Brawler · Hard to play · Spreadshot

Shiv build & counters

Shiv is a brawler in Deadlock (“Bleeds out foes, then goes in for a kill”). Since the 10-14-2026 patch Shiv has a 45.0% win rate over 89,073 games, which is D tier across all ranks and C tier in Phantom to Eternus games. The most-bought Shiv items after the first shop are Healbane, Radiant Regeneration and Escalating Exposure. Most players max Serrated Knives first. Shiv's hardest matchup is Graves.

Tier: D
Win rate: 45.0% +1.1
Pick rate: 23.8%
KDA: 2.75
Souls / game: 40,442
Games: 89,073

Tier by rank

All ranksD45.0%
Initiate – AcolyteD45.4%
Sentinel – RitualistC46.0%
Emissary – OracleC45.6%
Phantom – EternusC47.6%

Best Shiv items

The items Shiv players buy most at each shop tier this patch, with the win rate of the players who bought them. Late items show higher win rates because winning players can afford them, so compare items within a tier.

Tier 1 · 800 souls

Mystic Regeneration94% buy · 45.1% win
Extra Charge55% buy · 45.4% win
Restorative Shot52% buy · 44.1% win
Extra Regen49% buy · 45.9% win

Tier 2 · 1,600 souls

Healbane69% buy · 45.7% win
Mystic Vulnerability45% buy · 46.8% win
Compress Cooldown40% buy · 47.4% win
Healing Booster39% buy · 46.3% win

Tier 3 · 3,200 souls

Radiant Regeneration94% buy · 45.4% win
Dispel Magic49% buy · 46.4% win
Torment Pulse42% buy · 48.3% win
Superior Cooldown41% buy · 48.4% win

Tier 4 · 6,400 souls

Escalating Exposure37% buy · 50.7% win
Transcendent Cooldown22% buy · 51.7% win
Lucky Shot20% buy · 51.8% win
Plated Armor19% buy · 50.6% win

Shiv abilities and skill order

1. Serrated Knives
Throw a knife that bleeds an enemy. Each additional hit adds a stack and refreshes the bleed duration, causing the bleed to increase per stack.
2. Slice and Dice
Perform a dash forward, damaging enemies along the path. Hit Enemies have their spirit resist reduced. This debuff can stack.
3. Bloodletting
Take only a portion of incoming damage immediately and defer the rest to be taken over time. Activate to clear a portion of the deferred damage.
4. Killing Blow · ultimate

Most common skill order

Numbers match the abilities above: each box is one ability point, left to right. This exact order wins 48.0% of 4,661 games. Almost every common order maxes Serrated Knives first.

Shiv counters and matchups

How to counter Shiv

Enemies that lower Shiv's win rate most

Graves−8.2
Paige−6.3
Seven−4.2
Kelvin−4.2
Haze−4.1

Good against

Enemies Shiv beats most often

Sinclair+4.6
Mirage+4.5
Grey Talon+4.0
Vyper+4.0
Pocket+4.0

Best teammates

Allies that raise Shiv's win rate

Graves+8.5
Rat King+8.3
Paige+6.6
Kelvin+5.8
Seven+4.8

Percentage points against Shiv's overall win rate of 45.0%, all ranks, pairs with at least 300 games.

Recent official changes

Minor Update - 09-16-2026 · Sep 16, 2026

Alt fire base damage increased by 4%
Alt fire damage per boon increased from +0.2 to +0.24
Serrated Knives while rage is full now deals 3.5% current HP damage on impact instead of ricocheting (0.01 spirit scaling)

Minor Update - 07-28-2026 · Jul 28, 2026

Stamina regen increased from 5.5s to 6s
Killing Blow recast window reduced from 20s to 16s

Minor Update - 07-09-2026 · Jul 9, 2026

Serrated Knives T3 spirit scaling reduced from +0.09 to +0.07
Slice and Dice spirit scaling reduced from 1.44 to 1.2
Slice and Dice T2 reduced from -6% Spirit Resist to -4%
Bloodletting cooldown increased from 20s to 25s
Bloodletting T1 increased from -10s Cooldown to -15s
Bloodletting Damage Cleared reduced from 35% to 30%
Bloodletting T2 Damage Cleared increased from 35% to 40%
Killing Blow Health Threshold reduced from 20% to 18%
Killing Blow T3 Health Threshold increased from +8% to +10%

Minor Update - 07-01-2026 · Jul 1, 2026

Alt Fire ammo cost reduced from 5 to 4
Weapon now has fixed pellet spread
Slice and Dice is now back to doing spirit damage and reducing Spirit Resistance from enemies
Slice and Dice damage increased from 60 to 75
Killing Blow T3 reduced from +10% Enemy Health Threshold to +8%

How to play Shiv

Shiv has zero interest in playing fair, which is why he relies on hit and run tactics to weaken enemies before he dives in for the kill.

From the hero description in the game files.

FAQ

What is the best Shiv build?

By purchase rate this patch: tier 1: Mystic Regeneration, Extra Charge; tier 2: Healbane, Mystic Vulnerability; tier 3: Radiant Regeneration, Dispel Magic; tier 4: Escalating Exposure, Transcendent Cooldown. Percentages above show how often Shiv players buy each item and how often they win when they do.

How do you counter Shiv?

Pick heroes Shiv struggles against. Shiv wins least often when the enemy team has Graves, Paige and Seven. Win rates compare games with that enemy against Shiv's overall 45.0%.

Updated Oct 19, 2026.