Apollo can be a great addition to your roster in Deadlock, and he can also be an absolute a-hole to fight against. As a nimble, highly mobile fighter, the so-called “Crown Prince of North Ixia” is known for his hit-and-run abilities, chipping away at your health while evading counterattacks with almost annoying ease — which is INFURIATING for some people.
Me. I’m infuriated. Apollo infuriates me. Specifically.
Introduced to the Deadlock character roster on February 12, 2026, with the “Old Gods, New Blood” update, he arrived as a Hero who values precision and finesse, like a less moody Calcharo from Wuthering Waves (and with a lot less impact). But after spending some time playing with him and against him — and yes, I did say “infuriating,” right? — I’ve realized that his greatest strengths are also his most dangerous weaknesses.
With that in mind, here are a few ways you can exploit those weaknesses and make Apollo think twice the next time he sees you loading into a Deadlock match. But before we get into that, let’s take a moment to get to know Apollo a little better.
Who’s Apollo in Deadlock
Apollo is the 18-year-old “Crown Prince of North Ixia,” though he would argue that the title is not entirely accurate. He is the son of a powerful Ixian warlord who holds the authority of both a governor and a general.
According to the game’s lore, Apollo was sent to New York’s Blackmore Academy for his own safety after political violence broke out in his homeland. Once there, he quickly found himself unimpressed by what he calls the “aggressive mediocrity” of his peers.
Raised on Ixian honor and strict discipline, Apollo now serves as captain of his school’s fencing team. He sees the ritual in Deadlock’s lore as an opportunity to prove he is worthy of wielding his family’s ancestral blade. While others often view him as vain, he sees it differently. In his mind, it is simply maintaining “appropriate expectations” for someone of his skill level.
What are Apollo’s Major Abilities in Deadlock?
Before you can effectively counter Apollo in Deadlock, you need to understand the rhythm behind his kit. He is not a stand-and-trade fighter. He moves in, does his damage, and gets out before you can respond.
- Disengaging Sigil: Apollo draws his family sigil, leaping backwards as it explodes to damage and slow enemies.
- Riposte: A defensive flourish that deflects the next incoming attack. If successful, Apollo becomes briefly invulnerable before dashing forward to stun the enemy and shred their bullet resistance.
- Flawless Advance: Apollo performs a series of up to three lunges. Players can hold the key to time the strikes; releasing during a “perfect window” deals maximum damage and provides healing.
- Itani Lo Sahn (Ultimate): Apollo channels his power into a long-range slash. Struck enemies are trapped in slow motion and unable to heal, eventually taking massive delayed damage.
In short, he is a mid-to-close-range combatant who refuses to linger after committing to a fight. He prefers quick, nimble skirmishes over extended brawls. He is not chasing flashy knockout plays. He is chipping away at you, one clean exchange at a time.
Best Strategies to Counter Apollo in Deadlock
Countering Apollo requires a mix of kiting, baiting his defensive cooldowns, and specific itemization to neuter his mobility. But that doesn’t mean you should count on heavy-handed, over-the-top moves to tip the scales in your favor (believe me, I learned that lesson very early on).
Instead, what you should be doing is using his own combat premise against him. In other words, fight fire with fire, looking to use his speed and agility in a way that puts the clamps on him and allow you to land some good shots on his smug face.
The good news is that the tactics highlighted below work on pretty much any Apollo build Deadlock allows you to mount, so while general in context, all of these tips are promising for your anti-Apollo gameplay.
Gameplay Tactics
- Bait the Riposte: Never open with your most powerful ability. Apollo players often look to Riposte heavy, telegraphed attacks. Instead, bait it out with a light melee or basic gunfire. Once Riposte is on its lengthy 22-second base cooldown, he is much more vulnerable.
- Break the “Flawless” Rhythm: His triple-lunge is his primary damage source. If he hits you with the first lunge, immediately take cover. If you prevent him from landing all three hits in succession, his trade efficiency drops significantly, and he loses his sustain.
- Exploit the Laning Phase: In the early game, Apollo has notably weak gun damage and struggles to farm jungle camps efficiently. Force him to trade at mid-range, where his sword-based abilities cannot reach you.
Essential Item Counters
The right Apollo build in Deadlock is usually flexible, often focusing on Spirit Power to maximize lunge damage or bullet resist to stay in the fray. To counter these variations, prioritize the following:
- Slowing Hex (The Hard Counter): This is arguably the most important item against him. Slowing Hex disables the ability to recast Flawless Advance, effectively ending his mobility and damage combo instantly.
- Spirit Resistance & Spellbreaker: Because almost all of Apollo’s burst damage is spirit-based, items like Spellbreaker or general spirit armor are vital. Spellbreaker is particularly effective because it can negate a massive chunk of his lunge or ultimate damage.
- Counterspell: His ultimate is telegraphed and can be delayed, but you can use Counterspell to negate the damage even after the “slow motion” effect has landed on you.
- Knockdown & Silence Wave: Despite his guerilla, hit-and-run efficiency, Apollo is rather squishy for a front-line fighter. That means players who pick him will often find themselves struggling against direct, blow-by-blow fights — especially when those do get dragged out. So let’s do just that, using Knockdown to drop him out of the air or cancelling his ultimate cast while keeping him there, so you can pester him with damage abilities of your own. Meanwhile, the Silence Wave prevents him from using Disengaging Sigil to escape.
Fun Tidbits and Trivia
- “I Have No Equal”: The name of his ultimate, Itani Lo Sahn, is Ixian for “I have no equal”.
- A Prodigy’s Start: Apollo began training in fencing at a very young age, reportedly learning the Riposte technique when he was only five years old.
- Social Faux Pas: Despite his high-society background, he once accidentally invited the gelatinous hero Viscous to one of his father’s galas.
- Olympic Dreams: Apollo is a champion fencer and hopes to one day represent Ixia in the Olympics.
- Community Roots: Apollo’s design may have been inspired by a “Fencer” hero concept posted by a player in the Deadlock forums during early development.
Deadlock is available as an invitation-only access, exclusively on PC, published by Steam-owner Valve Corporation.
