by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Tyrael is one of my favorite characters from Diablo and his abilities in Heroes of the Storm do not disappoint. He is one of the best tanks in the game because of his strong kit for engaging. He has movement, shields, tankiness, decent damage, and a long range stun ultimate. These skills make him a great choice for filling the tank role on any team. If you would like to see some of the basics on Tyrael go check out our Tyrael hero page here

Abilities

Archangel’s Wrath is probably the only thing I don’t like about Tyrael. I’m just not a fan of something that involves dying as a trigger. Also this is easily juked most of the time by enemy heroes with any sort of movement tools. I tend to focus structures with this if possible since it’s at least guaranteed damage output but don’t be afraid to attempt targeting an enemy who will die from the damage.

El’Druin’s Might (Q) I like to use this for damage harass in the early game due to its great range and decent damage. It also allows you the option to teleport to the swords location for some auto attacks if the enemy is low on mana, health, or has blown all their cooldowns. Late game this is a great initiation tool or can be used to chase down an almost dead enemy hero. For movement Tyrael can use his Q to create distance between himself and pursuing targets. Another great option is to juke your opponents by throwing the sword down and fleeing in the opposite direction. If they chase you just teleport to the sword at the last second and create a massive amount of distance.

Righteousness (W) Tyrael’s shield has a pretty good range and can cover a lot of allied heroes and minion waves. I try not to spam this too much as it is his highest cost skill and its duration is fairly short. Righteousness is best used to mitigate damage for your allies or yourself during an extended engage or when someone becomes the target of burst damage. If you find yourself alone in a lane it can be a good idea to buff you minions so that they can gain an advantage pressuring enemy structures.

Smite (E) Tyrael’s strongest ability when it comes to damage. It has the lowest mana cost and cooldown out of all his basic abilities with some good range to top it off. The movement speed buff is pretty excellent too as it can help with escaping and chasing. Getting full use of everything Smite has to offer is key to Tyrael’s game so, try to master this skill as early as possible.

Heroic Abilities

Judgment (R) This is an amazing heroic choice and one of the main reasons I think Tyrael is a great candidate for best tank in the game. The range on this thing is perfect for locking down one specific target. The stun is long enough for your team to take advantage of any squishy target for an easy kill. Try to use Judgment on a target that is high priority and makes the enemy team strong. I will typically try to use this on heroes like Jaina, Rehgar, Kael’thas, LiLi, Valla, Falstad, Nova, or any squishy target that provides a big boost to the teams damage or survivability. This heroic is best used with a bit of communication so practice making sure that your team is in position to take advantage of the target you call out in voice chat or via ping.

Sanctification (R) It’s really not that bad of a heroic and can surprise the enemy into putting themselves into an unfavorable position. The problem with Sanctification is that it’s a defensive choice and Tyrael is an aggressive hero. The other main problem is that Judgment is so strong that it’s almost impossible to give up. If your team has a strategy that Sanctification will make viable by all means take it but it’s best to skip this one and pick Judgment.

The Build

Level 1

Regeneration Master – The regen this provides helps Tyrael out a lot during the late game plus he has an easy time grabbing globes due to his amazing survivability. This also has some great synergy with Amplified Healing. If you feel that grabbing globes will be tough or that your team needs more damage then Purge Evil is a great choice for level 1.

Level 4

Amplified Healing – Tyrael is a tank and this makes him very hard to kill with a competent healer backing him up. I almost never pass on this ability because it screams tank and has synergy with things like Regeneration master or drinking from the healing fountain. If you find yourself in a team with no real healing then I would consider taking Vampiric Assault for laning and dueling or Retribution for ability spam and wave clear.

Level 7

Battle Momentum – Pretty easy choice here since Tyrael does a lot of auto attacking. This will reduce the cooldown on his ultimate as well which is the main reason I like it. I have taken Searing Attacks before as it really ups Tyrael’s damage output but I found myself to be out of mana way too often with Searing Attacks.

Level 10

Judgment – see the heroic abilities section

Level 13

Angelic Absorption – This talent has great synergy with Tyrael’s role and other talent choices. Think of it as strong sustain in a fight or as a healing button that can be used for a massive health refill while clearing a minion wave. I have a hard time taking anything else at this level but if I wanted something else I’d consider Imposing Will to disable targets that are focusing Tyrael. Another note about Angelic Absorption is that it’s amazing in conjunction with Hardened Shield

Level 16

Blood for Blood – I can’t love this talent enough on Tyrael! This is the point of the game where you have focused on being an unmovable pain in the butt so now it’s time to up Tyrael’s damage. The ability to use this after a well placed Judgement often guarantees a death on the target. The health steal can is also a nice boon.

Level 20

Angel of Justice – Every single choice at this level is very viable and strong. I like Angel of Justice for the huge range increase and cooldown reduction because at this stage of the game putting a key target on a 60 second death timer can mean a win. Hardened Shield is a very strong choice especially if the game is even and the enemy team is not shy about shifting their focus to Tyrael. Nexus Blades is also a great talent to take if you find that your team is winning engages but a few enemy targets are constantly escaping and causing the game to stall. Evaluate which talent choice will serve best and pick accordingly.

The Strategy

Tyrael is a beast in all phases of the game and his play style remains the same too. Early on harass with Smite and well placed El’Druin’s might. Remember not to over use Righteousness as it can often lead to mana problems quick. I try to save it for when I absolutely need to mitigate damage or I know the shield will result in Tyrael winning an early duel. Some range heroes can be a problem early on so be wary of taking too much damage. Having to hearth early can result in a loss experience so play the position game to avoid this. If you took regeneration master try to grab as many globes as possible before the game shifts into heavy focus on objectives and team fighting.

Once the game transitions to the mid and late game the team will come to rely on Tyrael for his strong engage kit. The object is to burn one target down with a well placed Judgement then clean up the enemies that remain. Forcing the enemy team to be down a hero in every engage can make for a very easy game if they don’t have an answer for Judgement. The best thing that you can do is to find out who the enemy is relying on the most to keep the team together and have your team put as much damage on them after a Judgement. After that it’s all about good team fighting and objective control because the enemy will be forced to retreat or fight without their strongest asset.

The only danger I ever get myself into with Tyrael is feeling too cocky about dominating the other team or not snowballing the advantage given from such a strong engage hero. This requires focused play and identifying the biggest threat and neutralizing them with good team work. While Tyrael’s damage can be okay he really relies on his team to capitalize on his strong initiation tools. Focus on communicating with your team and being there for every big fight to give you and your team the highest chance to win. I hope you were able to learn something about Tyrael and enjoyed the guide! Thanks for reading and feel free to leave and comments or feedback below.