Ivy Build & Ability Order
A protective utility hero who keeps teammates alive, blocks enemy momentum, and makes coordinated engages safer to take.
Ivy is a protective utility hero who keeps teammates alive, blocks enemy momentum, and makes coordinated engages much safer to take.
Ivy AI Quick Summary
Ivy is a Protector hero in Deadlock (Difficulty 3/5). Ivy is a protective utility hero who keeps teammates alive, blocks enemy momentum, and makes coordinated engages much safer to take. In live patch 07-01-2026: There is no dedicated patch note for this hero right now, but the identity is clear enough to reward focused practice once you understand the patch.
Ivy quick answer
Start with the three answers most hero searches need: whether to practice this hero, what the guide covers, and which build section to read first.
Quick answer
Turn Ivy's utility identity into a practical build path that still explains when to fight with the team.
Guide focus
support pressure, mobility routes, team utility, core items, and matchup reads
Build first
Start with the opening buys item phase, then continue into ability order and counter routes.
Decision Summary
Read these four judgments first, then decide whether to go deeper into builds, matchups, or patch context.
Who Should Pick This Now
Better once you already understand the patch and want to refine entry timing and trade discipline.
Read This First
There is no dedicated patch note for this hero right now, but the identity is clear enough to reward focused practice once you understand the patch.
How To Read The Build
The page has a structured route already, so you can read it phase by phase and convert it directly into live builds.
Best Next Click
Begin with the combat snapshot and recommended items, then use the patch page to complete the live-environment picture.
Current Environment Status
Read this hero inside the current patch and recent community conversation before deciding why it deserves practice now or why it belongs on watch.
Environment read
Ivy's environment value rises sharply in duo and coordinated teams because she boosts entry timing and map movement for nearby partners.
Recent discussion heat
Recent discussion focuses on whether Ivy should anchor duo utility setups and how high her ceiling gets with explosive partners.
Suggested action
If you regularly queue with fixed partners, Ivy deserves more priority than she would in purely self-sufficient solo climbing.
Ivy builds, items, and counters
These routes connect the hero guide to builds, counter items, and the wider tool set.
Ivy Deadlock builds
Compare phase routes, core items, and nearby hero build paths in the full build library.
Ivy build planner
Open this hero in Build Planner to tune around burst, survival, chase, or team utility.
Ivy counter builds
Narrow counter items against burst, frontline pressure, catch, or utility-heavy enemies.
Core item index
Review recommended items, same-category swaps, and patch context before locking the route.
Ivy guide focus
Built around common ivy deadlock build lookups, this section connects the hero overview, build route, ability order, core items, and counter paths in one reading flow.
What this page covers
support pressure, mobility routes, team utility, core items, and matchup reads
When this helps
Turn Ivy's utility identity into a practical build path that still explains when to fight with the team.
Open full builds
Move into the build library to compare phase routes and replacement items.
Battle Profile
Read Ivy first through its balanced combat identity, then use the rest of the page to refine the execution details.
Primary win condition
Ivy wins most naturally through balanced combat, turning its Protector role into real contact advantage.
Best fight shape
This hero wants to fight around a comfortable engagement band and make each contact clean and deliberate. Mobility is more measured, so entry and exit routes matter a lot more. Base health is high enough to let you contest a forward exchange, but it is still a trading resource, not a license to soak everything.
Main risk
The most common failure mode is simply fighting in the wrong distance band for the hero.
Quick Read
- Mobility is more measured, so entry pathing and positioning cost matter more.
- Base health is solid, so the hero can usually contest a more forward contact layer.
- Ammo is tighter, so the hero benefits more from selective, high-value windows.
Stats
- Health
- 700
- Move Speed
- 5.8
- Ammo
- 8
- Dps
- 61
Abilities
1 Protector's Hand
Grant immediate protective value that helps an ally survive the first layer of pressure and keep their play alive.
2 Kudzu Bomb
Throw a disruptive growth bomb that clogs space and makes enemy movement through that area much less comfortable.
3 Watcher's Covenant
Bind support value to a teammate so coordinated engages and follow-up pressure become safer to commit.
4 Stone Guard
Create a major defensive window that helps Ivy's team weather all-ins and hold contested space more confidently.
Aerial Support Build
Aerial Support Build is a Protector setup for Ivy. The main spike runs through Heroic Aura and Rescue Beam. Late slots close the build with Debuff Reducer and Phantom Strike.
Opening buys
Open with Extra Health and Healing Rite to establish lane tempo and your first reliable contact pattern.
Core spike
Heroic Aura and Rescue Beam define the first real power spike and should shape how Ivy wants to fight.
Late upgrades
Round the build out with Debuff Reducer and Phantom Strike once the game shifts into full fights and finishing power matters more.
Flex slots
Swap toward Extra Spirit or Reactive Barrier when the matchup demands extra protection, utility, or situational answers.
Tactical Guide
Lane Plan
- Best in support. Ivy's lane is about keeping the carry stable, peeling with vines, and using mobility support to deny easy enemy entries. You are usually strongest when the lane stays orderly and your partner gets to farm safely.
Midgame Plan
- Heroic Aura plus Rescue Beam turns Ivy into a full map enabler. Airlift teammates onto premium angles, rescue overextended allies, and use vines to stop divers from reaching your damage dealers cleanly.
Teamfight Role
- In teamfights Ivy adds value through positioning more than raw damage. Reposition a carry onto high ground or a flank, bind the enemy assassin trying to break your backline, and let your mobility aura help the whole team choose better terms for the fight.
Common Mistakes
- A bad airlift target can throw a fight instantly if you deliver the wrong hero into a losing angle.
- Ivy herself is still fragile, so careless positioning gets punished before utility comes online.
- Using the global support tool at the wrong time wastes one of Ivy's biggest swing mechanics.
Patch Note For This Version
There is no hero-specific note for the current patch yet, but the latest patch still explains the overall rhythm.
Where This Hero Excels
- Excellent at enabling teammates to survive the first layer of pressure.
- Can stall or reshape enemy engages with strong protective tools.
- Rewards coordinated play and disciplined team movement.
What To Practice This Patch
- The current anchor is still patch 07-01-2026, so use the broader patch rhythm to place this hero in context.
- The hero already has a structured build path, which makes phase-by-phase practice more straightforward.
- Execution asks for more precision, so stabilize entry timing and resource trades before forcing high-risk lines.
Overview
Ivy is a playable hero in Deadlock.
Strong Against
Weak Against
How To Read These Matchups
Why these matchups are favorable
- Matchups like Infernus / Abrams usually mean Ivy can cash out its preferred rhythm more reliably into marksmen.
- The edge usually comes from a steadier frontline presence, spell cadence, or utility layer that drags the fight into your comfort zone.
- Do not stop at first contact in these lanes or fights; the real value is converting the first small edge into space, cooldown advantage, or follow-up focus.
Key Watchouts
- Direct solo carry damage is not the point of the kit.
- Wrong target selection or mistimed support can waste her biggest value.
- Still vulnerable when enemies can isolate her before she sets up.
Recommended Pairings
Apollo
Ivy can place Apollo onto protected high-ground firing angles that amplify his ranged carry role.
Grey Talon
Grey Talon benefits enormously from Ivy-created sniper positions that are hard to reach otherwise.
Billy
Billy loves being delivered directly into disruptive backline angles where he can start brawling immediately.
Skill order
Prioritize Watcher's Covenant first, Protector's Hand second, and Kudzu Bomb third, taking Stone Guard whenever it becomes available. The opener row shows a practical first-allocation path: Watcher's Covenant -> Protector's Hand -> Watcher's Covenant -> Kudzu Bomb -> Watcher's Covenant -> Stone Guard.
Priority
Combo order
Ivy 1-20 Skill Order Planner
Click level steps below to inspect skill unlock progression or switch build variants.
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Protector's Hand | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 Kudzu Bomb | 2 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 17 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 Watcher's Covenant | 4 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 18 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 Stone Guard | 6 | 11 | 15 | 19 |
Patch Context
This page is the site's freshness anchor for the current version.