While the newest support hero Auriel received some talent adjustments, top tier heroes Greymane and Tyrael received some significant nerfs on the August 24th patch.
Greymane – Significant burst damage reduction
Although just recently nerfed, Greymane has once again received some changes to reduce his burst damage potential.
- Razor Swipe (Q)
- Damage reduced from 159 to 135
- Go for the Throat (R)
- Damage reduced from 420 to 355
- Marked for the Kill (R)
- Damage increased from 68 to 190
With about a 15% damage reduction to both Razor Swipe and Go for the Throat, Greymane’s burst damage took a substantial hit. In contrast, Greymane’s other heroic received a significant increase in damage. While Marked for the Kill has received several upgrades over the last few patches, I do not believe it will supplant Go for the Throat as the prevailing heroic ability. Greymane also received some nerfs to his most popular talents including Wolfheart (level 1) and Eyes in the Dark (level 4).
With these changes, Greymane will be less of a game-changing factor in the competitive scene and especially in Hero League.
Auriel – Talent adjustments
Of the last few new heroes, Auriel has been the most balanced upon release. In this patch, Auriel has received some talent changes to transfer some of the power in her Sacred Sweep ability to her auto attacks. In addition, Auriel’s Ressurect heroic received a slight buff.
- Basic Attack damage increased from 48 to 60
- Sacred Sweep (Q)
- Outer damage reduced from 80 to 75
- Inner damage reduced from 160 to 150
- Resurrect (R)
- Cooldown reduced from 90 to 70 seconds
- Range increased from 4 to 5
With regards to her talent changes, Increasing Clarity still looks like a strong pick at level 1, but the other options are now more enticing. At level 4, Majestic Span and Heavy Burden look like the strongest choices. At level 7, with the nerf to Empathic Link and the buff to both Auriel’s auto attacks and the Energized Cord talent, Energized Cord looks like the best pick.
Auriel still appears to be a strong support choice, assuming you do not need cleanse. As Tempo Storm showed in game 2 of their match against Boom, Auriel’s healing, especially with the Reservoir of Hope talent at level 16, can be extremely powerful.
Tyrael – Nerfed, but still going strong
Tyrael recently emerged as a top tier hero with his recent buffs. As a result, Blizzard has knocked the Archangel of Justice down a few pegs.
- El'druin's Might (Q)
- Cooldown increased from 11 to 12 seconds
- Judgment (R)
- Cooldown reduced from 80 to 70 seconds
- ?Sanctification (R)
- Cooldown increased from 70 to 80 seconds
Tyrael’s arguably most powerful ability, Sanctification, has switched cooldowns with Judgment. The changes will likely not affect the pick rates of the two heroics: Sanctification still remains an extremely powerful heroic, while Judgment is a situational pick. Tyrael also received some talent adjustments. The most notable of these changes was the buff to Horadric Reforging.
Level 4
- Horadric Reforging (Q)
- Cooldown reduction increased from 3 to 5 seconds
With these changes, Tyrael will definitely remain a priority pick in the competitive scene. In Hero League, he may be a little weaker, but do not be afraid to pick him.
Other heroes – minor adjustments to Cho’gall, Gul’dan, Sgt. Hammer, and Stitches
Although the patch made changes to several heroes, everyone’s favorite lane bully Zagara was left untouched. Hopefully, Zagara will get a review in the next patch as her prevalence has increased manifold since her recent rework.
Cho’gall, Gul’dan, Sgt. Hammer, and Stitches received slight buffs. The most interesting change was the decision to make Sgt. Hammer’s level 4 talent Maelstrom Shells (increases Basic Attack range by 20%) a part of her trait. Blizzard plans to apply a more significant rework of Sgt. Hammer in the near future. However, in the meantime, these changes will increase her power slightly. She has already appeared in her first competitive game in months in the Korean Superleague. I would not be surprised to see more Sgt. Hammer in your Hero League games.
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