Right now there are two clear ranged assassins at the top of the professional meta game, Tychus and Li-Ming. Both are extremely strong heroes that are seeing picks or bans in almost every game. So the question is, which one is the best? The answer is not as clear-cut as you might think.

Tychus

What makes Tychus so strong in the current meta game? The things that make him stand out are his:

Tank Busting

Tychus is one of the few true tank shredders in the warrior meta we are seeing right now. His trait Minigun rips through tanks. This allows him to focus warriors which is generally something you don’t want to do. There are Giant Killers, and there is Tychus. He is on a whole other level of warrior killing.

Single Target and AOE

Tychus does incredibly high amounts of single target damage. He has some of the highest attack speed in the game which paired with his trait and Drakken Laser Drill allow him to burn single targets quicker than anyone.

What most players don’t realize is that he can also provide a ton of AOE damage as well. With Frag Grenade, Odin, and the Spray ‘N’ Pray and Armor Piercing Rounds talents he can potentially become a full team wiper. Don’t underestimate his potential for either type of damage.

Two Viable Heroics

Even though we are starting to see it more often, Tychus is still one of the minority of heroes with two viable heroic abilities. Drill is used to focus down single targets and zone, while Odin is used to blow up squishies and do massive AOE damage. Depending on the enemy team and game you are playing in particular you can choose either heroic.

Build Versatility

As mentioned above Tychus has a couple of different builds, but within these builds he also has some talent choices. At level 1 he can choose to have movement speed or basic attack range after he dashes, and he can even choose to dash more frequently. Each talent is viable and it is really situational and based on preference.

At level four the choice is generally between The Bigger They Are and In The Rhythm. The former giving you more damage to higher health targets and the latter giving you longer duration on your trait. Both are solid and really depend on how much you think you will be able to freely basic attack. If you can basic attack without interruption often than In The Rhythm should be your choice. If you can’t, and you are dealing with a really hard to kill warrior running at you The Bigger They Are might be the best choice to soften that warrior up more quickly. Either way, both are solid choices.

Levels 10-20 are really where you have to decide which Tychus you want to be. From here on out you have to decide on single target tank busting, or AOE squishy killer. For the single target build, take Drakken Laser Drill, That’s The Stuff, and Sizzlin’ Attacks. For AOE damage, take Commandeer Odin, Spray ‘N’ Pray, Lead Rain for utility or Armor Piercing rounds for more damage, and finally Big Red Button to truly rain down the pain on those squishy targets.

Fits any Composition

Tychus can truly work in any composition. He is one of the few DPS that can take care of himself. His wave clear is great, his damage potential is high, and he is versatile enough that he can be a strong pick with any team and against any team.

Li-Ming

So now we need to look at what makes Li-Ming so special? Here are the reasons:

Burst Damage

Li-Ming has some of the highest burst potential in the game. Magic Missiles, Arcane Orb, and Disintegrate are a deadly combo that can quickly delete targets. You combine this with her Critical Mass passive and Calamity and you get a ton of damage in a short amount of time.

Poke

Li-Ming also excels at poke damage. The same abilities that can be used for burst can be used to chunk enemies out at objectives to push them off. She does just as well staying safe and poking as going for huge reset kill sprees. She has some of the highest range abilities in the game which can be a huge advantage if you position properly.

Two Viable Heroics

Just like Tychus Li-Ming has two viable heroics. Disintegrate adds crazy long-range, AOE damage potential whereas Wave of Force provides peel and pick potential. Disintegrate works in almost any scenario where Wave of Force is a little more specific to countering dive compositions, but it can also be taken if you feel more comfortable with it. Neither is bad, they just do very different things.

Build Diversity

Again this is a similarity between the two heroes. Li-Ming has the edge on Tychus in this category. On every talent tier, you have a choice of what Li-Ming you want to be. There is a build for single target Magic Missile damage, a Teleport build that is more on the defensive side, and a full damage glass cannon build. You also aren’t restricted to these three builds. You can mix and match talents as you see fit to tailor her to your playstyle. The possibilities are basically endless on this hero and she truly is a great example of build diversity.

So which hero is better? There is not a yes or no answer to the question. The answer is it depends on the situation. Does the enemy team have a double or triple warrior comp? Then it is probably best to go with Tychus. Does the enemy only have one warrior and are you on a map that requires poke? You probably want to go with Li-Ming. Tychus may have a higher win rate, but on highly skilled players Li-Ming can carry games. Both have high upsides and both are great in many scenarios. So the question is: Who will you choose?