Hello Heroes, this week I got the chance to sit down with Team Dignitas Pro Player, Christoph 'Cris' Gowitzke, to talk about the latest patch in Heroes of the Storm. With the release of Sylvanas there have been a lot of visible changes in hero picks and team compositions. Some Heroes have fallen off and some have risen to the top of the battles and so I have included an updated Tier List as well. The best part is that this comes from the best source, a professional.

What are the biggest changes you have seen of the Sylvanas patch since the last update with the Lost Vikings?

Cris: Uther got reworked in the Sylvanas patch and is now even stronger than before. Teams started to use Divine Shield with great success. Sylvanas made a huge impact on the competitive scene with her ability to push lanes really hard. She can also turn around or engage teamfights with her Wailing Arrow combined with her insane mobility, making Sylvanas one of the best Heroes.

What Heroes have you seen rise in the new patch? Were there any you weren’t expecting?

Cris: Jaina is, after the last patch, the best Hero in the game. She has a lot of burst and can turn around teamfights really hard, if the other team is not expecting the huge burst. She also offers a lot of utility to almost any team comp. Other than Jaina, the Lost Vikings made it into the competitive scene after all the Teams learned on how to use them very efficient. The only real surprise for me was Diablo, I didn't expect him to get popular that fast. He fits into a lot of different team comps and is overall the seconds best tank after ETC right now. Murky is my new favorite Hero since the last patch. I played him for only a week and found he can even be viable in competitive play, but you need to have a good draft around him.

What Heroes do you think fell in the changes?

Cris: Nazeebo got nerfed the hardest out of any Heroes. He is still playable, but he is missing a lot of damage. His Ravenous Spirit is almost unplayable. In case there is someone playing Nazeebo, he will most likely go for the Spider and Gargantuan build. Stitches got hit by nerfs pretty hard as well, but you will still see Stitches from time to time in pick off comps together with Tyrande.

Are there any new “Wombo-Combos” with the new patch?

Cris: Zeratul together with Diablo is the best wombo combo for teamfights. Perfect timing with 3-4 enemies in Void Prison, is almost always a won teamfight. Zagara with Diablo or Sylvanas as well, following up Zagara's Maw. The best competitive wombo combo is probably Zeratul+Diablo+Uther+Valla+Sylvanas. Some small combos are Diablo together with Tyrande and Stitches with Tyrande. Flipping or hooking someone into the Tyrande stun is very deadly.

What are your thoughts on Tomb of the Spider Queen? Advantages? Disadvantages?

Cris: Tomb is a lot of fun to play in Hero League, the map is very fast paced and has a lot of team fighting early on. Roaming together in the early game on Tomb can give you a huge advantage, if you are able to catch enemies. You can snowball very hard in Tomb if you are able to deny your opponents from paying.

What Hero do you hope to come back into the Top Tier heroes in the next patch?

Cris: I'm hoping for Thrall to make a bigger comeback.

Almost every battleground had at least a small tweak to it so which would you say is the best competitive map for competitive teams?

Cris: Cursed Hollow is in my opinion the most balanced map. Sky Temple is a lot of fun to play in competitive play, but can also snowball hard. Maps like Blackheart's Bay and Haunted Mines are still not really mine.

Which mount is the most overpowered?

Cris: The white Dire Wolf is by far the most overpowered mount in the game.

What advice would you give to veteran players about trying to play during the Sylvanas patch?

Cris: Jaina, Jaina and Jaina, just play Jaina. Illidan is still very strong and a lot of fun to play, but he needs a lot of practice. Also when abusing synergies like Diablo + Tyrande you can carry Hero League really hard with. Other than that, just play whatever you want, almost any Hero is viable specially in Hero League or Quick Matches.

Any Last comments or shoutouts?

Cris: Shoutouts to my role model Kungen and Nihilum Gaming.

Team Dignitas Hero Tier List April 2015

We all want to be the best gamers that we can be and luckily there are players like Cris that can help us get there. Hopefully this helps you in your adventures in the Nexus and make sure to check back for more Heroes content in the future!