Heroes of the Storm Tier List

In this Heroes of the Storm Tier List we provide Hero rankings to give you the best heroes for the current meta. This page will always show the latest Heroes of the Storm Tier List for ranked play, and is designed to rank Heroes in terms of their strength in the current meta and their value in climbing for the majority of players. Although some Heroes are considered niche or balanced, those that aren't Tier S or A shouldn't be considered poor. 

 

 


S Tier

These heroes are often first pick, first ban material and are considered top tier. 

 

Deathwing Guide

Kael'thas guide


A Tier

These Heroes are slightly stronger than average but are still outshined by a few heroes.

Ana Guide

Anduin Guide

Blaze Guide

Chen Guide

Dehaka Guide

E.T.C. Guide

Garrosh Guide

Gul'dan Guide

Hanzo Guide

Imperius Guide

Johanna Guide

Lunara Guide

 

Raynor Guide

Fenix Guide

Leoric Guide

Malfurion Guide

Muradin Guide

Tassadar Guide

Tychus Guide


B Tier

These Heroes are average and typically a solid pick. 

Abathur Guide

Alarak Guide

Alexstrasza Guide

Anub'arak Guide

Arthas Guide

Auriel Guide

Cassia Guide

Deckard Guide

Diablo Guide

Falstad Guide

Genji Guide

Greymane Guide

Hogger Guide

Jaina Guide

Junkrat Guide

Kerrigan Guide

Li Li  Guide

Li-Ming Guide

Lucio Guide

 

Maiev Guide

Mal'Ganis Guide

Malthael Guide

Mephisto Guide

Orphea Guide

 

Qhira Guide

Ragnaros Guide

Rehgar Guide

Rexxar Guide

 

Stitches Guide

 

Stukov Guide

Sonya Guide

Sylvanas Guide

Thrall Guide

 

Uther Guide

 

Whitemane Guide

http://www.tentonhammer.com/guides/heroes-of-the-storm-yrel-build-guide

Yrel Guide

Zarya Guide

Zeratul  Guide

Zul'jin Guide


C Tier

These Heroes are slightly weaker than the average hero but can still get the job done in the right hands.

Arthanis Guide

Azmodan Guide

Brightwing Guide

Chromie Guide

D.Va Guide

Gazlowe Guide

Illidan Guide

 

Kharazim Guide

 

Kel'thuzad Guide

 

Lt. Morales Guide

Medivh Guide

Nazeebo Guide

 

Nova Guide

 

Samuro Guide

 

Sgt. Hammer Guide

T.L.V. Guide

Tracer Guide

Tyrael Guide

Tyrande Guide

Valeera Guide

Valla Guide

Varian Guide

Xul Guide

Zagara Guide


D Tier

Considered weak, these heroes will require more effort than most heroes to be effective.

Cho'gall Guide

Murky Guide

Probius Guide

The Butcher Guide


Tier List Movement ⬆⬇ 

Gazlowe moved to C tier. His rework has given him a less niche kit, allowing him to fight in the thick of things as a bruiser.


Hero Descriptions

More information on your HotS heroes.

S Tier

DeathwingPowerful abiliites, massive healthpool and tons of armor makes Deathwing a huge threat. While his abilities are slow and easy to read, in the heat of a teamfight it is difficult to play around his impactful abilities. Even with heroes that can deal massive damage to high health targets, Deathwing will have four allies that can help peel or kill his enemies.

Kael'thasAble to apply a lot of heat to the enemy team by keeping Living Bombs active on enemies, forcing them to spread out. When your team commits he can follow up with his own stun, turning their world upside down. Don't underestimate the benefit of forcing enemies to play around Living Bombs.

A Tier

AbathurSpecialists, unique playstyle. Global presence through Symbiote hats, strong. Certain maps, S+ tier with correct allies.

Alarak: Alarak brings abilities to reposition enemies and deal shocking burst damage. While he can be played in the solo lane he is often better roaming with his team since he can follow up on CC very well or pull enemies into range of your allies CC.

AnaA sustained healer with long range, able to sit very far from the fight and still influence it greatly. She is a fairly safe healer due to her range, only having to be wary of the most mobile heroes such as Genji and Tracer where she might have to get out of her rocking chair and stand a little closer to the fight to allow her allies to peel for her.

Anduin: Strong sustained healing, a very powerful trait able to save an ally from death, and can follow up on CC with his own root.
BlazeVery strong wave clear and self-sustain. His damage isn't going to set the world on fire, but he can dish out some decent heat. His ability to zone areas through his Oil Spills, can easily force enemies into a disadvantageous fight. A well timed Combustion, or a cleverely placed Bunker, can either wipe the opposition, or save his team. He's a flexible, fun, powerful Hero.

ChenA very annoying hero for enemies to deal with. His consistent damage, paired with his Stagger and Fortifying Brew, allow him to sit on the enemy backline and cause havoc while being very difficult to kill.

DehakaDehaka is always a solid choice, and brilliant in the right hands. His ability to Burrow around to map and soak multiple lanes before he needs to arrive into a team fight, can give your team a sizeable experience advantage. Isolation and Adaptation also provide much needed control and/or survivability, making him a very strong second "tank" on large objective based Battlegrounds.

E.T.C: A very versatile tank that can fit into pretty much every composition. He has self-sustain, a strong engage, peel, armor on demand, a global if needed, etc. (or should I say E.T.C.). 

Garrosh: A fearsome presence in the frontline, able to reposition enemies to either look for a kill or peel for allies. His armor also makes him very difficult to kill for the pitiful races outside the True Horde. 

Guldan: Gul'dan is a high sustained damage mage that has excellent self-sustain and fantastic wave clear. He lacks the burst of Kael'thas, or the snowball potential of Li-Ming, but he makes up for this with steady, continuous output. Horrify can still turn team-fights, and Healthstone/Demonic Circle can get him out of tricky situations.

Hanzo: Hanzo is a strong well rounded ranged DPS that really doesn't have many downsides. He has strong ranged damage from long range, can scout an area with Sonic Arrow, or initiate teamfights with Dragon's Arrow.

ImperiusA strong channeled stun, loads of sustain, high basic attack damage and an amazing Heroic, Imperius is a strong choice. He might lack mobility, but he more than makes up for it in the bruiser role.

JohannaA solid pick in most compositions. Her large healthpool, shield from Iron Skin, and blind through Shield Glare, makes her a very annoying tank to play against. She also has some of the best wave clear of any tank.

RaynorOne of the safest Heroes to draft. The room for error with Raynor is very small. His damage is ridiculous after his rework, his Raider incredibly annoying, and his knockback/heal provides him with a ton of survivability for a ranged assassin.

Fenix: An incredibly versatile kit that allows for high sustain damage, survivability, poke and wave clear. There's little he can't do, and Warp alone allows him to get out of most bad situtations. Can be played in the solo lane due to the sustain of his passive shields.

Leoric: Leoric is a lumbering threat that works incredibly well against high health heroes due to his Drain Hope ability. As the game progresses he can start lowering the enemy team's damage through his Ominous Wraith talent at level 13, or become a monster on the frontline with Spectral Leech.

Malfurion: Malfurion is a solid healer that can fit into basically every composition. His Entangling Roots and string sustained healing, allow him to lock down enemies or keep allies alive, no matter how deep they dive as long as he gives them Regrowth first.

Mei: Mei is a tough to kill tank that can disrupt the enemy team through her slows, blinds, knockbacks and heroics abilities. Jump in to slow down enemy advances or set up opportunities for your team to secure a kill.

MuradinEver the reliable Warrior, Muradin is a solid and safe pick that has few drawbacks. His stun will always have value, while his self-healing ensures he has plenty of sustain when he has to dive back into a team fight. 

TassadarTassadar is a solid ranged assassin, capable of pressuring the enemy team from a very long range. Stay back and poke from a distance, forcing enemies to deal with your consistent damage. He has very low mobility so beware of mobile tanks, which can lock you down.

TychusTychus is still a very strong Hero when it comes to fighting an enemy team with many high health targets. Minigun can quickly rip through any target no matter how large, making him a huge threat to enemies caught within his fairly short range.

B Tier

AlexstraszaDespite her lacking burst healing in human form, Alexstrasza is largely about the potency of her Trait. Make no mistake, it can turn any team fight almost immediately, while granting her the ability to deliver rapid and high healing to her team. Combine this with the bombardment of her Heroic, Cleansing Flame, and she can often carry her team in every single enemy encounter.

Anub'arakA very strong warrior versus spell damage and skillshots due to his spell armor and beetles. Cocoon offers excellent CC to take an enemy out of the fight. Can struggle versus high sustained physical damage.

ArthasStrong self-sustain through Death Coil and Army of the Dead. His root and slow in Howling Blast and Frozen Tempest provide excellent CC. Very low mobility and can struggle to engage or disengage fights.

AurielAuriel is limited slightly by the potency of her supplier. If her partner doesn't supply her with the resources she needs, she will have to pick to the slack, which is not always easy. That said, with a strong supply of energy, she can pump out very strong healing. Her knockback, and Crystal Aegis also have high value against dive and/or high burst compositions.

CassiaWith high sustained damage and high effective health due to her armor, Cassia is a solid choice for most teams. She can strugle aginst CC kill comps but can run rampant against teams with little or no CC.

DeckardAmazing sustain and strong AoE CC. A solid and well rounded healer. He is also fairly tanky for a support due to his passive armor and potions he can throw at his own feet.

DiabloA tank that forces enemies to watch their positioning around walls at all times. With his high health pool, decent sustain, and all-in potential, Diablo is a solid choice for most teams.

Falstad: Although he hasn't seen as much play as he used to, Falstad remains a strong Hero. Mighty Gust will always have value, and his global soak can grant a strong experience advantage. 

GenjiUnrivalled mobility combined with strong burst ensures that Genji is a nuisance to deal with. Waiting for an opportunity to jump on kill targets will leave many enemies scared.

GreymaneWith an incredibly flexible kit, Greymane is as much a safe pick as he is a reliable, powerful one. He can deal strong ranged pressure in Human form, or deal strong burst in Worgen Form. Outside of fights, he can easily clear minion waves or mercenary camps as well as raze buildings very quickly.

Hogger: A beefy bruiser that can deal significant AoE damage to an enemy team. Just be careful not to go too deep with Hogg Wild or you may have difficulty retreating if necessary.

JainaWith fairly unforgiving cooldowns, Jaina relies on following up CC to deal massive burst damage. She has very strong wave clear, allowing your team to be elsewhere.  She often has to get a little too close for comfort to deal her full rotation, but with effective positioning and peels she can deal incredible burst damage.

JunkratFew can compete with Junkrat's poke and area denial. His sustained AoE damage is high, and his RIP Tire can deal some very high burst damage in a fight. Effective use of Concussion Mine can keep Junkrat or his allies alive or set up a kill.

KerriganA risky all-in melee assassin that can deal high burst damage with her E-W combo. Most of her power comes from this combo so make the most of it. 

Li Li: Li Li is a solid healer that is very easy to pick up and play due to having most of her abilities target themselves. She's a safe pick for anyone new to the Healer role, and is a very safe choice that will always perform fairly well, but rarely excels.

Li-Ming: Li-Ming can follow up CC with very high burst, assuming there are no enemies between her and her desired target. She can be difficult to kill due to her Teleport ability which makes her incredibly hard to lock down.

LucioLucio is a very safe healer due to his mobility and Q knockback. While is healing in a fight is fairly low for the targets that need it, he makes up for it by granting his team movement speed, allowing them to avoid damage or reposition.

Lunara: Lunara is a solid pick due to her high sustained damage through her poison. Her poison can deal a ton of damage over time but can struggle to kill enemies due to her lack of burst. This sustained damage allows her to play to pressure enemies out of the fight rather than kill them, which can be just as valuable.

Maiev: Incredible at setting up huge opportunities for her team. Her W tether can quickly pull enemies out of position to set up kills for your team. Drafted alongside Heroes with AOE potency, she can set them up to deal massive AoE damage. Can be S tier in the right hands.

Mal'ganisHis sustain, armor, and mobility is incredible. Mal'ganis struggles to lock down enemies but can easily pressure them with his sustained damage and healing.

MalthaelMalthael is very strong against high health enemy heroes. His auto attack cleave ensures he can clear minion waves and camps easily. Although he has clear counters, and lacks the damage he once had, his AOE potency is still very high. 

Mephisto: Amazing at diving a backline, Mephisto can pressure the enemy team very easily. His Shade of Mephisto allows him to deal strong AoE damage very safely assuming your team keeps enemies away from your return point.

Orphea: Strong burst, amazing sustain, and very mobile as long as you land your Q. Orphea can deal strong sustained damage through her auto attacks, Q and E until she sees a kill opportunity where her W can quickly chunk enemies for a ton of health.

QhiraShe has a high skill floor and ceiling, but in the right hands she is a very powerful melee assassin. High damage, sustain and mobility. Can be A tier in the right hands.

RagnarosWhile decent on any map. Ragnaros really shines on Infernal Shrines. His Molten Core can easy steal about half of the required monions to win the objective, giving your team a sizable lead. 

RehgarEven if he lacks the strongest healing, Rehgar will always be viable due to the damage and utility he brings. His wave clear is weaker than it once was, but he can still deal very high damage through his Lightning Shields and Ghost Wolf lunges.

RexxarA very powerful choice on certain maps such as Dragonshire and Braxis Holdout. A skilled Rexxar player can be incredibly frustrating to deal with. Misha can withstand high punishment, the damage from both Rexxar and Misha adds up quickly over time, and he can solo lane with ease.

StitchesAfter all this time, Stitches and a well-placed Hook can still get that one late game pick to win the game. He lacks CC but can deal decent sustained damage if he can hang out in the thick of things. If Hooks are rarely landed, he can struggle to see the same value as other tanks.

StukovStukov is a solid Support that can lock down an area. His Healing Pathogen, combined with his AOE silence of Lurking Arm can be difficult to deal with. Both of his heroic offer ways to keep enemies back, giving him more space to annoy enemies.

SonyaSonya can deal incredible damage as an off tank, pressuring enemies through her damage and sustain. She is one of the best solo laners if you want to forgo CC and just deal damage.

SylvanasHaving the ability to completely shut down structures will never not be valuable, and on Battlegrounds where there are objectives that push lanes, Sylvanas can end games incredibly quickly. She also has high sustained damage and while not quite as safe as Raynor, can be a solid backline choice.

ThrallA solid solo laner due to his sustain and high single target damage. Thrall is also a powerhouse in teamfights with either Heroic, both able to swing teamfights greatly.

UtherOne of the few heroes that can lock down enemies for over 2 seconds alone, Uther lacks strong sustain but offers excellent burst healing. His armor buff from providing healing, combined with his Trait - especially at level 20 - does ensure he can help his team, even in death. Best chosen against teams that want to dive, have a strong CC combo or which deal high immediate damage.

Whitemane: A unique healer that needs to deal damage to enemy heroes to heal effectively. She can struggle to deal with heavy dive and poke compositions, but is a solid choice in the average fight. Can be a very difficult healer to position properly with.

YrelWhile she is very weak to crowd control, Yrel deals high damage if left unchecked. She can disrupt enemies through her damage, slows and knockback.

Zarya: Zarya offers a ton of sustain to her team through her shields and high damage when she gains enough energy. She is a unique and rewarding hero if played well.

ZeratulHis burst is high and he has excellent mobility. Due to Wormhole now having a short delay before being able to teleport back, he gives enemies some time to react to his damage and look to CC him, making him a strong but not unstoppable hero. 

Zul'jinA very high sustained physical damage assassin that can deal incredible damage if left alone in a fight. Due to his lack of mobility and sustain in a fight, Zul'jin can struggle against heroes that can get on top of him.

C Tier

ArtanisAn all-in Warrior that either triumphs in a team fight, or dies trying. Artanis works well as an off-tank. He requires lots of practice to reliably land his Phase Prism combo, but if you can perfect it and reliably pick out key targets, he can be very difficult to deal with.

AzmodanAzmodan can push a lanes on objective heavy battlegrounds, and a stacked Globe of Annihilation can eat a massive chunk of any Heroes health, but struggles to bring much else to a team.

Brightwing: Brightwing's global travel remains valuable on large Battlegrounds, allowing her to gain a experience advantage. She often struggles to keep her allies alive due to her passive healing nature but can be an annoyance with Polymorph.

ChromieChromie deals sustained damage from afar but can struggle to consistently hit high priority targets. Her lack of mobility makes it difficult to evade dive comps and heroes.

D.Va: D.Va is often chosen for her area denial through Self-Destruct, allowing her to keep enemies away while your team focuses on an objective. Unfortunately, she offers much less than most bruisers outside of Self-Destruct, and can struggle to pressure the enemy team.

GazloweHis rework leaves him an interesting bruiser. Continuing to have annoying turrets but now also an AoE stun and some tankier options to keep himself alive in the middle of fights.

IllidanIllidan in the hands of a skilled player can be a real nuisance. With lots of mobility, self-healing and mitigation versus basic attacks, Illidan can prove useful against compositions which lack mobility or hard crowd control.

KharazimKharazim is a unique healer that can deal some extra damage to help destroy the kill target. While his sustain is fairly low, he can speed up fights through his damage and excels in dive compositions.

Kel'Thuzad: With difficult to execute combos but very high burst, Kel'Thuzad is a very dangerous hero in the right hands. Position safely until its your time to strike to keep yourself alive and deal some serious damage.

Lt. MoralesLt. Morales can be a very strong healer if left alone. Any mobile, dive heavy composition can handle her with ease and her inability to heal multiple targets limits her sustain in a long fight. She has a very low skill ceiling and floor, allowing any player to pick her up and do fairly well.

Medivh: Medivh will always remain niche and difficult to play, requiring not only a smart Medivh player, but also teammates that will follow up your calls. He is a hero that requires a ton of time and effort to be played optimally.

NazeeboA very slow ranged assassin that requires time to stack up and be effective. If he hits level 20, he is a huge threat. 

Nova: Nova is a simple ranged assassin with most of her damage in Snipe. While her mobility is low, she can add some extra burst damage to a kill target but is often overshadowed by other options.

SamuroSamuro is a very challenging hero that deceives enemies through his clones. This can allow him to cause huge chaos in a teamfight or duel almost any hero. Beware of AoE abilities as they can quickly kill his clones and leave him vulnerable.

Sgt. HammerSgt. Hammer has a ton of tools to keep herself alive and with a strong team around her she can pressure most teams easily, while controlling locations with relative ease. Due to her low mobility and most team's desire to chase outside Sgt. Hammer's range, she can struggle to see value, but with a team that can hang out near her, she is very powerful.

The Lost VikingsIn the right hands and on the right maps, TLV can be incredibly oppressive. With this said, they need a ton of micro and a team that knows how to play with them to see value.

TracerHer mobility and damage make her a very annoying hero to play against. While she is difficult to play due to her very low health, she can be very strong in the right hands especially when paired with Tassadar or Malfurion.

TyraelA tank with very little CC, Tyrael brings other things to the table such as shields and Sanctification. He is a often chosen on maps where you want to fight for bosses often such as Cursed Hollow. In just an average fight, he often underperforms, but can allow you to secure areas very well.

Tyrande: Tyrande is a very powerful healer in the right hands but requires her to be able to auto attack consistently to provide healing for her team. This, paired with her low mobility, makes it very difficult for her to consistently heal her team while staying out of danger herself.

ValeeraWith a strong silence, good damage and some minor mobility, Valeera is often annoying rather than a looming threat. She is a great choice for shutting down a high priority target, but will often need her team to help secure kills.

Valla: Valla can deal incredible damage if left alone but due to her very low health pool, she can be very quickly bursted down. Very powerful when on a team that can keep her alive.

VarianWhether you take Taunt, Colossus Smash, or Twin Blades, Varian is a unique bruiser/tank that can fill many different roles. All three playstyles have their own place in compositions.

XulHis team fight potency is limited, due to his very low mobility. However, his lane push is very strong and on small Battlegrounds where he can rotate two lanes quickly, he can often secure a high experience lead. Unfortunately for Xul if he does not have Medivh on his team, he can struggle to close the distance between him and his enemies.

ZagaraZagara can split push effectively, but can struggle to see value in teamfights, due to her low mobility and damage output.

D Tier

Cho'gallCho'gall is a large target that's hard to miss and one that's brought down easily with focused fire. Tychus, Valla, Greymane or Zul'jin can eat chunks out of his health with ease, while any amount of crowd control against him causes him massive problems. If enemies have no damage for him he can cause a ton of chaos, but he has many difficult matchups.

MurkyDue to his insanely low health pool, Murky struggles. He's easy to kill, his damage is only good if players don't prevent his Octo-grab, and as long as you check on his lane and clear it every once in a while, he really can't achieve much. Other heroes have far greater potency, while bringing far greater team-fight value.

ProbiusProbius has amazing lane sustain, but he's also easily killed and very difficult to play well. His setup time for his Pylons is very long, and they are killed very easily. Pylon Overcharge can be oppressive if you ignore his Pylons in the first place, but can struggle to see value otherwise.

The Butcher: The Butcher can deal incredible damage when stacked and left alone, but any CC and he will struggle to stick on a target, making him a sitting duck in the middle of the enemy team. 


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Last Updated: Jan 06, 2021

About The Author

Born and raised in the gaming industry. Adequate Heroes of the Storm player. Spends free time in Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft, and various other games.

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