How to Find Picks and Play Assassin in Deadlock

An assassin looks for a vulnerable opponent, creates a brief advantage, and survives long enough for the team to use it. A pick is an opportunity to catch or eliminate an enemy who cannot easily be helped. The goal is not a high solo-kill count: a pick is most useful when it protects an ally, opens a route, or creates time to take an objective.

This is a flexible job, not an exclusive hero class. Depending on your hero, build and match, you may look for a solo target, follow an ally’s control, or stay with the team. The roles overview explains the other responsibilities you may need to share.

Check whether a target is truly isolated

An enemy alone on your screen is not necessarily alone on the map. Before approaching, look for visible opponents and ask where the missing ones could arrive from. An enemy who recently disappeared toward the target may be close enough to help; an opponent standing near a safe route can retreat before your damage lands.

Use these questions to judge a pick:

1. Where is help? Check the last known positions of nearby enemies and whether the target has a teammate who can intervene. Missing information is risk, not proof of a trap.
2. Can I reach and threaten the target? Consider health, defensive tools, your own available damage and whether the target has a likely escape route.
3. How do I leave? Identify cover, a path toward allies, and any movement or defensive tool you need after contact.
4. What does my team gain? A target near a contested objective can create a useful opening. A chase far away can leave allies without help when they need you.
5. What makes me stop? If another enemy appears, your target reaches safety, or your team needs you elsewhere, reassess before spending the rest of your tools.

Commit, wait, or rejoin?

Name the target, the likely response, your exit, and what your team can do afterward. If one is unknown, reduce the risk or delay.

The Acer assassin overview also emphasizes isolation, burst and escape. Its hero rankings and patch-sensitive details are editorial and may age; use the current game descriptions for your own hero.

Take the pick—or stay with your team

Situation	Consider	Why
An enemy is exposed near an objective your team is approaching	Take a safe route to threaten the target, with an exit planned.	Removing or forcing back a defender can create room for the objective.
A low-health enemy is far away and opponents are missing	Hold position or seek information before chasing.	The apparent target may have support, and a long chase can cost your team time.
An ally has caught an enemy within your reach	Follow their control and leave if the fight turns.	Shared damage can finish a pick without an isolated dive.
Your team is about to defend and needs your damage	Stay close enough to help or take a flank that can rejoin.	A distant pick is less valuable if your team loses the defense without you.

These are decisions, not guarantees. Even a plausible pick can fail if an enemy responds quickly or your damage is insufficient. If you are unsure whether you can finish safely, wait for an ally or use pressure to make the opponent retreat instead.

A pick can create space without a kill

An enemy guarding an approach retreats when you threaten them. If your allies can cross safely, that pressure has value even without a kill; leave if other enemies close your route.

Plan the approach and the exit together

Choose a flank that lets you see or reach the target without walking through the enemy group. Cover and a different angle can make an approach less predictable, but a long detour can leave you too late to help. Before using your last mobility option to enter, decide how you will get out if the target survives or their teammate appears.

Look for a position where you can abandon the attempt before the enemy closes your route. If your setup misses, do not spend every remaining tool simply because the target is low. Break contact, move toward cover or an ally, and reassess. A missed opportunity is often easier to recover from than a death deep behind the opposing team.

Haze: stealth is a tool, not a guarantee

Haze’s Smoke Bomb makes her invisible, but nearby enemies can see through it and attacking removes invisibility. Her Sleep Dagger damages and sleeps a target; throwing it does not break her invisibility, and sleeping targets wake shortly after being damaged. The community hero data and ability data snapshots used here were captured October 28, 2026. They are community-maintained game data, not official Valve documentation.

For example, Haze sees an opponent near a route her team wants to use. Before approaching, check whether another enemy can help and where you can retreat if the target survives. A dagger can create a brief opportunity to reposition or coordinate with an ally, but proximity can reveal Haze and follow-up damage can wake the target. Do not assume stealth ensures an elimination. See the Haze guide for her wider kit and item choices.

Recognize bait and failed setups

A target who appears isolated beside unexplored cover can be tempting, especially when low on health. You do not know whether a teammate is waiting nearby. If opponents are missing and you have no safe exit, move to a position that gives you more information or wait for an ally. You can still threaten the route without committing to the chase.

Choose a reason to abort

Decide before entering: if the target reaches cover, a defender arrives, or your team retreats, stop the chase and use the planned exit.

If an enemy reveals a defensive response or a second opponent arrives, compare the new situation with your original plan. Can you still finish and escape? If not, take the exit you identified. If your approach has already drawn attention, use that moment to move toward your team rather than forcing the initial target.

Turn the opening into team value

After a successful pick, check the map and tell your team what happened. If allies are near an objective and can safely act before the opponent returns, join them or cover a likely approach. If your team is low, the remaining enemies are arriving, or the objective cannot be taken safely, regroup instead. The objective conversion guide helps decide what the temporary advantage can buy.

A forced retreat can matter too: it may let your team cross a route or defend an ally. Check whether they can use that time. If your attempt costs your life or pulls you away from a fight your team needs to take, the trade can erase the benefit even if you got a kill.

Review the choice, not just the result

After a match, revisit one attempt: where were the missing opponents, what did your team need, and what exit remained after your first action? If you reached a target but could not leave, preserve a movement option or choose a route closer to allies next time. If the pick succeeded but nothing followed, ask whether a different target or better timing near an objective would have helped more.

Two difficult pick decisions

Should I always leave my team to find a pick? No. A nearby defense or an ally’s setup may be more valuable than a distant duel.

Should I chase a target who survives? Only if the route, enemy response and team cost still favor it. Otherwise stop and preserve your next opportunity.

For the related decision of creating an opening for teammates, see how to initiate fights.