Seven is one of Deadlock's most recognizable heroes: he turns any drawn-out team fight into his own element. His strength lies in massive area damage and in the ability to "zone" the spots where the enemy team clusters. Seven is equally dangerous as the one who starts a fight and as the one who finishes off an already grouped-up enemy. This guide breaks down Seven's role, his abilities, and the core principles of playing him.

Role on the Map

Seven is a scaling teamfight mage. Early on he holds the lane through harass, and by the mid and late game he becomes a source of sustained damage across several targets at once. He dislikes open one-on-one duels, but thrives wherever enemies are forced to stand close together — near objectives, in narrow corridors, and while sieging structures. Because of his high damage potential, Seven is almost always a priority target for enemy crowd control and dives, so good positioning matters more for him than for most heroes.

Ability Breakdown

Static Charge places a delayed shock on a target: after a couple of seconds it triggers and stuns everyone nearby. It's his main tool for initiation and counter-initiation — apply the charge right before an opponent tries to escape or, conversely, dives onto you.

Lightning Ball releases a controllable orb of energy that's handy for finishing off creeps and reaching enemies around corners. In lane it's safe harass; in a fight it's a way to catch a retreating opponent.

Power Surge empowers Seven's basic attacks: it adds spirit damage, makes his shots bounce to nearby enemies, and slows whoever is hit. This is the ability that turns his auto-attacks into a source of area damage.

Storm Cloud is the ultimate you play Seven for. He lifts into the air and rains lightning over a huge area, dealing enormous damage to everyone beneath him. The catch: while channeling, Seven is vulnerable, and hard crowd control easily interrupts the ult, so you can't throw it out carelessly.

Gameplay Tips

Don't use Storm Cloud in the open — look for a moment when enemies are pinned: after a successful Static Charge, from around a corner, off a zipline, or under the cover of allied crowd control and shields. The fewer ways the enemy has to interrupt the channel, the more damage you'll deal.

Remember that Seven is a team-dependent hero: his potential only unlocks alongside allies who pin enemies down and protect his ult channel. Diving in alone is risky, but a well-supported Storm Cloud can single-handedly decide a skirmish.

Itemization

For itemization, Seven values items that extend ability range and duration, cooldown reduction, and survivability so he lives long enough to land his ult. From the spirit category he picks up items that boost ability damage and duration, and from the vitality category he takes armor and effects that save him from burst damage and crowd control. The combo of Static Charge → Power Surge → shots, followed by Storm Cloud on a grouped team, is his bread-and-butter fight plan.