Critical Tier: three choices that can make or break the perfect Chromie.

Chromie's Choice

Maybe it's only fitting the first article in this strategy series about critical talent tiers features a Hero that breaks the rules when it comes to deciding talents. At level 6, Chromie players have to choose between 3 talents that, in my opinion, are the most crucial to determining how the rest of the game will go for our resident Bronze Dragon Flight member.

Each of these talents is strong in their own right, which is the crux of this discussion. Some tiers are more obvious for certain heroes, but these aren't. Anyone who thinks otherwise is missing the importance of the other talents and likely failing to adapt to the enemy team composition.

To jog your memory, here are Chromies level 6 talents:



Mobius Loop reduces Dragon's Breath's cooldown and Mana cost by 50% but also lowers its damage by 25%.



Dragon's Eye causes Dragon's Breath to deal 25% more damage to all targets standing in the center of its impact.



Chrono Sickness reduces Time Trap's cooldown and Mana cost by 50%. It also causes affected enemies to have their movement speed slowed by 40% for 4 seconds.



All of these talents are viable and a skilled Chromie player will understand when it take one over the other.

3 types of Chromie



Depending on which talent you decide to choose at this critical junction will affect the rest of your build and playstyle. Here are the most popular builds associated with each of these talents"

Mobius Loop

Allows Chromie to use Dragon's Breath must more liberally, increasing wave clear and chance to hit multiple enemies.

More Dragon's Breath means more chances to stall objectives. Very effective on Towers of Doom or Wardhead Junction.

Can be more effective sustained damage against burst damage supports like Uther or Rehgar.

Makes the Deep Breathing level 1 talent much easier to complete.

If you aren't very good at landing Dragon's Breath, this talent is very forgiving. Makes missing less punishing



This build isn't about one-shotting a single target, but instead controlling large amounts of space and hitting multiple heroes with Dragon's Breath for sustained AoE damage. Quantum Overdrive is best paired with Slowing Sands, as it allows you to maximize the moments when a group of enemies is caught in it. This is a reliable build that allows Chromie to consistently deal damage and is ideal for new Chromie Players.

Also, if you manage to finish the Deep Breathing quest by the time you get to level 12 and choose Reaching Through Time, Chromie becomes an absolute siege machine, peppering the enemy with Dragon's Breaths, while safe from any counter play.

More damage! This talent synergizes perfectly with Temporal Loop and threatens major damage to fragile heroes caught in the blast.

With Heroes like Xul or Nazeebo on your team, Dragon's Eye gets immense value thanks to Zombie Wall or Bone Prison. Any form of telegraphed CC is where Dragon's Eye shines the most.

Against sustain-style supports like Brightwing or Auriel, Dragon's Eye gives you the burst damage you need to 1-shot targets later in the game.

Preferred talent choice when going for Sand Blast based builds, as a missed Dragon's Eye still leaves you with empowered Q's to cast.



This build is greedy and allows Chromie to deal max damage. This is the one-shot Chromie build that sacrifices almost all defensive talents. Piercing Sands and Shifting Sands together allow Chromie to reach the 40% extra ability damage threshold easily in a team fight, which makes a Dragon's Eye empowered Dragon Breath deal lethal damage. This is most Chromie players' preferred build (because it is so fun) but it can be risky. There is no safety net. If you miss your abilities, you will be useless.

Chrono Sickness

Mandatory talent if you are planning to choose Andorhal Anomaly at level 19. The amount of CC is insane.

This is a defensive talent that excels against aggressive heroes and flanking heroes like Thrall, Illidan, The Butcher, or even a diving Greymane.

The added slow dooms any Hero caught in a Time Trap during a team fight. The 4 seconds of movement speed slow and visual flair of Time Trap allows for easy focus firing.

More Time Traps = a safer Chromie. Slowed down Heroes = easier targets for said safe Chromie.

Consider this talent when your Chromie pick is threatened and subject to pressure.



In the above build, note the decision to choose Bronze Talons over Piercing Sands. This build is for when you must be on the defensive and expect enemy heroes to be up in your face. Choosing the greedy, long range siege talents against mobile heroes is generally a bad idea, and the guaranteed damage of Bronze Talons combined with the safety of Chrono Sickness allows you hold you own.





Closing



Chromie has never been in a stronger place in the current meta. If you are completely new to the Chromie cult, I suggest trying her on Towers of Doom. She is extremely effective on this battleground and there are multiple opportunities for her to interrupt channeling time and take advantage of natural choke points with Time Trap and Sands of Time.

Just keep in mind how important the level 6 talent tier is. Any of the three choices are powerful, but in order to get max value, your entire talent build should be built around them.

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