The first round of the qualifiers for the Summer Global Circuit concluded Wednesday with Naventic and Tempo Storm landing a spot at the North American Regional at DreamHack Austin in early May. There have been numerous balance updates in the past few weeks, namely the Dehaka patch that not only added a new hero but also balanced out nearly half of the heroes in the game. While some changes were bigger than others, it's definitely causing a noticeable shift in the meta.
Fear the Mosh
The most banned hero was ETC, banned in 7/12 games. This not only by far the most bans any hero saw, but obviously also the most bans on any tank. The next highest tank is Muradin, who was only banned twice. If one thing is certain it's that North America doesn't like to play against ETC as they have a high level of respect for his kit. He's essentially a walking Mosh Pit, and one solid Mosh can turn the tide of a game completely. We did see Stage Dive, his other heroic (yes he has a second heroic) used in the qualifier after it was buffed in the most recent patch. While Mosh Pit is still more of a threat, it makes sense that he was banned so much.
The Big Three
Muradin, Thrall and Greymane were the most contested heroes throughout the first qualifier, being picked or banned in every single game. While these heroes have been top picks for some time, we're seeing them evolve in their usage. For example, Haymaker has been seeing a lot more play with Muradin over avatar. Teams previously avoided Haymaker because it could deny your own team a kill, but a solid Haymaker can decide a fight, and teams have realized this. Thrall and Greymane are great assassins so it makes sense why they would be on top.
Savior of the Templar
There was a point earlier this year where Rehgar was easily the top support after some much-needed buffs. However, Tassadar has seen a major spike in popularity and was only left out of one game. Teams have been running double support with Tassadar, but solo-heal Tassadar has also been seeing a lot more play. He was also the second most banned hero, so there's definitely some newfound respect for him in the North American scene. It's also worth noting that in 12 games he had an 86% winrate.
Dehaka settles in
The newest hero addition to HotS, Dehaka, has seen a noteworthy amount of play and this is a trend that will likely increase in the future. It's definitely worth pointing out that he was played in 6/12 of the first qualifier games, unsurpisingly as he's a strong warrior with some unique mechanics. His drag ability, if used correctly, is almost a guaranteed kill and his global presence is a major threat. On top of this, his sustain is outstanding and he can tank some fights without heals entirely. Teams are running him as a solo tank and it will be interesting to see how he is utilized even further in future.
There's a new specialist in town
Earlier this year Zagara had a 100% pick/ban rate and was easily regarded as the top specialist. With recent updates to Sylvanas' kit, including her completely reworked Mind Control heroic ability, she's seeing a lot more play. Her ability to completely disable structures is key and can really help with a push, especially with a boss. She's seen a rise in popularity with the next most contested specialist being Xul.
The mage conundrum
Jaina was previously a highly-contested hero, but she's fallen out of favouri in a big way and was only picked in one game in the first qualifier. Li-Ming is consistently seeing a lot of play which makes sense with her ability to put out insane amounts of damage. Look out though, there's an old tired mage making an appearance again - Kael'thas. He's had so many reworks lately and has been a lower tier assassin for some time, but recent changes to his health pool, range and damage potential have made him very powerful once again. While he's not on the level of Li-Ming yet, he's definitely on the rise, so don't be shocked if he starts seeing a lot more play.
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