PTR balance changes: What's the verdict?

The PTR is opened and I've had the pleasure of testing Blizzard's latest patch. They've included a ton of balance changes (mostly for warriors) and some of them are very effective. Others, not so much. In this feature, I'll go through the biggest changes and see if they accomplished what they were supposed to.

Zeratul

These changes are definitely noticeable. You can't poke extremely safely with Zeratul, nor can you safely set up Void Prison. The auto attack reduction is laughable, but the other two nerfs hurt him very badly. The most impactful of these nerfs is the cast range reduction for Void Prison which makes him much less safe. Not to say he won’t see play, but he’s no longer the highly contested threat he once was. I think these are good nerfs as Zeratul was either banned or picked in almost every competitive game since his rise in popularity.

Verdict: Great nerfs that reduce his safety and utility while keeping his core playstyle, damage, and mobility intact.

Nazeebo

Spider build has been tuned slightly down. This isn't a huge deal since other builds were starting to gain popularity anyways. This just makes build diversity even more appealing on him. It isn't a bad change, but it is a nerf to Nazeebo's main build which will reduce his effectiveness by a bit. He's currently sitting at the number one spot on hotslogs, so this is no surprise.

Verdict: Great change to open up build diversity. Lowers the 'easy' power of spider build.

Tassadar

Tassadar is no longer the safe damage dealer, protector hybrid he once was. Instead he now has a much bigger protecting role. His shield was pretty much universally buffed and is surprisingly effect now at keeping people alive. I wouldn't say he's quite at solo support levels, but he can definitely put out respectable numbers now. The tradeoff though is massive, a huge nerf to his damage capabilities with Archon. I'm not sure such a heavy nerf is warranted, as his shields are much weaker on himself.

Verdict: Great changes to his shield, but heavy damage nerfs will make him a great partner to an assassin, and not much more.

Tyrande

Tyrande, an already popular pick in North America, received universal buffs to both her damage and support builds. The biggest change here is to Shadowstalk which changed from being a rarely used gank tool to a powerful teamfight heal. This is a great change to her supporting abilities and may tip her over to viable solo support but it seems unlikely. I'm surprised that there were no nerfs to her damage to compensate as she can put out decent numbers with her mark and with her stun.

Verdict: Tyrande is tier 1 now 100%. She was already a popular ganker/off support but now with a great teamfight heal and a damage build buff she will see a ton of play.

Chen

Chen's changes are massive, and very interesting. His drinking (arguable his best ability) has been nerfed late game, but slightly buffed early game, several useless talents have been reworked and moved around, and his heroics have had their brew cost removed. Flying kick's speed has been buffed as well which is a nice quality of life buff. I don't think these changes make him better though, as his survivability late game has been nerfed. I don't think this is enough for him to see play, unless his damage build starts performing exceptionally well.

Verdict: While interesting, Chen's changes do little to help the poor panda. He may be viable as a sticky 'burner' that annoys enemies to death, but not much else.

Diablo

Diablo has been out of the meta for a few months now, and these changes may look nice, but I don't think they make a big impact. Increasing his maximum health by such a small amount is almost worse for him, since he was such a huge target for giant killer anyways. His charge range increase is nice, but it seems to just be putting him in dangerous situations faster. The fire stomp buff is so small that it might as well not have happened. In general I do not think these changes are enough to justify a Diablo ever.

Verdict: They wanted to solidify Diablo as the 'gank tank' but he just ends up ganking himself.

E.T.C.

E.T.C.'s changes are a great example of useful buffs to a long dormant hero. The health buffs are nice, yet again only open him up to giant killer, but that's the only one that isn't great. His powerslide is now only .25 seconds off of a Muradin hammer. It might not seem very long but a stun like that feels like an eternity in game. Less mana costs and lower cooldowns means more control in fights, and better health regen and regenerating talents make him much easier to sustain. This addresses most of the primary issues with E.T.C. as he was very difficult to keep alive.

Verdict: Prepare for the (possibly mild) return of E.T.C. as a tournament pick. Universal buffs and a shift in meta may make him a top contender once again.

Johanna and Leoric

We finally get these long awaited nerfs to two of the most powerful tanks in the game. Reducing their utility slightly, and wave clear is a great change that should bring them in line with the other tanks. It might not be quite enough, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Making it more difficult to have them sit in a lane and halt it will definitely make other tank options more appealing.

Verdict: Great, much needed nerfs to their utility and wave clear.

Rexxar

The community feedback was strong, and they listened. You can now control Misha directly with 1. This change is so huge and powerful that I highly recommend you try it for yourself. Being able to directly command which target Misha attacks and where she goes is such a powerful buff that I believe Rexxar is tier 1 or at least close now. This also makes burning rage, bestial wrath, and other bear related talents more powerful since you can more easily dictate how they affect the fight.

Verdict: Being able to control Misha is a huge buff and should not be underestimated. Rexxar will definitely see more play.

Stitches

For awhile, the developers were talking about how they wanted to make Stitches the 'anti-mage tank'. Well they did it. Stitches is incredibly punishing to low mobility, squishy, high ability damage targets. All of his changes are great, specifically his two new level one options. The health increase, again, makes him susceptible to giant killer, but since he's not meant to face auto attackers, it's hardly an issue. His buffs will definitely help him see play, however niche. He isn't up to his former alpha glory, but he's definitely found a spot in the meta.

Verdict: Stitches is absolutely an anti-mage tank. The buffs and changes are great and he will now see play.

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