Calico

Strengths and weaknesses

Abilities

1

Gloom Bombs

14s cooldown

Throw a cluster of 4 bombs that each deal 45 spirit damage in 3m. Enemies hit by several bombs take 65% damage from the extras.

Tier 1 1 point	-3s cooldown
Tier 2 2 points	Each bomb hit applies -6% melee resist for 6s
Tier 3 5 points	+3 bombs

2

Leaping Slash

13s cooldown

Dash forward and slash enemies around you for melee damage. Heals you for 40 when you hit a hero.

Tier 1 1 point	+25 healing
Tier 2 2 points	Heroes you kill within 3s of hitting them give +200 souls
Tier 3 5 points	+60 damage; 50% cooldown refund on hero hit

3

Ava

30s cooldown

Turn into shadow for 15s, gaining 30–65% move speed (it builds up over 4s and resets if an enemy hero damages you) and disappearing from the minimap.

Tier 1 1 point	+15s duration
Tier 2 2 points	+15 health regen and +40% max move speed
Tier 3 5 points	Builds up to 18% damage amplification, which lingers for 6s after leaving

ULT

Return to Shadows

115s cooldown

Instantly become untargetable, dealing 150 spirit damage around you and gaining move speed. After 3s you return, dealing another 150 in 7.5m.

Tier 1 1 point	-20s cooldown
Tier 2 2 points	+75 damage and +20% move speed
Tier 3 5 points	Heals 450 and refreshes all your other cooldowns

Ability order

Spend points in this order. Each ability's tiers cost 1, 2 and 5 points.

1. Unlock Gloom Bombs
2. Unlock Leaping Slash
3. Unlock Ava
4. Gloom Bombs T1
5. Leaping Slash T1
6. Unlock Return to Shadows
7. Gloom Bombs T2
8. Leaping Slash T3
9. Return to Shadows T1–T2
10. Ava T1
11. Gloom Bombs T3
12. Return to Shadows T3
13. Ava T2–T3
14. Leaping Slash T2

Item build

A starting build that works in most games. Swap pieces based on the enemy team; the notes explain what each stage is for.

WeaponVitalitySpirit

Rate this build in the build rater → See its grade, and the heroes it does well and badly against.

How to play

Calico is a shadow assassin. Ava turns her into a fast shadow that’s hidden on the minimap, Gloom Bombs and Leaping Slash deal heavy burst, and Return to Shadows lets her vanish, dodge damage, and come back with a second explosion.

Laning phase (0–10 min)

• Gloom Bombs for trades and wave clear. The 14-second cooldown means you can use them often.
• Leaping Slash heals you on hero hits, which is great for winning trades.
• Your spreadshot is strong up close but has only 12 shots. Make them count.

Mid game (10–25 min)

• Roam in Ava form. You’re fast and invisible on the minimap, so pick a lane and gank.
• Leaping Slash T2 gives 200 bonus souls for kills shortly after hitting a hero.
• Ava T3 builds up damage amplification while you’re in shadow, so ambush from it.

Late game and team fights (25+ min)

• Return to Shadows to dodge. Go untargetable right as the enemy commits burst.
• T3 resets everything. Burst a target, ult to vanish, come back healed, and do the whole combo again.

Combos

1. Ambush: Ava (build up damage amp) → Leaping Slash in → Gloom Bombs → spreadshot.
2. Double combo (T3 ult): full combo → Return to Shadows (heal and refresh) → full combo again.
3. Escape: Return to Shadows → move away while untargetable → Ava to run.

Matchups

• Good against: squishy, isolated heroes, especially snipers and casters.
• Hard against: tanks she can’t burst, and teams that group up.

Pro tips

• Gloom Bombs T2 reduces melee resist on every bomb hit, which sets up Leaping Slash.
• Ava’s speed resets when an enemy hero damages you, so avoid being spotted before you strike.

Lore

Calico was once a decorated monster hunter with the Baxter Society. When honest hunting stopped paying, she turned to far more profitable work as a contract killer, using shadow magic and her possessed cat to get the job done.

Ability numbers are checked against the game and the community-run Deadlock Wiki after every patch. Builds are our own recommendations. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.