Baba vs Holliday
Written for the Baba player. Playing Holliday? See Holliday vs Baba →
An even matchup. Baba wins 53.2% of 38,206 games against Holliday (+1.3 points vs Baba’s usual 51.9%).
How to win as Baba
- RuleDo not commit before
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp is gone.
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp first — it is her escape, her rotation and (at tier 3) her engage. Force her to place it defensively, then commit while it is on cooldown - Watch out
Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… Knockup into a
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots headshot is her kill combo — while airborne you cannot strafe and the headshot is effectively guaranteed - Your edgeYou recover between fights and they do not (Baba Baba Released 6 October Released 6 October. A spirit controller: Threadsap steals enemy Spirit and powers up her bullets, her bench grows legs for speed and a knockback kick, Baba’s Brew cycles between a barrier, a silence and a burn, and Feed The Birds hexes everyone in her cone into pigeons. 1/3 against Holliday 0/3).
- Buy
Slowing Hex
Slowing Hex +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance — The community-standard answer to escape artists: buy it when an enemy repeatedly dashes, blinks or flies out of your kill window. Relevant here because of Holliday.
The numbers: lane, whole match and Oracle and above
| Games | Baba wins | vs Baba's usual | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole match | 53.2% | +1.3 pts (51.9% overall) | 38,206 games |
| Sharing a lane | 53.6% | +1.7 pts (51.9% overall) | 12,617 games |
| Oracle and above | 47.5% | -3.2 pts (50.7% at Oracle+) | 2,888 games |
"Sharing a lane" counts only games where both were assigned the same lane — the laning matchup itself. "Oracle and above" counts only matches whose average rank was Oracle and above. Source: deadlock-api.com, refreshed daily.
Data-supported Measured: you win 53.2% of these, which is 1.3 points above your overall win rate (38,206 matches). The kit-based model reads this as low instead — treat the measured number as primary and the gap as a sign this matchup is more about execution than kit. Ranked against this hero's own baseline win rate, not raw win rate. Source: deadlock-api.com.
What should I do right now?
Do
- Plan for
Slowing Hex
Slowing Hex +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance — know which tier it sits in so you are not improvising at the shop. - Know what
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp looks like. It is the cooldown this lane revolves around.
Avoid
- Walking to lane on the same path every wave against a hero with Holliday's engage range.
Do
- 10-round magazine at roughly 2.1 shots per second means whiffed shots are very expensive
- No self-heal or sustain of any kind — chip damage accumulates on her with nothing to offset it
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Threadsap
Threadsap Baba throws a spool of thread that follows her crosshair as it flies, then bursts along the whole line it drew. Crowd Control none at base. Tier 3 makes each hit pull the enemy 7m along the thread. Damage 50 spirit damage on the burst. Defensive Taking Spirit away from a caster lowers the damage of their next abilities… 1 +8 spirit damage per bullet while she holds stolen Spirit 2 -12s cooldown and +8s on the steal 5 +1 charge, and every hit pulls the enemy 7m reaches 35m and steals Spirit from both laners at once if they stand in line, so she wins spirit trades early
Avoid
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Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… clears the wave quickly and pokes the enemy laner in the same cast -
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots ignores falloff, so she can harass from ranges where her opponent cannot answer
Do
- Their first real spike is ult unlock — respect it from that point, not before.
- Your spike is ult unlock:
Feed The Birds
Feed The Birds Baba channels for up to 6.5 seconds, covering enemies in front of her with bread. Crowd Control A stacking slow up to 32% during the channel (64% at Tier 1), then a pigeon… Damage Up to 450 spirit damage per target at full stacks (+1.6 per Spirit), reached… Mobility She can keep moving while she channels. 1 +4m cast range and +32% max slow 2 -55s cooldown 5 +125 max damage, +1.5 Spirit scaling and +0.5s on the hex lets her slow and hex a whole team that walks into her cone
Avoid
- Taking an even fight against Holliday on their spike timing when you could take the same fight ten minutes later on yours.
Do
- Watch for
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; .
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer pre-cast makes you immune to the Stun and the pull outright — hold it for her ult if she is on the enemy team - Hold
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer for
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; — it is a targeted Stun-and-pull and
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer simply negates it
Avoid
- Spending your own escape before
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp is on cooldown.
Holliday’s abilities
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Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; Ultimate The one cooldown worth tracking on its own timer: pull (displacement) plus Stun (Hard CC).
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Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer pre-cast makes you immune to the Stun and the pull outright — hold it for her ult if she is on the enemy team - It is a single-target targeted throw — keep a wall or corner between you and her sightline when her ult is up
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Ethereal Shift
Ethereal Shift +37s Cooldown +4s Duration +5s Buff Duration +30% Spirit Resist +20 Spirit Power makes you untargetable through the pull window
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Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… Ability 1 Holliday gets on top of you and then keeps you there — Knockup on detonation, Hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe.
- Shoot the barrel to detonate it early on your own terms, before you are in the blast radius
- The delay is generous — simply walk out of the marked area rather than trading through it
- If you get knocked up, do not panic-dash on landing; she is waiting for the predictable landing spot for her
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots headshot
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Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp Ability 2 Nothing to respect until the upgrade lands, and then tier 3 adds about +0.7s Stun to the landing stomp.
- The pad is a visible placed object with a long lifetime — route around it rather than through it
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Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius hits her out of the launch arc; she is fully committed and cannot change direction mid-flight - The stomp only triggers once per person per pad, so absorbing it with a durable body neutralizes the AoE for the rest of the fight
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Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots Ability 3 This will not kill you on its own — it makes sure you cannot leave while the rest of Holliday's kit does. A fading movement speed penalty.
- Strafe unpredictably and keep your head behind cover — a Crackshot that misses the head is just a 19.7 damage pistol shot
- It is on a cooldown, so after eating one headshot the next several seconds are her weakest window — push in then
- Fight her in close quarters where she cannot line up a head; her fire rate of about 2.1 per second punishes her badly in a brawl
- 1
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp Bounce Pad first — it is her escape, her rotation and (at tier 3) her engage. Force her to place it defensively, then commit while it is on cooldown
- 2
Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… Powder Keg second: make her spend it on the wave or on a durable frontliner, because without the Knockup her
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots combo is just a slow pistol shot - 3
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; Spirit Lasso is best baited by a target holding
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer or
Ethereal Shift
Ethereal Shift +37s Cooldown +4s Duration +5s Buff Duration +30% Spirit Resist +20 Spirit Power — the ult goes on full cooldown for zero value
The matchup in detail
- Zero sustain and low durability — she cannot absorb a committed dive Strong evidence
- Damage is entirely aim-gated; a Holliday who is not hitting heads contributes very little Strong evidence
- Every one of her tools is telegraphed — a visible barrel, a visible pad, a targeted lasso Strong evidence
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Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… Knockup into a
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots headshot is her kill combo — while airborne you cannot strafe and the headshot is effectively guaranteed Strong evidence -
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; pulls you out of your team and stuns you, and with a
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp she drags you even further before the Stun ends Strong evidence -
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots ignores damage falloff, so distance does not actually protect you from her burst the way it does against other gun heroes Strong evidence -
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp tier 3 delivers her whole team onto your backline from above with a landing Stun on arrival Strong evidence - Stacked overlapping barrels in a tight interior create a burn zone that punishes holding a chokepoint at all Strong evidence
- Hold
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer for
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; — it is a targeted Stun-and-pull and
Unstoppable
Unstoppable +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer simply negates it Strong evidence - Shoot
Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… barrels to detonate them early, before you are inside the blast, and deny the Knockup that sets up
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots Strong evidence - Buy
Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius for her
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp launch arcs and for her keg self-launches — she is fully committed in the air with no direction control Strong evidence - Brawl her inside 10m: her roughly 2.1 shots per second and 10-round magazine lose badly to any SMG hero in close quarters Strong evidence
- Break her sightline immediately after she lands a
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots headshot — the bonus is on cooldown and she is a weak pistol hero for those seconds Strong evidence - Stay grouped so that a lasso pull delivers you into your allies rather than into hers Strong evidence
- Against Holliday the item that changes the matchup is
Slowing Hex
Slowing Hex +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance , and not for the slow. It silences movement abilities and movement items — that is their dash, their blink, their
Warp Stone
Warp Stone +16s Cooldown +30% Bullet Resist +6s Buff Duration and their
Phantom Strike
Phantom Strike +35s Cooldown +0.35s Cast Delay +8 Spirit Power +15% Weapon Damage +40% Move Speed +3s Slow Duration all turned off at once — and raises their gravity to 120% on top. At Tier II Spirit for 1,600 it is the cheapest way to convert a mobility advantage into a stationary target, and you deal the Spirit Damage needed to apply the follow-up. Strong evidence -
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; is one cast aimed at one person and that person is likely you, which changes the shape of the answer. Effective health is the wrong axis — a hero who can pick you out of a fight will simply wait until the number is beatable.
Counterspell
Counterspell +23s Cooldown +20 Spirit Power +6s Buff Duration +0.8s Spell Parry Duration +50 Bonus Health +5 Spirit Power negates a single ability outright, which against a one-cast threat is a hundred percent mitigation for 3,200, and the read is easier than it sounds because a single-target ultimate has to be aimed at you to work. Strategic
- The few seconds after any
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots headshot lands, while the bonus is on its own cooldown Strong evidence - Her reload — 2.75 seconds with only 10 rounds is a long, frequent dead window Strong evidence
- Mid-air on
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp or a keg self-launch: she has no directional control and
Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius ends the flight Strong evidence - Immediately after
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; resolves — the pulled target is now standing next to a low-durability hero with her ult spent Strong evidence - Any close-quarters brawl she is forced into, where her fire rate and magazine size are her worst stats Strong evidence
- Holliday's pull is the whole matchup. Until it is on cooldown you are playing around it; once it misses you have a window that is worth committing into. Make it the first thing you bait — show a sliver of yourself from behind cover rather than walking a clean line they can lead. Strategic
- Your weapon has travel time and Holliday 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 projectile speed costs you. Strategic
- Confirming and denying a soul orb is a hit-check, not a damage-check — one bullet or one pellet takes it regardless of how much damage it does. That is good news for you in the abstract and bad news against Holliday specifically, because your projectile has travel time and their hitscan does not. On the contested floating orb you have to pre-fire: start the shot before the trooper dies and lead the orb's spawn point, because if you both react at the same instant they win every time. 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 Holliday'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
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Powder Keg
Powder Keg Throws a barrel that detonates after a short delay for spirit damage, applies a burn, and launches anyone caught in the blast into the air. Crowd Control knockup on detonation — hard CC that removes the target's ability to strafe Damage about 80 spirit at base plus burn damage over time; Mobility self-launch: detonating it under her own feet is her primary traversal tool 1 +40 impact damage, about +13.3 burn damage per second, roughly -5s charge time and… clears the wave quickly and pokes the enemy laner in the same cast Strong evidence -
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots ignores falloff, so she can harass from ranges where her opponent cannot answer Strong evidence - 10-round magazine at roughly 2.1 shots per second means whiffed shots are very expensive Strong evidence
- No self-heal or sustain of any kind — chip damage accumulates on her with nothing to offset it Strong evidence
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Threadsap
Threadsap Baba throws a spool of thread that follows her crosshair as it flies, then bursts along the whole line it drew. Crowd Control none at base. Tier 3 makes each hit pull the enemy 7m along the thread. Damage 50 spirit damage on the burst. Defensive Taking Spirit away from a caster lowers the damage of their next abilities… 1 +8 spirit damage per bullet while she holds stolen Spirit 2 -12s cooldown and +8s on the steal 5 +1 charge, and every hit pulls the enemy 7m reaches 35m and steals Spirit from both laners at once if they stand in line, so she wins spirit trades early Strategic
- Holliday 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
- Your kit is built around lockdown and that is worth less on the Mid Boss than on Holliday — it carries 35% Debuff Resist as of 03-06-2026, so your disables run roughly two-thirds as long on it. Plan the take around damage and positioning rather than a CC chain, and spend the chain on Holliday if they contest. The payoff is worth the trip: 3,000 souls + 50 per minute, two permanent buffs each, and a Rejuvenator crystal giving up to three single-use revives that return a player at full health after 3 seconds, for 3 minutes. Documented
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Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; unlock — Gives her a guaranteed pick and the ability to remove one enemy from a fight entirely Strong evidence -
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp tier 3 — The roughly +0.7s landing Stun turns her mobility tool into a genuine engage Strong evidence -
Crackshot
Crackshot Her headshots deal bonus damage and apply a fading movement speed penalty. Crowd Control a fading movement speed penalty; Damage about 55 bonus damage at base; Defensive the slow is a kiting tool against a chasing bruiser 1 about -20% additional fading move speed penalty 2 about +49.5 damage and -6% Bullet Resist on the target for 5 seconds 5 about -6s cooldown on hero headshots and -3s on NPC headshots tier 2 — About +49.5 damage plus a bullet-resist shred makes each headshot a real burst window Strong evidence - Mid 20-35min — Keg-launch plus
Bounce Pad
Bounce Pad Drops a pad that launches any hero who touches it high into the air. Crowd Control tier 3 adds about +0.7s stun to the landing stomp Damage about 60 stomp damage on landing (deadlock.one) Mobility very large vertical launch for Holliday and all allies who step on it 1 about -10s cooldown 2 she and allies gain roughly +4 m/s movement speed for 4 seconds on landing 5 about +0.7s stun on the landing stomp plus lasso is the window where her kidnap plays dictate objective fights Strong evidence
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Feed The Birds
Feed The Birds Baba channels for up to 6.5 seconds, covering enemies in front of her with bread. Crowd Control A stacking slow up to 32% during the channel (64% at Tier 1), then a pigeon… Damage Up to 450 spirit damage per target at full stacks (+1.6 per Spirit), reached… Mobility She can keep moving while she channels. 1 +4m cast range and +32% max slow 2 -55s cooldown 5 +125 max damage, +1.5 Spirit scaling and +0.5s on the hex unlock — Lets her slow and hex a whole team that walks into her cone Strategic -
Threadsap
Threadsap Baba throws a spool of thread that follows her crosshair as it flies, then bursts along the whole line it drew. Crowd Control none at base. Tier 3 makes each hit pull the enemy 7m along the thread. Damage 50 spirit damage on the burst. Defensive Taking Spirit away from a caster lowers the damage of their next abilities… 1 +8 spirit damage per bullet while she holds stolen Spirit 2 -12s cooldown and +8s on the steal 5 +1 charge, and every hit pulls the enemy 7m T1 — +8 more Spirit Damage on every bullet while she holds stolen Spirit doubles the payoff of a hit Strategic
- Your Silence may be worth more in a chain than a teammate's Stun. The 03-06-2026 diminishing-returns system reduces subsequent CC by 10% then 30% inside an 8-second window, and community reporting holds it applies to stuns only — not to silences, slows, hexes or disarms. If that is right, sequencing your Silence after an ally's Stun costs you nothing, while a second Stun in the chain is already 10% shorter. Treat it as community-reported rather than confirmed, but order your chain accordingly against Holliday. Uncertain
- Holliday 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 Holliday 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
- Holliday decides where you stand, not you. The practical rule is to never hold a position whose failure case is being moved — stand so that being yanked or knocked puts you somewhere survivable rather than inside their whole team. Cover at your back is worth more than cover in front. Strong evidence
- Fight Holliday under cover — indoors, under walkways, inside stairwells. Taking away the vertical axis removes most of their kit's value before you spend a single item slot on it. Strategic
- Being knocked up against Holliday is worse than being slowed because it removes your inputs and, since 09-16-2026, slows now bite in the air at 35% value so even the landing is compromised. Your mobility is your defence, so position with the airborne failure case in mind: stand where being launched leaves you above your own team rather than above theirs, and keep a dash in reserve for the landing rather than spending both on the approach. Strategic
- Holliday fights from the air, which is exactly what
Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius exists for: it applies +100% gravity to an airborne target (raised from +50% in March 2026) and its Stun scales with altitude, up to about +1.5s at 30m. The higher they commit, the harder the punish — and Debuff Resist will not shorten that Stun for them. Documented - Against Holliday'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 +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 -
Slowing Hex
Slowing Hex +29s Cooldown +3.5s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +16% Move Speed -26% Dash Distance (spirit T2) — The community-standard answer to escape artists: buy it when an enemy repeatedly dashes, blinks or flies out of your kill window. Relevant here because of Holliday. Documented -
Knockdown
Knockdown +35s Cooldown +0.1s Cast Delay +2s Stun Delay +0.5s Stun Duration +75 Bonus Health +5% Ability Range +5% Radius (spirit T3) — Holliday is where this lineup’s air mobility comes from. The consensus answer to flying and airborne heroes and to channelled aerial ultimates — buy it whenever an enemy fights from the sky. Documented -
Phantom Strike
Phantom Strike +35s Cooldown +0.35s Cast Delay +8 Spirit Power +15% Weapon Damage +40% Move Speed +3s Slow Duration (vitality T4) — Holliday is where this lineup’s air mobility comes from. Buy to catch flying or long-range heroes who otherwise never enter your range, and to Disarm a gun carry mid-burst. Documented
- Players buy
Dispel Magic
Dispel Magic +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 HP Healed On Activate for Holliday and then discover it does nothing about
Spirit Lasso
Spirit Lasso Throws a lasso that deals spirit damage, pulls the target toward her, and stuns them. Crowd Control pull (displacement) plus stun (hard CC) Damage about 80 spirit at base (deadlock.one) Mobility she can relocate while lassoing, dragging the victim with her 1 Bounce Pad interaction extends lasso duration; .
Dispel Magic
Dispel Magic +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 Holliday'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 +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
Next
Baba’s other hard matchups
- vs Paige -6.9 pts
- vs Rat King -6.6 pts
- vs Haze -6.1 pts
- vs Graves -5.4 pts
All of Holliday
Who beats Holliday, the items that shut Holliday down, and every ability.
Facing more than Holliday?
Add the other five enemies: who to focus first and what to buy against the whole team.
Sources and method for this page
Everything on this page is generated for Deadlock patch 09-29-2026 from Holliday's current kit, measured match results and a mechanics rule base. Each line carries its own confidence label.
Holliday's kit and counterplay were compiled from 5 sources, cross-checked for patch 09-29-2026. Threat ratings compare this pairing against Baba's own baseline win rate rather than a flat 50%, because ranking by raw win rate produces the wrong answer for heroes whose overall win rate is not 50%.