Yeah, I kinda think it's cool how they completely changed the focus of their game to specific objectives and teamfighting so it's completely different from League and Dota.. But yeah, maybe casual's not the right word.. it's more beginner friendly so it's able to attract casual gamer's easier since they took a lot of the more difficult concepts in other Mobas out.. There's shared exp, No Items, not even last hitting minions for gold which I think is a huge element in other Mobas.. Basically, it's super simple to play which can easily get new comers involved. And maybe at a top level, they'll be able to develop super crazy teamfighting and strategy since they have less things to worry about. Who knows.

And iunno, taking out some of these key elements has a lot of drawbacks to it too. There's a lot of strategy involved when there's split exp and csing, and being on top of all these things and trading damage while still being able to cs, as well as the variety of item paths and all those things make it much more rewarding when you can outplay and outfarm your opponents, imo at least. And you're rewarded for playing well. I feel like the fact that you can't hard carry a game in HotS will make it a lot more difficult when you have bad teammates. Since you can't get too ahead of your opponents, you'll have a much harder time beating them if you have teammates who don't know what they're doing in team fights or get caught out, etc,etc. You'll just end up losing I would think. And it's not like comebacks are impossible in League, it happens all the time.. I would feel like in HotS if you're team is in the lead and they all know what they're doing, they can also easily choke out the opponents and just win straight up lol.

And yeah, the game is fairly new and no one really knows what they're doing and there's no real meta yet so I don't think people would get angry very much lol. Especially since there's no ranked yet (right?). Anyway, maybe it's cause I already played a ton of League so I feel like it's somewhat lacking, just like how a lot of Dota players think League is lacking lol. We'll see how it goes.

I've played like a handful of games during beta, I think my favorite is Valla, she's like an Ashe/Vayne Hybrid lol. Also Nova seems so strong lol. She like almost one shot me with only her ult lol.

So there I was playing tychus this morning, saw that the enemy team had a lot of ranged heroes and thought "Shit can't Q a lot of these guys" so I decided to build grenades. My team was pretty good so I decided to open up a can of woop ass from the get go and never let off of the gas. Ganked a player in bot lane, ran up to mid to clear a wave with a single grenade and ran up to top to start ripping down their buildings, you know, standard tychus shenanigans. When a player on my team spoke.
Them: Tychus, you're a beast. I just wanted to note that.
Me: Hell, it's about damn time.
After the game they added me and I started playing with them and their friends, they're all really cool people. Even met a guy that was ranked diamond level. They all thought I was pretty good as tychus, but then I realized I could level up other heroes to 5 and get 500 gold just like that. Thankfully they were willing to put up with my god awful Diablo play, even though they thought it was decent.

Diablo 5 game first impressions: Pretty team dependent hero, I don't resonate with him at all but he's decent. I'm not sure I fully understand all of his play styles. Mostly I just focused on annoying the enemy team. He can make huge plays with his abilities though, never to be underestimated.
Lili 5 game first impressions: Holy hell bats this hero is good, she's clutch! She has several play styles and they're all good, give her a spin if you want to support. Seriously, she's a big deal on any team she's in if played properly.

Then I had ten thousand gold, and I unlocked Zeratul, let me tell yah some things about Zeratul.
Zeratul 10 game first impressions: I resonate greatly with this hero, I like everything he does. He's like kha'zix, squishy, but stealthy and explosive. I always get his blink cool down first thing, then usually build him around ambush tactics. He's not over powered, but he's really good if played right. Always try to knock your enemies through a loop by coming up with creative ways to weave in and out of combat. Because he's a very rhythmic hero, he really flows. There's nothing quite like seeing a low HP hero hiding behind a wall, just to blink over it and execute them suddenly. Really glad I got this hero, I got "hero of the storm" in four out of my ten games. Which means I got 20 take downs in one life.

Quote from Miccool

Yeah, I kinda think it's cool how they completely changed the focus of their game to specific objectives and teamfighting so it's completely different from League and Dota.. But yeah, maybe casual's not the right word.. it's more beginner friendly so it's able to attract casual gamer's easier since they took a lot of the more difficult concepts in other Mobas out.. There's shared exp, No Items, not even last hitting minions for gold which I think is a huge element in other Mobas.. Basically, it's super simple to play which can easily get new comers involved. And maybe at a top level, they'll be able to develop super crazy teamfighting and strategy since they have less things to worry about. Who knows.

And iunno, taking out some of these key elements has a lot of drawbacks to it too. There's a lot of strategy involved when there's split exp and csing, and being on top of all these things and trading damage while still being able to cs, as well as the variety of item paths and all those things make it much more rewarding when you can outplay and outfarm your opponents, imo at least. And you're rewarded for playing well. I feel like the fact that you can't hard carry a game in HotS will make it a lot more difficult when you have bad teammates. Since you can't get too ahead of your opponents, you'll have a much harder time beating them if you have teammates who don't know what they're doing in team fights or get caught out, etc,etc. You'll just end up losing I would think. And it's not like comebacks are impossible in League, it happens all the time.. I would feel like in HotS if you're team is in the lead and they all know what they're doing, they can also easily choke out the opponents and just win straight up lol.

And yeah, the game is fairly new and no one really knows what they're doing and there's no real meta yet so I don't think people would get angry very much lol. Especially since there's no ranked yet (right?). Anyway, maybe it's cause I already played a ton of League so I feel like it's somewhat lacking, just like how a lot of Dota players think League is lacking lol. We'll see how it goes.

I've played like a handful of games during beta, I think my favorite is Valla, she's like an Ashe/Vayne Hybrid lol. Also Nova seems so strong lol. She like almost one shot me with only her ult lol.

It isn't completely different than League or Dota per say, just more focused on team play. It's definitely more beginner friendly though, which I don't at all perceive as a bad thing. Skilled players are clearly a cut above the rest, I got into a game with this guys Kel'Thas and he was a god among mortals I'll tell you what. But it's nice to know that new players will get a chance to learn before they get constantly shit on in terms of skill and constantly shit on by other players. There's just as much to worry about in this game, it requires more awareness than league does. People are constantly moving around the map, the different maps have objectives that you have to fight around. There isn't a typical lane phase, where you just watch for ganks occasionally and shoot minions when they get low, it's constant action from start to finish. The only time you'll be doing dedicated laning, is if you CHOOSE to do so.

I guess I can see why you think absconding with those mechanics could have drawbacks, but it's definitely subjective. So far I haven't had a single bad experience playing Heroes of The Storm, while the first several hundred games of League are a 50/50 mixture of excitement and getting my nipples peeled off with rusty wire cutters. I'm grateful that this game has no mechanics to reward greedy play, everything rewards team play, which is for the best because it's a team game. The shared exp means that you need to have a game plan, the team needs to be synchronized. If you're constantly grouped up, you'll probably fall back on experience, if you're always split, you'll probably never win big fights. I think you've got it wrong about bad teammates, a few good teammates can play around bad teammates. I've won a few games where we had a teammate that was GODAWFUL and we still pulled through, because as a team our performance was still better. I'm not saying that a bad teammate isn't a hindrance, but it sure as hell isn't the same annoying cluster fuck it is in league.

While I disagree that comebacks "happen all the time" in league, or that they're anything but rare. If you're in the lead in Heroes, it's still an advantage most of the time. Unless the momentum of the battle is swinging in your favor at the time, then you're not truly ahead just that you have an opportunity to get ahead or to deal the killing blow. If the momentum has swung in your teams favor and you failed to capitalize, it swings into the favor of the other team. But if you consistently dominate, they wont be given a win, you'll win for sure. While playing as Zeratul my team has suffocated the enemy team plenty.

There is a ranked mode and there is a meta, it's just not anywhere near as developed. But the more positive player base has less to do with the game being newer and more to do with the fact that the game is a lot less infuriating, there's not a lot to be negative about. Defeat and victory are obviously up to you and your team and a lot less stinging because when you lose you don't feel like as much of your time was wasted. The game purely rewards team play, you gain nothing from greed. One in ten games I get a negative player, and it isn't a big deal, because the games are shorter I don't have to put up with it for long.

Oh man I love Valla players, so ballsy.

I'm downloading HotS now. I'm coming into it with a neutral mindset: I like the item system in League a lot, and last-hitting is something I'm used to and I've mastered. I like that farming minions can give a defensive player a way to get fed if he's up against a more aggressive champion that he can't beat in a fight. Not to mention that items and different builds are a big reason why champs have a lot of replayability, and can be tailored to fit specific playstyles better. Like building Lee Sin full damage and living life hard and fast.

But teamfights are my favorite part of League, and a teamfight-oriented game might be neat. So I'll at least give it a fair shot.

Azmodan: No likey, his damage too low, mobility too low, everything he does someone does better. The only way he hurts for real is if someone is dumb enough to stand around in his destructo-ray. I don't resonate with him at all.
Tassadar: Fucking godly.

Quote from Devour

I'm downloading HotS now. I'm coming into it with a neutral mindset: I like the item system in League a lot, and last-hitting is something I'm used to and I've mastered. I like that farming minions can give a defensive player a way to get fed if he's up against a more aggressive champion that he can't beat in a fight. Not to mention that items and different builds are a big reason why champs have a lot of replayability, and can be tailored to fit specific playstyles better. Like building Lee Sin full damage and living life hard and fast.

But teamfights are my favorite part of League, and a teamfight-oriented game might be neat. So I'll at least give it a fair shot.

Oh I was just refreshing stick page to see if you'd want to hop on. Awesome man, let me know as soon as it's set up I'm doing nothing today.

So after 101 games I feel like I'm getting the hang of it.

Some tips for people trying to get into the game.
1: Map awareness, whenever you have a moment glance at your map.

2: Team play, always be aware of your team, hand in hand with map awareness. Nothing you can do solo can measure up to what can be accomplished as a team.

3: Don't duel illidan. Someone has to be the best duelist, that's just the way it is, in this game it's illidan. He's not OP, he's just the best at what he does.

Posting my battle tag right quick. Feel free to add me or party up.

Damian: Footlong #1108

MY b-tag is Archanine#1212

Quote from Jutsu

So after 101 games I feel like I'm getting the hang of it.

Some tips for people trying to get into the game.
1: Map awareness, whenever you have a moment glance at your map.

2: Team play, always be aware of your team, hand in hand with map awareness. Nothing you can do solo can measure up to what can be accomplished as a team.

3: Don't duel illidan. Someone has to be the best duelist, that's just the way it is, in this game it's illidan. He's not OP, he's just the best at what he does.

I'd say the objective is always more important than laning, and if your team can do it to keep one person in a lane while the others team fight for an objective. Doing that will allow you to contest the objective and get ahead of the other team in xp. Obviously it's completely situational and dependent on both teams composition as well as how far or behind your team is.

I just got Stitches and good lord is he trolly. He's like Thresh on fucking crack and is a much better team player. My end game build makes his hook twice as far as Thresh's can go, able to hook allies to get them out of bad situations, and my heal instantly gives me about 40% health and 15% over time. I go with the teleport at level 20 to compliment my strategy. Hook > Eat > Teleport to my team or inside of my base so the turrets help secure the kill. To make it sweeter, his hit box is so massive he body blocks better than E.T.C.

I also personally believe Sylvanas is a must have on the team. Her lane pressure is so great and her team fighting is just terrific too. She has a lot of survivability with her E (as long as she doesn't get cc'd too much), and her level 20 ult is godly. About 1k damage to everything in the epicenter of her black arrow plus an AoE silence to anything it hits is Jesus level for a team fight and great at securing tough kills. Not to mention her level 17 talent that allows her W to make EVERYONE the disease spreads to vulnerable. I would say her only negative is her mana control. You can blow through mana relatively quickly as her, but I find it a decent balance to solo lane between team fights to either let it regenerate or get some from the globes/healing fountain. Oh, and I believe her health scales better than other assassin's such as Nova and Jaina.

Now that you mention body blocking, has anyone tried creep blocking? It was a must-do in DotA 2 and looks like it help secure a lane win early so you can move on and get to objectives once they open. But given how farming works in this game you might have to zone your lane opponent or risk giving them some quick exp early.

I don't think you can block the minions. You moreso just have to be in lane to get the exp from them. A Sylvanas can probably slow the lane down a lot with her passive that stuns minions if she goes with the talent that makes black arrow last twice as long. She could let her own minion wave build up to a massive amount and whenever she's ready all she would have to do is W a minion and Q them to death.

Another complaint I have is whenever I'm running a Nova+Zeratul comp, no one wants to fucking solo a lane so you have faggots that insist on putting Zertaul in a lane like that's a better idea. Just played a game where ETC and Raynor insisted on staying in lane together. Like, really? ETC Is a tank and Raynor has a lot of survivability. We would've gotten ahead in xp by getting the third lane and would've had easier ganks to get even more xp.

Yeah man when you and I run nova and zeratul I usually end up biting the bullet and doing some psuedo-laning. Basically using cleave to try and freeze my lane, so that I can mount up and do sick nasty double ganks with you.

The trade off is that if we fail to secure the kills, then we fall behind in terms of lane exp. Which sucks, because full on laning with zeratul isn't worth your time. That is to say, there are superior laners.

Just my two cents as a zeratul main.

I play Gazlowe a lot. Anybody heard of the E to 2nd Ult combo?
Basically the stun bomb, then the black hole bomb .5 seconds after your e.
If it works correctly, they will get sucked into the middle and then stunned.

Im not playing for long (or much...) but my tag is MrSkully#1278.

I bought Arthas recently, and damn he is hard to kill sometimes.

At 200 games now, just broke rank 28 with my tag team partner Archanine.

Main: Almost always my first choice in ranked
Zeratul: Jutsu build
Rapid displacement>Focused attack>Follow through>Void Prison>Assassin's blade>Rending cleave>Rewind

I wont profess that this build is totally original, but I find that it gives me maximum assassination potential while still giving me the utility of the immensely useful void prison. Since I sometimes actually use void prison to save allies that are caught out I opt to take Rewind instead of protective prison, especially since rewind let's me one hundred to death a lot of heroes like Jaina and Kael'thas. Which is pretty useful if they get cocky and go solo. It's also really useful end game if I get caught out as I can blink, rewind and then blink again to prevent myself from potentially putting my team in a pickle. This build is very patient, auto>ability>auto>ability>etc for tons of damage. Try to save your blink for escaping after a kill. Feel free blink in to secure kills if you think it'll help your team, or that you'll get away, or if rewind is off cooldown.
Zeratul is easily my best hero right now, I knew for certain yesterday when I went 50/5 in quick match.


Secondaries: Other heroes I use in ranked
Sylvanas: Pretty standard ass Sylvanas.
Lost soul/Barbed arrow>Envenom>Life drain/Remorseless>Wailing Arrow>Splinter shot>Cold embrace>Deafening blast/Fury of the storm/Bolt of the storm.

The traits at seven and twenty are flexible depending if you want more utility, team fight or assassination potential. She's very versatile, that's for certain and she's popular right now for good reason too. She is godlike at pushing lanes and she wrecks with vulnerability in team fights with cold embrace and lost soul on her shadow dagger. Archy likes to use barbed arrow instead of lost soul for more lane pushing power and mercenary camp taking power instead of shadow dagger cool down, but I always start with lost soul.
Even with the recent nerfs to envenom and Wailing arrow I still go for them. Because the kill secure potential is too much to turn down and possession is still a complete waste of your time since she annihilates mercs and minions already. Also wailing arrow has silence, which rules in team fights.


Anubarak: Jutsu AOE
Persistent carapace/Assault scarab>Locust needles>Urticating spines>Locust Swarm>Burning rage>Blood for blood>Hive master

He's good, damn good. This isn't your traditional Anubarak. Most people build scarabs or full tank style. But when I play this I am usually top of the leader board in hero damage and looking at a win screen. The AOE allows him to initiate team fights and do tremendous damage to anyone grouped. Which can lead to the enemy team being crippled or full on dead. For a frame of reference by level 20 his AOE damage can keep up with Lili's Jug of 1,000 cups. I opt for persistent carapace instead of assault scarab if I think lane is going to be rough and I've considered Imposing presence over Blood for blood. But there's something very satisfying about being low life in a team fight and watching your foes reel when you activate blood for blood and heal back up while their cool downs are up.
Honestly my build barely noticed the nerf.

Characters I'm learning: Wouldn't use in ranked; need practice.
Tassadar:
Don't really know how to build this guy yet...I'm so hit and miss with him, some games I destroy while other games I get destroyed. I am in love with archon mode but really wish the talent disruption beam worked while in archon mode. I need to learn him more for sure, especially since he's a hard counter to the immensely popular Keal'thas.

Karrigan: Bought her today
Still not totally sure how to build her either, except for definitely getting sweeping grasp first. For an assassin she has a crazy good initiate, but unlike Zeratul she doesn't have any easy escapes until 20, unless I opt to get adaptation to jump to my allies instead of searing attack. But that would decrease my auto attack damage significantly, which may not matter because in team fights she usually doesn't survive long enough to do many auto attacks. She takes a lot of skill to play, I want her master skin because those colors make me happy in my pants and I find her extremely stimulating to play.

Tyrande: Played four ranked games as her won two
I feel like I resonate with her well, but not as well as the other heroes I use. I have no idea how to build her at all, but I seem to get some decent success with her. She's really good I just need practice with her, I'm not confident with her. Sort of fallen into the background while I've been learning other heroes.

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Jutsu requested that I leave this here as well