2.4 Hero Tier List

Is there a doctor in the house? No, Baptiste doesn’t count! He gives all of his patients Bad Mojo and he’ll probably Ordain the rest of us to work extra hours without overtime pay! 2.4 has arrived in full force, with many familiar friends continuing to perform steadily under pressure and some newer faces entering the scene. Broken Myth is here to prescribe the most popular and successful heroes of the Fold to resuscitate your MMR and keep you on the up-and-up! Let’s begin with a basic examination of your Laning…

CARRY

Nightmare

Gwen: You heard — there’s a new sheriff in town! With the balance changes to Tyrant’s Monocle, Vox and Ringo took a hit in Update 2.4, and have fallen out of favor with many players. With the vacancy at the top, how did Gwen get here? She used her Skedaddle, of course! Seriously though, Gwen’s play-style doesn’t take quite the hit that Ringo does from the attack speed changes in 2.4.

Baron: Someone with that much armor and that big of a cannon should pack a much more serious punch. At least that’s what we’ve always thought. In 2.4, with the removal of the firing delay on his Jump Jets ability, he packs a much more serious punch. We surveyed the area and Baron jumped the competition, blasting them in the face to move into our second slot.

Vox: Still jammin’ to the beat, Vox barely noticed anyone passed him. It’s becoming more popular to play Vox with the new sustain build (Poisoned Shiv + Serpents Mask) than his old build (Breaking Point + Tyrant’s Monocle x2), which wreaks havoc upon those pesky healers and sustain junglers. Vox is still very potent in the current meta and remains a nightmare.

Kind of a Big Deal

Ringo: The One-Armed Bandito is still standing strong on our list despite the attack speed and stutter step changes in 2.4. With Gwen playing such a prominent role in the current meta, Ringo is the benefactor. With a slightly greater range, he serves as an excellent counter to the Boomstick Bandita.

Skaarf: While we can’t understand his gargle or his taunt, we still get the point. He’s a cute little dragon, but fire still burns! In patch 2.4, it burns even more with his Fan the Flames DPS getting doubled and his weapon power also receiving a buff. This little plush doll is certain to be the snuggle buddy of many in the lane. If it wasn’t for his need of perfect positioning, and an ultimate that isn’t useful until level 12, we reckon he’d be a little higher up on this list.

Adagio: The Dragon Prince is only one of two characters versatile enough to make this list twice, which is sure to stave off the boredom. While he’s endured some recent nerfs, he still finds himself very solidly in the meta. He’s a great option in the draft as it will leave the opponent team guessing where you might put him. However, with the recent nerfs and the lower damage on his burn it’s more difficult for him to control the lane the way he used to.

Celeste: Celeste is more like a falling star than a comet these days. She’s still as solid of a laner as she’s ever been, but as the tide around her rises, that solid rock is staying in place. Crystal Power laners have fallen from favor, and Celeste suffers from a serious lack of star power until she hits level 8. She who was once a star at the pro ranks is now just small twinkle in the dark night sky.

Samuel: The prince of darkness is probably pouting in the corner based on this placement on our list. Samuel is one of the most unique characters with the way his kit plays into itself. Although his splash damage can be very destructive, when putting a minion or two in his way, this damage is completely negated. He’s out ranged by other options, and his damage delivery is very slow, so Samuel has seen better days.

Impressive

Skye: The second of two heroes to make it onto two of our position lists. However, this fly girl isn’t flying very high on our laner list. She suffers from too much debris interference (read lane minions) blocking her Forward Barrage. Skye’s weapon power path leaves her payload a little light these days as well. All in all, there are surely better picks to carry your lane.

SAW: He’s the one you call when you need a big gun. Unfortunately, SAW is not the one you call when you need a win. On a battleground where mobility and burst reign supreme, he just can’t seem to get spun up. With the way the fold has unfolded around him, there’s much greater potential in him to be the dang shank assassin using his CP path then there is to his viability as a weapon threat. Which is bad considering he has the biggest weapon in the game.

JUNGLER

Nightmare

Koshka: This is one catnip frenzy you don’t want to face. Her win rate at the pro level is astonishing, she’s nearly unrivaled in the early game, and you should definitely have some pouncy fun if you push the jungle early. Koshka falls off a bit in the late game, which is due mostly to the common build of Aftershock and Broken Myth. However, since she’s much capable of turning the match into a snow day in Alaska, this rarely matters.

Grumpjaw: It took a minute for this hungry dude to find his place in the meta, but with the changes he devoured in 2.3, Grumpjaw is now truly a beast. You shouldn’t be scared to engage early if you’re roaming with the grumpy one. He plays very similar to Krul and Reim in the fact that you want to avoid ranged heroes, and similar to Joule in that you want to stay going forward. Choose to play Grumpjaw, and we promise you won’t end up Hangry.

Kind of a Big Deal

Alpha: Systems are online with Alpha as she finds herself high atop our list. You probably don’t think tank when you see her visuals, but she’s very durable and has 2 lives. Properly placed Termination Protocols allow her to keep up with even the most elusive of targets. Grab your swords, scissors and kitchen knives because this party’s just begun and it’s poppin’ off!

Reim: Frost giant is in the house… Well, more like the grumpy old man. Reim is a beast in the jungle. He can win almost any 1v1 match up, and has a jungle clear like nobody’s business. Perhaps if he were a little younger he’d be higher on this list. Reim finds it difficult to keep up with the more slippery targets, and ranged heroes mow him down. Otherwise, he’d be an avalanche… Unstoppable.

Glaive: Big cat carrying a big axe. No, it’s not something from your nightmares — it’s Glaive. Afterburn can simply dominate people. A properly executed Afterburn stun can not only gift wrap a kill for his team, but can serve as a tough ability to reflex block in the game. Cooldown Glaive has become all the rave with this cool cat. The only problem is it faceplants into a wall mid to late game when it comes to damage, and an Atlas Pauldron will shut down his weapon path.

Ozo: Wanna see if I can sustain through a 1v3? Ozo can be the most frustrating character to deal with, or the biggest liability for his team depending on who is using him. In the right hands, Ozo is a beast … in the wrong hands, he’s a potato. This high level of difficulty coupled with the fact there are simply too many counters to shut him down make this high flying monkey’s circus act fall a little shy of spectacular.

Petal: It wasn’t long ago that Petal was permaban material. Remember our last list had her number one in this category? Finally, they gave a tug to the leash on those munions and now instead of being that nightmare you couldn’t wake up from, she just can’t keep up! Lower range on both her attack and munions grants this little pack rat a lower spot in our list.

Taka: Let’s take a walk down memory lane. No, we aren’t going to repeat the entire voice over line, but we will repeat our judgement of Taka. He’s still the worst of the middle of the pack. With simply too many counter items like Contraption, Shiversteel and Slumbering Husk, it’s just hard to be effective with Taka. If he can’t burst you down with his C into A combo, he’s really just a fox in a box.

Impressive

Krul: Krul is a nightmare to deal with in a 1v1, but hobbling around on a peg leg is very fitting for him. It’s too hard for Krul to stick onto heroes, he’s too easily burst down by range, and unlike Reim who has Winter Spire to give him a bit of range, once you survive his Dead Man’s Rush engage, there really isn’t much left for him to offer.

Blackfeather: There are no sexier ribbits in all of frogdom but there are certainly better picks in the pool of junglers. For Blackfeather, it’s all about the sustain game. With recent buffs to Poisoned Shiv, and the nerf to Breaking Point, the pick up lines of Serpent Mask and Breaking Point are getting old for this smooth talker.

Kestrel: The super spy (or is it superfly?) girl is the very definition of high risk high reward. When she’s sportin’ those crystals, there aren’t many who out damage her, and her range is phenomenal. However, choosing the crystal path requires perfect positioning, because once she takes damage, there’s no escape.

Skye: If she’s not going mach 3 with her hair on fire Skye isn’t happy. The problem is that maintaining such speeds require unparalleled precision. There are even several pro players who misposition themselves when using her Suri Strike. If you pick up Skye and don’t know what you’re doing, she’s likely to crash and burn.

Baptiste: The voodoo daddy has arrived, but without much of a splash. He’s the second new release in a row that they did a good job with not making so OP that they threw the meta. His kit is very unique and can be a pain to deal with, and he is rather strong when he’s empowered. However, Baptiste struggles to find his place in the fold when there are simply so many better options. He may be the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, but he hasn’t released any hit albums yet.

Rona: This Barbarian Gal has simply spun herself in circles too many times and she’s dizzy. She, like Blackfeather, relies very heavily on an item that was just nerfed (Breaking Point), and is countered hard now that Poisoned Shiv is a viable item. Unlike Blackfeather, Rona doesn’t have the tools to inherently to stick onto a target. It’s going to take several donkey bridges to make it back up to the top of the list for her.

Idris: When you’re good at everything it’s tough to be great at anything. Idris is the only character who behaves completely different depending on what path you choose, but like most characters who have the potential for a hybrid build, he seems to just be stronger if you pick a more direct route. What limits him is that he really only has one damage dealing ability in his kit. Now you see him, and now you don’t, and sometimes it’s like he’s just not there.

Joule: She has the potential to help you understand what it’s like to be the bully. Joule can simply destroy a team. However, when your strength used to be countering the strongest jungle hero, and that jungle hero falls in the meta, you’ll find yourself falling as well. She’s an all or nothing type of gal. When you jump in you’d better be ready to commit, because nothing is softer than Joule’s backside.

CAPTAIN

Nightmare

Lance: Simply solid. What more do you expect from a big man in lots of armor with a big stick? He’s still the best option for your captain. Lance has the potential to lock down a character indefinitely while his team bursts them down. If that tree (read Koshka or Ozo or similar characters) would look better over there, a Gythian Wall shield slam can do that. He has some of the best peel and lock down in the game. What else can you ask for from a Captain hero?

Phinn: Still Phinntastically solid in this patch, Phinn eliminates a lot of the things other teams want to do. You can’t move him, stun him, or now even swallow him. He has to endure a silence period when such things land upon him, but let’s face it… We all think of Phinn as a walking wall. Now Phinn is starting to suit up with some new Null Wave Gauntlets and ensure that you can’t block his pull. There’s lots of love for Phinn, and with abilities like Polite Company and Forced Accord he practically screams “I just wanna love you” … and we love him back.

Kind of a Big Deal

Fortress: There might not be another hero who falls in and out of favor like Fortress, but nothing’s more loyal than a good dog… in a reindeer suit. Fortress can be difficult to just pick up and play for a Captain, and while the pack may attack, it can be easily kited out. In a meta that’s so heavily focused on sustain, either inherently or through items, the pup that makes you bleed is still one of our favorites.

Lyra: She’s a persistent one, isn’t she? It’s likely no other hero has seen as many nerfs as Lyra has, yet she still manages to stay near the top of best picks for Captains. She protects you, patches up your boo-boos, and when she sees you stumbling around nearly passed out, she’ll drag you out of the bad situation with a timely portal.

Adagio: Mr. Versatile himself is back in our list. He doesn’t burn quite as bright as he once did, but Adagio is a very solid Captain pick. It’s only his lack of peel or lock down that places Adagio further down than the top of the list, and without those abilities it can be a little difficult for newer players to pick up and play. Adagio is still very strong, and possibly the strongest of the Captains to be picked in draft because you don’t know where he’ll end up.

Ardan: Celeste and Vox might take exception to where Ardan is placed on our list, but the Vanguard master has his struggles. He fits well into aggressive comps because his kit lends itself to engaging more so than peeling, but he just doesn’t play well into all comps like some of our previous picks. This lack of versatility leaves Ardan behind sipping coffee from his “world’s greatest dad” mug, reminiscing on the days when that saying was accurate.

Flicker: We don’t know exactly what he is, do you? Is he a cat? A fox? A panda? We’ve even heard that he’s a rabbit oddly enough. That’s kinda how we feel about his place on the Fold. While teams like TSM have played Flicker to perfection, being undefeated when using Flicker, they’ve only played him a handful of times so they understand what comps he fits in. Sometimes, you’re cursing at your screen because you can’t see him coming, yet at other times he simply just doesn’t show up.

Impressive

Catherine: With arguably the most sleek skin in the game (Gladiator Catherine) this woman carries herself very regally in amazing armor. Unfortunately, it’s not how you look that matters — it’s what’s on the inside. Catherine has an amazing set of skills that, sadly, just don’t do much to help her team. She does have one of the most “stunning” abilities in the game, but that usually isn’t enough to slow down the rush meta that is Vainglory.

Let us know your thoughts on our Tier List! From accuracy to article format, we take all feedback into consideration. If you wish to view old Hero Tier Lists, you can do so here. Credit to those involved in this Hero Tier List: