Apollo vs Yamato

Do

• Plan for Divine Barrier Divine Barrier 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorPress +55s Cooldown +0.2s Cast Delay +1.5 Out of Combat Regen +6s Buff Duration +600 Barrier +10% Ability Range +10% Radius Builds from Guardian Ward — know which tier it sits in so you are not improvising at the shop.
• Know what Shadow Transformation looks like. It is the cooldown this lane revolves around.

Avoid

• Walking to lane on the same path every wave against a hero with Yamato's engage range.

Do

• 730 max health and no barrier anywhere in the kit
• Sister's Lament does around 63 DPS, so she loses pure gun trades badly
• The no-falloff-to-25m weapon means he wins medium-range trades against heroes whose damage is already degrading at that distance

Avoid

• Power Slash charged from behind cover pokes for 145 with a 32% slow at T1, from further away than her gun hits hard
• Crimson Slash's heal on hero hit lets her win extended trades without buying sustain

Do

• Their first real spike is Flying Slash T1 (-18s cooldown) — 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 Yamato on their spike timing when you could take the same fight ten minutes later on yours.

Do

• Watch for Flying Slash. Hold a displacement or Knockup (Viscous's Puddle Punch Puddle Punch 40m Range24s Cooldown Materialises a fist at a chosen point up to a long distance away, punching everyone in a small area upward. Crowd Control Knockup on everyone in the 4m radius plus a -24% movement slow for 3s Damage 20 damage base plus about 0.6x melee scaling; Mobility Grants Viscous and allies increased air control when caught in it 1 +1 charge and +20 damage 2 +1.5m radius and +60% lifesteal 5 -14s cooldown and deals Heavy Melee damage , Venator's Gutshot Gutshot 10m Range23s Cooldown A point-blank shotgun burst within about 10m that shoves everyone hit backwards. Crowd Control knockback on everyone hit; Damage 60 base (about 0.7x weapon scaling) plus 30 bonus (about 0.8x scaling) when… Mobility none for Venator himself 1 +25 damage 2 -10s cooldown (23s base) and +0.4s stun duration 5 after a wall stun, Venator's next heavy melee becomes blessed , Wraith's Telekinesis Telekinesis 10m Range2.3s Duration150s Cooldown Lifts one enemy hero into the air, holding them helpless for a couple of seconds, then slams them toward a location Wraith chooses. Crowd Control stunned during the 1.25s channel, then the target is airborne and unable to… Damage 100 spirit base (about 1.0x spirit scaling); Mobility none for Wraith — she channels for 1.25s while aiming the throw 1 +100 damage 2 -45s cooldown (150s base down to 105s) 5 +1.5s debuff duration and +6m throw and cast range ) for the moment she lands — she arrives committed and at melee range with no follow-up escape before T3
• Never spend CC into Shadow Transformation — she is status immune. Hold Binding Word Binding Word 15m Range34s Cooldown Curses a targeted enemy hero. Crowd Control 1.75s immobilise (T2 adds +0.75s, so up to 2.5s) if the target fails the… Damage 110 (about 2.44x spirit scaling) when it lands Defensive Rooting a diver in place is a strong self-peel 1 Warden deals +20% bullet damage to trapped heroes for 5s 2 +0.75s immobilise duration 5 -14s cooldown (34s base) and silences the target until they escape or are immobilised , Petrifying Bola Petrifying Bola 115s Cooldown Throws an explosive bola. Crowd Control 2.2s petrify on a direct hit (T3 adds +1s, up to 3.2s); Damage 50 area damage (about 0.74x spirit scaling); Defensive Petrifying an incoming diver removes them from the fight for over two… 1 +49.5 petrify damage 2 -20s cooldown 5 +1s petrify duration and petrifies all enemies in the area, not just direct hits , Telekinesis and Puddle Punch for the moment it expires

Avoid

• Spending your own escape before Shadow Transformation is on cooldown.

• Flying Slash Ability 2

  Not lockdown, but it makes disengaging cost more than it should: -40% movement slow for 2.5s on the target.

  • Hold a displacement or Knockup (Viscous's Puddle Punch, Venator's Gutshot, Wraith's Telekinesis) for the moment she lands — she arrives committed and at melee range with no follow-up escape before T3
  • It needs a target: standing behind a teammate or outside 23m means she has no entry at all
  • The -40% slow lasts 2.5s, so a dash or a Stamina jump immediately on arrival is better than trying to run out of it
• Power Slash Ability 1

  Nothing to respect until the upgrade lands, and then T1 adds a 32% movement slow for 3s.

  • The charge is loud, long (1.4s) and visible — break line of sight or change elevation during it and the whole channel is wasted
  • Do not trade bullets into a charging Yamato: she has 60% Bullet Resist for the duration, so Spirit Damage or simply disengaging is strictly better
  • It is a directional projectile at 22-30m; strafing perpendicular to her facing at release avoids it
• Crimson Slash Ability 3

  Sticking power rather than damage: -30% fire rate for 4s is a heavy offensive debuff.

  • Spread your formation — the heal is gated on hitting heroes, so denying her contact with anyone denies her sustain entirely
  • Anti-heal (Healbane Healbane 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +8s Duration +7 Spirit Power -35% Incoming Healing , Toxic Bullets Toxic Bullets 3,200 souls Tier 3WeaponPassive -40% Incoming Healing , Venator's Consecrating Grenade Consecrating Grenade 25s Cooldown Lobs a grenade that bounces once or twice before detonating in a roughly 4.5m area. Damage 35 impact (about 1.0x weapon scaling) plus roughly 10 burn DPS (about 1.6x… 1 -5s cooldown (25s base) 2 +1.5m radius and +1s burn duration 5 an additional 20% healing reduction on top of the base 30%, and grants extra charges , Vindicta's T1 Crow) directly attacks her only sustain source and is very efficient against her
  • It is a frontal cone at 13m radius; stepping behind or to the side of her avoids it
• Shadow Transformation Ultimate

  Her all-in. It makes her untouchable through the transformation, resets her combo, and then lets her chain kills — each kill extending the window further.

  • Do not spend CC into it. She is immune to negative status effects for the whole duration, so a Binding Word, a Petrify or a Snap Trap thrown at a transformed Yamato is a wasted cooldown
  • Disengage and wait it out. The base duration is only 5s (8s at T3) and the cooldown is 130-160s — walking away costs you nothing and costs her the ultimate
  • Deny kills above all else: each hero kill heals her 15% max health and extends the transformation by 2s, so pulling a low teammate out of reach ends the ultimate sooner

1. 1 Shadow Transformation

   Shadow Transformation first — it is the only thing making her survivable. Force it early with a fake commit, disengage, and then fight her in the 130-160 seconds it is down, when she has only her 730 health

2. 2 Flying Slash

   Flying Slash second: it is her only engage and, pre-T3, her only movement tool. Baiting it out on a durable frontliner strands her for 18-36 seconds

3. 3 Power Slash

   Power Slash third: make her commit the 1.4s channel behind cover where the release hits nothing, then punish the 8-12s cooldown

• 730 max health and no barrier — she dies instantly if caught outside her ultimate Strong evidence
• Weak weapon (about 63 DPS); almost all her damage is on cooldowns Strong evidence
• Power Slash's 1.4s channel and Flying Slash's committed landing are both heavily telegraphed Strong evidence
• Yamato threatens you two ways at once — a combo that kills and a disable that makes the combo land — and the three big defensive actives are deliberately orthogonal, so you have to decide which half you are answering. Metal Skin Metal Skin 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +24s Cooldown +5s Duration +12% Bullet Resist -20% Dash Distance +20% Gravity Scale blocks Bullet Damage and no statuses; Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer blocks statuses and no damage; Ethereal Shift Ethereal Shift 6,400 souls Tier 4TechInstantCast +37s Cooldown +4s Duration +5s Buff Duration +30% Spirit Resist +20 Spirit Power blocks everything but takes you out of the fight and cancels your own channels. Buying two is the honest answer if you have the souls; buying the wrong one is the same as buying nothing. Strong evidence
• You fight at mid range and Yamato has to reach close range, but they have the movement to do it — which means the matchup is not a range advantage, it is a cooldown one. Their gap-closer is the only thing bridging the band, so track it rather than tracking their health. With it up you are in their range and should behave accordingly; with it down you are in a range they cannot reach and every second of that window is free. Strategic

• Flying Slash reaches 23-31m and lands with a -40% slow for 2.5s, which means once she picks you there is no walking away from Power Slash and Crimson Slash Strong evidence
• Power Slash at T3 does up to roughly 295 Spirit Damage from 30m while she holds 60% Bullet Resist during the charge, so trading bullets into it loses Strong evidence
• Crimson Slash strips -30% of your fire rate for 4s while healing her 55 + 6% of her max health, so diving her carry is both punished and self-sustaining Strong evidence
• Shadow Transformation makes her immune to negative status effects — your Binding Word, Petrifying Bola, Snap Trap or Knockup simply does not apply for 5-8 seconds Strong evidence
• Each kill during Shadow Transformation heals her 15% max health and adds 2 seconds, so a chained pick can keep the ultimate running through an entire fight Strong evidence
• During the ultimate her abilities cast 60% faster, which removes Power Slash's charge tell entirely Strong evidence
• Yamato can take you from healthy to dead inside one combo, so health-bar management is not a useful frame in this matchup — being visible at all inside their range is the risk. Assume any moment you are in their line of sight at full health is a moment they can kill you. Strong evidence
• Your mobility is a real advantage here, and Yamato'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

• Never spend CC into Shadow Transformation — she is status immune. Hold Binding Word, Petrifying Bola, Telekinesis and Puddle Punch for the moment it expires Strong evidence
• Disengage for the 5-8s ultimate duration; the cooldown is 130-160s and walking away costs you nothing while costing her everything Strong evidence
• Deny kills during the ultimate: every hero kill is +2s and a 15% max health heal, so pulling a low teammate to safety (or Cubing them) shortens the window Strong evidence
• Break line of sight or change elevation during the 1.4s Power Slash channel — outside her ultimate that tell is long and reliable Strong evidence
• Save a displacement for the instant Flying Slash lands; pre-T3 she has no exit, so punishing the landing rather than the approach is what kills her Strong evidence
• Buy anti-heal — Crimson Slash's hero-hit heal is her only sustain, and Healbane or Venator's Consecrating Grenade removes most of it Strong evidence
• Bring Spirit Damage: her Crimson Slash fire-rate debuff and Power Slash's 60% Bullet Resist both punish weapon damage specifically Strong evidence
• Yamato kills you with Spirit Damage, so match the mitigation to the channel. Ethereal Shift removes you from the game entirely for 4 seconds — untargetable and invincible — but you cannot act, you drift at 2.5 m/s, and it cancels your own channels; Spellbreaker Spellbreaker 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorPassive +9s Cooldown +18% Spirit Resist +25% Debuff Resist +175 Damage Threshold +65% Spirit Damage Reduction +90 Bonus Health Builds from Debuff Reducer instead caps a single spirit hit above 175 damage by 65%, which suits a one-big-cast threat. Ethereal Shift's known hole is aura-type damage, which keeps ticking through it, so check whether their damage is a cast or a field before you spend 6,400. Strong evidence

• The moment Flying Slash lands, before T3 — she is at melee range, committed, and has no escape Strong evidence
• The 1.4s Power Slash channel outside of her ultimate: she is stationary and the release is directional and dodgeable Strong evidence
• The instant Shadow Transformation expires: her abilities are on cooldown, her resists drop and she is a 730 HP hero standing in your team Strong evidence
• Any fight beyond 30m — her weapon is only about 63 DPS and Power Slash tops out at 30m even at T3 Strong evidence
• The 130-160s window whenever Shadow Transformation is down, in which she has no immunity, no reset and no second chance on a failed dive Strong evidence
• Parry is your best tool against Yamato's arrival and it is now a commitment rather than a hedge. Since 09-16-2026, parrying during a dash cancels the dash and its momentum, so you cannot both reposition and hold F. The cooldown maths makes the decision for you: a successful parry costs 0.5 seconds and stuns them for 3 with no Debuff Resist reduction possible, while a whiff costs 4.5 seconds — against a hero who arrives on a cooldown, that whiff is the entire window they needed. Documented
• Your bullets are slow and Yamato is fast enough to make that matter. Lead into where their movement is constrained rather than where they are — the closer the fight, the less your bullet speed costs you. Strategic

• 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 Yamato'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

• If you are behind and planning to fight Yamato on the Rift point because of the comeback bubble, recheck the number. As of 09-16-2026 the behind-team resist bonus inside the 35m radius is no longer a flat 35% — it is 10% + 1% per minute, capping at 40% only at 30:00, which is roughly 20% at the first Rift. Twenty percent does not turn a losing fight against burst into a winning one. The reduced capture time (floor 6 seconds) is the part of the comeback package that is still worth playing for. Documented
• Yamato will be their Urn runner and you are the one who can stop it. The Urn cannot be voluntarily dropped — it comes loose only on melee, a Stun, or death — so chip damage and slows do not deny a delivery, your Hard CC does. Hold it for the carry rather than spending it on the approach fight, and note the favoured team gets +50% Bullet and Spirit Resist in a 60m bubble while carrying and depositing, which is why trying to burst the runner down usually fails. Documented

• You have peel and Yamato is the dive threat, so your job in the fight is not damage — it is being in range of whoever they are jumping on. Position between their entry point and your squishiest teammate and hold your peel tool for the moment they commit, not for the moment they appear. Strategic

• Your habit of taking the fight vertical to reset spacing against Yamato 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 Yamato'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

• Yamato heals through damage, so healing reduction is not optional here — but pick the right application route. Anti-heal arrives two ways: bullet-applied (Toxic Bullets, T3) builds up through gunfire, and spirit-applied (Healbane, T2) lands off Spirit Damage. Buy the one that matches how you actually deal damage, or it will never apply. Documented
• Against Yamato's burst, a reactive mitigation active beats flat health. Flat health raises the number they have to hit; a barrier or damage-reduction active on a short cooldown breaks the combo itself, which is what actually saves you. Strong evidence
• Do not assume Yamato shrugs off your anti-heal by going immune. Unstoppable explicitly does not suppress healing reduction — if you have the debuff on them before they pop it, they are still healing at the reduced rate through the whole window. Documented
• Divine Barrier (vitality T4) — Buy on supports to cleanse a focused ally's debuffs and shield them through a burst window from across the fight. In this game that means Yamato's Flying Slash. Documented
• Slowing Hex Slowing Hex 1,600 souls Tier 2TechPress +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance (spirit T2) — Buy it when an enemy repeatedly uses a movement ability or item to dash, blink or fly out of your kill window. Relevant here because of Yamato. Documented
• Vortex Web Vortex Web 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +42s Cooldown +4s Duration +0.2s Cast Delay +0.5s Tether Duration +28% Move Speed -36% Dash Distance +8% Ability Range +8% Radius Builds from Slowing Hex (spirit T4) — Yamato is where this lineup’s gap closers and escapes comes from. Buy to set up team wipes against scattered, mobile enemies — it groups them and takes away their escapes at once. Documented

• The reflex buy against a hero who keeps deleting you is Metal Skin, and against Yamato it does nothing. Metal Skin 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 stops bullets, Unstoppable stops statuses, Ethereal Shift stops everything but disables you. Yamato is a spirit threat, so it is the last two you are choosing between. Documented
• If you learned to play this matchup before 09-16-2026 you probably dash away from Yamato and parry on the way out. That no longer works: parrying during a regular dash now cancels the dash and its momentum, so you parry standing still exactly where they wanted you. Parry first and dash second, or accept that the parry is a commitment to hold ground. Note also that a whiffed parry is a 4.5-second cooldown against a hero who only needs one window. Documented
• The wrong instinct in the first six minutes is treating your health bar as a resource you can spend down to trade. Against Yamato it is not: they do not need you low, they need you in range once. With no self-sustain you also have no way to convert a survived trade into anything — you just stand there at 40% until the combo comes back. Your first 1,600 should be the item that breaks the combo, not the one that wins the poke war. Strategic