Heroes of the Storm - Drafting Guide (Main Tanks)

We've discussed the first cornerstone to the necessary drafting triangle, the Sustained Damage, the Main Tank and the Main Support, now regarding the Main Tank. A Main Tank is a Warrior-Class hero that must be able to successfully:

- Crowd control and lockdown enemies
- Mitigate damage or have self-sustain
- Move in and out of combat easily

Except Stitches, Sonya and Chen (you, you, you, you, NOT YOU GUYS)

Although not all Main Tanks completely check those criterias, the best Main Tanks certainly do, heroes like Anub'arak and ETC for example are the top picks when it comes to Main Tanks. Given that some Warriors do not classify as Main Tanks but rather Bruisers, so here's a list of Main Tanks along with explanations for each requirement:

Anub'arak

CC and Lockdown
- This hero is special in a sense he has two basic abilities that stun can enemies, a rare advantage which explains why he is one of the go to tanks in competitive and can fare really well in any situation. That and the fact he can single-handedly stun lock a target makes him a really scary hero to deal with when paired with a solid backline

Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain
- Anub'arak inherently has 15 Spell Armor, meaning he can tank burst damage from mages. Pair that with his Hardened Carapace that allows him to generate his own shield, he becomes a tank that can easily soak up damage from Assassins when coupled with a fast player. Where he fails somewhat is his slightly low health and no ability to self-sustain until level 10, Locust Swarm isn't the best Heroic option but it does allow him to regenerate health when he needs to.

Mobility
- Anub'arak's Burrow Charge makes him very handy when engaging or escaping. The stun that comes along with the ability also adds value to his kit, plus he can out maneuver stuns or repositions that are clearly telegraphed if you time the burrow properly. Never underestimate a pocket Unstoppable.

Other Advantages
- Anub'arak also supplies a surprising amount of waveclear, his Impale coupled with his Trait that spawns beetles whenever he casts a basic ability. He can also turn a 5v5 fight into a 4v5 with his Cocoon ability.

Arthas

CC and Lockdown
- Arthas thins the line between a Main Tank and a Bruiser quite a bit, while he has a way to slow enemies in an area around him using Frozen Tempest, his lack of mobility means that he has to rely mostly on his lockdown ability, Howling Blast to get in close for the slow. At Level 10, he gains a long range, devastating slow with Summon Sindragosa.

Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain
- With a base physical armor of 10, Arthas can take hits from Basic Attacks like a champ, and he can heal his own health whenever necessary with his Death Coil ability. He gains more self sustain when he reaches level 10 with Army of the Dead. Also note that because the zombies surround him while the ability is active, they can intercept skillshots for you so that counts as Damage Mitigation I guess?

Mobility
- This is where Arthas' falls off a bit, he doesn't really have a way to engage the enemy or escape from a bad fight which is why support heroes that boost mobility like Lucio are often paired with him. He can somewhat dissuade long chases with Frozen Tempest.

Other Advantages
- Arthas can shut down Structures and Minion waves with Summon Sindragosa allowing his team to apply pressure on enemy fortifications without contest. He can also fill the role of a solo lane hero, with his high health pool, good waveclear and self sustaining capabilities.

Diablo

CC and Lockdown

- Diablo's crowd control comes in the form of displacements rather than slows, by forcefully repositioning enemies at will and then knocking them into unfavourable positions or worse, WALLS. Which is where his lockdown comes from as targets get stunned when knocked against a wall. The sheer tenacity and imposing nature of Diablo is what allows him to act as a Main Tank really well. What makes Diablo a terrifying (yeah, I went there) hero to deal with is Apocalypse which can devastate teamfights and quickly lead to a team wipe.

Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain

- While Diablo does not have any base armor, his advantage comes in the form of a gigantic healthpool. Diablo gains health every time a minion or hero is slain within his vicinity, allowing him to reach ridiculous amounts of hit points. His self sustain comes from various talents that allows him to regenerate more health over time based on a percentage of his health instead of a fixed amount.

Mobility

- Diablo's mobility isn't as reliable as Anub'arak's because you need to target an enemy to use it, but I've seen some players get really creative with it by using minions or mercs as a get out of jail free card when in a bad engage. 

Other Advantages

- Diablo's Trait allows him to respawn after 5 seconds if he dies with 100 souls. The problem with this is that he loses all the bonus health and regeneration he gained from that 100 souls. But it allows him to sacrifice himself if needed, knowing he won't be gone for too long before the next teamfight. Most Main Tanks have an acceptable level of waveclear and Diablo is no exception, the difference here is that he actually gets a lot of value out of rotating from lane to lane to collect experience as he can collect souls as well in the process.

ETC

CC and Lockdown

- ETC can stun and displace enemy units with Powerslide then Face Melt, While he doesn't have much slows until later in the game, the intrusive nature of his abilities make him very hard to deal with in the hands of a skilled player.

Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain
- ETC can restore his own health with Guitar Solo and you can even spec him into a somewhat side support with his Prog Rock talent. His trait allows him to generate Armor at will with the use of his basic abilities and he can even supply a healthy amount of physical armor for his teammates as well if you configure him towards that.

Mobility
- ETC engages and disengages with his Powerslide ability, which you can spec so that he can move over terrain as well. The stun that accompanies the ability helps him set up for his teammates and force an enemy out of position with Face Melt.

Other Advantages
- Mosh Pit is a game breaking ultimate that can lead to many one-sided fights, having a 4 secomd stun is no joke in a game this fast-paced. If you need a pseudo-global ability, Stage Dive allows ETC to split push during objectives and Stage Dive in when he is really needed. While his waveclear is not as prominent in the beginning, you have talents as you progress into the game to improve his waveclear.

Johanna

CC and Lockdown

- I'm not a player that necessarily likes playing as Tanks or Warriors, but Johanna is a good hero to start with, her kit is easy to pick up and her CC and Lockdown abilities are quite easy to land when chaining together her abilities. She can drag enemies near her with Condemn and then follow up with a powerful slow with Punish. Because the initial slow from Punish is 60%, it's almost as good as a 0.5 second root, an opening which lets her team really pile on the damage. Her lockdown gets even better at level 10 with Blessed Shield, which allows her to stun multiple targets at once.

Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain

- Johanna's trait gives her a hefty shield but there are talents that help her heal health as well. This coupled with a baseline 25 physical armor really allows her to counter basic attack heroes. She can even blind multiple targets with her Shield Glare which allows her to supply some damage mitigation to her team.

Mobility

- Mobility is one of Johanna's weaker sides, although her trait allows her to walk through stuns and roots as well as slows whenever she needs to. If she really needs to make a grand entrance, her other Heroic, Falling Sword can be taken instead.

Other Advantages

- Johanna has really good waveclear, especially when you chain Condemn together with Punish and you can enhance this with the burning rage talent as well. She even has a second chance talent at level 20 with Indestructible.

Muradin

CC and Lockdown

- Muradin is your bread and butter tank, and that's a good thing, he has a good stun from Storm Bolt and a slow with Thunder Clap. If you land Storm Bolts regularly, he can stun 2 targets at once. More aggressive players can opt for Haymaker to push an enemy into your team for a quick takedown.

Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain

- Damage Mitigation and Self Sustain are where Muradin shines the most. He has incredible self sustain with his trait Second Wind, healing by a percentage of his max health when out of combat, so much so he can be quite independent from the rest of the team. He has damage mitigation in the form of attack speed slows with Thunder Clap and physical armor talents, but his damage mitigation extends to his teammates as well thanks to the attack speed slow. Avatar adds to this by increasing his health and making him more tanky than he already is.

Mobility

- His Dwarf Toss allows him to jump in and out of combat, but when using it to engage he deals damage to the landing area. While it does supply him with some armor, please note that the jump is interruptible so use it when you're sure you won't get CC'ed.

Other Advantages

- Muradin is one the greatest tank heroes you can use in terms of damage taken for the team thanks to his immense self sustain. You can zone out areas with his Thunder Burn talent or just punish over extends with his damage increasing talents.

These are just the quintessential warriors you should have in game, there are also others you can use, like:

Tyrael, who doesn't have much CC but can definitely mitigate a ton of damage with his constant shields and his Sanctification. He can dart in and out of battle with El'druin and can help his team reposition and escape with Smite.

Blaze is one of the best tanks you can have in game, simply because he can assume both roles, either a solo laner, with his waveclear or a main tank. He has amazing zoning capabilities and can self sustain quite well thanks to hit kit. He also great initiation with his Jet Propulsion and some damage mitigation thanks to his trait, Pyromaniac. On top of that, he can provide damage mitigation for his allies with his Bunker Drop. Just a great overall hero to have in your kit should you need a tank.

Have fun and prove to your enemies that immortals really do exist!