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.
Tavish's playstyle is "mind games", creating a mini-game within the game itself for your opponent. They can hurt Tavish to prevent Aimed Shot from being as effective, but then they risk setting off a Trap. For someone who wants to mess with their enemies in PvP, this could be a really fun character; I just...don't care to do that. No idea how it'll work out in PvE, as well.
All-in-all, I have very little to say about Tavish *shrugs*
Sylvanas won't be winning any Speed competitions at her base level, that's for sure. I think Sylvanas has some interesting pieces, but as a whole her package is lacking. It all falls on Reclaimed Souls, which requires allies to die for her to start ramping her Attack. This can obviously be paired with summoning-Mercs, but it's still rather slow, and it's not like you want to let your actual Mercs die just so Sylvanas can get better. To me, that would just be unacceptable. Banshee Bolt doesn't risk her Health when she inflicts damage, so that's great, and For the Queen increases her Role coverage by turning enemies against each other (as in, she can inflict double damage to Protectors or Fighters by turning a Caster or Protector on them, respectively), and that's cool. However, they're not enough to turn my opinion.
All-in-all, if you replaced Reclaimed Souls with something else, I would be on board. As it is, she's just not what I want in a character.
Scabbs may lack in utility or disruption, but his damage output has some flexibility to it. The varying Speed of Wicked Stab could be the key to setting up combos, and the Stealth from Shadow Blade will always be appreciated. Honing Rod provides a means for him to ramp, as well, so he can compete with the other Fighters.
All-in-all, Scabbs is a neat character. He's basically focused on damage, with just a hint of survivability that could make him appealing.
Saurfang is another Orc character focused on - you guessed it - Orc synergy. At least he can spawn his own Orcs, and his buff is an AoE effect. They have to be damaged, though, which is kind of annoying; could be seen as a counter to AoE damage effects, although you've got Whirlwind if necessary. He's pretty straightforward: spawn some Orcs, make sure they're damaged, then buff buff buff.
All-in-all, I think Saurfang is too narrow in his usage, but what he does he does well so there ya go. I just wish the Orcs weren't so self-contained.
Rokara's ramp and damage are directly tied to the existence of Orcs in your team, so that narrows her usage considerably. Offensive Rally provides nothing but stats, which I believe is simply not worth it: you need some kind of utility or disruption, or at least a sheer output of damage to make up for a lacking ability, but this does not do that. Later on, the damage people can inflict will outpace the Health buff, even if the Attack buff will be nice for certain characters.
All-in-all, I think Rokara's lack of flexibility will make her obsolete after you start piecing together better Mercs.
It's hard to evaluate Rexxar when we don't know what the Animal Companions look like: one can assume they are the same minions from the spell Animal Companion, but who knows for certain. That said, Rexxar could easily find himself being the lynchpin of Beast comps, with Mama Bear's Claws buffing all the units you summon. He seems to lack much utility or disruption, but, again, those Animals could be the source of his strength.
All-in-all, Rexxar has a "wait and see" situation going on.
Rathorian is an odd duck. Blitzing Legion's random damage starts out higher than his Attack, but eventually they switch places. He can ramp via the weirdly-phrased Fel Command, but the Cooldown means he can't improve as quickly as other Fighters like Illidan or Samuro. And his summon is arguably better than he is when he gets it at level 5 lol. I can see a home for him in Fel or Demon packages, but he might be replaced when something better comes along. Rathorian is a Rare, though, so I guess that's to be expected.
All-in-all, Rathorian could be okay, but his kit is a bit all over the place.
Old Murk-Eye is a summoning character, and there are some who like that sort of thing. I hate Murlocs, though, so...yeah. Murk-Eye does play to the tribe well, spawning an army that can be used to overwhelm specific targets with Finvasion. That said, only three Murloc Mercs currently exist, so they are completely one-note in their team-comp. Mutanus and Morgl desperately need Murk-Eye to function, and if it falls in battle you're screwed.
All-in-all, I don't see myself using any of them, let alone Murk-Eye.
Devouring Attack's Deathblow is really cool. That's the only positive thing I can think of for this character. You need other Murlocs to utilize Devour, and that will *kill* them. That means, ideally, that you will only eat Murloc summons from Old Murk-eye, 'cause why would you kill off another Merc? You'd be putting all of your eggs in one basket. If it nets you a desperation-win then great, but you could be losing them for the rest of the run.
All-in-all, Murlocs are stupid. You need a specific team-comp for Mutanus to function best, and he could be detrimental to the health of the comp itself.
Serpent's Bite has a play on "poison damage", and that's neat. However, waiting until the end of the turn could be problematic: the enemy will be able to act, for one thing, possibly inflicting damage or healing itself out of lethal range. The other two abilities are Beast-related, but the Nightmare Viper seems *way* too slow to be useful. I'm sure its stats will improve with each tier, but still. You're supposed to heal the Viper with Mend Beast to ramp up its Health (and thus its Attack), but that means you're devoting all of your time to improving the Viper instead of defending yourself more directly. This just seems too grindy for my taste.
All-in-all, Anacondra just isn't my thing, but for someone who likes summoner characters she could be good.
There aren't too many Beasts for Krush to ramp from on the current roster, but at least he can generate more of his own. I particularly like Apex Predator's ability to repeat: this could be the payoff for AoEs bringing down everyone equally, ending the fight in a single ability. Even if it doesn't, one proc of the Deathblow could be significant. He is completely lacking in utility, though: he just Attacks, buffs and Attacks, and summons someone who can Attack.
All-in-all, Krush doesn't appear to have a lot of nuance, but maybe he doesn't need it. He does his job, and that's all you can ask for, right?
Illidan's damage output seems very impressive, provided he is given time to ramp up. He is hard-countered by abilities like Xyrella's Blinding Luminance, but hopefully not many of those exist in PvE. His equipment seems very good in that I can't find one that is distinctly better than the rest; taking less damage with Demon Shroud is great, but so too can the double-strike of the Warglaives or the enhanced ramp of Razor Fist. It really comes down to what your personal preference is, which is how it should be.
All-in-all, Illidan looks good, and I'm sure I can find a place for him on my roster.
Diablo seems super good to me. Doom Charge can significantly undermine an enemy's ability to act in a timely manner, opening them up for damage from Fire Stomp or to be nuked by an Apocalypse combo. Combine Diablo with other characters who can slow to maximize your Fire Stomp output, like The Lich King or Cairne Bloodhoof. AoEs aren't that great in this game, in my opinion, because focus-firing will be more efficient and effective, but Fire Stomp's output could be to the point where that no longer matters, and even then his other abilities could make up for this.
Samuro is...interesting. He has a good mix of survivability and damage, with the power to ramp up via Double Strike. He needs Sash of Illusion if he wants to make the most of Mirror Image, though, because it doesn't seem to copy his Attack buffs otherwise. Timing will be critical with Whirling Blade, so you don't waste the Immunity; even then, your opponent will know it's on Cooldown and thus you've left yourself open to attack afterward. Might be a moot point at that time, if Double Strike destroys them.
All-in-all, Samuro seems a bit finnicky, but for a free Rare Merc he can get the job done.
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...).
All-in-all, Tyrande is just too lacking for me.
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.
Tavish's playstyle is "mind games", creating a mini-game within the game itself for your opponent. They can hurt Tavish to prevent Aimed Shot from being as effective, but then they risk setting off a Trap. For someone who wants to mess with their enemies in PvP, this could be a really fun character; I just...don't care to do that. No idea how it'll work out in PvE, as well.
All-in-all, I have very little to say about Tavish *shrugs*
Sylvanas won't be winning any Speed competitions at her base level, that's for sure. I think Sylvanas has some interesting pieces, but as a whole her package is lacking. It all falls on Reclaimed Souls, which requires allies to die for her to start ramping her Attack. This can obviously be paired with summoning-Mercs, but it's still rather slow, and it's not like you want to let your actual Mercs die just so Sylvanas can get better. To me, that would just be unacceptable. Banshee Bolt doesn't risk her Health when she inflicts damage, so that's great, and For the Queen increases her Role coverage by turning enemies against each other (as in, she can inflict double damage to Protectors or Fighters by turning a Caster or Protector on them, respectively), and that's cool. However, they're not enough to turn my opinion.
All-in-all, if you replaced Reclaimed Souls with something else, I would be on board. As it is, she's just not what I want in a character.
Scabbs may lack in utility or disruption, but his damage output has some flexibility to it. The varying Speed of Wicked Stab could be the key to setting up combos, and the Stealth from Shadow Blade will always be appreciated. Honing Rod provides a means for him to ramp, as well, so he can compete with the other Fighters.
All-in-all, Scabbs is a neat character. He's basically focused on damage, with just a hint of survivability that could make him appealing.
Saurfang is another Orc character focused on - you guessed it - Orc synergy. At least he can spawn his own Orcs, and his buff is an AoE effect. They have to be damaged, though, which is kind of annoying; could be seen as a counter to AoE damage effects, although you've got Whirlwind if necessary. He's pretty straightforward: spawn some Orcs, make sure they're damaged, then buff buff buff.
All-in-all, I think Saurfang is too narrow in his usage, but what he does he does well so there ya go. I just wish the Orcs weren't so self-contained.
Rokara's ramp and damage are directly tied to the existence of Orcs in your team, so that narrows her usage considerably. Offensive Rally provides nothing but stats, which I believe is simply not worth it: you need some kind of utility or disruption, or at least a sheer output of damage to make up for a lacking ability, but this does not do that. Later on, the damage people can inflict will outpace the Health buff, even if the Attack buff will be nice for certain characters.
All-in-all, I think Rokara's lack of flexibility will make her obsolete after you start piecing together better Mercs.
It's hard to evaluate Rexxar when we don't know what the Animal Companions look like: one can assume they are the same minions from the spell Animal Companion, but who knows for certain. That said, Rexxar could easily find himself being the lynchpin of Beast comps, with Mama Bear's Claws buffing all the units you summon. He seems to lack much utility or disruption, but, again, those Animals could be the source of his strength.
All-in-all, Rexxar has a "wait and see" situation going on.
Rathorian is an odd duck. Blitzing Legion's random damage starts out higher than his Attack, but eventually they switch places. He can ramp via the weirdly-phrased Fel Command, but the Cooldown means he can't improve as quickly as other Fighters like Illidan or Samuro. And his summon is arguably better than he is when he gets it at level 5 lol. I can see a home for him in Fel or Demon packages, but he might be replaced when something better comes along. Rathorian is a Rare, though, so I guess that's to be expected.
All-in-all, Rathorian could be okay, but his kit is a bit all over the place.
Old Murk-Eye is a summoning character, and there are some who like that sort of thing. I hate Murlocs, though, so...yeah. Murk-Eye does play to the tribe well, spawning an army that can be used to overwhelm specific targets with Finvasion. That said, only three Murloc Mercs currently exist, so they are completely one-note in their team-comp. Mutanus and Morgl desperately need Murk-Eye to function, and if it falls in battle you're screwed.
All-in-all, I don't see myself using any of them, let alone Murk-Eye.
Devouring Attack's Deathblow is really cool. That's the only positive thing I can think of for this character. You need other Murlocs to utilize Devour, and that will *kill* them. That means, ideally, that you will only eat Murloc summons from Old Murk-eye, 'cause why would you kill off another Merc? You'd be putting all of your eggs in one basket. If it nets you a desperation-win then great, but you could be losing them for the rest of the run.
All-in-all, Murlocs are stupid. You need a specific team-comp for Mutanus to function best, and he could be detrimental to the health of the comp itself.
Serpent's Bite has a play on "poison damage", and that's neat. However, waiting until the end of the turn could be problematic: the enemy will be able to act, for one thing, possibly inflicting damage or healing itself out of lethal range. The other two abilities are Beast-related, but the Nightmare Viper seems *way* too slow to be useful. I'm sure its stats will improve with each tier, but still. You're supposed to heal the Viper with Mend Beast to ramp up its Health (and thus its Attack), but that means you're devoting all of your time to improving the Viper instead of defending yourself more directly. This just seems too grindy for my taste.
All-in-all, Anacondra just isn't my thing, but for someone who likes summoner characters she could be good.
There aren't too many Beasts for Krush to ramp from on the current roster, but at least he can generate more of his own. I particularly like Apex Predator's ability to repeat: this could be the payoff for AoEs bringing down everyone equally, ending the fight in a single ability. Even if it doesn't, one proc of the Deathblow could be significant. He is completely lacking in utility, though: he just Attacks, buffs and Attacks, and summons someone who can Attack.
All-in-all, Krush doesn't appear to have a lot of nuance, but maybe he doesn't need it. He does his job, and that's all you can ask for, right?
Illidan's damage output seems very impressive, provided he is given time to ramp up. He is hard-countered by abilities like Xyrella's Blinding Luminance, but hopefully not many of those exist in PvE. His equipment seems very good in that I can't find one that is distinctly better than the rest; taking less damage with Demon Shroud is great, but so too can the double-strike of the Warglaives or the enhanced ramp of Razor Fist. It really comes down to what your personal preference is, which is how it should be.
All-in-all, Illidan looks good, and I'm sure I can find a place for him on my roster.
Diablo seems super good to me. Doom Charge can significantly undermine an enemy's ability to act in a timely manner, opening them up for damage from Fire Stomp or to be nuked by an Apocalypse combo. Combine Diablo with other characters who can slow to maximize your Fire Stomp output, like The Lich King or Cairne Bloodhoof. AoEs aren't that great in this game, in my opinion, because focus-firing will be more efficient and effective, but Fire Stomp's output could be to the point where that no longer matters, and even then his other abilities could make up for this.
All-in-all, Diablo is my favorite Fighter.
Samuro is...interesting. He has a good mix of survivability and damage, with the power to ramp up via Double Strike. He needs Sash of Illusion if he wants to make the most of Mirror Image, though, because it doesn't seem to copy his Attack buffs otherwise. Timing will be critical with Whirling Blade, so you don't waste the Immunity; even then, your opponent will know it's on Cooldown and thus you've left yourself open to attack afterward. Might be a moot point at that time, if Double Strike destroys them.
All-in-all, Samuro seems a bit finnicky, but for a free Rare Merc he can get the job done.
The change to Macaw is that it can no longer pick itself; otherwise its functionality should remain the same.