Deadlock Gun Counters: Metal Skin vs Plated Armor

Gun damage counters serve different jobs: survive a dangerous window, reduce repeated weapon pressure, or interrupt the shooter. Compare those jobs before deciding whether Metal Skin, Plated Armor or a disruption item fits your next fight.

By Deadlock Item Builder · Practical matchup guide

Which item should you buy against gun damage?

Start with the problem you need to solve. These are situational choices, not a list to buy in full.

Metal Skin

Problem you’re facing: A burst of enemy gunfire kills you before you can reposition.
Good fit when: You need a short window to survive weapon damage and reach cover or finish a committed fight.
Watch for: Ability damage and control can still threaten you. Have a plan for when the active expires.

Plated Armor

Problem you’re facing: Repeated gunfire wears you down throughout fights.
Good fit when: You face repeated weapon hits and want passive protection against bullet and on-hit pressure.
Watch for: Its protection is chance-based, not guaranteed immunity. It does not remove stacks already applied.

Disarming Hex

Problem you’re facing: An enemy carry keeps shooting freely during your team’s engage.
Good fit when: You can reach a weapon-focused carry and your team can attack while their gun is disabled.
Watch for: A cleanse can remove the disarm. It does not shut down all of the target’s ability damage.

Suppressor

Problem you’re facing: An enemy’s rapid gunfire makes it difficult for your team to trade damage.
Good fit when: Your hero can consistently apply spirit damage to the gun carry you want to slow down.
Watch for: Reduced fire rate is not a full disarm; the enemy can still shoot and use abilities.

Confirm the damage source

A hero firing a gun is not proof that all their threatening damage is weapon damage. On-hit effects and ability investment can change what you need to survive. Inspect the build and the damage that ended the fight before choosing protection. Haze, Wraith and Drifter can all demand attention, but the answer depends on what that player is doing.

Baba is a useful reminder to check the details: the supplied guide describes spirit damage attached to her shots through Thread Sap. A purchase aimed only at weapon damage should not be treated as a complete answer to that pressure.

Use Metal Skin to change a short window

Metal Skin provides a temporary answer to weapon pressure. Plan what you will do with that time: cross an exposed angle, get out of an ultimate’s danger, reach cover, or stay alive while your team finishes a target. Activating it and remaining in the same losing position can simply delay the problem until it expires.

It is a defensive window rather than permission to ignore the rest of the enemy team. Ability damage and control may still force you out. If you cannot act when the threat arrives, you may need an answer to the setup as well.

Compare sustained protection and disruption

Plated Armor is worth comparing when repeated weapon pressure is the recurring problem. Disarming Hex approaches the fight from the other side: interrupt the attacker’s weapon output so your team can act. Suppressor can also fit spirit-damage users who can consistently reach the gun carry.

Choose based on access. A defensive item can help when the carry attacks you from an angle you cannot contest. A targeted disruption item needs a usable range and a moment to cast it. If you cannot reach the attacker safely, do not build a plan around a cast you never get to make.

Break the angle and punish commitment

Use corners and cover to reduce uninterrupted shooting time. Avoid crossing an open lane after spending all your stamina. A carry who commits into your defensive window should face your teammates’ return damage; a carry holding a distant angle may be better handled by a rotation.

Watch their next purchase. A cleanse or another defensive tool can change how reliable your disruption is. Agree on follow-up with your team and reassess after fights. If you survived but dealt no useful damage, review whether too much of your build went into protection at once.

How to use these counters in real matchups

Haze forces you out during her damage window

Compare a short defensive active with sustained protection. Decide where you will move and who follows up while you survive; waiting in the same exposed spot can leave the next burst unanswered.

Haze counter guide

Baba’s shots include spirit pressure

Thread Sap is described in the supplied guide as adding spirit damage to her shots. A gun-defense purchase should not be treated as a complete answer to that build; check the damage source and the Baba matchup guide.

Baba counter guide

Common counter-buy mistakes

Assuming all damage from gunfire is weapon damage.
Activating Metal Skin without an escape or follow-up plan.
Buying a targeted disarm when you cannot reach the attacker.

Frequently asked questions

Is Metal Skin or Plated Armor better against gun damage?

Compare the fight pattern. Metal Skin provides a temporary defensive window; Plated Armor is an option to investigate for repeated weapon pressure. Your hero, the damage source and the enemy build decide the fit.

Does Metal Skin solve crowd control too?

A weapon-defense window is not a blanket answer to disables. If control prevents you from using your items, investigate the setup separately.