For a nice change of pace, there's a second Human-synergy character to go alongside Anduin, in contrast to the seemingly dozen Orc characters that exist. That being said, I don't know if Varian is that good. There are a couple Humans that really want Attack buffs, but a good number of Humans are Casters who don't care for it (outside of providing return-damage when attacked). Making everyone faster with Heroic Leap is great, but Retaliation is kind of crap: it starts out slow, and provides nothing additional. You're hoping that multiple enemies attack so Varian can get more than one swing in; otherwise you might as well have just used Splitting Strike.
All-in-all, pair him with Tirion and Anduin and go to town on your enemies, but know that you probably could have done better with someone else.
There are a lot of Orc-based synergy characters among the starting Mercenaries roster. Kind of annoying, if I'm being frank. They all basically want the same thing (Attack buffs); it leaves them feeling one-note and somewhat homogenous. Anyway, Thrall is a damage-focused Protector, with an interesting little gimmick in his Warchief's Command: he can direct an ally to attack, even if they've already attacked that turn. Choose a Fighter with a ton of Attack, and they can just rip through an enemy in no time at all. It at least gives Thrall something unique to call his own.
All-in-all, Thrall is kind of boring outside of his one unique gimmick, but Warchief's Command could be pretty powerful in the right circumstances.
Ragnaros is a damage-focused Protector, when he really should just be a Caster. His only "utility" is protection from Freezing effects if he equips Sulfuras. I guess he makes up for this lack of protectiveness with sheer damage, as there is a lot here. Equip Blazing Rune for +1 Fire Damage to help out in a Fire team, with the likes of Antonidas and/or Diablo. And that's about it, really.
Mannoroth's abilities are pretty specific, but they are powerful in their effect. You want a Demon team to provide AoE "healing", damage output to coincide with an enemy target's inability to heal due to Fel Lash, and attackers who can take advantage of Howl of Terror. Sounds like a job for Diablo! That's it, really: his abilities are pretty basic in their functionality.
All-in-all, Mannoroth is a niche character, but he slots into his niche pretty well such that he might just have a home in those teams for a long time to come.
We'll have to wait and see the functional difference between Root and Freeze, because it seems to me that they might be identical outside of flavor reasons (Malfurion doesn't Freeze people, after all). Either-way, it provides him some much-needed disruption to go with his damage and Choose One healing. I'm honestly surprised how damage-focused Malfurion is, and I'm also surprised he doesn't summon any Treants or whatever.
All-in-all, Malfurion is a well-rounded character who will most likely find himself in Nature-based teams. He doesn't do much else.
Truestrike Gauntlets appear to be must-haves for J-rax, turning his otherwise random damage output into a focus-fire nuke on the lowest-Health enemy. Kill them with Legion Burst for maximum DPT (damage-per-turn), softening up the next person so you can do it all again. You'll have to stop every now and then to summon a Fel Infernal for the Fist, but that's okay: your opponent will want to target the Infernals to lower your damage output, and that keeps your main team protected. And that's why Jaraxxus is a Protector lol. I expect to see a lot of Jaraxxus players in PvP, because he looks like a lot of fun.
All-in-all, YOU FACE JARAXXUS, EREDAR LORD OF THE BURNING LEGION!!
The Lich King has a nice variety to his toolset, with slows, targetable damage, healing, a Taunt, and Freezing effects. Frostbite's slow is permanent, as well, which could be amazing if it hits the right ability and especially so if it procs on them multiple times over the course of a fight. Frostmourne can spread the slow like an AoE, as well, which just further demoralizes the enemy team. I think pairing him with Diablo will be amazing, slowing down the entire enemy team to where Fire Stomp can just wreak havoc on their Health. They both Attack, so why not finish the team with a Xyrella, for another heal and the powerful debuff that-is Blinding Luminance?
All-in-all, I believe The Lich King is a powerful Protector who could be very disruptive. Speed debuffs could be a premium effect; permanent ones even more so.
Kurtrus seems like a Fighter-turned-Protector, much like Grom. He needs enemy Demons to be at his most effective, though, with a pretty powerful ramp up in Demon Slayer. Aimless Assault is random, which sucks, but the Immunity could be amazing; it shouldn't be too hard to hit the left- or right-most enemy, either, as you've got a 66% chance in normal 3v3 situations. And lastly Eye Beam is targetable Lifesteal damage without retaliation, which is pretty nice. His equipment could make him an even more powerful defeater of Demons, with Demon Guard for guaranteed Critical Damage. In PvE situations where you know there will be Demons, Kurtrus looks to be a no-brainer.
All-in-all, Krurtrus may only be at his best against Demons, but damn if he ain't really good at it.
The Banana gameplay is...interesting, to say the least. Essentially buffing your characters, albeit randomly in the case of Banana Frenzy; at least you have some additional control over what the bananas buff (via the equipment). They're pretty low-impact to start with, though. He doesn't need too many Beasts to be effective, thankfully, but he does need at least one to use Primal Power on. This gives him more flexibility then, say, the Murloc Mercs.
All-in-all, Mukla could be amusing, but the randomness of his Banana Frenzy could be a detriment.
Gruul will live or die based on how many Dragons exist in PvE, because there are only three in PvP at the game's start: Alexstrasza, Brightwing, and Voone's Evasive Wyrm. That's it, really; he's way too niche to be useful outside of this situation. Level him up if you badly need to get through a Dragon boss, but then return him to the bench.
Grom is an Attack-based Protector, and I'm not sure how successful those will be. Wouldn't you just rather run a Fighter at that point? His ramp-up is slow, requiring him to kill enemies or proc every-other-turn with Battlefury. He can gain some survivability with Gorehowl, but that keeps him from ramping up further with Bloodthirst Amulet. At least he has some disruption with Staggering Slam.
All-in-all, for a free starter Merc Grom ain't bad; I just think you can do better, even if he is a Legendary.
Dueling Gauntlets brings this character up a notch, in my opinion. Sure he's another Orc-synergy character, and I don't care for them, but who can't get behind a BATTLE TO THE DEATH?! If you can bump up his Attack somehow - maybe with Tirion's Blessing of Kings? - you could absolutely shred an enemy's Health, even a boss. That might be too niche, but "boss slayer" is a nice niche to have.
All-in-all, when you play Garrosh, you should be using the Dueling Gauntlets. Just sayin'.
I don't like Cornelius. Like his (living) daughter, he is a "grinder" Merc designed to outlive opponents and eventually win over time. Unlike her, he's far more complicated, and "complicated" doesn't necessarily equate to "better" or even "good". He's supposed to be a healer who also takes aggro onto himself, but his numbers don't look very potent and he doesn't heal himself enough to last for too long. Focus him down and he'll be dead in no time, but maybe that's the point - if you're focusing him you're not focusing more important characters. That doesn't make for a particularly fun strategy, though.
All-in-all, Cornelius doesn't look like the character for me, and this is coming from someone who likes to play tanks. He just isn't that good.
Cariel is a "grinder"-type Merc, meant to outlast one's opponent until they surrender via sheer exhaustion. That sounds all well and good, but could be a moot point with all the damage and disruption flying around. She's a fairly simple character, though, the kind that one can easily pick up and play; that's a good thing. I guess we'll see if she can survive in a high-stakes environment, slowing the game down to where she can thrive.
All-in-all, Cariel is probably meant to be replaced in time with other, better Mercs, but starting out she'll get the job done.
In my opinion, Speed is one of the most powerful aspects of Mercenaries. Go first and you could kill or debuff your opponent before they get to act, countering their gameplan whilst furthering your own. With that in mind, I think Cairne will be quite strong, boosting the speed of his allies or slowing the enemy. Disrupt them enough and Cairne's Ancestral Uppercut will heal for a lot, allowing him to continue Taunting and being a general nuisance.
All-in-all, Cairne is one of my favorite Mercs, and I think he could definitely find a home somewhere.
Alex has some flexibility with Dragon Breath, and that's appreciated, but otherwise she's a damage-focused Protector. Dragonqueen's Gambit is a counter-move against characters who can ramp up their Attack, turning their high stats against them. With Dragonflight Talisman, that could be a ton of healing for Alexstrasza.
All-in-all, Alex is a straightforward character. I still like her despite this, but that could be my Dragon bias.
Valeera seems insane to me. She inflicts a ton of damage, can slip by Taunts with her Finishing Blow, and Fan of Knives could improve your other Mercs by six total Speed if you equip Twin Blade Daggers. That's crazy! You're practically guaranteed to go first at that point, allowing Valeera's Combo effects to go off and further solidify her effectiveness. She is super good at what she does, and what she does is kill bitches.
All-in-all, while Diablo might be my favorite Fighter, Valeera might be the best Fighter.
For a damage dealer, Voone has a bit of everything, with a focus-fire attack, an AoE effect, and his summon. Voone is reliant on Dragons to maximize the effectiveness of Dragon Breath, but at least he can create them. The Evasive Wyrm seems great, being able to act immediately and protect itself via the Divine Shield. It's hard to say what exactly it does, though; can you control summoned minions? If you can, Wyrm Claws could be amazing. Might be good either-way.
All-in-all, I like Voone, but my pro-Dragon bias might be showing haha.
Tyrande really only does one thing: Arcane damage. Sure she can make an ability permanently faster, but it's really just the damage. There just...isn't a lot here. If she can do it well then great, but outside of Arcane teams she has nothing to offer (unless you take Band of the Wilds, but then you're an Arcane Fighter mixed with Nature users who want you to use Nature abilities...).
Tirion looks very impressive. Divine Shield is a powerful denial tool against AoE, but even against focus-fire tactics it could be a life-saver. Blessing of Kings is "just stats", but the Divine Shield really helps and the +8 Attack could be significant. Judgment of Humility is an A+ ability, in my mind, neutering an Attack-based character and getting what is essentially a free attack against them. It eventually improves to 2 Speed, meaning your target will be truly screwed that turn.
All-in-all, the protection and attack-denial make Tirion more like a Protector, but even as a Fighter he seems strong.
Varian Wrynn
For a nice change of pace, there's a second Human-synergy character to go alongside Anduin, in contrast to the seemingly dozen Orc characters that exist. That being said, I don't know if Varian is that good. There are a couple Humans that really want Attack buffs, but a good number of Humans are Casters who don't care for it (outside of providing return-damage when attacked). Making everyone faster with Heroic Leap is great, but Retaliation is kind of crap: it starts out slow, and provides nothing additional. You're hoping that multiple enemies attack so Varian can get more than one swing in; otherwise you might as well have just used Splitting Strike.
All-in-all, pair him with Tirion and Anduin and go to town on your enemies, but know that you probably could have done better with someone else.
Thrall
There are a lot of Orc-based synergy characters among the starting Mercenaries roster. Kind of annoying, if I'm being frank. They all basically want the same thing (Attack buffs); it leaves them feeling one-note and somewhat homogenous. Anyway, Thrall is a damage-focused Protector, with an interesting little gimmick in his Warchief's Command: he can direct an ally to attack, even if they've already attacked that turn. Choose a Fighter with a ton of Attack, and they can just rip through an enemy in no time at all. It at least gives Thrall something unique to call his own.
All-in-all, Thrall is kind of boring outside of his one unique gimmick, but Warchief's Command could be pretty powerful in the right circumstances.
Ragnaros
Ragnaros is a damage-focused Protector, when he really should just be a Caster. His only "utility" is protection from Freezing effects if he equips Sulfuras. I guess he makes up for this lack of protectiveness with sheer damage, as there is a lot here. Equip Blazing Rune for +1 Fire Damage to help out in a Fire team, with the likes of Antonidas and/or Diablo. And that's about it, really.
All-in-all, BY FIRE BE PURGED!!
Mannoroth
Mannoroth's abilities are pretty specific, but they are powerful in their effect. You want a Demon team to provide AoE "healing", damage output to coincide with an enemy target's inability to heal due to Fel Lash, and attackers who can take advantage of Howl of Terror. Sounds like a job for Diablo! That's it, really: his abilities are pretty basic in their functionality.
All-in-all, Mannoroth is a niche character, but he slots into his niche pretty well such that he might just have a home in those teams for a long time to come.
Malfurion Stormrage
We'll have to wait and see the functional difference between Root and Freeze, because it seems to me that they might be identical outside of flavor reasons (Malfurion doesn't Freeze people, after all). Either-way, it provides him some much-needed disruption to go with his damage and Choose One healing. I'm honestly surprised how damage-focused Malfurion is, and I'm also surprised he doesn't summon any Treants or whatever.
All-in-all, Malfurion is a well-rounded character who will most likely find himself in Nature-based teams. He doesn't do much else.
Lord Jaraxxus
Truestrike Gauntlets appear to be must-haves for J-rax, turning his otherwise random damage output into a focus-fire nuke on the lowest-Health enemy. Kill them with Legion Burst for maximum DPT (damage-per-turn), softening up the next person so you can do it all again. You'll have to stop every now and then to summon a Fel Infernal for the Fist, but that's okay: your opponent will want to target the Infernals to lower your damage output, and that keeps your main team protected. And that's why Jaraxxus is a Protector lol. I expect to see a lot of Jaraxxus players in PvP, because he looks like a lot of fun.
All-in-all, YOU FACE JARAXXUS, EREDAR LORD OF THE BURNING LEGION!!
Lich King
The Lich King has a nice variety to his toolset, with slows, targetable damage, healing, a Taunt, and Freezing effects. Frostbite's slow is permanent, as well, which could be amazing if it hits the right ability and especially so if it procs on them multiple times over the course of a fight. Frostmourne can spread the slow like an AoE, as well, which just further demoralizes the enemy team. I think pairing him with Diablo will be amazing, slowing down the entire enemy team to where Fire Stomp can just wreak havoc on their Health. They both Attack, so why not finish the team with a Xyrella, for another heal and the powerful debuff that-is Blinding Luminance?
All-in-all, I believe The Lich King is a powerful Protector who could be very disruptive. Speed debuffs could be a premium effect; permanent ones even more so.
Kurtrus Ashfallen
Kurtrus seems like a Fighter-turned-Protector, much like Grom. He needs enemy Demons to be at his most effective, though, with a pretty powerful ramp up in Demon Slayer. Aimless Assault is random, which sucks, but the Immunity could be amazing; it shouldn't be too hard to hit the left- or right-most enemy, either, as you've got a 66% chance in normal 3v3 situations. And lastly Eye Beam is targetable Lifesteal damage without retaliation, which is pretty nice. His equipment could make him an even more powerful defeater of Demons, with Demon Guard for guaranteed Critical Damage. In PvE situations where you know there will be Demons, Kurtrus looks to be a no-brainer.
All-in-all, Krurtrus may only be at his best against Demons, but damn if he ain't really good at it.
King Mukla
The Banana gameplay is...interesting, to say the least. Essentially buffing your characters, albeit randomly in the case of Banana Frenzy; at least you have some additional control over what the bananas buff (via the equipment). They're pretty low-impact to start with, though. He doesn't need too many Beasts to be effective, thankfully, but he does need at least one to use Primal Power on. This gives him more flexibility then, say, the Murloc Mercs.
All-in-all, Mukla could be amusing, but the randomness of his Banana Frenzy could be a detriment.
Gruul
Gruul will live or die based on how many Dragons exist in PvE, because there are only three in PvP at the game's start: Alexstrasza, Brightwing, and Voone's Evasive Wyrm. That's it, really; he's way too niche to be useful outside of this situation. Level him up if you badly need to get through a Dragon boss, but then return him to the bench.
Grommash Hellscream
Grom is an Attack-based Protector, and I'm not sure how successful those will be. Wouldn't you just rather run a Fighter at that point? His ramp-up is slow, requiring him to kill enemies or proc every-other-turn with Battlefury. He can gain some survivability with Gorehowl, but that keeps him from ramping up further with Bloodthirst Amulet. At least he has some disruption with Staggering Slam.
All-in-all, for a free starter Merc Grom ain't bad; I just think you can do better, even if he is a Legendary.
Garrosh Hellscream
Dueling Gauntlets brings this character up a notch, in my opinion. Sure he's another Orc-synergy character, and I don't care for them, but who can't get behind a BATTLE TO THE DEATH?! If you can bump up his Attack somehow - maybe with Tirion's Blessing of Kings? - you could absolutely shred an enemy's Health, even a boss. That might be too niche, but "boss slayer" is a nice niche to have.
All-in-all, when you play Garrosh, you should be using the Dueling Gauntlets. Just sayin'.
Cornelius Roame
I don't like Cornelius. Like his (living) daughter, he is a "grinder" Merc designed to outlive opponents and eventually win over time. Unlike her, he's far more complicated, and "complicated" doesn't necessarily equate to "better" or even "good". He's supposed to be a healer who also takes aggro onto himself, but his numbers don't look very potent and he doesn't heal himself enough to last for too long. Focus him down and he'll be dead in no time, but maybe that's the point - if you're focusing him you're not focusing more important characters. That doesn't make for a particularly fun strategy, though.
All-in-all, Cornelius doesn't look like the character for me, and this is coming from someone who likes to play tanks. He just isn't that good.
Portrait: Righteous Inferno
Cardback: Gone Fishin’
Cariel Roame
Cariel is a "grinder"-type Merc, meant to outlast one's opponent until they surrender via sheer exhaustion. That sounds all well and good, but could be a moot point with all the damage and disruption flying around. She's a fairly simple character, though, the kind that one can easily pick up and play; that's a good thing. I guess we'll see if she can survive in a high-stakes environment, slowing the game down to where she can thrive.
All-in-all, Cariel is probably meant to be replaced in time with other, better Mercs, but starting out she'll get the job done.
Tempo Silence Priest
Portrait: King Anduin
Cardback: Cupcake
Cairne Bloodhoof
In my opinion, Speed is one of the most powerful aspects of Mercenaries. Go first and you could kill or debuff your opponent before they get to act, countering their gameplan whilst furthering your own. With that in mind, I think Cairne will be quite strong, boosting the speed of his allies or slowing the enemy. Disrupt them enough and Cairne's Ancestral Uppercut will heal for a lot, allowing him to continue Taunting and being a general nuisance.
All-in-all, Cairne is one of my favorite Mercs, and I think he could definitely find a home somewhere.
Alexstrasza
Alex has some flexibility with Dragon Breath, and that's appreciated, but otherwise she's a damage-focused Protector. Dragonqueen's Gambit is a counter-move against characters who can ramp up their Attack, turning their high stats against them. With Dragonflight Talisman, that could be a ton of healing for Alexstrasza.
All-in-all, Alex is a straightforward character. I still like her despite this, but that could be my Dragon bias.
Valeera Sanguinar
Valeera seems insane to me. She inflicts a ton of damage, can slip by Taunts with her Finishing Blow, and Fan of Knives could improve your other Mercs by six total Speed if you equip Twin Blade Daggers. That's crazy! You're practically guaranteed to go first at that point, allowing Valeera's Combo effects to go off and further solidify her effectiveness. She is super good at what she does, and what she does is kill bitches.
All-in-all, while Diablo might be my favorite Fighter, Valeera might be the best Fighter.
Infinite Yogg-Saron Shaman
Portrait: Ten Storm Thrall
Cardback: Clutch of Yogg-Saron
Warmaster Voone
For a damage dealer, Voone has a bit of everything, with a focus-fire attack, an AoE effect, and his summon. Voone is reliant on Dragons to maximize the effectiveness of Dragon Breath, but at least he can create them. The Evasive Wyrm seems great, being able to act immediately and protect itself via the Divine Shield. It's hard to say what exactly it does, though; can you control summoned minions? If you can, Wyrm Claws could be amazing. Might be good either-way.
All-in-all, I like Voone, but my pro-Dragon bias might be showing haha.
Portrait: Shan’do Malfurion
Cardback: Darnassus
Tyrande
Tyrande really only does one thing: Arcane damage. Sure she can make an ability permanently faster, but it's really just the damage. There just...isn't a lot here. If she can do it well then great, but outside of Arcane teams she has nothing to offer (unless you take Band of the Wilds, but then you're an Arcane Fighter mixed with Nature users who want you to use Nature abilities...).
All-in-all, Tyrande is just too lacking for me.
Hearthstone Gets Constructed Balance Changes Next Tuesday - Warlock Card Ban, Priest Card Redesign, 5 Nerfs, 7 Buffs
Your take was not that hot tbh lol
Tirion Fordring
Tirion looks very impressive. Divine Shield is a powerful denial tool against AoE, but even against focus-fire tactics it could be a life-saver. Blessing of Kings is "just stats", but the Divine Shield really helps and the +8 Attack could be significant. Judgment of Humility is an A+ ability, in my mind, neutering an Attack-based character and getting what is essentially a free attack against them. It eventually improves to 2 Speed, meaning your target will be truly screwed that turn.
All-in-all, the protection and attack-denial make Tirion more like a Protector, but even as a Fighter he seems strong.