1.18 Hero Tier List

A strong lane presence has reared its head with Update 1.18. Picks and bans prioritize controlling the lane, while much competitive play involves support heroes spending a good portion of their time in or near it as the momentum can quickly shift. The other huge change comes in the form of a new hero. No player can deny the impact Lance has made on the scene with his arrival in update 1.18. An almost unprecedented appearance that creates viability in every role, Lance has proven to have fantastic utility and damage potential. One must wonder what yet another roam hero in Lyra can do to the meta, but there’s no time for theorycrafting now, as we have the cold hard opinions about the current meta.

Lane

1) Adagio

2) SAW

3) Vox

4) Blackfeather

5) Kestrel

6) Ringo

7) Celeste

8) Skaarf

9) Lance

10) Joule

Vainglorious

The dragonling Adagio still remains a brutal figure on the Fold. His range and team utility put him in a class all his own when it comes to versatility and pure damage output.

Next up, SAW. Receiving his first balance changes in a fist full of updates, SAW’s movement potential nerfed his biggest weakness, getting stuck. He’s such a hard counter to Vox, probably because his mask comes complete with noise cancelling headphones.

The turn for weapon power Vox has given him a big boost in might. Ramping up quicker, WP Vox can prove the stuff of nightmares if he can keep his enemies in front of him.

Simply Amazing

Blackfeather is arguably too low on this list due to his ability to provide so much utility while proving a huge threat simultaneously, but he can be bullied by the top three spots and that can be troublesome to come back from.

Kestrel is a great flex pick, as she’s fairly viable in jungle too, and while her kit has gotten significant nerfs in recent memory she still has enormous weapon power output that needs to be respected.

The Hotness

Ringo, Celeste and Skaarf are all in a similar place. Their damage and range make them a solid choice on many accounts, but they lack staying power should the game turn to a grudge match. The latter two mages have significant late game power spikes but getting there may be too steep a hill to climb.

Worthy Foe

Lance makes it onto the Lane list because it’s certainly possible, but a little clunky. Although he did make an appearance on Team Secret during the EU finals, with a Tension Bow / Aftershock wombo combo of Impale damage.

Joule is another Melee hero that can be played lane but one bad Rocket Leap and she’s gank fodder. Also, running to the safety of your turret leaves her supple back open to devastating last hits.

Jungle

1) Skye

2) Adagio

3) Petal

4) Alpha

5) Kestrel

6) Glaive

7) Krul

8) Taka

9) Ozo

10) Blackfeather

11) Rona

12) Lance

13) Koshka

14) Reim

15) Joule

Vainglorious

As is common, high skill cap heroes tend to have an advantage, making Skye a crucial pick or ban for most games. Her zoning abilities synergize with the field control that has become so popular.

Adagio and Petal are nearly equal but apart from being crystal carries, they couldn’t be more different. Adagio in jungle gives utility to his team and often fills a buff role for a lane hyper carry.

Meanwhile Petal is often the damage dealer, launching in with Trampoline and treating the enemy like a buffet. She’s really good against most Melee heroes as well as the all-powerful Skye now that her munions can soak up more damage. Try her with SAW for double living turrets of pain.

Pinnacle of Awesome

The middle of the pack is chock full of hard engages. Alpha rockets up the charts with the impact of her Core Charge chunking down opponents, also lending nicely to the sustain-based meta.

Kestrel has early game damage and favorable scaling to keep pace whether ahead or behind in the match.

Glaive has fallen off as the strategy moved away from dives but still remains a solid pick with his tankiness and that sweet damage.

Krul and Taka create problems for many teams, but are a little more situational, making them good choices in a draft against squishy lane carries they can harass.

Credible Threat

Ozo remains mid tier as his damage can be brutal, but he requires timing and teamwork to really dominant. He might benefit the most from the Adagio buff comp right now though, and that is quite popular.

Blackfeather and Rona are nice tanky weapon power carries in the jungle, good for moving aggressively. Rona didn’t get the boost I hoped she would with this update, her additional rage doing little for those times you just don’t have enough life to withstand the focused fire.

Got Swagger

Especially when rocking weapon power, Lance can be a serious threat (although not quite credible). Usually weapon power, Lance has great chase potential.

Koshka is in a similar place to Ringo, she’s always been a go-to hero for many but currently she resides in the shadows of others.

Reim had his day but it seems most players have figured him out. While he is the best choice to draft when your opponent goes Melee in the jungle, there are just so many other choices that add depth to your team in other ways than countering one hero.

Joule isn’t bad, she’s just not good?

Roam

1) Lance

2) Phinn

3) Ardan

4) Fortress

5) Catherine

6) Glaive

7) Adagio

Vainglorious

Rookie of month, Lance takes top honors in his designated category. With his great positioning and protective capabilities, Lance has seen plenty of competitive play already, proving a serious playmaker for both offensive and defensive strategies. Climbing a few spots, the affable river troll Phinn has made his stand in a meta that works more around letting the enemy come to you. When standing near his teammates, there is no one that can create a sustainable battlefield better, the fortified health alone proving a huge boon to carries.

Simply Amazing

Dad isn’t too sad as Ardan maintains a comfortable desirability. His flexibility as a roam gives him serious value, but his ability to protect and attack is seriously overshadowed by the Gythian Knight. Without the dive compositions of last update, Fortress’ services haven’t really been needed. Even being about the use Truth of The Tooth on Turrets doesn’t provide any beneficial utility when staying alive longer is a key tactic lately.

Credible Threat

Catherine has never quite recovered from the tweaks that increased the cooldown on some of her abilities. She’s too squishy to prevent early game assaults and pales in comparison to the lone wolf when you want to chase. Glaive can play some support if he wants to, I’m sure he hates it, but the meta right now craves a real roam kit that can make plays beyond just a quick stun.

Worthy Foe

Adagio remains the lowest of the low for support heroes. Are we sure he’s still a support hero? His best use as support is a buff comp and that build requires a carry position with someone else doing the heavy defending.