EsportsJohn Profile Blog Joined June 2012 United States 4833 Posts Last Edited: 2016-05-06 15:38:34 #1 Greymane

First Impressions

Analysis and Pro Opinions by EsportsJohn



”Like most Gilneans, Genn Greymane is afflicted by the lycanthropic Worgen curse. Though he feels at fault for his people’s ill fate, he has embraced his inner beast without giving in to its feral nature. On the field of battle, Greymane relies on the marksman’s cunning to set up his targets and the beast’s savagery to pounce with deadly speed and accuracy. Now he leads his pack as both their alpha and their king.”





This week Blizzard continued their trend of creating new and innovative Heroes that are unlike anything they have done so far. Greymane was highly anticipated coming into the Nexus as the first Hero with two different forms, Human and Worgen. In Human form, he is a ranged Assassin with decent poke used to whittle his opponents down before taking up the role of a melee Assassin in Worgen form, leaping in and finishing them off. His duality gives him a high skill cap for outplays while dodging in and out of combat as well as a lot of potential for ingenuity in his talent builds and play style. While this design is new for Heroes of the Storm, the idea is fairly similar to Nidalee in League of Legends, so players who are familiar with the Champion shouldn’t have a difficult time adjusting to Greymane.



As is standard for new Heroes, he saw a lot of usage during his inaugural week which perhaps skewed his win rate negatively, leaving it at a meager 40% on HOTS Logs. It appears he may be a bit undertuned like most of Blizzard’s recent Heroes, but one thing definitely stands out: he is a lot of fun to play. Let’s take a closer look at Greymane and see what he’s all about.







Strengths

High burst damage



Several gap closers



Ranged vs melee versatility



Good wave clear





Weaknesses

Vulnerable to CC



No self-sustain



No escape outside of Disengage



No utility or CC



Dependent on bursting Heroes down quickly









Abilities

Trait

Curse of the Worgen

Use certain abilities to shift between a Human and a Worgen. While Human, your basic attack is ranged. While Worgen, your basic attack is melee but deals 40% more damage.



Basic Abilities (Human Form)

Gilnean Cocktail (Q)

Hurl a flask that does moderate damage to the first enemy hit and explodes for massive damage to enemies in a cone behind.



Inner Beast (W)

Gain 50% attack speed for 3 seconds. Basic attacks refresh this duration.



Darkflight (E)

Shapeshift into a Worgen and leap at an enemy dealing heavy damage.



Basic Abilities (Worgen Form)

Razor Swipe (Q)

Swipe towards the area in front of you and deal heavy damage.



Inner Beast (W)

Gain 50% attack speed for 3 seconds. Basic attacks refresh this duration.



Disengage (E)

Roll away and shapeshift into a Human.



Heroic Abilities

Go for the Throat (R)

Leap at an enemy Hero and shapeshift into a Worgen, slashing 3 times for massive total damage. If this kills them, this ability can be used a second time within 10 seconds for free.



Marked for the Kill (R)

Shapeshift into a Human and fire a shot hitting the first enemy Hero for moderate damage. For 5 seconds, they are Vulnerable, taking 25% more damage, and you can re-activate to leap at them and shapeshift into a Worgen.







Greymane is unique in that he has two sets of abilities and two distinct playstyles, either a Human-centric poke style or an in-your-face Worgen style, both of which have plenty of flexibility in talent choices. His Trait Curse of the Worgen is basically just an explanation that he can switch between forms; in Worgen form, he deals a whopping 40% more damage but puts himself in the middle of the fray while Human form offers more safety by allowing him to poke at a long range.



To switch between forms, Greymane can use Darkflight/Disengage. When someone is low, he activates Darkflight to pounce on his enemies as a Worgen and shred them to pieces. Conversely, when he finds himself in trouble as a Worgen, he can use Disengage to roll away to safety while transforming back into a Human. Be careful though! There is a 6 second cooldown between switching forms, so think twice before jumping in recklessly.



Aside from his obvious shapeshifting abilities, the other thing that pointedly sticks out when first playing Greymane is that he has a ghastly attack speed. However, this issue is solved by Inner Beast, which increases his attack speed by 50% and can be kept up indefinitely with auto attacks. Keeping the combo up can be a fun mini-game for players and is very important for making sure he deals the maximum amount of damage in fights, but if he loses it, he is vulnerable for a period of time until it comes back up again. Talents like Wolfheart and Viciousness at Level 1 can help him maintain the combo for longer periods of time.



Greymane’s Q functions in two different ways depending on which form he is in. In Human form, Gilnean Cocktail serves as a long range AoE poke and waveclear. Upgrades to the Cocktail like Incendiary Elixir and Concentrated Blast increase its utility as well as damage, making it popular for more poke-oriented builds. In Worgen form, he gains access to Razor Swipe, which he can use to deal additional damage to his enemies or reposition himself during a fight. Combining Disengage with the dash from Razor Swipe and talents like Running Wild or Unfettered Assault, he can put a lot of space between him and his opponent or likewise use it as a strong gap closer for the kill.



Out of his Heroics, Go for the Throat has emerged as the go-to talent because of its ease and accessibility. In addition, the resets can allow him to decimate the back line for an easy team wipe. Marked for the Kill can be used to pick off fleeing targets, but the bullet is slow and easy to dodge, making it rather underwhelming for a Heroic with a 60 second cooldown. However, in the right circumstances, it can actually do more damage than Go for the Throat, so it can still be considered viable. Due to some weird shapeshifting rules, the transformation between Worgen and human form through his Heroics are free but reset the cooldown of his E when used. This means that using Darkflight before leaping results in some free extra damage that can be exploited in 1v1 scenarios.







Talents



Continuing their trend with Lunara, Blizzard has released yet another Hero with a fairly versatile talent tree. Because Greymane has two different forms, players can choose whether to build into more of a Worgen or Human playstyle, or even find a balanced approach that empowers both forms. The two most common builds right now are a Human poke build centered around upgrading Gilnean Cocktail and a Worgen build that relies on close-combat fighting and auto-attacks.



Perfect Aim, Draught Overflow, Incendiary Elixir, and Concentrated Blast all synergize together to make his Q a powerful poking tool in the late game. Combined with Quicksilver Bullets and On the Prowl, Greymane can be played as a ranged Assassin who can poke and kite like Valla. The Level 20 talent Hunter’s Blunderbuss also gives his Human form huge splash damage in a cone behind the initial target, giving him outstanding wave clear and big team fight damage.



The build that focuses more on Worgen form will take talents like Wizened Duelist and Visceral Attacks to dramatically increase the damage output in Worgen form coupled with more defensive talents like Thick Skin and Relentless Predator to keep Greymane going during his onslaught. Going for a middle-of-the-road build by talenting into Human range as well as some defensive Worgen traits can also be viable depending on the situation.



In the end, it’s up to the player to decide how they want to play Greymane, and there are plenty of viable talents to choose from along the way. Perhaps the only questionable talent choices are his Heroic upgrades at 20, Unleashed and Gilnean Roulette, which only help him win more. Otherwise, the sky’s the limit!







Professional Opinions

On Kit, Design and Implementation:



SolidJake, Caster Greymane easily has one of the most fun kits in the entire game. Being the first Hero to have a true "second stance" and having five basic abilities gives him rather dynamic gameplay. Fun to play and hard to master is a very obvious fact when you first start playing as Greymane, and honestly, no matter how hard I feed in Quick Match, I always have a blast with the Hero! Not to mention the fact that I'm a Worgen player in WoW, Greymane really just feels perfect as a hybrid Hunter / feral Worgen. Greymane easily has one of the most fun kits in the entire game. Being the first Hero to have a true "second stance" and having five basic abilities gives him rather dynamic gameplay. Fun to play and hard to master is a very obvious fact when you first start playing as Greymane, and honestly, no matter how hard I feed in Quick Match, I always have a blast with the Hero! Not to mention the fact that I'm a Worgen player in WoW, Greymane really just feels perfect as a hybrid Hunter / feral Worgen.



Cooby, Caster Greymane's kit is quite unique compared to any other Hero out right now, making him very exciting to play and mess around with. Blizzard has done a good job balancing strength and mobility with this Hero. Very strong given the right opportunities, but

can also be a huge liability. Diving in with this Hero always feels like a weighed out decision that can tip the fight in your team's favor given the correct timing or could spell out certain death if the proper abilities have been saved by your opponents. I thoroughly enjoy that he genuinely feels like he could be built a few different ways, so if the enemy team appears to have

countered your pick with the right amount of CC or anti auto attack abilities/traits, there are still options available.



I'm expecting that Wolfheart, On the Prowl, and the AA upgrades at 20 will be mandatory/always picked. Relentless Predator (75% CC reduction) is tied for the strongest version of Relentless (aside from Unstoppables) and will be the only way he survives late game fights

in Worgen form, expect to see that in those builds. Greymane's kit is quite unique compared to any other Hero out right now, making him very exciting to play and mess around with. Blizzard has done a good job balancing strength and mobility with this Hero. Very strong given the right opportunities, butcan also be a huge liability. Diving in with this Hero always feels like a weighed out decision that can tip the fight in your team's favor given the correct timing or could spell out certain death if the proper abilities have been saved by your opponents. I thoroughly enjoy that he genuinely feels like he could be built a few different ways, so if the enemy team appears to havecountered your pick with the right amount of CC or anti auto attack abilities/traits, there are still options available.I'm expecting that Wolfheart, On the Prowl, and the AA upgrades at 20 will be mandatory/always picked. Relentless Predator (75% CC reduction) is tied for the strongest version of Relentless (aside from Unstoppables) and will be the only way he survives late game fightsin Worgen form, expect to see that in those builds.



Snitch, Team Dignitas In terms of kit and design, I think Greymane is excellent. His abilities feel fluid in terms of both animations and gameplay - everything ties together really well, and I think Blizzard captured the feeling of shifting between a Human and a Worgen extremely well. What he lacks in CC, he definitely makes up for in mobility and damage, and a well protected Greymane or even one who just picks the perfect time to go in can be a massive threat and quickly secure a teamfight win. On top of this, his Gilnean Cocktail gives him not only solid wave clear, which is very important and prioritised on smaller maps, but also amazing poke in the late game, especially with the combination of his 4, 7 and 16 talents. I think Blizzard really captured the feel of the character with him being a strong ranged presence until that moment when you want to wolf out and just slaughter everyone.

In terms of kit and design, I think Greymane is excellent. His abilities feel fluid in terms of both animations and gameplay - everything ties together really well, and I think Blizzard captured the feeling of shifting between a Human and a Worgen extremely well. What he lacks in CC, he definitely makes up for in mobility and damage, and a well protected Greymane or even one who just picks the perfect time to go in can be a massive threat and quickly secure a teamfight win. On top of this, his Gilnean Cocktail gives him not only solid wave clear, which is very important and prioritised on smaller maps, but also amazing poke in the late game, especially with the combination of his 4, 7 and 16 talents. I think Blizzard really captured the feel of the character with him being a strong ranged presence until that moment when you want to wolf out and just slaughter everyone.



Cris, Team Liquid I love his design a lot. Being able to play him as a ranged Assassin and being able to finish people off by turning into a melee Assassin and jumping on my opponent is exactly what I like to play. Back when I played League of Legends, I mostly played Nidalee, which does basically the same as Greymane. From the beginning, I knew it was gonna be a Hero that fits me. Sadly, he is kinda undertuned and just not as strong as other Heroes in the current meta. His laning phase and trade potential during laning phase can be really

strong, especially against Heroes without sustain or defensive abilities. The longer the

game goes, the weaker he starts to feel, you have to very patient with your Worgen form,

otherwise you might die instantly. I love his design a lot. Being able to play him as a ranged Assassin and being able to finish people off by turning into a melee Assassin and jumping on my opponent is exactly what I like to play. Back when I played League of Legends, I mostly played Nidalee, which does basically the same as Greymane. From the beginning, I knew it was gonna be a Hero that fits me. Sadly, he is kinda undertuned and just not as strong as other Heroes in the current meta. His laning phase and trade potential during laning phase can be reallystrong, especially against Heroes without sustain or defensive abilities. The longer thegame goes, the weaker he starts to feel, you have to very patient with your Worgen form,otherwise you might die instantly.



Equinox, Free agent I like that they're trying to move into the form swap type Heroes like they have in league (Nidalee). I think they made a pretty big mistake by not giving any synergy between the two kits. His Cocktail doesn't enhance his Worgen form at all and it's a very unrewarding skill-shot to hit. I think it needs to enhance the leap range or damage you deal to the enemy in Worgen form once you hit your Cocktail and it'd feel much better overall.



His passive (Curse of the Worgen) is just how his form interacts. Worgen deals more damage but is melee and Human deals base damage but is ranged. I like this idea, however I think they need to add some passive movement speed or HP gain when swapping into Worgen form. He needs something other than just damage to make him able to fulfill the role of finisher because you won't always be able to finish instantly.



His Q (Gilean Cocktail/Razor Swipe) feels very underwhelming from both forms. His Cocktail is a super underwhelming skill-shot that does low damage and doesn't have any after effect to it. The Swipe is ok, a small dash that deals some damage, it does feel a lot more impactful than the Cocktail. I really want to see his Cocktail have an influence on your Worgen form, it's just kind of there right now and doesn't really fit into his theme at all.



His W (Inner Beast) feels good, I love the mechanic of it constantly resetting off of autos and, coupled with the lvl 1 talent Wolfheart, it's a very constant buff. It makes him able to bust tanks because of his high base damage on his auto's (in wolf form) and makes his attack move very fluid in Human form. It also becomes an even more powerful ability when you get the On the Prowl talent at 13. Having some form of movement speed boost on this Hero is so impactful in being able to play him.



His E (Darkflight/Disengage) is fluid and gives him a gap closer, an escape, and has a low mana cost. The only thing I dislike about this ability is that you can't instantly disengage when going into wolf form, I think they should have separate CDs. Both the jump and the disengage feel good to use -- they aren't super clunky or slow and they both play a part in his kit even though his Human form is pretty underwhelming.



His Heroics (Go for the Throat/Marked for the Kill) are ok. One of them is really strong, the other feels extremely weak. Go for the Throat is a gap closer, unstoppable, and finisher (with a reset) all in one. It fulfills his role as a finisher and gives you strong kill potential on squishies. Marked for the Kill feels extremely underwhelming, there definitely needs to be a reward for jumping on the marked target like a burst of damage or a stun/slow, something other than just the base leap. The level 20 upgrades for both of these are very niche and don't really help besides out of those niche scenarios that may happen. Overall, Go for the Throat is just a much better Heroic and goes with your role much better than Marked for the Kill. I like that they're trying to move into the form swap type Heroes like they have in league (Nidalee). I think they made a pretty big mistake by not giving any synergy between the two kits. His Cocktail doesn't enhance his Worgen form at all and it's a very unrewarding skill-shot to hit. I think it needs to enhance the leap range or damage you deal to the enemy in Worgen form once you hit your Cocktail and it'd feel much better overall.His passive (Curse of the Worgen) is just how his form interacts. Worgen deals more damage but is melee and Human deals base damage but is ranged. I like this idea, however I think they need to add some passive movement speed or HP gain when swapping into Worgen form. He needs something other than just damage to make him able to fulfill the role of finisher because you won't always be able to finish instantly.His Q (Gilean Cocktail/Razor Swipe) feels very underwhelming from both forms. His Cocktail is a super underwhelming skill-shot that does low damage and doesn't have any after effect to it. The Swipe is ok, a small dash that deals some damage, it does feel a lot more impactful than the Cocktail. I really want to see his Cocktail have an influence on your Worgen form, it's just kind of there right now and doesn't really fit into his theme at all.His W (Inner Beast) feels good, I love the mechanic of it constantly resetting off of autos and, coupled with the lvl 1 talent Wolfheart, it's a very constant buff. It makes him able to bust tanks because of his high base damage on his auto's (in wolf form) and makes his attack move very fluid in Human form. It also becomes an even more powerful ability when you get the On the Prowl talent at 13. Having some form of movement speed boost on this Hero is so impactful in being able to play him.His E (Darkflight/Disengage) is fluid and gives him a gap closer, an escape, and has a low mana cost. The only thing I dislike about this ability is that you can't instantly disengage when going into wolf form, I think they should have separate CDs. Both the jump and the disengage feel good to use -- they aren't super clunky or slow and they both play a part in his kit even though his Human form is pretty underwhelming.His Heroics (Go for the Throat/Marked for the Kill) are ok. One of them is really strong, the other feels extremely weak. Go for the Throat is a gap closer, unstoppable, and finisher (with a reset) all in one. It fulfills his role as a finisher and gives you strong kill potential on squishies. Marked for the Kill feels extremely underwhelming, there definitely needs to be a reward for jumping on the marked target like a burst of damage or a stun/slow, something other than just the base leap. The level 20 upgrades for both of these are very niche and don't really help besides out of those niche scenarios that may happen. Overall, Go for the Throat is just a much better Heroic and goes with your role much better than Marked for the Kill.



On Professional Play and Meta Changes:



SolidJake, Caster Absolutely! Although I don't think he's a new first pick Assassin like Kael'Thas exactly. Greymane has incredible kill potential, and a patient Greymane player can really punish out of position Heroes. But Greymane does have his weakness. While in Human form, Greymane is rather vulnerable with no real defensive abilities, and in Worgen form he has to be wary of chain stuns as they will often lead to his death rather quickly.



Greymane is a rather interesting Hero because, of the pro players I have spoken to, they all seem to be rather split as to whether or not he is viable. In the end, I definitely think he will see play in all regions. Absolutely! Although I don't think he's a new first pick Assassin like Kael'Thas exactly. Greymane has incredible kill potential, and a patient Greymane player can really punish out of position Heroes. But Greymane does have his weakness. While in Human form, Greymane is rather vulnerable with no real defensive abilities, and in Worgen form he has to be wary of chain stuns as they will often lead to his death rather quickly.Greymane is a rather interesting Hero because, of the pro players I have spoken to, they all seem to be rather split as to whether or not he is viable. In the end, I definitely think he will see play in all regions.



Cooby, Caster I don't really see Greymane as being a 'region specific'-type pick. He will certainly suffer in this current meta overall considering that he doesn't bring any kind of crowd control or self sustain to the table like the other popular melee Assassins (Sonya, Thrall). He may fit in as a Raynor substitute for some teams (if built range), considering his AA damage is just as high and provides a bit more mobility at the cost of survivability (Adrenaline Rush). I don't really see Greymane as being a 'region specific'-type pick. He will certainly suffer in this current meta overall considering that he doesn't bring any kind of crowd control or self sustain to the table like the other popular melee Assassins (Sonya, Thrall). He may fit in as a Raynor substitute for some teams (if built range), considering his AA damage is just as high and provides a bit more mobility at the cost of survivability (Adrenaline Rush).



Snitch, Dignitas I think it's likely we'll first see him appearing in Europe, mainly because the teams there tend to be a little more creative and flexible with their drafting, but it's definitely possible to see him in other regions - for example, since I believe Greymane is one of the first Heroes that has a high skill cap and can be incredibly rewarding to mechanical players, it's very plausible for Korea to pick him up and showcase him as a dominant pick. I think it's likely we'll first see him appearing in Europe, mainly because the teams there tend to be a little more creative and flexible with their drafting, but it's definitely possible to see him in other regions - for example, since I believe Greymane is one of the first Heroes that has a high skill cap and can be incredibly rewarding to mechanical players, it's very plausible for Korea to pick him up and showcase him as a dominant pick.



Cris, Team Liquid I could see him being viable somewhere in the future, but he won't find too much of a place in the current meta. He is a bit too weak. He can fit into burst team comps, but right now there is no reason to pick him over any other ranged Assassins that provide a lot burst. I heard that Korea is already trying him out in some really interesting comps, which I really want to try out as well. I could see him being viable somewhere in the future, but he won't find too much of a place in the current meta. He is a bit too weak. He can fit into burst team comps, but right now there is no reason to pick him over any other ranged Assassins that provide a lot burst. I heard that Korea is already trying him out in some really interesting comps, which I really want to try out as well.



Equinox, Free agent I can see him popping up in EU or NA. You can draft his counters away and play him in a flank/roam style, which is strong against the meta squishies atm. He's not a "pick every game" Hero like KT, Sonya, Thrall, stuff like that, but he is viable in the right drafts/playstyles. Like I mentioned before, he's a finisher and finishers can be good in the current meta due to how low people can get in teamfights. I can see him popping up in EU or NA. You can draft his counters away and play him in a flank/roam style, which is strong against the meta squishies atm. He's not a "pick every game" Hero like KT, Sonya, Thrall, stuff like that, but he is viable in the right drafts/playstyles. Like I mentioned before, he's a finisher and finishers can be good in the current meta due to how low people can get in teamfights.







On Map and Composition Viability:



SolidJake, Caster Considering Greymane has absolutely no self sustain, he needs big heals. Medic sticks out as a great option (especially with Stim Drone), Uther with D. Shield, and Kharazim to push forward with him and offer an excellent Divine Palm. But as for full blown compositions, I just think he needs a dive buddy, a Warrior in the front line to assist keeping him alive when he decides to go ham.

The nice thing about Greymane is you can play a Gilnean Cocktail build, ranged auto attack build, or Wizened Duelist Worgen build. His talents are beautifully designed and offer him some fantastic options based on the composition the team has drafted.



In the end, I think the biggest factor keeping Greymane from being an absolute top tier pick is the 6 second cooldown on Disengage. Committing to Worgen form seems to often lead to your own death, even if you manage to kill your initial target. 6 seconds seems like a lifetime when you go in for that massive Worgen damage. But his potential is certainly there, and I can't wait to see him played at the top level. Considering Greymane has absolutely no self sustain, he needs big heals. Medic sticks out as a great option (especially with Stim Drone), Uther with D. Shield, and Kharazim to push forward with him and offer an excellent Divine Palm. But as for full blown compositions, I just think he needs a dive buddy, a Warrior in the front line to assist keeping him alive when he decides to go ham.The nice thing about Greymane is you can play a Gilnean Cocktail build, ranged auto attack build, or Wizened Duelist Worgen build. His talents are beautifully designed and offer him some fantastic options based on the composition the team has drafted.In the end, I think the biggest factor keeping Greymane from being an absolute top tier pick is the 6 second cooldown on Disengage. Committing to Worgen form seems to often lead to your own death, even if you manage to kill your initial target. 6 seconds seems like a lifetime when you go in for that massive Worgen damage. But his potential is certainly there, and I can't wait to see him played at the top level.



Cooby, Caster Map-wise, anywhere skirmish-based fighting is strong, he could excel (think Dragon Shire), but I don't think it’s enough to put him over the edge to be picked frequently. Composition-wise, I'm excited to see if he offers a bit of flexibility in drafting. Picking him fairly early in a draft could force some response (CC to control him) and then your response as a Greymane player would be to build him in a ranged style. This flexibility could give competitive teams that practice him a bit more strength in drafting, which is always fun to see. Map-wise, anywhere skirmish-based fighting is strong, he could excel (think Dragon Shire), but I don't think it’s enough to put him over the edge to be picked frequently. Composition-wise, I'm excited to see if he offers a bit of flexibility in drafting. Picking him fairly early in a draft could force some response (CC to control him) and then your response as a Greymane player would be to build him in a ranged style. This flexibility could give competitive teams that practice him a bit more strength in drafting, which is always fun to see.



Snitch, Dignitas I don't think there are maps in particular where Greymane is strong, as he's mainly a strong laner in either a solo or a trilane, which is something valued on every map. However, he does bring wave clear with his Gilnean Cocktail in the early game, similar to Kael'thas' Flamestrike, so I think he could see play on Dragon Shire or Tomb of the Spider Queen as part of the 4 man clear style with a Leoric or something similar. Generally, I'd expect him to fill the role of a ranged Assassin when drafted, as his general playstyle is very ranged focus until you all in with the wolf, but he might fill the flex/melee Assassin slot as an additional damage dealer. I don't think there are maps in particular where Greymane is strong, as he's mainly a strong laner in either a solo or a trilane, which is something valued on every map. However, he does bring wave clear with his Gilnean Cocktail in the early game, similar to Kael'thas' Flamestrike, so I think he could see play on Dragon Shire or Tomb of the Spider Queen as part of the 4 man clear style with a Leoric or something similar. Generally, I'd expect him to fill the role of a ranged Assassin when drafted, as his general playstyle is very ranged focus until you all in with the wolf, but he might fill the flex/melee Assassin slot as an additional damage dealer.



Cris, Team Liquid He probably works on any map, since his laning is decent and he provides waveclear as well. When it comes to compositions, I see him being viable in high all in burst compositions or in compositions that support his ranged form a lot. His late game autoattacks with Executioner and the human splash damage can do some work. He probably works on any map, since his laning is decent and he provides waveclear as well. When it comes to compositions, I see him being viable in high all in burst compositions or in compositions that support his ranged form a lot. His late game autoattacks with Executioner and the human splash damage can do some work.



Equinox, Free agent He's good in comps with Uther and a Hero you can flank with like Jaina, Valla, or your tank. Example comp would be Greymane, Uther, Jaina, ETC, Valla/Tass. In this comp you have protection for the Greymane and a partner to flank with allowing you to maximize his strengths while minimizing his weaknesses. The maps I think he's good on are open maps that allow you to flank and maps with objectives that again allow you to flank. Cursed Hollow, Infernal Shrines, Blackhearts (because he has very strong camp clear), and Sky Temple are all good maps for him because they're open and have an objective to fight over, allowing you to use his strength of flanking and finishing. He's good in comps with Uther and a Hero you can flank with like Jaina, Valla, or your tank. Example comp would be Greymane, Uther, Jaina, ETC, Valla/Tass. In this comp you have protection for the Greymane and a partner to flank with allowing you to maximize his strengths while minimizing his weaknesses. The maps I think he's good on are open maps that allow you to flank and maps with objectives that again allow you to flank. Cursed Hollow, Infernal Shrines, Blackhearts (because he has very strong camp clear), and Sky Temple are all good maps for him because they're open and have an objective to fight over, allowing you to use his strength of flanking and finishing.



Final Thoughts:



Cooby, Caster I would love to be proven wrong about the frequency that he will be picked and built into a melee Assassin, but with so much CC abound in competitive play, it's unlikely.



Stay patient when learning how to play this Hero in your own games. If you are used to playing one style or the other with your Assassins (melee or ranged), this will lead to some difficulties when learning the opposite. But keep at it, as I can assure you that understanding the strength of both styles will lead you to be quite a bit more effective with the Hero overall. There have been

quite a few games where playing him, I see an enemy team that doesn't have enough tools to control his Worgen form and allows me to put massive work in. Had I not put the effort into learning how to play the Worgen form effectively, I would have been costing my team quite a bit of potential damage building ranged. I would love to be proven wrong about the frequency that he will be picked and built into a melee Assassin, but with so much CC abound in competitive play, it's unlikely.Stay patient when learning how to play this Hero in your own games. If you are used to playing one style or the other with your Assassins (melee or ranged), this will lead to some difficulties when learning the opposite. But keep at it, as I can assure you that understanding the strength of both styles will lead you to be quite a bit more effective with the Hero overall. There have beenquite a few games where playing him, I see an enemy team that doesn't have enough tools to control his Worgen form and allows me to put massive work in. Had I not put the effort into learning how to play the Worgen form effectively, I would have been costing my team quite a bit of potential damage building ranged.



Snitch, Dignitas All I can say is I love Greymane - I'm extremely happy with this Hero release, as he feels great to play and I feel that he's a great addition to the pool and hopefully an exciting preview of the level of Heroes to come. All I can say is I love Greymane - I'm extremely happy with this Hero release, as he feels great to play and I feel that he's a great addition to the pool and hopefully an exciting preview of the level of Heroes to come.



Cris, Team Liquid Overall Greymane is a lot of fun to play, but that still doesn't make up for the fact that he is kinda undertuned. I really like his kit and design but something just feels a bit too weak. I also don't like the fact that if you jump onto someone that you end up being stuck in your Worgen form for at least 6 seconds. Otherwise, he should be a fun

and strong Hero with a few small buffs or with a meta change. Overall Greymane is a lot of fun to play, but that still doesn't make up for the fact that he is kinda undertuned. I really like his kit and design but something just feels a bit too weak. I also don't like the fact that if you jump onto someone that you end up being stuck in your Worgen form for at least 6 seconds. Otherwise, he should be a funand strong Hero with a few small buffs or with a meta change.



Equinox, Free agent I really think they need to consider buffing his Cocktail to give it an effect on Worgen form like leap range, extra damage on your Swipe/Autos, vision, a slow, anything at all to bring his kit together and give it synergy. Overall I think the Hero will be strong when drafted properly but is not a staple pick. I really think they need to consider buffing his Cocktail to give it an effect on Worgen form like leap range, extra damage on your Swipe/Autos, vision, a slow, anything at all to bring his kit together and give it synergy. Overall I think the Hero will be strong when drafted properly but is not a staple pick.









So what do you think about Greymane? Do you agree with what the pros have to say? Let us know!



We would like to thank SolidJake, Cooby, Snitch, Cris, and Equinox for taking the time to share their thoughts and insights on Greymane with us for this article! This week Blizzard continued their trend of creating new and innovative Heroes that are unlike anything they have done so far. Greymane was highly anticipated coming into the Nexus as the first Hero with two different forms, Human and Worgen. In Human form, he is a ranged Assassin with decent poke used to whittle his opponents down before taking up the role of a melee Assassin in Worgen form, leaping in and finishing them off. His duality gives him a high skill cap for outplays while dodging in and out of combat as well as a lot of potential for ingenuity in his talent builds and play style. While this design is new for Heroes of the Storm, the idea is fairly similar to Nidalee in League of Legends, so players who are familiar with the Champion shouldn’t have a difficult time adjusting to Greymane.As is standard for new Heroes, he saw a lot of usage during his inaugural week which perhaps skewed his win rate negatively, leaving it at a meager 40% on HOTS Logs. It appears he may be a bit undertuned like most of Blizzard’s recent Heroes, but one thing definitely stands out:. Let’s take a closer look at Greymane and see what he’s all about.Greymane is unique in that he has two sets of abilities and two distinct playstyles, either a Human-centric poke style or an in-your-face Worgen style, both of which have plenty of flexibility in talent choices. His Traitis basically just an explanation that he can switch between forms; in Worgen form, he deals a whopping 40% more damage but puts himself in the middle of the fray while Human form offers more safety by allowing him to poke at a long range.To switch between forms, Greymane can use. When someone is low, he activatesto pounce on his enemies as a Worgen and shred them to pieces. Conversely, when he finds himself in trouble as a Worgen, he can useto roll away to safety while transforming back into a Human. Be careful though! There is a 6 second cooldown between switching forms, so think twice before jumping in recklessly.Aside from his obvious shapeshifting abilities, the other thing that pointedly sticks out when first playing Greymane is that he has a ghastly attack speed. However, this issue is solved by, which increases his attack speed by 50% and can be kept up indefinitely with auto attacks. Keeping the combo up can be a fun mini-game for players and is very important for making sure he deals the maximum amount of damage in fights, but if he loses it, he is vulnerable for a period of time until it comes back up again. Talents likeandat Level 1 can help him maintain the combo for longer periods of time.Greymane’s Q functions in two different ways depending on which form he is in. In Human form,serves as a long range AoE poke and waveclear. Upgrades to the Cocktail likeandincrease its utility as well as damage, making it popular for more poke-oriented builds. In Worgen form, he gains access to, which he can use to deal additional damage to his enemies or reposition himself during a fight. Combiningwith the dash fromand talents likeor, he can put a lot of space between him and his opponent or likewise use it as a strong gap closer for the kill.Out of his Heroics,has emerged as the go-to talent because of its ease and accessibility. In addition, the resets can allow him to decimate the back line for an easy team wipe.can be used to pick off fleeing targets, but the bullet is slow and easy to dodge, making it rather underwhelming for a Heroic with a 60 second cooldown. However, in the right circumstances, it can actually do more damage than, so it can still be considered viable. Due to some weird shapeshifting rules, the transformation between Worgen and human form through his Heroics are free but reset the cooldown of his E when used. This means that usingbefore leaping results in some free extra damage that can be exploited in 1v1 scenarios.Continuing their trend with Lunara, Blizzard has released yet another Hero with a fairly versatile talent tree. Because Greymane has two different forms, players can choose whether to build into more of a Worgen or Human playstyle, or even find a balanced approach that empowers both forms. The two most common builds right now are a Human poke build centered around upgradingand a Worgen build that relies on close-combat fighting and auto-attacks., andall synergize together to make his Q a powerful poking tool in the late game. Combined withand, Greymane can be played as a ranged Assassin who can poke and kite like Valla. The Level 20 talentalso gives his Human form huge splash damage in a cone behind the initial target, giving him outstanding wave clear and big team fight damage.The build that focuses more on Worgen form will take talents likeandto dramatically increase the damage output in Worgen form coupled with more defensive talents likeandto keep Greymane going during his onslaught. Going for a middle-of-the-road build by talenting into Human range as well as some defensive Worgen traits can also be viable depending on the situation.In the end, it’s up to the player to decide how they want to play Greymane, and there are plenty of viable talents to choose from along the way. Perhaps the only questionable talent choices are his Heroic upgrades at 20,and, which only help him win more. Otherwise, the sky’s the limit!So what do you think about Greymane? Do you agree with what the pros have to say? Let us know!

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