1.17 Hero Tier List

Last changed 05/13/2016 for update 1.17.

Note: There is a known issue with iOS where images may be displayed incorrectly on mobile devices. As a workaround, try using a different browser, such as Safari or Google Chrome.

Update 1.17 Tier List: Cut Through Bone!

Update 1.17 brought a number of balance changes, which you can read about here. Overall, the meta has shifted towards dive comps, and in a surprising turn of events, we are actually seeing quite a few double Weapon Power team compositions in this update. We’re using the same format as last time; the list is displayed in a graphic, with a written explanation detailed below. Arrows next to hero names indicate upward or downward movement compared to last update’s tier list.* As always, you can click a hero name to be taken to their builds page.

Update 1.17-01

Lane

Vainglorious

With no balance changes at all affecting him, Adagio (1 | ↑3) has not only stayed in the top tier, but moved to the top. His long auto-attack range and huge damage output make him a very formidable stutter-stepping hero. Blackfeather (2 | ↑1) has climbed up a spot in the current dive-heavy meta; he is probably one of the most common lane picks in 1.17. Skaarf (3 | ↓2) has lost a bit of favor; as a squishy CP mage that takes a while to really ramp up, his survivability is put through a trial by fire with all the WP bruisers trying to assassinate him.

Simply Amazing

Ringo (4 | ↑1) stays at the top of the mid-tier, strong enough to perform well in the right hands, but not strong enough to be a standout in the current meta. Glaive (5 | ↑1) has become slightly more popular in lane; his kit provides a lot of potential burst damage against squishies, and he still fares well against other bruisers. Celeste (6 | ↑1)  received another small buff to her cooldowns, giving her a moderate boost in power. Despite this, she hasn’t moved up a whole lot, largely due to the meta being inhospitable for a squishy, immobile mage.

Vox (7 | ↓5) is, for seemingly the first time since 1.3, isn’t a top lane choice, in both popularity and power level. The bug fix to his Sonic Zoom as well as a highly anti-squishy meta has knocked Vox out of his very comfortable spot as a top-tier laner. Skye (8 | ↑0) and Kestrel (9 | ↑0) are probably not the best choices in lane, but at least they aren’t SAW.

Getting There

Joule‘s (10 | ↑0) perk received a tweak to include shield as well as armor. Unfortunately, this wasn’t really the change that she needed to work in the current meta. Joule takes too much gold to come online compared to other weapon power carries, and her perk is very snowbally – she takes more damage while running away than when chasing. SAW‘s (11 | ↑0) still the same as always.

Jungle

Vainglorious

Glaive (1 | ↑0) is still at the top of the jungle list for all the reasons he’s a strong laner. Taka (2 | ↑7) has skyrocketed to the top of the list, despite not receiving a single buff. This slippery fox is currently an extremely strong choice for jungler because he is fantastic at snowballing, and he is almost guaranteed to win the first jungle fight if he buys two T1 defense items at first shop. Skye (3 | ↑4) has moved up a fair number of spots; she can dominate jungle fights with fantastic damage and her fantastic mobility can be used to juke out of the dive comps in the current meta. Adagio (4 | ↓1), to absolutely no one’s surprise, is still extremely strong in jungle.

Simply Amazing

Blackfeather (5 | ↑1), . Krul (6 | ↓1), Rona (7 | ↑3), and even Ozo (8 | ↑8) are at the top of the mid-tier, jumping on the dive-train. Skaarf (9 | ↓7) and Fortress (10 | ↓2) are both solid CP jungle picks, but Skaarf has too many hard counters in the current meta and Fortress takes too long to ramp up.

After some buffs to her early-game, Alpha (11 | ↑2)  is more powerful, seeing more serious play and is even seeing success in competitive play, but her high skill cap makes her a shaky choice for most players. Kestrel (12 | ↓1), as a squishy, immobile carry, doesn’t fare too well in the current meta and pops like a pimple without experienced hands guiding her with good positioning. Reim (13 | ↓9) has dropped quite a bit; although he still fares well against melee heroes, he does even worse against ranged heroes now. Keep up, old man!

Petal (14 | ↓2), while a fantastic kiter, can only kite so much before she dies. Her damage output often feels meh in the face of aggressive enemies jumping on top of her. Koshka (15 | ↓1), while strong in the early-game, still has problems with being outscaled.

Getting There

Joule (16 | ↓1) is dead last in the jungle list for the same reasons she’s placed low in lane.

Roam

Vainglorious

Fortress (1 | ↑0) once again is top dog (heh). In the current dive-heavy meta, Fortress and Ardan (2 | ↑1) both perform extremely well. They both have the ability to jump onto an enemy in an instant and provide some moderate amount of burst damage. While Fortress is better damage-wise, Ardan’s Gauntlet is a fantastic tool for rescultping the landscape of a fight.

Simply Amazing

Phinn (3 | ↓1) is still a strong pick, with a fantastic kit, but is too gold-dependent to really shine in a fast-moving meta. Glaive (4 | ↑0) is a new addition to the roam list. Because of his extreme popularity, Glaive is picked extremely often, and his ability to be played in any position is a huge plus. As a roam, he can aggressively reposition enemies and provide a hefty amount of burst damage.

Catherine (5 | ↑0) is reliable, but not great. In the current meta of WP melees, a silence frankly doesn’t do a whole lot. Roam Adagio (6 | ↑0) still sees some play as a heavy CP roam, and can be successful, but is fairly difficult to pull off. If Adagio does somehow manage to slip through the ban phase, he’s best played as a carry.

Top Bans

adagio_square fortress glaive

Adagio is by far the most commonly banned hero just because of how strong he is. Fortress and Glaive are both banned very frequently as well.

Top Picks

glaive blackfeather skaarf_square ardan

Blackfeather and Glaive are the two WP carries of choice. Skaarf is still overall the strongest mage available, and Ardan is a fantastic support.


Common Team Compositions

  • Double dive – any combination of Taka, Blackfeather, Glaive, Krul, Fortress, and Ardan. Sometimes with a Rona or Ozo. Frequently played as a double WP team.
  • Skaarf/Skye + Glaive/Blackfeather/Krul/Taka/Ringo

* Note that we didn’t simply take the difference between the current and previous rankings for these numbers – new heroes or heroes that are removed are not factored into these position change numbers; this will more accurately represent a hero’s change in power level.


That’s all! Be sure to leave us your thoughts on the new format.

To view older tier lists, click here.