by JR Cook - 8 years ago     show comments

Heroes of the Storm is a very complex game, especially when it comes to drafting.

If you have watched any competitive Heroes games then you have no doubt heard the announcers go on at length about the many considerations that go into a good draft. They analyze these factors to speculate about which Hero a team should pick next, and to determine who “won” the draft. Analysis like this is great, and understanding the thought processes that go into why a team selects the Heroes that they do is a great resource.

Even if you don’t watch pro games, you have probably had people in your Hero League games say that your team should pick X Hero because he is great on this map or because he synergizes well with another Hero. This can also be useful information, and it is always nice when your team communicates during the draft.

Whether they are expert casters or amateur teammates, they are right about all of the different factors to consider when building a team composition. However, when it comes to the average Hero League game there is one thing to consider above everything else: the team with the most damage wins.

This might sound overly simplistic, but it is true none the less. It is one of those things that most people understand intuitively, yet they often act in a way that isn’t in line with that understanding. They start thinking about things like global presence, strong wave clear, or some other meta strategy. They think about how this Hero counters that Hero, or how great the zone control that this Hero provides would be on this map. In short, they over complicate things and in doing so they lose sight of what ultimately decides most games, which is damage.

The advantage to focusing on damage when drafting is that it gives your team multiple ways to win. High damage doesn’t just win team fights, it is also useful when it comes to pushing lanes, contesting objectives, or securing mercenary counts. Regardless of what map you are on, or how the enemy teams wants to play, being able to out damage them is always an advantage. It also makes it easier to comeback in the event that your team falls behind early.

Lets do an exercise to prove my point. HOTSLogs has a Guess the Victor game, which you can access by clicking here. The point of the game, which I am sure you have already figured out, is to guess which team won.  They provide quite a bit of data to help you make your decision, but for our exercise we are going to ignore all of that information. Don’t look at the Talents, the map, Hero levels, MMR, or anything else. Simply look at the five Heroes on each team and make your pick based on which team you think is able to do the most damage.

How did you do? I am guessing you got more right than wrong.

I’ll be honest. I tried this game in the past using all of the information they provide and I stunk at it. I could barely get two in a row. Knowing that I was going to write this article, I went back today and tried again basing my picks solely on which team I thought could do the most damage. I got the first five in a row correct and up getting third place on my first try. I didn’t catch the exact percentage, but I was right about 70% of the time.

Obviously this isn’t scientific proof. For one thing the sample size is tiny, but I do think it is an interesting illustration of the importance of damage. The fact that you can ignore so many other valid considerations and still be correct more often than not is eye opening.

The next time you are drafting, keep in mind what an important factor damage can be. There are many components to consider when building a good team comp, but always factor damage potential into the equation. This can often serve as a good tie breaker when deciding between different Heroes. Regardless of what Plan A might be, you always have a Plan B when you are able to out damage the other team. This isn’t something that can be said for all team comps.

Good Luck & Have Fun!