Sources and research
DenyPick's value depends entirely on being right, so here is exactly where everything came from and how much weight it carries.
How confidence is labelled
Every generated line on this site carries one of five labels. They are not decoration — they mean different things:
| Verified | From official patch notes or a directly documented mechanic. |
|---|---|
| Data-supported | Backed by measured match results, with the sample size shown. |
| Strong evidence | Multiple reputable sources agree, or there is consistent high-level consensus. |
| Strategic | Reasoned from game mechanics. No single source states it outright. |
| Uncertain | Thin, disputed or possibly out of date. Shown anyway, but flagged. |
One methodological point that matters
Matchups are ranked by how far a pairing sits from that hero's own baseline win rate, never by raw win rate. This is not pedantry: a hero with a 45.7% overall win rate can have a 42.2% pairing that is genuinely one of her better matchups. Sorting the raw numbers produces confidently wrong counter advice, and several published counter tables do exactly that.
Coverage and its limits
- 38 heroes, compiled from 164 distinct source pages, cross-checked against at least two independent sources each.
- 629 measured matchup results, most carrying per-pairing sample sizes.
- Roughly 45% of the full matchup matrix has measured data. The remainder is modelled and labelled as such.
- Some ability cooldowns and damage values were not published anywhere we could verify. Those read “not sourced” rather than carrying a guess.
Source register
official
| Source | Supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlock official Steam news / patch notes | Authoritative patch notes, patch dates, balance changes | 2026-09-21 patch 09-16-2026 |
| Official Deadlock Forums — Changelog | Official changelog postings and developer notes | 2026-09-21 patch 09-16-2026 |
statistics
| Source | Supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlock Labs | Measured hero win rates, pick rates, per-hero best/worst matchup tables with sample sizes, item reference. States patch 09-16-2026. | 2026-09-21 patch 09-16-2026 |
| MetaBot | Hero counter win rates and ability upgrade tiers; publishes sample sizes and last-updated dates | 2026-09-21 patch build 6694 |
| SteamDB — Deadlock | Concurrent player counts used for market sizing (not for game mechanics) | 2026-09-21 |
community database
| Source | Supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlock.one | Hero ability kits, base ability values, weapon stat blocks, item data | 2026-09-21 patch 09-16-2026 |
| Deadlock.io | Ability cooldowns, T1/T2/T3 upgrade tiers, in-client complexity ratings | 2026-09-21 patch varies per page; dates shown per hero |
news
| Source | Supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Tracklock | Patch note mirrors and per-patch hero change breakdowns, including the 09-16-2026 update | 2026-09-21 patch 09-16-2026 |
| Patchlock | Historical ability rework tracking (e.g. the 2026-03-06 Ivy rework) | 2026-09-21 patch historical |
| Deadlock Patch Notes | Per-ability changelogs, used to verify the Victor Jumpstart debuff-purge removal (03-26-2026) | 2026-09-21 patch historical |
| Esports Insider — Deadlock coverage | Context on hero perception vs measured performance (Mina) | 2026-09-21 patch 2026 |
| The Game Haus — Deadlock | Patch note coverage and new hero coverage | 2026-09-21 patch 2026 |
community wiki
| Source | Supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlock Wiki CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | Cross-checking ability and item mechanics. Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used as a factual reference only; all prose on this site is original. | 2026-09-21 patch varies |
| Liquipedia Deadlock CC BY-SA 3.0 | Hero and mechanic cross-reference | 2026-09-21 patch varies |
guides
| Source | Supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Mobalytics Deadlock | Ability upgrade tiers and cooldowns | 2026-09-21 patch varies |
| DramaLock | Hero roster overviews, role framing, playstyle context | 2026-09-21 patch 2026 |
| Lockbuilds | Counter items with win rates, rank-tier splits, hero difficulty ratings | 2026-09-21 patch 2026 |
On reuse and licensing
Community wikis were consulted as factual references only. All prose on this site is original — facts about how an ability works are not themselves copyrightable, but somebody else's wording is, so none was reproduced. Where a source publishes under a specific licence it is noted in the table above. No game assets are redistributed; see About for the artwork approach.
Data revision 1, patch 09-16-2026, researched 2026-09-21.