Team Dignitas HOTS Hero Tier List March 2015

Hello Heroes, in the storm there are a lot of options with hero select which quite literally makes it a storm. A blizzard to be exact. With much help from our own professional team we’ve constructed an easy to understand Tier List of champions for competitive play. Now do note that these are not permanent standings and they do not transfer to all game types. Any player on a lower tier hero can wreck havoc in Quick Match and especially in cooperative. However what this list does do is explain the best and worst options in the context of competitive play. So buckle up and keep all eyes on the page!

 

Team Dignitas Hero Tier List March 2015

Tier S	Illidan	Sgt Hammer	Rehgar	Valla	Zeratul	Uther	ETC
Tier A	Azmodan	Stiches	Nazeebo	Chen	Tassadar	Tyrande	Brightwing
Tier B	Sonya	Zagara	Diablo	Anub'Arak	Kerrigan	Malfurion	Raynor	Lost Vikings	Tychus
Tier C	Abathur	Arthas	Thrall	Jaina	Falstad	Tyreal	Lili	Muradin
Tier D	Gazlowe	Murky	Nova

 

Tier explanation

Tier S:  The heroes in Tier S are usually the best at their desginated roles. Typically these heroes are going to want to be picked first for leagues or banned in upper level competative play. Tier S hold the most contested heroes in competitive as well as in hero league‏ and with the exception of zeratul you will almost see all of them in 100% of the competitive matches‏.Zeratul is truly only there to set up wombo combos together with Diabo, Uther and Valla‏. However he can be really strong in hero league as well if the enemies can’t deal with strong early stealth heroes‏.

Tier A: The heroes in Tier A are also strong picks for competative play. They however are not as strong as those ranked in Tier S and wouldn't be suitable for banning unless it specifically to counter a specific player or team. Tier A are all really strong heroes but they depend really hard on both the team comp‏ and the map‏. For example Azmodan is really strong on dragonshire and blackhearts bay‏ but lackluster on all other maps‏ since you can’t farm Q stacks on 2 lanes‏.

Tier B: The heroes in Tier B are mediocre at best. While the heroes in Tier B are not great by any means they can be benneficial in certain situations, however team compositions should not be completely composed of these heroes.Tier B Heroes are not seen that often as they are mostly the last choice a team has if there is nothing else left‏. Some of them are just picked to counter other heroes or because they are good on specific maps‏ such as Sonya and Diablo are often times only picked to shut down Nazeebo’s ultimate‏.

Tier C: The heroes in Tier C are the best of the worst. These heroes have very little use in competative play and only have the redeeming quality that they are better than those in Tier D. Tier C heroes have minimal viablity and don't see much play just rarely to maybe surprise the enemies.

Tier D: The heroes in Tier D are the least viable heroes available to play competatively. These Heroes have very little to offer a team and should not be picked for competative play.Tier D heroes are just not viable atm‏ but i mostly see everything from a competitive point of view obviously‏ i think every hero works in hero league quick league‏ a gazlowe main can destory pub games alone but that still makes him a tier D hero‏

 

Statement by Team Dignitas Pro Player, Christoph 'Cris' Gowitzke:

"Tier S Heroes are like 95% picked and banned and the first to be picked in the beginning of the draft‏. Illidan is the most frequently banned hero‏  because he is extremely powerfull in competitive team‏ together with communcation. When Illidan is banned‏ hammer and valla have the highest‏ priority‏ if a team first picks hammer ‏the other team needs to pick up valla‏. This is  because are the best ranked dps heroes‏ in the game right now‏ the only reason zeratul is in Tier S is because‏ people are scared of wombo combos‏.So if Zeratul isn't banned‏ u need to be careful that 1 team doesn't get something like uther and valla‏ in 1 of their rotations‏. Uther and rehgar are just the best supports right now‏ sometimes they even get banned.

ETC is a split push monster and the best tank‏ as he provides CC, sustain and 2 strong ultimates‏. So in the beginning of the draft‏ it it is all about picking up‏ the Tier S heroes‏ and then some of the Tier A heroes‏. As an example if you already have Illidan you really want to have Tassadar together with him‏ so if the enemy doesn't go for it early. You want to secure it as soon as possible and the same goes for Rehgar‏."

Heroes not in Tier S or A can be a surprise against other teams. However some heroes like Jaina as are rated her so low‏ because she needs a lot of practice‏ to be useful.‏ A master Jaina can be very strong but it does not change the fact that shes underwhelming when not played exceptionally. A mediocre Valla can be ten times better than a mediocre Jaina‏ and some other heroes. Ultimately Heroes are  in Tier B or C because they are only viable/good on 1 or 2 maps‏ while Tier s/A heroes‏ are always good picks‏.

Some picks we would like to explain:

Nazeebo: In Tier A because a lot of teams have started‏ to hard counter him‏ so that its impossible for him to go‏ ravenous spirit‏ which is one of the strongest ultimates.

Stitches: Fits into a lot of compositions but ETC outshines him right now‏. Playing Stitches as a solo tank you go for a full tank build‏ and playing 2 tanks u go full slam build‏ but his hook shouldn't be in tier S especially considering the changes Blizzard has announced on him‏.

Sgt. Hammer: Hammer's range and damage output is extremely high.The abilitiy to easily siege up with her and go slowly for objectives allows for safe team play. Having Hammer versus a team without an engager makes it almost impossible to lose.

Uther: Burst heal q+w is really strong and he also provides a lot of utility for the team with shield and cleanse/clairvoyance. Bringing with him a lot of CC and his ultimate with the level 20 talent is really strong‏.

Rehgar: The best heal ingame which can turn around teamfights. Very mobile and can solo mercenary camps and healing ward at level 1 make him a top tier support and healer.

Chen: One of the best lane bullies as he can almost 1v1 anyone and applies tons of pressure in lane. His ultimate “Wandering Keg” can split the whole enemy team in teamfights creating great opportunity for catching and shutting down certain heroes. ‏

Tyrande: Brings vision and a very strong stun on level 13 but her strongest ability is hunters mark because enemy heroes can pop in a blink of a second. Tyrande overall is in a weird place‏ as she’s really good in competitive but not as good in hero/quick matches‏. With good communication a good tyrande can destroy teams‏. She also has healing ward which is one of the best talents right now‏.

‎Brightwing: Not top tier in competitive anymore but still a strong pick in Hero League due to his map pressure and ability soak exp and then joining the team‏.

 

First off I want to thank our very own team and mostly dignitasCris for walking me through most of these ideas and evaluations. Although the game may change in power from some heroes to others it is extremely helpful to know what is making some the best and some the worst. Since the game is still in Beta much is still sure to change but we hope this aids you in your efforts to become a true Hero of the Storm.