In any game, very rarely is there one sure path to victory. We attempt to develop the most consistent, most solid gameplan, constantly matching wits and strategies against other clever and knowledgeable players. A plan that wins this week's match may well be decoded and unraveled by next week.
Successful strategies beget devious counterplays, and gradually, over the course of weeks or months, the mindset of competitors morphs along with the game's shifting landscape. Despite this, some ideas - some Heroes and some builds, in our case - have the tenacity to stick around. Take Valla, for instance. In the over 1000 competetive games logged by GosuGamers' stats tracker, she's been picked in 904. One hero appearing in 85% of games begs a few questions, but it's not exactly astounding that we see trends like this in a very new game like HoTS. With a wider selection of heroes, we'll absolutely see a wider distribution of picks and new strategies.
We I enjoy questioning established wisdom and exposing the other side of the coin. The Other Heroic is a series highlighting the underdogs - the Heroic talent picks that are so often left untouched. This week, we focus on Tyrael, and Sanctification.
Sanctification
While channeling, Tyrael makes all nearby allied Heroes invulnerable and unstoppable. Lasts 3 seconds, and does not affect Tyrael. 50 second cooldown.
Tyrael and his Judgment Heroic have been considered part and parcel since his introduction. Judgment is one of the best single-target initiation abilities available, so Tyrael is considered a complement to damage-dealers like Falstad and Jaina - Heroes who can deliver a concentrated offensive payload.
Picking Sanctification changes the role Tyrael plays in a team composition. He's not quite as durable as warriors like E.T.C and Muradin, and once the enemy team figures out that you're the vulnerable target, they'll begin to target you preemptively. Because of this, he'll usually need some concentrated healing if he wants to survive a full team engagement. Uther and Rehgar couple well with a Sanctification Tyrael - both Divine Shield and Ancestral Healing are capable of negating a 5-man kill effort.
Defensively, Sanctification is one of the best counter-initiative abilities in HoTS. Assuming the enemy team is not yet primarily targeting YOU, 3 seconds of invulnerability to damage and immunity to CC gives your teammates a huge window to position for and execute a reverse kill. Save a teammate from a Kerrigan or Diablo/Tyrande combo, and laugh as they waste an entire rotation of stuns. Pop it just before Kael'thas' Pyroblast hits a nearby ally, and poof! The spell fizzles, injuring nobody.
Offensively, this spell is more difficult to use. Tyrael has an excellent re-positioning ability in El'druin's Might, but using it to engage the enemy team leaves you A) squishy by default, and B) lacking an escape. Teleporting into the enemy's 5-stack and casting your 'Target Me!' ability is not always the winning combo. That said, Sanctification couples very well with other Heroes limited by cast-time animations or otherwise vulnerable to stuns. A friendly Kael'thas can cast Pyroblast without fear, and the same goes for Thrall casting Sundering, a Tychus loading into his Odin, or a Valla moving in for a money Strafe.
Pick Sanctification only after careful deliberation and given the consent of your team. Judgment is the popular Heroic because it's easy to use and can secure an advantage in a wide variety of situations, but Sanctification can fulfill a very powerful niche if you and your allies are on the same page. Communicate, collaborate, and don't discount the other heroic.
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