Deadlock Sinclair Build Guide: Items & Abilities
This guide explains how to build Sinclair in Deadlock, covering which abilities to max first, which items to buy early and late, and how to play his unique puppet mechanic. You’ll get a clear item order, ability priorities, and the reasoning behind each choice so you can adapt to any match.
Who Is Sinclair and How Does He Play?
Sinclair is a versatile character in Deadlock who uses a combination of crowd control, burst damage, and utility. His kit revolves around his ultimate ability, which turns an enemy into a harmless critter for a few seconds, and his ability to throw a bouncing projectile that can hit multiple targets. He’s often played as a support or a hybrid damage dealer, depending on the team composition and item build.
His strengths are area denial and pick potential. The critter transformation is one of the strongest single-target lockdowns in the game, and his other abilities can set up kills or save allies. The main weakness is his reliance on ability cooldowns and positioning; if you miss a key ability or get caught out of position, you’re very vulnerable.
Core Abilities Overview
Before diving into items, it’s important to understand what each ability does and how it scales. Sinclair’s abilities are:
- Bouncing Bolt: A projectile that bounces between enemies, dealing damage and applying a brief slow. This is your primary wave clear and poke.
- Magic Carpet: A dash that leaves a trail that damages and slows enemies who walk over it. Useful for escaping or engaging.
- Polymorph (Critter): Your ultimate. Turns an enemy into a harmless critter for a few seconds, preventing them from acting. This is a powerful setup for your team or a way to peel for yourself.
- Passive – Arcane Ward: Every few seconds, you gain a shield that blocks a small amount of damage. This helps you survive trades and poke.
Ability leveling priority is typically: Bouncing Bolt first (for wave clear and poke), Magic Carpet second (for mobility and utility), and Polymorph last (since its duration doesn’t scale much with levels, only cooldown). However, if you’re against a very mobile team, you might want to put an early point into Polymorph to secure kills.
Item Build: Starting Items
Your starting items should focus on sustain and early lane presence. A good opening set is:
- Monster Rounds – helps you clear minions and jungle camps faster, giving you more farm.
- Extra Stamina – gives you an extra dash, which is crucial for dodging skillshots and repositioning.
- Healing Rite – provides a burst of healing and a small movement speed boost, which can save you in early fights.
- Basic Magazine – increases your ammo capacity, which is useful for pushing lanes and poking.
These items are cheap and give you the stats you need to survive the laning phase. After you have these, you should start building toward your core items.
Core Item Build: Mid Game
The mid game is where you want to start getting your power spikes. Here’s a typical core build:
- Duration Extender – increases the duration of your Polymorph and the slow on your Bouncing Bolt. This is a huge power spike for your ultimate.
- Improved Cooldown – reduces your cooldowns, letting you use your abilities more often. This is especially good for your ultimate, which has a long cooldown.
- Mystic Burst – adds a burst of damage after your abilities hit, which synergizes with your Bouncing Bolt and Magic Carpet.
- Superior Stamina – gives you another stamina charge and increases your stamina regen, making you even harder to catch.
These items are your bread and butter. They give you the cooldown reduction, ability duration, and mobility you need to be effective in team fights. You should aim to have these by around the 10-15 minute mark, depending on your farm.
Late Game Items and Situational Picks
In the late game, you’ll want to adapt your build to the enemy team. Here are some strong options:
- Superior Duration – further increases ability durations, making your Polymorph last even longer. This is a great pick if you’re against a high-priority target like a carry.
- Improved Reach – increases the range of your abilities, letting you cast from safer positions. This is useful against teams with heavy engage.
- Silence Glyph – applies a silence on your next ability hit, which can stop enemy combos. This is a great counter to ability-heavy heroes.
- Mystic Slow – adds a slow to your abilities, which stacks with your Bouncing Bolt’s slow for a powerful kiting tool.
- Diviner’s Kevlar – gives you a shield when you use your ultimate, making you tankier during your engage.
Don’t be afraid to buy defensive items like Reactive Barrier or Improved Bullet Armor if you’re getting focused. Sinclair is not a tank, so you need to survive long enough to get your abilities off.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Many players make a few common mistakes with Sinclair. Here’s how to avoid them:
- Using Polymorph too early: Save your ultimate for a key target, like the enemy carry or a diver. Don’t waste it on a tank or a support.
- Not using Magic Carpet for damage: The trail from Magic Carpet can be used to block off escape routes or to zone enemies. Use it offensively, not just for running away.
- Building too much damage: Sinclair’s base damage is decent, but his real strength is utility. If you build pure damage, you’ll be squishy and your utility will suffer. Balance your build with cooldown reduction and survivability.
- Ignoring your passive: Arcane Ward gives you a free shield. Make sure you’re trading with enemies when it’s up, and back off when it’s down.
How to Adapt Your Build to the Enemy Team
Your build should change based on what the enemy is playing. Here are some general guidelines:
- Against heavy crowd control: Buy Debuff Reducer or Unstoppable to reduce the duration of stuns and slows on you.
- Against high burst damage: Buy Reactive Barrier or Improved Bullet Armor to survive the initial burst.
- Against tanks: Buy Mystic Vulnerability to increase the damage they take from your abilities.
- Against mobile heroes: Buy Silence Glyph or Improved Reach to catch them before they can escape.
The key is to be flexible. If you’re dying a lot, buy defensive items. If you’re not doing enough damage, buy some damage items. Don’t stick to a single build every game.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best ability to max first on Sinclair?
Bouncing Bolt is generally the best to max first because it gives you wave clear and poke, which helps you win the lane and farm faster. Magic Carpet is a close second, but its utility doesn’t scale as well with levels. Polymorph’s duration doesn’t increase with levels, only its cooldown, so it’s usually maxed last.
Should I build Sinclair as a support or a damage dealer?
Sinclair is best played as a hybrid. He has strong utility with his Polymorph and Magic Carpet, but he also has decent damage with Bouncing Bolt. A balanced build that includes cooldown reduction, some damage, and a bit of survivability works best. Pure damage builds make you too squishy, and pure support builds waste his damage potential.
What items should I buy first in the lane?
Start with Monster Rounds, Extra Stamina, Healing Rite, and Basic Magazine. These give you sustain, mobility, and wave clear. After that, build into your core items like Duration Extender and Improved Cooldown.
How do I use Polymorph effectively in team fights?
Use Polymorph on the enemy’s most dangerous target, usually their carry or a hero with a game-changing ultimate. Try to use it when your team is ready to follow up, so you can secure a kill. You can also use it to peel for yourself or your carry if you’re being dove.
Is Sinclair good for beginners?
Sinclair has a medium skill floor. His abilities are straightforward, but positioning and timing are key. If you’re new to the game, you might want to practice with simpler heroes first, but Sinclair can be rewarding once you get the hang of his kit.
What is the best way to farm as Sinclair?
Use Bouncing Bolt to clear waves quickly. It bounces between minions, so you can hit multiple at once. Also, use Magic Carpet to move between camps and to damage multiple jungle monsters at once. Try to get Monster Rounds early to speed up your clear.
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