Deadman Danny vs Ivy

Do

• Plan for Arctic Blast Arctic Blast 6,400 souls Tier 4TechInstantCast +24s Cooldown +0.6s Spread Duration: +48% Move Speed +4s Slow Duration +10% Spirit Resist +1s Freeze Duration Builds from Cold Front — know which tier it sits in so you are not improvising at the shop.
• Know what Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling looks like. It is the cooldown this lane revolves around.

Avoid

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

Do

• Solo she only gets half the Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active bonuses before tier 3, so her power is partner-dependent
• Low burst — she cannot punish a mistake quickly, only grind
• Strix Salvo Strix Salvo 35m Range30s Cooldown Danny fires a salvo of spirit missiles that stick in the ground along a line he aims by holding and dragging. Crowd Control A 40% slow that fades over 1.5s each time a charged shot consumes a mark. Damage 27 spirit damage per missile (+0.74 per Spirit) in a 3.5m blast. Defensive A line of missiles across a street or a doorway punishes anyone who chases… 1 -12s cooldown 2 +20 damage and +35 marked damage 5 +2 missiles, longer range, and better Spirit scaling zones the lane and marks a laner for extra damage from his charged shots

Avoid

• Entangling Thorns Entangling Thorns 4s Duration32s Cooldown Summons a patch of choking thorns that damages and slows every enemy inside its radius. Crowd Control movement slow; tier 3 upgrades the effect to an immobilize Damage about 40 damage per second at base spirit power (deadlock.one) Defensive dropped at her own feet it discourages a melee chase 1 +2m radius and improved spirit scaling on the DPS 2 immobilizes enemies in the patch clears the wave and denies the orb area at the same time
• Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active 's fire rate and bullet Lifesteal make her duo lane trades favourable and self-sustaining

Do

• Their first real spike is ult unlock — respect it from that point, not before.
• Your spike is ult unlock: Close The Deal Close The Deal 10m Range135s Cooldown Danny grabs a nearby enemy and flies them high into the air, then crashes back to the ground. Crowd Control The grab itself takes the target out of the fight, then a 0.5s stun on… Damage 70 spirit damage on impact (+1 per Spirit) plus 3 per metre fallen (+0.09… Mobility Flies Danny and the target high into the air and lands them nearby. 1 +50 damage 2 -35s cooldown 5 +0.5s stun and +8 damage per metre adds a grab that carries one enemy out of a fight and stuns them

Avoid

• Taking an even fight against Ivy on their spike timing when you could take the same fight ten minutes later on yours.

Do

• Watch for Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling . Damage her before she casts — taking damage briefly disables the ability, so constant chip pressure denies it outright
• Buy 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 for Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling — it drops her and the carried ally out of the sky and cancels the delivery entirely

Avoid

• Spending your own escape before Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling is on cooldown.

• Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling Ultimate

  The strongest delivery tool in the group — it puts a teammate on top of a backline, over a wall, or safely out of a collapsing fight, and then buffs them for the fight that follows.

  • Damage her before she casts — taking damage briefly disables the ability, so constant chip pressure denies it outright
  • 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 hits her and the carried ally out of the sky, cancelling the whole delivery
  • Watch the sky when she is off-screen: the drop is telegraphed by the flight path, so spread out and deny the landing angle
• Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling Ability 3

  Closing the distance and taking your options in the same press: area Stun on landing.

  • Do not keep shooting a hero in Stone Form — she is impervious and you are wasting a magazine; disengage and reset instead
  • The landing radius is only about 5.75m, so simply stepping back out of it denies the Stun entirely
  • Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer pre-cast makes the landing Stun irrelevant
• Entangling Thorns Entangling Thorns 4s Duration32s Cooldown Summons a patch of choking thorns that damages and slows every enemy inside its radius. Crowd Control movement slow; tier 3 upgrades the effect to an immobilize Damage about 40 damage per second at base spirit power (deadlock.one) Defensive dropped at her own feet it discourages a melee chase 1 +2m radius and improved spirit scaling on the DPS 2 immobilizes enemies in the patch Ability 1

  Sticking power rather than damage: movement slow.

  • It is a static circle with a visible model — leave the radius rather than trading inside it
  • Before tier 3 it is only a slow; push through it rather than retreating, since walking backwards through the patch takes the most ticks
  • Dispel Magic Dispel Magic 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 HP Healed On Activate clears the slow, and the tier-3 immobilize, in one press
• Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active Ability 2

  The mechanical core of her support identity — it makes one chosen ally meaningfully stronger for the whole fight and gives Ivy the gun uptime she otherwise lacks.

  • Break the pair's line of sight — forcing them around separate corners cuts the buff before tier 3
  • Focus the linked ally, not Ivy: killing the buffed target removes most of the value and Ivy's own bonus halves
  • Anti-heal ( Napalm Napalm 20m Range25s Cooldown Sprays a burning mixture in front of him that deals spirit damage, slows whoever it touches, and leaves them coated in napalm that keeps burning. Crowd Control movement slow on everyone hit Damage about 40 spirit at base plus the napalm coating over time (deadlock.one) Mobility none directly, though the slow effectively closes distance 1 +15% lifesteal 2 applies about +17% Damage Taken and -33% Healing to affected targets tier 3, Decay Decay 3,200 souls Tier 3TechPress +30s Cooldown +12s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +8 Spirit Power -50% Incoming Healing -50% Incoming Healing +65 Bonus Health , Cursed Relic Cursed Relic 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +55s Cooldown +3.25s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay -25% Damage Penalty ) is disproportionately effective because the Lifesteal and replicated healing are the link's main payoff

1. 1 Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling

   Stone Form first — it is her only reliable defensive cooldown. Show a burst threat, make her use it, then engage on the landing when she has no invulnerability and no heal

2. 2 Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling

   Air Drop next: force it defensively as an extraction rather than letting her use it as an engage. An Air Drop spent pulling an ally out of a losing fight is an Air Drop that is not landing on your backline

3. 3 Entangling Thorns Entangling Thorns 4s Duration32s Cooldown Summons a patch of choking thorns that damages and slows every enemy inside its radius. Crowd Control movement slow; tier 3 upgrades the effect to an immobilize Damage about 40 damage per second at base spirit power (deadlock.one) Defensive dropped at her own feet it discourages a melee chase 1 +2m radius and improved spirit scaling on the DPS 2 immobilizes enemies in the patch

   Entangling Thorns third — make her place it on the wave or on a durable frontliner so the tier-3 immobilize is not available for your carry

• Very low burst; she cannot convert a short window into a kill on her own Strong evidence
• Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling is disabled briefly after she takes damage, so it is a proactive tool and not a panic button Strong evidence
• Her value is heavily tied to having a competent linked ally and a correct target for the drop Strong evidence

• Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling delivers a burst hero directly on top of your backline from a vertical angle your cover does not protect against, with a barrier and a damage buff attached Strong evidence
• Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling tier 3 silences on the drop, which ends a channelled ultimate the instant she lands on you Strong evidence
• Entangling Thorns Entangling Thorns 4s Duration32s Cooldown Summons a patch of choking thorns that damages and slows every enemy inside its radius. Crowd Control movement slow; tier 3 upgrades the effect to an immobilize Damage about 40 damage per second at base spirit power (deadlock.one) Defensive dropped at her own feet it discourages a melee chase 1 +2m radius and improved spirit scaling on the DPS 2 immobilizes enemies in the patch tier 3 immobilizes you in place while her gun and her linked ally's gun pour into you Strong evidence
• Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active means the ally you are fighting is permanently stronger than their base kit — you are effectively fighting a buffed carry, not a normal one Strong evidence
• Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling eats your entire burst window while healing her, then stuns you when it ends Strong evidence
• Ivy can Silence, which means your escape is only real if it is already active. Pre-empt rather than react: if you are walking into a position where the Silence lands, your defensive cooldown should be spent getting out of that position, not saved for after. Strong evidence
• Your mobility is a real advantage here, and Ivy'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

• Buy 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 for Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling — it drops her and the carried ally out of the sky and cancels the delivery entirely Strong evidence
• Apply constant chip damage: taking damage briefly disables Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling , so pressured Ivy simply cannot cast her ult Strong evidence
• Stop shooting during Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling (she is impervious) and instead back out of the roughly 5.75m landing radius so the Stun whiffs Strong evidence
• Break the Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active pair's line of sight before tier 3 by forcing them around separate corners, and focus the buffed ally rather than Ivy Strong evidence
• Stack anti-heal — Napalm Napalm 20m Range25s Cooldown Sprays a burning mixture in front of him that deals spirit damage, slows whoever it touches, and leaves them coated in napalm that keeps burning. Crowd Control movement slow on everyone hit Damage about 40 spirit at base plus the napalm coating over time (deadlock.one) Mobility none directly, though the slow effectively closes distance 1 +15% lifesteal 2 applies about +17% Damage Taken and -33% Healing to affected targets tier 3, Decay Decay 3,200 souls Tier 3TechPress +30s Cooldown +12s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay +8 Spirit Power -50% Incoming Healing -50% Incoming Healing +65 Bonus Health or Cursed Relic Cursed Relic 6,400 souls Tier 4TechPress +55s Cooldown +3.25s Duration +0.1s Cast Delay -25% Damage Penalty — because the bullet Lifesteal, replicated healing and Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling heal are her whole sustain package Strong evidence
• Spread out on objectives so Entangling Thorns Entangling Thorns 4s Duration32s Cooldown Summons a patch of choking thorns that damages and slows every enemy inside its radius. Crowd Control movement slow; tier 3 upgrades the effect to an immobilize Damage about 40 damage per second at base spirit power (deadlock.one) Defensive dropped at her own feet it discourages a melee chase 1 +2m radius and improved spirit scaling on the DPS 2 immobilizes enemies in the patch cannot hit multiple people and Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling has no clustered landing target Strong evidence
• Against Ivy the item that changes the matchup is Slowing Hex Slowing Hex 1,600 souls Tier 2TechPress +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 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +16s Cooldown +30% Bullet Resist +6s Buff Duration and their Phantom Strike Phantom Strike 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorPress +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
• Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling 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 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorPassive +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

• Whenever she has recently taken damage — Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling is locked out, so she has no flight and no escape Strong evidence
• The entire Stone Form Stone Form 3s Duration40s Cooldown Turns Ivy into impervious stone and slams her into the ground, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and healing her for a portion of her maximum health. Crowd Control area stun on landing; tier 3 extends the stun duration Damage about 75 at base spirit power (deadlock.one); Mobility a downward slam — it repositions her vertically, especially when combined… 1 increased stun duration and improved damage scaling duration if you disengage instead of shooting: she is immobile and you get a free reposition Strong evidence
• Mid-flight during Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling — she and her passenger are a slow, visible, committed target for 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 or hitscan tracking Strong evidence
• Her 2.44s reload on a 33-round magazine is one of the longer reloads in the group Strong evidence
• Any fight where her linked ally has died — she drops to half Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active value and has almost no independent kill pressure Strong evidence
• Being stunned by Ivy 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
• Your weapon has travel time and Ivy 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
• When Ivy 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

• 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 Ivy 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 Ivy'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
• Around 6:00 the Guardians become realistically contestable and players start leaving lane for Haunt camps Haunts Neutral camps Lanes and Districts across the map Haunts replace the old neutral camps. They are not a reskin: each type behaves differently, and the health bar now shows a camp's soul value and how hard it is, so you can decide whether a camp is worth your time before you start shooting. Three eye colours mark the tier — teal for tier I, yellow for tier II, red for tier III. Souls 41/68/181 souls tier I / II / III a creep +0.44 / +0.73 / +1.95 a minute — which for you means the map stops being a 1v1 and Ivy gains the thing they are best at, the opening engagement onto a target with no way out. The last two minutes before that transition are your safest window to build a soul lead. After it, treat any position without a teammate in line of sight as a position they can start a fight in. Strategic

• The first Unstable Rift lands around 11:00 and then every 7 minutes, and Ivy 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
• Ivy 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 habit of taking the fight vertical to reset spacing against Ivy 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
• Fight Ivy 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
• Ivy 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

• Ivy 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 Toxic Bullets 3,200 souls Tier 3WeaponPassive -35% Incoming Healing -35% Incoming Healing , T3) builds up through gunfire, and spirit-applied ( Healbane Healbane 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +8s Duration +7 Spirit Power -35% Incoming Healing -35% Incoming Healing +275 Heal On Hero Kill , T2) lands off Spirit Damage. Buy the one that matches how you actually deal damage, or it will never apply. Documented
• Ivy fights from the air, which is exactly what 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 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
• Do not assume Ivy shrugs off your anti-heal by going immune. Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer 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
• Your escape is a big part of why you survive fights, and Ivy can turn it off. Debuff Resist shortens the lockout, and a cleanse removes it outright — one of the two is worth a slot specifically because of this hero. Strategic
• Arctic Blast Arctic Blast 6,400 souls Tier 4TechInstantCast +24s Cooldown +0.6s Spread Duration: +48% Move Speed +4s Slow Duration +10% Spirit Resist +1s Freeze Duration Builds from Cold Front (spirit T4) — Ivy's Kudzu Connection Kudzu Connection 16m Range12s Duration37s Cooldown Forms a link with a nearby ally, granting both of them fire rate, bullet lifesteal and replicated healing, and removing the movement penalty while shooting. Damage no direct damage; about +10% fire rate, +15% bullet lifesteal and 35%… Mobility removes the move-speed penalty while shooting, which is effectively a large… Defensive the bullet lifesteal and replicated healing are her main sustain for both… 1 about +8% fire rate and +8% bullet lifesteal 2 connection is always active is what you are buying against here. Buy to lock down a mobile enemy team or to peel a dive off your backline — the stamina freeze stops them dashing out. Documented
• Debuff Reducer Debuff Reducer 1,600 souls Tier 2ArmorPassive +25% Debuff Resist +90 Bonus Health (vitality T2) — Ivy creates that through Ivy's Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling . The standard early buy when the enemy team chains crowd control; it is also the component for 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 and Unstoppable Unstoppable 6,400 souls Tier 4ArmorInstantCast +60s Cooldown +5.5s Duration +125 Bonus Health +25% Debuff Resist Builds from Debuff Reducer . Documented
• Dispel Magic Dispel Magic 3,200 souls Tier 3ArmorInstantCast +45s Cooldown +10% Spirit Resist +3s Buff Duration +250 HP Healed On Activate (vitality T3) — Buy when enemy debuffs — slows, silences, anti-heal, disarms, hexes — are what is killing you rather than raw damage. What you are answering here: Ivy's Air Drop Air Drop 22m Range21s Duration100s Cooldown Picks up an ally and takes flight with them; Crowd Control tier 2 adds a slow on the drop; Damage about 115 spirit explosion damage at base (deadlock.one) Mobility true flight for Ivy and the carried ally — the highest-freedom movement in… 1 about 300 barrier to Ivy and the ally when the flight ends, scaling with Spirit Power 2 adds a slow to the drop effect 5 adds a silence and improved scaling . Documented

• Your instinct is to jump on Ivy's backline the moment you see an opening, and the mistake is not checking what is above you. A Walker's Stomp is 350 damage + 15% of your max health inside 15m with a 2-second Stun on a 7-second cooldown — a 2-second Stun handed to a team with peel is a death. Dive under their Walker only with 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 after the Stomp has just gone off. Strong evidence
• 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 Ivy. 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