Adjusting the Meta: Patch 54.4 Recap

Balance patch 54.4 has just arrived at the Nexus. Unlike many other patches, most of its adjustments are very subtle, trying to slightly alter the meta and some heroes’ builds. On the front-lane side we can find buffs to E.T.C and Thrall. Though still being somehow popular, these Horde characters were far from their peak performances, so these changes might be just what they needed. We’ll see how the Warchief and the Chieftain evolve with these improvements, which should help them overcome their worse matchups. Speaking of tanks and bruisers, Gazlowe has been slightly nerfed. Since the goblin got his new role as a bruiser, he has been one of the most contested picks in that role. Gazlowe mains should start thinking about more heroes to play, because the devs comment this may not be his last nerf.

One of the targets of patch 54.4 has been shuffling the healer meta. Stukov and Brightwing used to perform much better than their counterparts. Malfurion also had his good share of competitive games, but the druid’s numbers in ranked games were—and still are—much worse. The meta might change drastically, as both Stukov and Brightwing have been nerfed and other unsung heroes have received some buffs. Li Li’s healings are based on proyectiles, and the speed of those proyectiles has been increased. This change makes her much more reliable and allows the panda to adopt a safer positioning in teamfights. Ana’s talents have received a few new functionalities, trying to improve her build diversity. We’ll need to keep an eye on the Overwatch sniper, as these new features could have unpredictable results. Apart from the healers, Zarya has received some great power-ups. Her basic attacks and energy generation have been remarkably improved. With a higher damage output, the support from Overwatch may now become a really serious threat.

Survivability of the Immobile

The last changes of this patch affect the assassins, especially some ranged ones. Valla’s W, Multishot, has been nerfed by reducing its damage and increasing its cooldown. Her gambit talent has been buffed, as it was the least popular level 1 choice. Nazeebo’s spiders have been nerfed, while his toads received small buffs. Zagara, after being hit by some of the toughest nerfs ever, has gained some base health and health regeneration. Those health buffs have also been applied to two other immobile heroes: Kel’Thuzad and Kael’thas. And they've also received a couple more improvements. The lich’s Glacial Spike now hits harder, as its damage has risen from 60 to 70. The Sunstrider has also improved his damage output with a more deadly Phoenix.

Will these KT & KT buffs bring a meta of mages? Probably not, as one of their natural predators has also received some improvements. Maiev’s D, Vault of the Wardens, now has an additional charge at level 20. This extra leap turns the Warcraft warden into a late game threat. Some of her talents have also been buffed for the sake of talent diversity. Though they weren’t the most popular choices, most of them were already viable, so there's a chance they now become too strong. The dev team acknowledges this situation, as Associate Game Designer Josh Kofalt explained on Reddit:

Are you enjoying the buffs? Are you dealing with the nerfs? Let us know what you think of patch 54.4!

Source: https://tl.net/forum/heroes/578709-adjusting-the-meta-patch-544-recap