. Uncertain

• Your habit of taking the fight vertical to reset spacing against Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. is weaker on 09-16-2026 than it was. Slows now apply to air drag at 35% of their value, so the air is no longer a slow-free zone, and 2026 has been a steady closing of exactly these loopholes — wall jumping costs 25% stamina regeneration for 5 seconds, and knockups came under debuff reduction in May. Going up is still correct against their ground CC; it is no longer a way to ignore their slows. Documented
• Riding a zipline in Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's line of sight is worse than walking. Enemy hero damage while you are riding knocks you off for 15% of your max health, a 2.5-second Stun and a fall — for a hero with your health pool that is most of a death handed over for free. You gain knockoff immunity only after 3 consecutive seconds of riding, signalled by a blue particle effect, so the dangerous part is the first three seconds. Mount out of their sight line, not near it. Documented
• Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. wins by choosing where the fight happens. Take your position before the zoning goes down, not after — once the area is committed you are fighting on their terms, and walking in to contest it is exactly the mistake the kit is built to farm. Strategic

• Against Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's crowd control, understand what Debuff Resist actually buys you: it shortens duration, never magnitude. It is excellent against long disables and close to worthless against a short hard slow. Two things it explicitly does not shorten at all are the parry Stun and the Knockdown Knockdown 3,200 souls Tier 3TechPress +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius item's Stun. Documented
• Scourge Scourge 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +35s Cooldown +10s Duration +0.25s Cast Delay +40% Spirit Resist +100 Bonus Health +20% Debuff Resist (spirit T4) — Buy on supports to harden a focused ally against a caster team while adding pressure damage. What you are answering here: Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range . Documented
• Majestic Leap Majestic Leap 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +45s Cooldown +5s Interrupt Cooldown +100% Air Control +50% Air Control +32% Move Speed +2.5s Slow Duration +8s Barrier Duration (vitality T3) — Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range — that is the zoning and area denial this answers. Buy to escape ground-based lockdown and to rotate across the map quickly. Documented
• Stamina Mastery Stamina Mastery 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorPassive +2 Stamina +18% Stamina Recovery +23% Air Jump/Dash Distance Builds from Extra Stamina (vitality T3) — Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. 's Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range — that is the stuns and Hard CC this answers. Buy when dodging telegraphed abilities and disengaging is how you survive. Strong evidence

• The reflex buy against a hero who keeps deleting you is Metal Skin Metal Skin 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance , and against Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. it does nothing. Metal Skin Metal Skin 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance is bullet-damage immunity only — Spirit Damage, abilities and every status effect pass straight through it, and you pay −1.5 m/s move speed and −20% dash distance for the privilege. The three big defensive actives are deliberately orthogonal: Metal Skin Metal Skin 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance stops bullets, Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer stops statuses, Ethereal Shift Ethereal Shift 6,400 souls Tier 4TechInstantCast +37s Cooldown +4s Duration +5s Buff Duration +30% Spirit Resist +20 Spirit Power stops everything but disables you. Solomon is a spirit threat, so it is the last two you are choosing between. Documented
• Players buy Dispel Magic Dispel Magic 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 HP Healed On Activate for Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. and then discover it does nothing about Develop Queen Develop Queen 30m Range210s Cooldown Solomon summons a queen that crashes down on an area for spirit damage. Crowd Control 1.25s stun from the lines, plus a 15% slow for 1.5s (30% at Tier 2). Damage 120 spirit damage (+1.4 per Spirit) on the crash and again on the lines. Mobility The queen leaps up to 16m per move, with 5s between moves; 1 -40s cooldown 2 +15% slow, and the lines checkmate heroes below 200 health, executing them 5 +2 moves and +1 square range . Dispel Magic Dispel Magic 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 HP Healed On Activate purges non-ultimate negative effects only — anything sourced from an ultimate is outside its scope entirely. Work out which of Solomon's disables come off abilities and which come off the ult before you spend 3,200: the ability-sourced ones are purgeable, the ult is not, and for the ult you need either Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer pre-cast or the discipline not to be there. Documented
• The Unstable Rift capture point is a 20m circle on a bridge, capture only progresses when no enemy is inside it, and everyone standing in it is revealed on the minimap. That is a purpose-built trap for Solomon Solomon New hero Released 9 October Released 9 October. A chess-themed strategist whose kit is a set of pieces: Setup Bishop plants damage dealers ahead of him and slides them along the street, Kingside Knight protects allies and pulls him back, Rook Battery charges forward and stalls enemies, and Develop Queen is a lock-down ultimate. . The mistake is treating the circle as the objective: you do not need to stand in it, you need them not to. Contest from outside the radius, deny with a single body at the edge, and let their Area Damage land on empty bridge. Strategic