Lash

Strengths and weaknesses

Abilities

1

Ground Strike

18s cooldown

Slam the ground, damaging enemies in front of you. If you're in the air, you dive to the ground first, and the attack hits harder the further you fall.

Tier 1 1 point	-10s cooldown
Tier 2 2 points	Knocks enemies up and slows them by 40% for 3s
Tier 3 5 points	+120% damage per meter fallen and better scaling

2

Grapple

35s cooldown

Pull yourself towards a target, resetting your air jumps and dashes.

Tier 1 1 point	-17s cooldown
Tier 2 2 points	+20m cast range and +7 weapon damage for 6s
Tier 3 5 points	+1 charge, +1 stamina and +60% air control on cast

3

Flog

26s cooldown

Lash enemies with your whip, healing for part of the damage dealt.

Tier 1 1 point	Applies a 28% move slow for 3s
Tier 2 2 points	Applies -30% fire rate; -16s cooldown
Tier 3 5 points	+80 damage, a wider attack and +15% heal

ULT

Death Slam

170s cooldown

Channel for 2.3s to connect your whips to enemies in front of you, then lift and stun them before slamming them into the ground at a chosen spot.

Tier 1 1 point	+12m maximum throw distance
Tier 2 2 points	-35s cooldown
Tier 3 5 points	Stuns enemies in the landing radius for 1.2s; +6m cast range

Ability order

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

1. Unlock Ground Strike
2. Unlock Grapple
3. Unlock Flog
4. Ground Strike T1
5. Grapple T1
6. Unlock Death Slam
7. Ground Strike T2
8. Flog T1
9. Death Slam T1–T2
10. Ground Strike T3
11. Grapple T2
12. Flog T2
13. Death Slam T3
14. Grapple T3
15. Flog T3

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.

Checked against 27,585 Lash matches from October 6–7, 2026 (all ranks). It keeps the items most Lash players buy and fills the other slots with the items that won most often. See the item tier list for how we measure that.

WeaponVitalitySpirit

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

How to play

Lash is a mobile initiator who fights from above. Grapple pulls him around the map, Ground Strike dives down for more damage the further he falls, Flog whips enemies and heals him, and Death Slam lifts a group of enemies and slams them into the ground.

Laning phase (0–10 min)

• Use height. Jump or grapple up, then Ground Strike down onto the enemy hero for big damage.
• Flog for sustain. It heals you for part of the damage it deals, so use it in trades to come out ahead.
• Keep Grapple ready as an escape until it has T1.

Mid game (10–25 min)

• Roam. Lash is one of the best gankers in the game. Grapple into other lanes and catch out enemies.
• Ground Strike T2 knocks up and slows, setting up kills for your teammates.
• Fight around high ground, where your dives are strongest.

Late game and team fights (25+ min)

• Start fights with Death Slam. Lift the enemy backline and slam them into your team.
• Throw them somewhere useful: into your team, away from their healers, or into a wall.
• T3 stuns everyone in the landing area for 1.2 seconds. Aim the slam at a group.
• Buy Unstoppable or Debuff Reducer if stuns keep cancelling your channel.

Combos

1. Dive: jump or Grapple up → Ground Strike down onto the target → Flog → shoot.
2. Team-fight opener: Grapple to high ground → Death Slam the enemy group → slam them into your team → Ground Strike as they land.
3. Escape: Grapple away (resets air jumps and dashes) → dash jump away.

Matchups

• Good against: squishy backline heroes who can’t escape his dives, like snipers and casters.
• Hard against: heroes with reliable stuns and silences that cancel Death Slam, and tanks who survive his burst.
• Slows hurt him. Enduring Speed and extra stamina help you keep moving.

Pro tips

• Grapple resets your air jumps and dashes. Grapple → jump → dash covers a huge distance.
• Ground Strike damage scales with fall distance. Always try to strike from as high as possible.
• Flog T2 cuts enemy fire rate by 30%, which is great against gun duelists.

Lore

Jacob Lash is a dockworker and the reigning champion of an underground fight club. He lives for a fight and for hunting down rivals, and his ego is every bit as big as his reputation.

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