Cleanse & immunity

Unstoppable in Deadlock: What It Counters and When to Use It

Learn what Unstoppable counters in Deadlock, when to activate it, why it won't block damage and how it compares with Dispel Magic.

4 min readCrowd-control immunity

Unstoppable sounds like an item that lets you ignore the enemy team. It doesn't. What it *does* let you ignore, for a carefully chosen window, is the control that would otherwise ruin your entire plan.

Quick answer: Unstoppable gives temporary immunity to crowd control when you activate it in time. It's best when you know a stun, sleep, silence or other disable is coming and need to finish an engage, channel or escape. It does not grant damage immunity or rescue you from every item-lock situation.

By Deadlock Item Builder · Crowd-control immunity

What does Unstoppable counter?

ProblemIs Unstoppable useful?Best timing
A predictable stun or sleepYesBefore the control lands
Repeated control during your engageYesJust before your commitment begins
Silence stopping your crucial castYes, while protection is activeBefore the silence window
Knockdown interrupting your channelYes, while protection is activeBefore the delayed stun resolves
Incoming gun or spirit damageNo direct immunityYou still need positioning or damage defense
Already active stun or sleep preventing item useToo late to activatePreempt the catch
Existing item denial or buff-stripping effectsDepends on the exact interactionAvoid making an untested blanket assumption

When should you buy Unstoppable?

Choose it when one enemy control sequence keeps turning a good fight into a disaster. Maybe you have the damage to win, but you never finish your channel. Maybe your frontline can reach the backline but gets stopped by the second stun. Maybe you know the opponent will save their ultimate for your entry.

Unstoppable is valuable when your hero's next important action is worth protecting. If you repeatedly die to raw weapon damage, the item may not solve the actual problem.

How to time Unstoppable correctly

The goal is not to press it the moment an enemy appears. The goal is to cover the short window when a disable would stop your play.

  1. Identify the ability or item that usually catches you.
  2. Decide what you need to accomplish while protected.
  3. Wait until the engage or control is genuinely about to happen.
  4. Activate Unstoppable before losing your ability to act.
  5. Complete the job, then use a safe exit or follow-up plan.

If you use it too early, an experienced opponent can wait. If you use it too late, you may already be stunned.

Unstoppable vs Dispel Magic

Unstoppable is prevention. Dispel Magic is cleanup.

Dispel Magic clears eligible non-ultimate negative effects after they're applied, if you still have a usable item window. It is excellent against removable debuffs such as Bebop's bomb or a pending Knockdown.

Unstoppable is stronger when the enemy can stack disables or when the control itself would stop you from acting. It protects the commitment in advance instead of demanding a reaction from inside the fight. Choose based on the exact threat, not a rule that one item is always superior.

Three situations where Unstoppable shines

A channel that keeps getting interrupted

If opponents are holding Knockdown or another control tool for your channeled ultimate, use Unstoppable before starting the vulnerable window when the threat is credible. You'll still take damage, so choose a defensible position. Read the channel-interrupt guide.

Dynamo controls the fight

A strong area-control ultimate can deny a large part of your team's response. Plan immunity before the expected engage rather than assuming you can react comfortably once you're already caught. Read the Dynamo counter guide.

Dynamo counter guide
Wraith gets a guaranteed pick

If her control starts a dangerous burst sequence, an early defensive activation can protect the action you need to escape or turn the fight. It isn't a replacement for respecting her threat range. Read the Wraith counter guide.

Wraith counter guide

Does Unstoppable stop Curse?

Be careful with this wording. Different players may mean a hero curse-like disable, the former Curse item, or the current Cursed Relic and its buff-removal/item-lock effects. Those are not automatically identical interactions.

Unstoppable protects against qualifying crowd control while active, but you should not assume it prevents every buff strip or that you can activate through an item lock that is already applied. If Cursed Relic is the actual threat, check the current interaction in-game and prepare your positioning and activation timing accordingly.

Common mistakes

  • Pressing Unstoppable after being stunned or slept.
  • Activating too early and letting enemies wait out protection.
  • Treating crowd-control immunity as immunity to damage.
  • Buying it against raw damage with little meaningful control.
  • Assuming all forms of Curse and item denial work the same way.

Frequently asked questions

What does Unstoppable do in Deadlock?
It provides a limited window of crowd-control protection so you can perform an important action without being interrupted by qualifying disables.
Does Unstoppable counter Knockdown?
Yes, if its protection is active when Knockdown's stun would resolve. It is not a reaction you can use after you're already stunned.
Can Unstoppable protect a channeled ultimate?
It can help when activated in advance to protect the vulnerable control window. You still need a position that survives incoming damage.
Does Unstoppable stop Curse?
It depends on which exact effect you mean. Crowd-control immunity is not the same as immunity to item denial or buff stripping, so check the current source and timing before counting on it.
Is Unstoppable better than Dispel Magic?
Use Unstoppable for planned immunity through a control chain; use Dispel Magic to remove eligible debuffs while you can still activate it.