Jason Hidalgo

jhidalgo@rgj.com

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Do you find Li-Ming to be so good at hero brawling that you astound yourself?

We’ve already shared our thoughts about Li-Ming in Heroes of the Storm following her release. Now it’s time to see what Blizzard thinks about the sassy wizard from Diablo III and her entry into the Nexus.

We asked Blizzard senior game designer Kent-Erik Hagman 10 questions, well, actually more, about the new character’s design, her role in the game and her potential matchups.

(Note: These questions were asked before her release so they don’t include any queries on her performance so far and potential nerfs.)

1. Talk a bit about the design philosophy behind Li-Ming. What was the goal or inspiration behind her kit?

For Li-Ming, there were so many different versions of the Diablo III Wizard to choose from. While looking at various versions, the idea of doing a Wizard built around Critical Mass resetting her cooldowns, that got us really excited. We were then immediately lead to try to focus on an “all-skillshot” Hero who had a high skillcap to capitalize on Critical Mass.

2. How would you rate her build diversity? What’s your personal favorite build?

When creating Li-Ming, we felt like there were three distinct builds we could capitalize on. One would focus on long-range damage focused on her Arcane Orb, another on mid-range damage focused on her Magic Missiles, and the final on up-close and personal damage focused on Teleport dealing damage with the Calamity talent. We tried to tailor the tree to suit these three builds, and flesh it out as much as possible. We also had a ton of fun looking at the wide variety of exciting Diablo III Wizard abilities and Runes, and seeing where we could draw inspiration.

3. I noticed that Li-Ming is heavily reliant on skill shots. Was that by design? Any pros or cons with that?

Definitely by design! In giving her the ability to refresh her cooldowns on a takedown, we wanted to gate her ability to secure kills behind being able to land skillshots.

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4. How would you rate Li-Ming’s damage? Is she more burst or sustain?

Li-Ming is definitely a burst mage, through and through! She capitalizes on quick moments to take down an enemy. However, if you find yourself in a situation that calls for a more sustained throughput of damage, then the Magic Missile build utilizing Seeker and Fireflies might be what you’re looking for.

5. How would you rate her survivability? How about her self-sustain? How squishy is she HP-wise.

She is our squishiest “normal” Hero to date! Only the Vikings, Murky, and Abathur have less health. The only form of self-sustain we put on the character is in the form of Dominance, a talent that restores some health when she secures a takedown.

6. What’s the ideal range for Li-Ming when thinking about positioning? It looks like she has good poke but some gutsy players might also be able to use her teleport aggressively.

The ideal range for Li-Ming will really depend on which build you’re going. If you’re Arcane Orb focused, then you almost always want to stay far away. If you’re Teleport or Magic Missile based, however, you’ll probably stay mid-distance away and wait for the time to go in to secure the kill.

7. How is Li-Ming’s viability 1V1? How’s her wave clear/lane pushing ability?

Li-Ming is not good at clearing waves. It is definitely an intended weakness of the character. Her strength in 1v1ing a lane is in her ability to out DPS her lane opponent, and bully them out.

8. How does Li-Ming fit in the current stun/burst meta? Does she add to it or counter it?

Li-Ming certainly brings no Stun to the meta game, but her high damage output means she’ll probably find a spot. The “Meta-Wheel” will turn as it does over time, and only when the Meta Favors running three beefy HP tanks will I believe that players might find it hard to pick Li-Ming.

9. How different is Li-Ming from Jaina and Kael’thas? Does she present a viable alternative to Kael’thas, who gets picked a lot in the current meta?

Li-Ming plays incredibly different. Her playmaking potential is much higher, and her ability to contribute to the team is a lot more reliant on the skills of the player who is driving her. I would say she is certainly a viable alternative to Kael’thas, as her ability to mop up a teamfight and clear out the enemy team is rivaled only by an Illidan.

10. What is Li-Ming’s role in a team fight? Which allies have good synergies with her? Who is she good against and who does she counter?

Li-Ming’s role is to poke down the enemy team from afar, constantly probing for a weakness in the enemy team’s formation. The second she sees a way to secure a kill, she wants to dive in and get that kill, and try to chain it into a second kill. She is very much the “clean-up crew,” turning a single kill into multiple kills. She will force enemy teams to work hard to keep everyone alive, rather than try to do a trade. Any and all trades end in Li-Ming’s favor. She has great synergy with Uther, thanks to his Divine Shield, or with a Malfurion, who can keep her mana plentiful after multiple resets. As for countering her, I’d look to Heroes that have great dive power. She really does not like seeing Illidan with Hunt, Tyrael with Judgement, Chen, or Zeratul, as their ability to jump on her and apply up-front pressure before she’s ready is truly a critical weak point of the character.