EU Road to Blizzcon: How niche picks win games

Day one of the European Road to Blizzcon further cemented the changes we've seen across Europe. Heavy hitters like Raynor and Sonya have slowly risen up as serious threats and even Falstad and The Butcher have come out to play. These shifts in the meta are great, but why exactly do they work?

Raynor's rage against warriors

Raynor has had it rough in the nexus. Through most of the game's lifespan he was seen as a useless tutorial hero, never to see real competitive play. Fast forward to now and that couldn't be further from the truth. Raynor is an absolute menace in teamfights, dishing out long range punishing damage without stop. The more health you have only makes you more susceptible to his unrelenting volleys of pain.

With that in mind it's clear why Raynor has become such a popular pick, his ability to melt both tanks and squishies alike. Two of the most popular heroes in the current meta are Leoric and Johanna, both of whom are prided on their large health pools and tankiness. After a bit of farming seasoned marksman stacks and upon hitting level 13, Raynor has all he needs to bring down those giants. His power to tear down heroes was shown in force today by some of Europe's best and its clear he has found a comfortable spot in the meta.

Matches where you can watch Raynor shred from a distance:

Sonya slams the squishies

Sonya has been patiently biding her time, hovering between the line of Warrior and Assassin, never quite sure what she needed to be. Her lack of spotlight has paid off, as buff after buff have brought her to a new position of power. If you can't decide if you want to be a Warrior or Assassin, why not be both? Sonya is incredibly resilient for her damage and is a great pick up against low mobility, squishy targets.

Sonya excels at flanking teams from odd angles, threatening the backline with her powerful blows. Once she locks onto her target, she can rarely be stopped since she has great chase with her spear and her dreaded whirlwind. Her whirlwind doesn't do as much damage as her other abilties, but she leeches life from her foes as she spins allowing her to stay in fights that would take down less tanky heroes.

If you wanna see Sonya side-swipe some squishies, check out these games:

Falstad flies for fresh meat

One of the most interesting combinations we saw from day one was a Falstad - Butcher combination that blew us away. I mean literally. Falstad literally blew everyone away. Well, except for the unlucky soul to be stuck in Lamb to the Slaughter from Butcher. This is truly a combination forged in the depths of hell as these two powerhouse auto attackers completely isolate a target and go to town on them.

The Butcher and Falstad separately are not entirely unheard of, but they are very niche picks that fill a certain role. Never before have we seen such synergy between them, nor have we really seen them on the same team. After their success though, I wouldn't be surprised to see this combo used, or banned more often. The only real counter to this is unstoppable, cleanse, or an Uther's divine shield, but the Falstad's gust ensures the target is alone and very very scared.

Something like this is exactly what the team of Na'Vi needed to go up against Dignitas. A shakeup, something that nobody could have predicted to knock them off of their rhythm.

There's only one match to see this amazing innovative combo from Na'Vi:

Onward to day 2

If day one of the European Road to Blizzcon has taught us anything, it's that pick rate does not equal effectiveness. Europe is still keeping it fresh and interesting even in tournaments where too big of a risk can mean epic failure. Nobody knows what to expect from day two, but if this is any indicator, these teams have been working on some crazy new strats.

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