Deadlock: Pocket Caster Build by Actireon

https://deadlocktracker.gg/builds/pocket/20548-pocket-caster-build-by-acterion

Pocket Caster Build by Actireon

1-1-2-2-3-3-4-1-2-3-1-4-4-4-3-2

This hero deals spirit damage with all abilities, and three of them have low cooldowns. Therefore, the goal of this build is to reduce cooldowns as much as possible and ensure survivability.

We’ll mainly eliminate enemies using abilities, but don’t forget about the weapon. I tried to balance this build so we still get some damage from our shotgun.

Overall, the gameplay is quite simple. Always try to stack the first ability—it fires four projectiles, each boosting ALL our damage to EVERYTHING. This significantly increases our damage output. Initially, each stack boosts damage by 6% (24% max), but fully upgrading it increases this to 11% (44%). After that, just throw the rest of your abilities in the general direction of your opponents. The ultimate is great in large teamfights, but with upgrades, it reduces healing by 60%, which can be very useful, so don’t hesitate to use it even against single targets. Since we focus on cooldown reduction, we can use the ultimate very frequently.

Pocket is very powerful once we get items, but we need to farm for them. We control the most mobile hero in the game with three AoE abilities and fast cooldowns, so we’ll be clearing the map and participating in fights over objectives or when we want to leverage our power spike. We also actively split-push; we have everything we need to do this safely. After all, this is a MOBA, so the goal is to destroy the enemy’s Patron. It’s crucial to take down towers because they open up flex slots. That’s basically it—let’s move on to the build itself.

If the laning phase is going well, buy “INFUSER”—this item allows for decent trades with the enemy, but remember we have a -15% innate resistance to spirit damage. If things are tough, buy some healing. It’s also worth mentioning “MONSTER ROUNDS”—I personally enjoy playing with this item because it makes laning easier. It significantly increases our damage to creeps and reduces the damage we take from creeps when trading with enemies. This item also increases tower damage, and we shouldn’t forget about neutral creeps. In my opinion, it’s well worth its 500 souls. After all, we need to fill slots. Otherwise, it’s the usual laning strategy.

We continue farming, but there’s a power spike we’d like to capitalize on. It happens after purchasing “MAJESTIC LEAP” and “IMPROVED BURST.” The first item provides a lot of mobility, and the second offers significant percentage-based damage, which is also enhanced by our first ability. We’ll get ability vamp later, as early vamp isn’t very useful since we don’t have much damage yet. We gather bullet and spirit resistance in the late game because vamp is enough for survival early on. For the last slot here, I like to take “ETHEREAL SHIFT”—it’s a very versatile item. But if you want more mobility, go for “WARP STONE.”

Start with the important item “MYSTIC SLOW.” This greatly enhances us in teamfights, as we deal mystic damage to enemies with almost no cooldown. Note that the ultimate doesn’t trigger item effects, but we still have the same three abilities, and “MYSTIC SHOT” also triggers items.

The first tier 4 item we buy is “DIVINER’S KEVLAR.” It gives us everything we need: cooldown reduction, vamp, and 1400 shields (unaffected by resistances) plus spirit power when we use our ultimate. Considering our ultimate’s cooldown will be around 40 seconds, this item is more than worth it.

Next up is “LEECH.” Without further explanation—more vamp. At this point, we can consider bullet and spirit resistance. We’ll be tough to kill.

It’s been a while since we picked a weapon item, so next is “SPIRITUAL OVERFLOW.” Again, vamp and cooldown reduction. We also get some attack speed, which feels noticeable. Plus, a nice passive: after landing three shots on an enemy, we gain +45 spirit power.

Now we take “SUPERIOR COOLDOWN” and apply it to the second ability. Why do we take it so late? Because for 3,000 souls, compared to “IMPROVED COOLDOWN,” it only reduces cooldowns by an additional 9%, except for the enhanced ability, which gets a 17% reduction.

Lastly, we take “SOUL REBIRTH.” It reduces cooldowns and gives us an extra margin for error. This is the strongest late-game item, and it will also recharge quickly. If we don’t have resistances by now, make sure to buy them—they’ll greatly improve survivability.

If the game still isn’t over (which would be strange), you can buy “CRIPPLING HEADSHOT.” Reducing enemy resistances is always nice, especially in the late game, but at this point, we’re really just flexing. That’s about it for the build. As for situational items, take whatever you feel is necessary.

In conclusion, my build isn’t perfect (it’s quite greedy) and might not be the most efficient, but as a fan of magic-based packs from Dota 2, I really enjoy playing with this setup. I hope you liked this guide. I tried to cover the most important points, but I’m not a professional player, so feel free to copy, play, and adapt the build to your own playstyle. All the best <3