
How to play KelvinHow to play
53.9% win rate · #6 of 44 · Protector · Explorer · Ice Cold
Updated 2026-10-29 19:16 UTC · n = 3,791,908 matches
How to play Kelvin
1Frozen Shelter
2Frost GrenadeYour combo: Drop Frozen Shelter, a 5s dome that heals your team and slows enemies, while Frost Grenade slows divers and heals allies.
Don’t waste: When Frozen Shelter ends after 5s you’re exposed, and enemies wait outside it for that.
Edge: Your healing wins long fights, so take long ones. Anti-heal hurts you, and long-range poke outranges your grenades.
From community hero guides, Oct 2026 patches, checked against deadlock.wiki. The same combo from the other side is on how to counter Kelvin.
Your kit

Throw a grenade that explodes in a cloud of freezing ice that heals allies and applies spirit damage and move speed reduction to enemies.

Kelvin creates a floating trail of ice and snow that gives movement bonuses to him and his allies. Kelvin gains 60% slow resistance for the duration. Enemies can also walk on the floating trail. Press Dash / Crouch / slide to travel up or down while in Ice Path.

Shoot freezing cold energy out in front of you, damaging targets and progressively reducing their movement and fire rate the longer you sustain the beam on them. You have reduced move speed while using Arctic Beam. The beam may also claim Souls.

Target yourself or a Hero to freeze the air and create an impenetrable dome around them. While in the dome, allies gain rapid regeneration and enemies are slowed. Objectives become Invulnerable and Frozen under Frozen Shelter
Skill order
Max first:
Arctic Beam›
Frost Grenade›
Ice Path›
Frozen Shelter
From the most common upgrade order (18k matches): the order abilities reach their last tier.
| 10m | 21m | 32m | 44m | 55m | 66m | 77m | 89m | 913m | 1014m | 1115m | 1216m | 1321m | 1428m | 1531m | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frost GrenadeAbility 1 | I | II | III | ||||||||||||
Ice PathAbility 2 | I | II | III | ||||||||||||
Arctic BeamAbility 3 | I | II | III | ||||||||||||
Frozen ShelterUltimate | I | II |
unlock I II III upgrade tiers · column labels are the average minute of each step
Build path with timings
Extra Regen~4:43 · 70%
sold ~13:09
Extra Charge~5:16 · 82%
→ Rapid Recharge
Extra Spirit~7:11 · 80%
→ Improved Spirit

Mystic Expansion~12:33 · 64%
sold ~26:56
Improved Spirit~13:45 · 82%
→ Boundless Spirit
Mystic Vulnerability~18:13 · 68%
sold ~27:08
Rapid Recharge~20:25 · 70%
Superior Cooldown~24:37 · 61%
Boundless Spirit~28:04 · 65%
Items that win most on Kelvin
+9.9 pp · 4% buy it
+9.8 pp · 10% buy it
+8.7 pp · 36% buy it
+6.5 pp · 1% buy it
+6.0 pp · 14% buy it
+5.9 pp · 1% buy it
Lanes you win
Pocket+6.1 pp
Mirage+5.0 pp
Shiv+4.9 pp
Mina+4.5 pp
Grey Talon+4.5 pp
Lanes to play safe
When they counter you
−7.1 ppGravesBuy against Graves:
Plated Armor+2.7 pp
Cursed Relic+2.2 pp
Indomitable+2.0 pp
−6.5 ppRat KingBuy against Rat King:
Ethereal Shift+3.3 pp
Juggernaut+2.9 pp
Refresher+2.8 pp
−5.8 ppPaigeBuy against Paige:
Magic Carpet+1.7 pp
Spellbreaker+1.6 pp
Cheat Death+1.6 pp
Best teammates
61.4% together
61.2% together
60.4% together
58.5% together
58.2% together
58.0% together
Notes from the best builds
3 skill top
START L --> R: You are playing under the guidance of a teammate. Играешь под тимейта.
62.3% over 1.5k games · open build →THIS BUILD PLAYS LIKE A LATE-GAME CARRY AND STILL HAS GOOD SUPPORT, AS WE INVEST IN NADE EARLY. DON'T BE AFRAID TO BUY LANE OPTIONALS OR COUNTER ITEMS, WE ARE TECHNICALLY A SUPPORT SO BUY SUPPORT ITEMS IF WE FALL BEHIND.
#Citadel_HeroBuilds_Early: L-R Buy Everything, Can Sometimes Swap Greens
Lane Options: Sell Later
Mid Game Core: L-R Buy Everything, Our Main Stuff + Investment Spikes
Core Components: Can Buy Early
62.0% over 894 games · open build →