The dream comp
Falstad, Sonya, Rehgar, Li-Ming, Johanna sounds like a list of top tier heroes but in reality, they're something more. This week Tempest played against the newly formed MVP Miracle and, In both games, Tempest picked identical heroes with nearly identical bans:
And this isn't the first time Tempest have drafted these heroes either. In game 4 of the Super League finals against MVP Black, Tempest drafted Li-Ming, Sonya, and Rehgar. They were unable to draft Falstad due to MVP Blacks ban and the only hero missing is Johanna (which is easily replaced by the equally top tier Muradin).
In game three of their match against eStar during the Summer Championship we can see Tempest again going for a similar "core" of heroes- Li-Ming, Sonya, and Rehgar with Falstad denied by the opponents first pick. This same core was drafted through the Summer Championship grand finals vs MVP Black as well.
When a team that just recently de-throned MVP Black sticks to the same three heroes so frequently, it's time to take notice.
Three golden picks
Looking at the matches and pick rates, a couple things stand out immediately:
- The warrior in this composition is interchangeable as long as they have high survivability and self sustain. E.T.C should be avoided, as Rehgar needs to have the majority of the heals on Sonya.
- Muradin and Johanna are the ideal warrior picks. Hongcono has a pariticularly unique Muradin build that focuses on tons of self sustain and team fight superiority.
- Falstad is often banned or picked and Greymane is the ideal replacement. Both heroes can whittle down the enemy with safe pokes, giving Sonya and Li-Ming opportunities to jump in for the kill.
- The core of the team is Rehgar, Sonya and Li-Ming. The burst damage potential of all of these heroes is insane and Rehgar is simply the best support in the game right now.
- Kael'thas is noticeably absent from Tempest team compositions. He is either banned or rarely picked. When he is picked, the core three heroes always change.
- If you ever have to play against Tempest, you should probably ban Rehgar. The hero is the glue that allows Sonya and Li-Ming to play so aggressive and is often the last bit of burst damage required to activate Li-Ming's Critical Mass.
Try this at home?
We have lived through phases of certain hero dominance (Remember the Tyrande, Raynor and Kael'Thas craze?) and we may be going through one again. Sonya, Rehgar and Li-Ming have everything you want in a Heroes-- they are mobile, punish mistakes easily, and deal tons of damage. Each of these heroes are the sweet spot between sustained and burst damage (or healing) which makes them extremely versatile on almost every battleground.
The next competitive draft your in, give these heroes a shot. I can't promise you will be as good as Tempest, but the inherent power level of these teams should be enough to up your win percentage.
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