Hero Concept: Cyclone, The Atmospheric Sage

[okhasovtimur]

Hello, fellow Deadlock players!​

While our current roster is filled with aggressive brawlers and relentless assassins, we're lacking true masters of control who can dictate the terms of a fight. I propose a new Support/Controller hero designed not to secure kills, but to deny engagement and protect his team: Cyclone, The Atmospheric Sage.

His entire kit is built around one core philosophy: Area Denial. He doesn't just disengage; he shapes the entire battlefield, creating safe zones for his allies and no-go zones for his enemies.

---

Kit Breakdown: Mastering the Winds​

Passive: Tailwind

Allies moving toward Cyclone gain a slight bonus to movement speed. Enemies moving directly against the direction of his active wind abilities (Wind Wall, Typhoon) are slightly slowed.

Ability 1 (Q): Ventral Gust (1 charge)

Cyclone projects a concentrated line of wind in a target direction. Enemies hit take minor damage and are pushed a fixed distance directly away from Cyclone. This is his primary tool for instantly creating space between a diving enemy and a vulnerable ally.

Ability 2 (W): Wind Wall

Cyclone summons a large, translucent wall of churning wind that persists for several seconds. The wall is one-way:

• Allies moving in the wall's direction are accelerated.
• Enemies attempting to move against the wall's current are slowed significantly.
• Projectiles from outside the area (for enemies and allies) are destroyed upon entering the wall.
  Perfect for cutting off choke points, facilitating escapes, or enabling aggressive pushes.

Ability 3 (E): Diffraction Shield

Cyclone envelops a targeted ally in a shimmering, spherical shield for a short duration.

• The ally gains a temporary bullet shield and a small chance of damage reflection.
• Active Defense: While active, a percentage of incoming ranged projectiles that hit the shield have their trajectory randomly deflected, potentially causing them to miss entirely. Point-blank/direct shots have probability to be reflected back.
  The ultimate "get out of jail free" card for a caught-out teammate.

Ultimate (R): Typhoon (Channeled Ability)

Cyclone roots himself and channels his full power, summoning a massive, growing typhoon around himself for several seconds. The storm pulses every second.

• Each pulse deals light damage and knocks back all enemies within its area of effect.
• Successive pulses also apply a stacking slow.
  This ability is the ultimate zone control and disengage tool. It can completely disrupt enemy formations, scatter pushes, and secure objectives by making melee heroes utterly useless.

---

Strategic Role & Synergy​

• Playstyle: A reactive, position-based controller. Cyclone excels at punishing enemy teams that over-commit or cluster together.
• Counters: He is a direct counter to melee-heavy compositions and dive heroes who rely on getting in close (e.g., Haze, Abrams). He struggles against long-range, poke-heavy compositions that can operate outside his effective range.
• Synergies: He is a dream partner for immobile, high-damage carries (e.g., Seven, Grey Talon, Vindicta), providing them with the peel and space they need to unleash their full damage.

Conclusion & Discussion​

Cyclone would fill a crucial niche in Deadlock as the premier anti-engage specialist. He wouldn't top the damage charts, but his presence would completely change how the enemy team is allowed to approach a fight.

What do you think?

• Would a hero like this be healthy for the meta?
• Which existing hero would he synergize with best?
• How would you play against a skilled Cyclone?

Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions below.