Skulz's HotS Competitive Hero Tier List January 2019
The Heroes of the Storm Competitive Hero Tier List for January 2019 includes a total of 81 games. All heroes are split in groups based on their popularity in pro games.
All the heroes are ordered in five tiers based on their draft rate. The tiers are viewed as clusters of data, and each hero is placed in the one they are closer the most.
The tier list is based on picks and bans in pro games during the month. The performance of a certain hero in pub matches is not a reliable source for this list.
The win rate has no effect on the tiers, but is included for further info. The popularity displayed in the tables depends only on picks and bans.
No personal opinions. Every month, we will see which heroes raised or declined in rank solely through the statistics.
The list is based on the data available on Master League. There are several resources on the HotS competitive scene, but I believe they are the best one. Utilizing their match history, I gathered the replays of all professional games played during the month, and parsed them using Stats of the Storm.
This tier list includes data from 81 games played from January 1st to 20th.
Blizzard published a big balance patch on January 23rd, so I decided to not include any tournament that took place after its release. The next tier list will incorporate the games played at the end of this month.
Past Tier List: October 2018
All tables are responsive and sortable. If you are using a phone, turn it sideways for a full view. Otherwise, zoom in or click the grey area of each table to swipe and sort them.
Tier 1
| Hero | Name | Popularity | Picks | Bans | Ban% | Win | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Maiev | 100% | 5 | 76 | 93.8% | 2 | 40% |
 |
Garrosh | 88.9% | 33 | 39 | 48.1% | 17 | 51.5% |
 |
Tyrande | 88.9% | 45 | 27 | 33.3% | 30 | 66.7% |
 |
Malfurion | 80.2% | 53 | 12 | 14.8% | 27 | 50.9% |
 |
Hanzo | 79% | 55 | 9 | 11.1% | 31 | 56.4% |
Win rate by map
I have skipped Maiev because she has been picked in only five games. She won on Sky Temple and Tomb of the Spider Queen, and lost on Alterac Pass (two times) and Volskaya Foundry.
Tier 2
| Hero | Name | Popularity | Picks | Bans | Ban% | Win | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Zeratul | 65.4% | 13 | 40 | 49.4% | 9 | 69.2% |
 |
Diablo | 64.2% | 23 | 29 | 35.8% | 13 | 56.5% |
 |
Anub'arak | 60.5% | 28 | 21 | 25.9% | 18 | 64.3% |
 |
Jaina | 58% | 36 | 11 | 13.6% | 23 | 63.9% |
 |
Blaze | 53.1% | 31 | 12 | 14.8% | 17 | 54.8% |
 |
Genji | 46.9% | 17 | 21 | 25.9% | 10 | 58.8% |
 |
Arthas | 44.4% | 28 | 8 | 9.9% | 17 | 60.7% |
 |
Raynor | 44.4% | 30 | 6 | 7.4% | 11 | 36.7% |
 |
Tyrael | 42% | 13 | 21 | 25.9% | 7 | 53.8% |
The division in tiers is never perfect, and sometimes the heroes at the limit between tier 2 and 3 have similar draft rates.
Tier 3
| Hero | Name | Popularity | Picks | Bans | Ban% | Win | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Li-Ming | 39.5% | 25 | 7 | 8.6% | 11 | 44% |
 |
Johanna | 39.5% | 25 | 7 | 8.6% | 12 | 48% |
 |
Thrall | 37% | 28 | 2 | 2.5% | 17 | 60.7% |
 |
Abathur | 33.3% | 4 | 23 | 28.4% | 2 | 50% |
 |
Tracer | 33.3% | 13 | 14 | 17.3% | 6 | 46.2% |
 |
Leoric | 32.1% | 24 | 2 | 2.5% | 13 | 54.2% |
 |
Dehaka | 32.1% | 20 | 6 | 7.4% | 8 | 40% |
 |
Junkrat | 30.9% | 19 | 6 | 7.4% | 13 | 68.4% |
 |
Muradin | 27.2% | 22 | 0 | 0% | 8 | 36.4% |
 |
Ana | 25.9% | 11 | 10 | 12.3% | 4 | 36.4% |
 |
Rehgar | 24.7% | 20 | 0 | 0% | 11 | 55% |
Generally, tier 4 and 5 heroes are situational. They can be useful when employed to counter a specific draft or create combos with other heroes. Remember: in a competitive environment, not all heroes can adapt to any game, but they still have a niche.
Tier 4
| Hero | Name | Popularity | Picks | Bans | Ban% | Win | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Greymane | 19.8% | 12 | 4 | 4.9% | 4 | 33.3% |
 |
Yrel | 19.8% | 13 | 3 | 3.7% | 5 | 38.5% |
 |
Stitches | 18.5% | 12 | 3 | 3.7% | 6 | 50% |
 |
Sgt. Hammer | 17.3% | 2 | 12 | 14.8% | 1 | 50% |
 |
Orphea | 16% | 10 | 3 | 3.7% | 5 | 50% |
 |
Stukov | 14.8% | 11 | 1 | 1.2% | 2 | 18.2% |
 |
Probius | 14.8% | 6 | 6 | 7.4% | 4 | 66.7% |
 |
Alarak | 13.6% | 8 | 3 | 3.7% | 3 | 37.5% |
 |
Fenix | 13.6% | 11 | 0 | 0% | 7 | 63.6% |
 |
Malthael | 12.3% | 9 | 1 | 1.2% | 1 | 11.1% |
 |
Medivh | 12.3% | 4 | 6 | 7.4% | 1 | 25% |
 |
Deckard | 12.3% | 9 | 1 | 1.2% | 3 | 33.3% |
 |
E.T.C. | 11.1% | 8 | 1 | 1.2% | 4 | 50% |
 |
Gul'dan | 9.9% | 5 | 3 | 3.7% | 3 | 60% |
 |
Tychus | 8.6% | 4 | 3 | 3.7% | 1 | 25% |
 |
Mal'Ganis | 8.6% | 3 | 4 | 4.9% | 1 | 33.3% |
 |
Kel'Thuzad | 7.4% | 3 | 3 | 3.7% | 1 | 33.3% |
 |
Samuro | 7.4% | 4 | 2 | 2.5% | 2 | 50% |
Tier 5
| Hero | Name | Popularity | Picks | Bans | Ban% | Win | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kharazim | 4.9% | 4 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 25% |
 |
Alexstrasza | 4.9% | 2 | 2 | 2.5% | 2 | 100% |
 |
Falstad | 4.9% | 4 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Whitemane | 4.9% | 3 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Kael'thas | 4.9% | 4 | 0 | 0% | 2 | 50% |
 |
Gazlowe | 3.7% | 1 | 2 | 2.5% | 1 | 100% |
 |
Valla | 3.7% | 2 | 1 | 1.2% | 1 | 50% |
 |
Chromie | 3.7% | 2 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Illidan | 3.7% | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Tassadar | 3.7% | 2 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Sonya | 3.7% | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Azmodan | 3.7% | 2 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Murky | 3.7% | 2 | 1 | 1.2% | 1 | 50% |
 |
Ragnaros | 3.7% | 3 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 33.3% |
 |
The Lost Vikings | 2.5% | 0 | 2 | 2.5% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Uther | 2.5% | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Auriel | 2.5% | 2 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 50% |
 |
Cho | 2.5% | 1 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Rexxar | 2.5% | 1 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Nazeebo | 2.5% | 1 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
 |
The Butcher | 2.5% | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Kerrigan | 2.5% | 1 | 1 | 1.2% | 1 | 100% |
 |
Nova | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 100% |
 |
Mephisto | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Xul | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Varian | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 100% |
 |
Lunara | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Lucio | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Gall | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
 |
Cassia | 1.2% | 1 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 100% |
 |
Sylvanas | 1.2% | 0 | 1 | 1.2% | 0 | 0% |
Hero Pool January 2019 - Stats of the Storm
Top 10
Not drafted heroes
Note: Imperius has been released on January 8th.
Next Tier List: March 2019
Header image and hero icons: Blizzard
