Varian can do it all. He brings damage, he brings CC, he can become extremely tanky, and his level 13 banners can sway the team fight single-handedly. Can Varian survive the PTR and be released in his shining glory?

When MVP Rich is excited to play a hero, that is usually a very good thing:

It means that Varian is powerful and compelling. That he scales with player skill and expert players want to push him to the limit. It means that he is clearly top tier and can be used in a competitive environment. While Varian doesn't seem as horribly broken as release Kael'thas or the hot-fixed Zarya (before the insta-nerfs), the community seems to have all agreed that he is very powerful.

The power spikes

The reason for Varian's power seems to be in his talent tree. It's hard to find a truly "bad" talent that will never be picked. It is a similar experience when we first looked at Samuro's talents. All of them seemed strong and the Heroes strength was never compromised, regardless of the builds you chose.

That means you can "actually" live the Heroes of the Storm dream: choosing talents because the battleground and enemy call for them , not because they are the only viable way for your hero to compete.

Here are some of the most powerful talents that Varian can choose from.

Level 4

  • Shield Wall
    • Parry now makes you Protected, preventing all incoming damage for the duration
  • Warbringer
    • Charge no stuns the target for 0.75 seconds instead of slowing them, and its cooldown is reduced by 8 seconds
       

At level 4, Varian can choose between a low cool down stun that can't be easily avoided. Or, he can turn Parry into the ultimate defensive ability. Either of these talents are amazing and, regardless of the level 10 heroic (which also brings a utility and adaptability core to his heroes strength) you choose, both have their uses against a variety of enemies.

Unique counters

Another one of Varian's biggest strength is his unique ability to specifically counter certain heroes entirely with his talents. His level 16 talents are all tactical decisions that completely counter certain types of heroes.

Just take a look:
 

  •  Juggernaut
    Charge deals bonus damage to Heroes equal to 5% of their maximum Health
     

If Varian faces multiple warriors or otherwise high HP heroes, Juggernaught synergizes incredibly with the level 4 Warbringer talent, offering a blisteringly fast option that chunks sizeable percentage damage.
 

  • Mortal Strike
    Heroes hit by Heroic Strike receive 40% reduced healing for 4 seconds.


Against multiple supports? Want to ruin Uther or Rehgars day? This talent almost always gets value and is a particular strong tool against warriors that require self sustain and tons of regeneration like Leoric or Stitches.

And of course, this talent:

R.I.P Anub'arak, Tassadar, Johanna, Kerrigan, or any other hero that relies on shields to keep themselves alive.

Team fight prowess

One of Varian's strongest attributes is his presence in a team fight. Regardless of what build he decides, his level 13 Banner talents will always remain a strong option to solve some of your team compositions problems:
 

  • Banner of Stormwind
    Cooldown: 45 seconds
    Activate to place a Banner that grants 25% increased Movement Speed to nearby allied Heroes. Lasts 12 seconds.
     
  • Banner of Ironforge
    Cooldown: 45 seconds
    Activate to place a Banner that grants Resistant to nearby allied Heroes, reducing damage taken by 25%. Lasts 12 seconds.
     
  • Banner of Dalaran
    Cooldown: 45 seconds.
    Activate to place a Banner that grants 20% increased Ability Power to nearby allied Heroes. Lasts 12 seconds.
     

Does your team need disengage or chase potential? Stormwind Banner is there. Have you been losing team fights to AoE damage, wombo combos, or burst damage? Ironforge is absolutely ideal. Are you losing Immortal races, lacking damage, or otherwise need to up your poke damage potential? Dalaran is free damage for at no risk.

Banner of Dalaran is so potentially strong, it's exciting to think how much damage Kael'thas, Chromie, Guldan, Jaina, or god forbid, Li-ming can do without sacrificing anything.

At least these banners are on a 45 second cooldown right?

Storm talents to die for
 

  • Glory of the Alliance
    Allied Heroes near your Banner also receive 50% increased healing and its cooldown is reduced by 20 seconds.
     

Is it possible to lose a team fight while a Glory of Alliance buffed banner is in play? I don't think so. It's on a 25 second cool down so a level 20 Varian, all of his former strengths aside, brings a threat with this storm talent.
 

  • Demoralizing Shout
    Cooldown: 25 seconds
    Activate to demoralize nearby enemy Heroes, reducing damage they deal by 25% for 5 seconds.


Imagine Demoralizing Shout combined with Banner of Ironforge. How do you lose a team fight with these two advantages? It's an exciting take on a warrior hero brings with his level 20 talents.

Some people, aren't as thrilled with Varian's power level:



Till his release, all we can do is speculate. It's fair to say, though, that Varian is a hero that can't be ignored.

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