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The Magnificent Sinclair is one of the four new heroes that was recently added toDeadlockon a new update. Previously, the hero was onlyavailable in Hero Labs. But as of right now, you’re able to use the hero in your normal competitive games to test your mettle against other players and see how it holds up in the meta.
The first step, of course, is to figure out the best items and ability order for the hero. Since the hero is still in his early stage, there will naturally be changes to his item build as he receives balance changes. But for those who want to try out The Magnificent Sinclair right now and dominate theirDeadlockgames with him, here’s a complete build guide to try out.
Deadlock The Magnificent Sinclair Overview & Ability Details
When you talk about Deadlock heroes, there’s simply none other like The Magnificent Sinclair right now. His primary attack fires a two-shot projectile that does 27 damage each shot. The projectile speed isn’t the best, but the accuracy of the weapon makes up for it. The hero plays like an assassin and specializes in 1v1 engagements because of his excellent burst potential. Thanks to hishigh Spirit Scalingwith his abilities, buying Spirit Power items is the best way to build the hero.
Similar to Grey Talon, Sinclair’s movement speed increases with Spirit Power.
Upgrades
Vexing Bolt
Fire a bolt of magic that deals Spirit Damage and applies a Fire Rate Slow. If you have an Assistant, they also cast Vexing Bolt at Reduced Damage.
5 AP:+110 Damage. Assistant casts Vexing Bolt without reductions.
Spectral Assistant
Summon an Assistant at the targeted location. The Assistant attacks whenever you fire your weapon, dealing Spirit Damage. While the Assistant is out, you can swap positions with it by pressing the ability button.
2 AP:+5s Duration & 5m Range
5 AP:+45% Fire Rate and +15 Assistant Damage
Rabbit Hex
Hex a target, transforming them into a Rabbit for a limited duration. Rabbits are small and move faster, but take increased Bullet Damage and are unable to perform most actions.
5 AP:Hex all enemies within 6m
Audience Participation
Copy the Ultimate of an enemy hero for a limited time. Reactivating the ability will use the Copied Ultimate instead.
1 AP:Upgrade the Copy
2 AP:Upgrade the Copy AGAIN!
5 AP:Upgrade the Copy ONCE AGAIN!
The Copied Ultimate from Audience Participation does not gain any benefits from Imbue items. However, it does inherit the ability’s upgrade points.
The Magnificent Sinclair Build Guide (Ability Order & Item Progression) in Deadlock
The Magnificent Sinclair excels induels similar to Infernus, but he’s extremely reliant on his Ability Cooldowns to pull off a kill. Since all of his abilities have a pretty high cooldown, you’ll spend most ofyour time farming the mapand pushing down a free lane. His early game poke from auto attacks is decent, so you’ll want to use it to harass your opponent any chance you get.
Ideally, you’ll want to go solo on a lane, but Sinclair can also work well in duo lanes. While his Ultimate is certainly unique, our build will focus on building around his Vexing Bolt and Rabbit Hex abilities, since this is what gives him his insane burst potential.
Here’s how the build works:
The Magnificent Sinclair Ability Order
Vexing Bolt is the first ability you’ll want to unlock for the laning stage. This will give you a solid nuke to add to your constant auto-attack harassment. You can also use it to secure somelast hits and jungle fasterwhen needed. Unlock Spectral Assistant next, followed by Rabbit Hex, and pick up your Ultimate once you gather enough Souls.
As for your upgrades, you’ll want to put 1 AP into Vexing Bolt and 1 into Spectral Assistant right away. Afterward, save up your AP to max out Vexing Bolt and upgrade Rabbit Hex twice before upgrading Spectral Assistant to the highest level. Then level up Rabbit Hex once more before upgrading Audience Participation.
For this build, we’ll be using Sinclair’s Ultimate mostly as a last resort, so you don’t have to put any upgrade points into it early.
The Magnificent Sinclair Item Progression
Sinclair’s item build, when centered around Vexing Bolt and Rabbit Hex, is pretty straightforward. You’ll mostly be picking up Spirit Items to beef up your damage. But along the way, you’ll also want to fill up your Weapon and Vitality item slots with items that complement Sinclair’s aggressive playstyle in Deadlock.
Here are the items that are worth buying for The Magnificent Sinclair with this build:
Early Game:
As mentioned earlier, Sinclair’s primary attack projectile speed is absurdly slow. That’s why, in most cases, you’ll want to pick up High-Velocity Mag as your first item. Go with Hollow Point Ward next for some additional Spirit Power and the Weapon Damage bonus. This will make you extremely strong in the early stages of the game.
Enduring Speed and Extra Stamina come next to give you some extra sustain. Since they are components of items you’ll build in the mid-late game, they offer excellent value. Extra Charge, Extra Spirit, and Infuser are the next three items you’ll want to pick up.
If the opposing laner is giving you trouble, consider picking up Extra Regen and/or Healing Ritefor some healing on the lane. It’s better than having to zipline back to base.
Mid Game:
During the mid-game, you’ll look to buff up your Spirit Power even further while adding to your survivability to win those 1-to-1 engagements. Start with Soul Shredder Bullets for the Spirit Amp and Spirit Lifesteal effect. After that, gowith three Vitality items: Divine Barrier, Enchanter’s Barrier, and Healbane, in that order.
Go with Improved Cooldown next so that you’re able to cast your spells faster. Slowing Hex is an amazing pickup on Sinclair, since it slows down the transformed enemy during Rabbit Hex. Mystic Burst comes next, followed by Rapid Recharge, which will make the Vexing Bolt stronger. Finally, buy Warp Stone to catch unsuspecting enemies or flee from a fight when things turn south.
Late Game:
The late game is when this Sinclair build truly starts to come together, allowing you to burst down your foes in one single combo. At the core of the entire build is Spiritual Overflow, giving you additional Fire Rate and Spirit Power along with a massive reduction in ability cooldowns. While it’s a big investment, start working towards it as soon as you have the mid-game items in your inventory.
You’ll usemost of your Flex Slotsto buy more Spirit Power items and upgrade some of your older items at this stage of the game. Go for Improved Burst, Improved Spirit, Superior Cooldown, and Ethereal Spirit as early as possible after buying Spiritual Overflow.
Imbue Spectral Assistant with Superior Cooldown.
Upgrade the High-Velocity Mag that you picked up during the laning stage to Pristine Emblem and Echo Shard next. If you still have slots to fill after that, go with Boundless Spirit and Escalating Exposure.
The situational items mentioned above should only be bought if your matchup demands it. For example, if the opposing team hasa lot of crowd-control abilities, Debuff Remover can help you play around it. If you’re having trouble catching an enemy, go for Knockdown.
Sinclair isn’tan easy hero to masterby any means, but once you get the hang of it, it’s extremely rewarding to play. Now that you have a clear picture of what items to build and how to level up his abilities, you’ll have a much easier time trying out this hero in yourDeadlockmatches.
