Passive
Bloodthirst
Heal
Balmond recovers 5% Max HP after killing a Minion or Creep, and 20% Max HP after killing a hero.
Always active — no cooldown
Balmond
CTierTrue-damage executioner who heals off kills and finishes with Lethal Counter.
FighterJungleEXP LaneDeals physical
Balmond is a jungle Fighter built around Bloodthirst's on-kill healing and Lethal Counter, a true-damage strike that scales with a target's lost HP for a guaranteed execute. He closes distance with Soul Lock's dash and slow, stacks damage with Cyclone Sweep, then finishes with true damage that ignores whatever defense the enemy has stacked.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Specialities
- DamageRegen
His combo is a simple dash-spin-execute sequence with no cancel timing, though reading when a target's lost HP makes Lethal Counter worth committing takes match awareness.
- Beaten by
- 94 hard
- Strong into
- 14
- Best duos
- 10
- Builds
- 2
At a glance
When Balmond is strong
Attributes
- Damage
- 7
- Durability
- 6
- Crowd Control
- 3
- Mobility
- 5
- Utility
- 3
Strengths
- Lethal Counter deals true damage scaling with the target's lost HP, executing enemies through any defense build
- Bloodthirst heals a flat percentage of Max HP on every kill, funding an aggressive jungle clear
- Cyclone Sweep's stacking damage and crit scaling reward staying in prolonged skirmishes
- Soul Lock's dash and slow let him initiate or chase down a single target reliably
Weaknesses
- Almost no CC beyond a brief knockback and slow — can't lock a target down on his own
- Lethal Counter's true-damage bonus fades against enemies who stay above roughly half HP, weaker versus kiting comps
- No escape tool beyond Soul Lock's dash, which only closes distance toward enemies, not away
- Relies on securing kills to keep Bloodthirst's healing online; falls off if he can't finish fights
Skills
Max Cyclone Sweep first for sustained AOE damage, level Soul Lock second for the slow and gap-close, and take Lethal Counter at 4, 8, and 12.
Skill 1
Soul Lock
MobilitySlow
Balmond charges to the target direction for a set distance or until he hits an enemy hero, dealing 150–275 (+60% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to enemies along the way. The enemy hero hit will be knocked back slightly and slowed by 60% for 2 seconds.
- Cooldown
- 8s
What the terms mean(3)
- Blink
- Movement ability that can pass through obstacles.
- Physical Damage Skill
- Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
- Movement Speed
- Movement Speed on the battlefield. Usually Calculated and Actua
Skill 2
Cyclone Sweep
AOEBuff
Balmond gains 15% Movement Speed that decays over time and spins his axe for 3 seconds, dealing 25–100 (+25% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage to nearby enemies up to 14 times. Each subsequent hit on the same enemy will deal 7.5% increased damage (up to 60%). The Physical Attack bonus portion of the damage can Crit.
- Cooldown
- 6s
What the terms mean(1)
- Physical Damage Skill
- Deal Physical DMG to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
Ultimate
Lethal Counter
BurstSlow
Balmond unleashes a huge strike in the target direction (cannot be interrupted), dealing 150 (+70% Total Physical Attack) (+target's 30%–45% Lost HP) True Damage. This skill deals up to 1000–2000 damage to non-hero units.
- Cooldown
- 34s
What the terms mean(2)
- True Damage Skill
- Deal True Damage to enemies. Triggers Spell Vamp.
- True Damage
- If there is no way to reduce damage taken, you can try increasing Max HP.
Signature combo
Soul Lock to close and slow → Cyclone Sweep to stack damage → Lethal Counter to execute with true damage.
Balmond builds
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
Jungle Executioner
6,740g total
Default jungle pick focused on clearing fast and executing low-HP targets.
Battle spell
Retribution35s CDA well-timed Retribution on a low-HP objective — a 'smite steal' — can snatch Turtle or Lord away from a team that appeared to be securing it, often the single biggest swing play of the early-to-mid game.
Swap in when needed
Queen's Wings — Extra effective HP when diving as the primary engage without an escape tool.
Immortality — Second life to guarantee Lethal Counter connects even after a bad engage.
Wind of Nature — Against physical burst that kills him mid-engage before Lethal Counter is ready.
EXP Lane Bruiser
7,360g total
When played EXP lane against a lane bully, prioritizing survivability alongside damage.
Battle spell
Flicker120s CDThe 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Sea Halberd — Against enemy lifesteal or healers who out-race his Bloodthirst sustain.
Antique Cuirass — Reduces incoming skill damage from combo-heavy Fighters trading with him in lane.
Blade Armor — Counters crit-reliant Marksmen or Fighters punishing his lack of escape.
Who counters Balmond
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
CiciFighterHardBuoyant Bounce's double leap and Performer's Delight Movement Speed keep Cici outside Soul Lock's dash and Cyclone Sweep's melee range, kiting Balmond until Lethal Counter's window closes.
EstesSupportHardEstes's constant team healing counters Bloodthirst's kill-reliant sustain and can outheal the damage Balmond's execute deals.
LunoxMageHardStarlight Pulse heals her back above the lost-HP threshold Lethal Counter scales from, and her ultimate's invincibility window blanks Balmond's committed strike outright.
MathildaSupport · AssassinHardGuiding Wind shields the target and pulls them to Mathilda the instant Balmond commits to Lethal Counter, taking them out of range and negating the execute.
X.BorgFighterSoftFiraga Armor absorbs all incoming damage and regenerates on its own once shed, so Balmond's true-damage execute has to chew through an HP bar that comes back for free.
AngelaSupportSoftAngela can shield or heal the target Balmond commits Lethal Counter into, pulling them above the lost-HP threshold his true damage scales from.
DiggieSupportSoftDiggie's Time Journey clears the slow from Soul Lock, letting his team reposition before Balmond can chain into Cyclone Sweep.
ValirMageSoftValir's zone-control fire walls punish Balmond for dashing in with Soul Lock, dealing damage over time that outlasts his single-target execute.
YveMageSoftYve's ranged zone and slow keep Balmond from ever reaching Basic Attack or Soul Lock range to start a fight.
Items to build against Balmond
- Queen's WingsDemonize's 30% Damage Reduction fires below 40% HP — exactly the window where Lethal Counter's true damage scales hardest.
Tough BootsReduces the duration of Soul Lock's slow, giving you a window to disengage before Lethal Counter connects.- ImmortalityGuarantees you survive a Lethal Counter execute attempt even if it lands.
Balmond is strong into
Heroes whose own counter list names Balmond — the same matchup, read from the other side.
KhaleedFighterHardLethal Counter deals True Damage scaled off Khaleed's lost HP, so his defensive stats do nothing and Quicksand Guard just refills a bar Balmond executes straight through.
KhufraTankHardBalmond's ultimate deals true damage scaled off missing HP, bypassing the physical and magic defense Khufra buys and threatening to kill him mid-engage.
LeomordFighterHardBalmond's ultimate deals true damage scaled off missing HP, bypassing the bonus defense Phantom Steed's mounted state grants and threatening to kill Leomord through it.
LukasFighterHardBalmond's ultimate deals true damage scaled to missing HP, punishing Lukas for staying in fights at low HP to keep Hero's Resolve and Sacred Beast form running.
MartisFighterHardBalmond's true-damage ultimate scales with missing HP, matching Martis's own execute pattern but landing on him first in a straight duel.
NanaMageHardBalmond's ultimate is a long-range execute line scaling off lost HP, letting him finish Nana off from outside her effective poke range even after she's landed her combo on him.
Who to pair Balmond with
Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
ArgusFighterArgus can follow up after Balmond's Lethal Counter secures a kill, since both heroes want extended, sustain-heavy fights.
GuinevereFighterSpatial Migration knocks enemies airborne and Violet Requiem keeps re-launching them, giving Balmond a free window to land Cyclone Sweep on multiple targets before executing with Lethal Counter.
MinsittharFighterKing's Calling's Royal Guards slow enemies and lock out their movement skills, so Balmond's Cyclone Sweep can stack damage on a cluster that cannot dash away.
AtlasTankAtlas's ultimate group-pulls the enemy team into range of Balmond's Cyclone Sweep and sets up a Lethal Counter execute on the lowest-HP target.
HelcurtAssassinDark Night Falls strips the enemy team's sight range and hides their allies from them, so they never see Balmond closing with Soul Lock for the execute.- AngelaSupportAngela can shield and heal Balmond through the commitment of Lethal Counter's telegraphed animation, protecting the follow-through.
AldousFighterAldous's stacked-damage punches finish off targets that Balmond's Lethal Counter has already dropped into execute range.
BadangFighterBadang's Fist Wind-into-obstacle stun holds a target in place long enough for Balmond to land the full Soul Lock into Lethal Counter combo.
XavierMageDawning Light's cross-map beam softens a target's HP percentage from safety, pushing them into the range where Balmond's lost-HP-scaling Lethal Counter deals maximum damage.
BenedettaAssassin · FighterBenedetta's stun from a fended-off CC chains directly into Balmond's Lethal Counter for a guaranteed execute.
Playing Balmond well
- 1
Save Lethal Counter for targets already well below half HP where the lost-HP scaling maximizes true damage
- 2
Chain Soul Lock into Cyclone Sweep on a single target rather than spreading Cyclone Sweep's hits across a group
- 3
Use Bloodthirst's healing to justify aggressive early jungle invades and camp trades
- 4
Cyclone Sweep's Physical Attack portion can crit — build crit items if ahead for extra sustained burst
Balmond — common questions
Is Balmond good for beginners?
Balmond is one of the more beginner-friendly junglers — his combo is a simple dash-spin-execute sequence, and Bloodthirst's healing forgives aggressive early trades.
What is the best build for Balmond?
Blade of the Heptaseas, Malefic Roar, and Hunter Strike give lifesteal, penetration, and cooldown reduction to keep executing with Lethal Counter every fight.
Which heroes counter Balmond?
Mobile disengage heroes like Cici, Lunox, and Mathilda counter Balmond by dodging or pulling targets out of Soul Lock and Lethal Counter's range before he commits.
How does Balmond's ultimate work?
Lethal Counter deals true damage that scales with the target's percentage of lost HP, making it strongest as an execute on enemies already below roughly half health.
