How we work out the numbers

Every number on DenyPick comes from real matches or from the game's own files. This page explains where each one comes from, how we turn it into advice, and where that advice stops.

Where the match numbers come from

Win rates come from deadlock-api.com, a free public service that collects Deadlock match results. We only count normal-mode matches.

We only count matches from the current update. Right now that is Halloween 2026, from 2026-10-30. That is 11,543,643 hero appearances so far. When Valve ships a big update, we start counting again. Old matches would describe a game that no longer exists.

The numbers refresh every night.

Why we compare a hero with itself

A raw win rate mostly tells you how strong a hero is in general. It says little about one matchup.

Say a hero wins 46% of all its games, and 46% against Haze. Haze is not a problem for that hero. That is just how it does everywhere. Now say it wins 42% against Haze. That 4-point drop is the real signal.

So every matchup on the site is measured against the hero's own usual win rate. We call the gap "points". "Has the edge" means at least 1.5 points better than usual. "Has a big edge" means at least 4 points better. Anything closer than 1.5 points is "about even".

How we pick counters

A hero counts as a counter when your hero wins at least 1.5 points less against it than usual.

A few heroes are simply strong this update, and they beat almost everyone. A hero lands in that group when it is in the top 3 counters of at least 50% of the roster. Right now that is Graves and Paige. We name them once, then list the counters that are about your hero in particular.

For that second list, a counter has to hurt your hero more than its own strength explains, by at least 0.5 points. A hero that beats everyone by a little doesn't count as a counter to you just for that.

Lanes and high rank

Each matchup page shows the pairing three ways. First, the whole match. Second, only the games where the two heroes shared a lane. Third, only matches at Oracle and above.

The whole-match number drives the advice. You meet most of the enemy team after the lane phase, so the lane-only number would be the wrong measure for most of a game.

Tier list

The tier list sorts heroes by win rate this update. The bands are fixed, so a letter always means the same thing. S is 54% and up. A is 51.5 to 54%. B is 48.5 to 51.5%. C is 46 to 48.5%. D is under 46%.

New heroes often start far from 50%. They settle as players learn them, so read a new hero's spot with care.

Builds

Builds come from what players bought in this update's matches (Halloween 2026). An item only counts when it was bought in at least 1,500 games and in at least 5% of that hero's games. That stops a lucky streak, or a handful of players, from setting the build.

Items are compared with other items of the same tier. A raw win rate favours expensive items, because only players who are already winning can afford them. So the question is: of the items you could buy at that point, which ones go with winning?

When two items win equally often, the one with more games behind it ranks higher. More games means more certainty.

This shows what winning players buy. It does not prove the item made them win.

Duos

A duo's score is how much more often the pair wins together than you would expect from the two heroes alone. We take the average of their own win rates as the expected number. A strong pair of heroes is not a good duo unless they win more together than apart.

A pair needs at least 1,500 games together to be listed. Right now 282 pairs pass.

Abilities, items and written advice

Ability and item numbers are the game's own values. We take them from the data deadlock.wiki pulls out of the game files, and from the stat names Valve shows in the game. We don't copy anyone's wording. Where a number was never published anywhere we could check, the page says so instead of guessing.

Written advice, like why a counter works, is written from each hero's abilities. A script checks every note before it can go live. It only allows abilities from the two heroes involved, and only numbers that appear in their files.

When players and creators give advice we pass on, we need two independent sources that agree. We name them next to the advice.

Some things can only be learned by playing. For those we test in the game and keep a record of the test. If we have not proven something, we do not say it.

What the numbers can't tell you

• They describe the average game. Your lobby, your team and your own skill all matter more in any one match.
• A win rate is a link, not a cause. Heroes and items that go with winning may not be the reason for it.
• Early in an update, the numbers move a lot. Sample sizes are shown next to the numbers so you can judge.

See the sources page for every source and when we last checked it, and about DenyPick for who runs the site.

Patch 10-30-2026, data researched 2026-10-30, match numbers refreshed 2026-11-05.