Stukov Build Guide “Our victory is assured!”

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Free Hero Rotation

Free Hero Rotation

Free Hero Rotation

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HomepageHeroes of the StormSupport HeroesStukov

Last updated on Jul 09, 2017 at 05:49 by Straften 12 comments

General Information

Welcome to our Stukov guide for Heroes of the Storm. Here you will learn everything you need to know in order to play Stukov in a competitive environment, whether you play on your own or with a team.

About the Author

Straften is a Grand Master ranked player in both Hero League and Team League. He has a passion for theorycrafting, and regularly tests new features early on the PTR. He explains his strategy, reasoning, and implementation in these guides.

1. Quick Reference

Lurking Arm Build (talent calculator link)

The Lurking Arm Build focuses on Talents that improve Lurking Arm. One Good Spread... Icon One Good Spread... works very well with Pox Populi Icon Pox Populi to provide exceptional healing output. Growing Infestation Icon Growing Infestation, Within My Reach Icon Within My Reach, and Lingering Spines Icon Lingering Spines synergize very well. These Talents greatly increase Lurking Arm capabilities.

Spine Launcher Build (talent calculator link)

The Spine Launcher Build plays much differently than the other builds, because Stukov's Basic Attack becomes ranged and applies a Slow. This build is very punishing to enemies who have poor positioning, as it can apply Slows constantly. Virulent Reaction Icon Virulent Reaction allows Stukov to Root enemy Heroes in Lurker Arm's Silence area of effect. Bio-Explosion Switch Icon Bio-Explosion Switch further enhances the suppression from Virulent Reaction by applying an additional Weighted Pustule. Targeted Excision Icon Targeted Excision will set the cooldown of Bio-Kill Switch to 5 seconds, allowing you to stack Vigorous Reuptake Icon Vigorous Reuptake much faster.

Weighted Pustule Build (talent calculator link)

The Weighted Pustule Build focuses on Talents that enhance Weighted Pustule. Fetid Touch Icon Fetid Touch and The Long Pitch Icon The Long Pitch allow you to freely apply pustules to enemy Heroes from great range. One Good Spread... Icon One Good Spread... works in tandem Pox Populi Icon Pox Populi to provide great healing output. Reactive Ballistospores Icon Reactive Ballistospores gives you a way to reset Bio-Kill Switch Icon Bio-Kill Switch, further increasing your healing and damage output.

See our Talents page for further information Create your own build and share it with friends!

Synergies and Counters

Stukov synergizes with

Stukov is strong with Heroes who teamfight near their allies, as opposed to those that will dive out of range of Healing Pathogen. He is also strong with Heroes who have access to some form of Executioner, because he is capable of liberally applying slows.

Stukov is countered by

Stukov is countered by high mobility Heroes who can circumvent his zone control. Lacking any form of Cleanse, Heroes with access to multiple crowd control Abilities are also effective against him.

Maps

Stukov's stronger maps Braxis Holdout

Stukov's average maps Blackheart's Bay

Stukov's weaker maps Battlefield of Eternity

Stukov is great on maps that feature many choke points, and on maps with two lanes. Lurking Arm provides a lot of zone control in tight areas, while Healing Pathogen excells at healing large groups of allies. Stukov does not perform poorly on many maps.

TL;DR Tips

Use Bio-Kill Switch primarily to heal allies affected by Healing Pathogen.
Cast Healing Pathogen onto Heroes who will spread it to as many allies as possible.
Weighted Pustule is useful for harassment and light disengage. It can also secure kills on fleeing enemies.
Channel Lurking Arm onto choke points, or use it to cancel channeled enemy Heroics.
Massive Shove can be used to push enemies far away from team fights, or simply to Stun them against nearby terrain.

See our Abilities page for further information

2. Overview

Stukov is a high utility solo Healer, who provides excellent zone control. His exceptional healing is reliant on well timed use of Bio-Kill Switch Icon Bio-Kill Switch. While his Abilities are very powerful, their use needs to be carefully planned to achieve maximum effect. Stukov has limited mobility, and should not roam by himself. He is designed to assist his allies, and will not perform well without them nearby.

3. Strengths

Can Silence enemies with Lurking Arm
Capable of exceptional multitarget healing via Bio-Kill Switch and Healing Pathogen
Very strong Basic Attack
Can remove an enemy from team fight range with Massive Shove
Very high skill ceiling, but easy to start learning

4. Weaknesses

Difficult to master
Slow attack speed can lead to poor single-target dps
Bio-Kill Switch has a long cooldown; misuse is unforgiving
Lack of mobility

5. Role in the Current Meta

Stukov is great on teams that want to zone enemies away from essential allies and objectives. He performs very well with teams that strive to protect their backline damage dealers, because such team compositions usually stay grouped within Healing Pathogen Icon Healing Pathogen's spread range.

Stukov has the ability to apply slows almost constantly, can channel an area of effect Silence indefinitely, and can single handedly remove an enemy Hero from a team fight. Despite being heavily armed with monsterous amounts of utility, he is still a viable solo healer for most team compositions.

6. Reading Further

To take things further, we have 2 more pages that you can read:

Abilities and Strategy: an overview of your hero's abilities and how to use them;
Talent Build: a detailed rundown of your talents and how to choose them.