Tyrael Build Guide “I am Justice itself!”
Welcome to our guide for Tyrael, a Tank in Heroes of the Storm. Within these pages, you will find everything required to understand how best to play this hero, in both different map styles and team compositions.
Tyrael's Overview
Tyrael is a melee Tank, whose great mobility allows him to get in and out of combat very quickly. He is capable of initiating team fights and isolating enemy targets, which makes him an ideal pick for aggressive team compositions. Due to his powerful protective qualities, he can also be played more defensively, making him a potent choice to peel for Heroes in the backline.
Tyrael's Strengths and Weaknesses
Both
Sanctification and
Judgment have their respective uses
Capable of boosting allies' Movement Speed and shielding them
Acceptable Solo Laner
Offers offensive and defensive talent builds
Exceptional mobility
Can struggle as a solo Tank due to lack of crowd control
Extremely Mana dependent throughout the game
Successfully initiating team fights does require some experience
Only fits into a limited amount of team compositions
Tyrael's Talent Build Cheatsheet
Standard Build
RecommendedThe Standard Build aims to make Tyrael as resilient as possible in order to allow him to hold the
frontline without dying too quickly. It is important to highlight that Tyrael
does not have Stun or Root abilities, which means his
zoning potential is limited compared to other Warriors. However, numerous defensive
talents like Stalwart Angel and
Defense of the Angels
make him very hard to kill and cause Tyrael to become a thorn
in the enemy team's side.
This build also greatly increases Tyrael's ways of supporting the team.
Justice for All will protect his teammates, while
Swift Retribution can greatly increase their damage and mobility.
Holy Ground is the pick for this build. Together with
Horadric Reforging, you will have Holy Ground whenever you need it.
Sword of Justice Build
SituationalThe Sword of Justice Build is similar to the Standard Build, but is more directed
to dealing damage and increasing mobility, instead of adding control with
Holy Ground.
Tyrael's Synergies and Counters
In order to unleash Tyrael's full potential, we strongly recommend having another
frontliner at his side. As such, Blaze's strong crowd control
and mobility make him a good match. The protection and mobility from Tyrael's Righteousness and
Smite abilities synergize very well
with Melee Assassins in general, which is why
Tyrael pairs very well with Illidan
or Greymane.
Tyrael, like any other tank, struggles against the Tank-shredding qualities of Heroes like
Greymane with Cursed Bullet.
Besides, Zeratul is very strong against him, since Tyrael has no crowd control
to stop him, and
Void Prison completely negates
Sanctification.
Due to Tyrael's dependency on sanctification, he is easily punished by
crowd control as well. E.T.C.
or Garrosh can easily stun Tyrael, turning him into an easy target
with any follow up.
Tyrael's Maps














Due to his great talent flexibility, Tyrael performs well on most maps. On
battlegrounds such as Cursed Hollow, Sky Temple, or Towers of Doom, however, he
truly excels due to the late-game impact that comes with his
Holy Ground talent. This talent allows him to steal
Mercenary and, more importantly, Boss Camps by placing his
El'druin's Might ability in the very center of the
capturing platform.
Tyrael's Tips and Tricks
- Use your abilities wisely while laning. If you are not careful, Tyrael will run out of Mana very quickly.
- Since Tyrael is not as durable as some of the other Tanks, make sure to use his outstanding mobility to mitigate damage by dodging abilities.
El'druin's Might can be used to juke opponents while Tyrael is on the retreat.
- If you play with
Sanctification, save it for the enemy team's most dangerious abilities and track their Cooldowns accordingly. It can also be used when diving with your full-health allies, since it will make them immune to any crowd control, reducing the peeling options from enemy team.
- Tyrael's
Holy Ground can steal Mercenary and Boss Camps if its projectile is aimed at the very center of the capture platform.
Tyrael's Role in the Current Meta
Due to his steep learning curve, Tyrael remains a risky choice to a lot of players. However, if played well, he is a great playmaker with two very impactful Heroic Abilities.
Tyrael's greatest strength is to start team fights by picking a single enemy
target and exposing it to the rest of his team. He is the embodiment of
aggressive team fight initiation, thanks to his
Judgment Heroic Ability. However, Tyrael can do more
than just charging deep into the enemy ranks, especially with his second Heroic
Ability, called
Sanctification, which allows him to
protect nearby allied Heroes very efficiently.
Righteousness enables him to shield himself and his
allies from incoming damage,
Smite increases his
team's Movement Speed, while
El'druin's Might helps
Tyrael to set up ganks or execute last-minute escapes.
Depending on the kind of Tank (or Bruiser) your team is looking for, Tyrael is able to
adjust his talent build and playstyle accordingly, which makes him a very
versatile and enjoyable Hero to play.
Tyrael's role as a frontlining initiator makes him a very good pick versus
enemy Heroes who lack escape mechanisms, such as Malfurion or Jaina.
His ability to capture Mercenary and Boss Camps from a large distance using his
Holy Ground makes him a strong pick
on maps like Cursed Hollow, Sky Temple, or Alterac Pass.
Changelog
- 08 Mar. 2021 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (abilities page): Updated Archangel's Wrath's description in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
- 03 Mar. 2021 (this page): Updated Tyrael's Builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
- 30 Jul. 2020 (this page): Updated Level 4 Talent choice for both builds.
- 17 Jun. 2020 (this page): Guide reviewed after recent balance patch and no changes are necessary.
- 22 Apr. 2020 (abilities page): Abilities section updated.
- 22 Apr. 2020 (this page): Updated Tips, Builds, and Counters sections.
- 13 Apr. 2020 (talents page): Updated Builds and Talents to reflect current meta.
- 14 Feb. 2020 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
- 14 Feb. 2020 (abilities page): Updated Archangel's Wrath's description in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
- 16 Dec. 2019 (this page): Added the current Anomaly (Experience Globes) to the guide.
- 23 Sep. 2019 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talent builds and talent section.
- 23 Sep. 2019 (abilities page): Updated Tyrael's abilities section.
- 23 Sep. 2019 (this page): Updated Tyrael's introduction section.
- 26 Nov. 2018 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds.
- 19 Feb. 2018 (talents page): Changed Law and Order from Not Recommended to Recommended, Sword of Justice from Recommended to Not Recommended, and Smite the Wicked from Not Recommended to Situational.
- 07 Feb. 2018 (talents page): Updated Stalwart Angel's description in accordance with the Maiev update.
- 17 Jan. 2018 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents in accordance with his latest rework.
- 17 Jan. 2018 (abilities page): Adjusted Tyrael's abilities in accordance with his latest rework.
- 17 Mar. 2017 (this page): Updated the guide for Probius' patch.
- 17 Jan. 2017 (this page): Updated Tyrael's introduction in accordance with his latest rework.
- 21 Dec. 2016 (this page): Moved Tyrael to the new guide format.
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Derenash has been playing Heroes of the Storm since 2015 and has achieved Grandmaster in multiple seasons, peaking at Top 1 in Season 3 and 4 of 2018. He participated in the HGC Copa America in 2018 where his team had a strong victory. He is passionate about teaching others about the game, and streams often on Twitch in Portuguese, and you can find him in Wind Striders' Discord as well where he is happy to answer any questions in English or Portuguese.
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