Saurfang has been the beating heart of the horde for the duration of World of Warcraft, and with his recent-ish promotion to faction leader of the orcs, and his development over the duration of Battle for Azeroth, he is an incredible choice for the next orc candidate. While orcs are prevalent, I feel like an exception can be made for such an important character.
In HotS, Saurfang is a brutal bruiser who must quickly react to the situation, able to change the functionality of his abilities depending on his player’s careful timing. Playing Saurfang requires great observation and prediction to overcome his enemies.
Universe: Warcraft
Role: Bruiser
Summon Mount
Z (Mount) – 4 sec Cooldown
Increases your movement speed by 30% while mounted.
Explanation: There is no need for a special mount.
Pummel
Trait (10 sec Cooldown)
Saurfang targets a enemy in melee range and invisibly marks them for 1 second. If the enemy casts an ability during that time, the ability is interrupted and goes on cooldown, and they are dealt 85 (+4% per level) damage. This instantly interrupts channeled effects.
Explanation: Pummel is an incredibly powerful attack that can keep an enemy down and unable to fight you off or escape. However, the ability requires the player to keep a close eye on the enemy, as it can easily be wasted.
Feint Charge
Q (10 sec Cooldown)
Saurfang targets a direction and, after a .25 second charge-up, charges in the direction very quickly, impacting on the first enemy hit, dealing 100 (+4% per level) damage, or after 7 units. If the ability is reactivated during the first half of the charge (or during the charge up), Saurfang leaps back from the targeted direction, interrupting the charge and reducing its cooldown by 50%. If the ability is reactivated in the second half of the charge, Saurfang swings his axe downwards, interrupting his charge and dealing 200% increased damage in a small, inverted cone in front of Saurfang, stunning enemies hit for .5 seconds.
Explanation: Feint Charge is the prototypal ability in the idea of the character, with it having multiple uses that all depend on timing and planning. Feint Charge offers Saurfang a very powerful engage and a conditional escape tool, while also being able to bait enemies into wasting cooldowns on a fake initiation.
Surgical Strike
W (10 sec Cooldown)
Saurfang targets a 6 unit cone (50 degree cone), and slams down a rupture of ground after .5 seconds, which deals 210 (+4% per level) damage and interrupts any channels or dashes. If Saurfang reactivates the ability during the wind-up, Saurfang instead strikes forward in a thin 6 unit long line, moving slightly forward and dealing 300 (+4% per level) damage, as well as slowing them by 50% for 1 second.
Explanation: Surgical Strike is a more simple two side attack. You can either go for the easier to lane, less powerful damage cone (with some added interruption effects) or a harder to land, high damage and more generally useful strike.
Defensive Stance
E (10 sec Cooldown)
Saurfang enters a defensive stance for 3 seconds, granting him 25 Armor but preventing him from attacking or using other abilities. Saurfang can reactivate the ability during the stance to double his armor bonus for 1 second, but then ends it abruptly. Enemies who are within 2 range of him and attack him during the 1 second his armor is doubled are stunned for .5 seconds.
Explanation: Defensive Stance is Saurfang’s main defensive ability, and with it, he can mitigate huge bursts of damage and potentially stun enemies that attack him brashly.
Commanding Shout
Heroic #1 (80 sec Cooldown)
Saurfang shouts out, increasing the maximum health of all nearby allied Heroes by 10% for 8 seconds. In addition, up to 3 times, Saurfang can activate the ability again to grant all allies affected a 650 (+4% per level) health shield for .5 seconds.
Explanation: Commanding Shout is a teamwide defensive buff that offers his team a relatively minor health boost for an extended period. It is important to note that this also increases their current health by the amount gained. In addition, Saurfang can mitigate huge bursts of damage three times over the duration as long as he can time his reactivations carefully. He cannot reactivate this while CC’d.
Disarming Hamstring
Heroic #2 (20 sec Cooldown)
Saurfang swings his axe in targeted 6 unit semicircle, dealing 235 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies hit and slowing enemies hit for 35% for 4 seconds. Enemies hit at the outermost range (last 2 range) are dealt 50% increased damage and are also disarmed for 2 second, becoming unable to basic attack.
Explanation: As opposed to the very powerful defensive cooldown of Commanding Shout, Disarming Hamstring gives Saurfang some more disruption and damage on a low cooldown. This can greatly increase his assassin potential if the player can control his distance from the enemy.
Tier 1
• Hidden Wounds: 50% of the damage Saurfang’s basic attacks deal is additionally stored in the enemy for 6 seconds, absorbing healing done to that enemy. This can stack infinitely.
• Conquer the Weak: When Saurfang stuns or slows an enemy, or interrupts a dash or channel, the enemy’s armor is reduced by 25 for 1 second. If Saurfang damages an enemy under 20% health with an ability, they have Frail applied to them for 3 seconds, increasing the duration of the next CC they recieve by 50%.
• Ignore Pain: (Active) Can only activate while below 25% health. Saurfang becomes Protected for 1 second. This has 2 charges, but if he uses it a second time within 5 seconds, he becomes slowed by 25% for 4 seconds. CD: 45
Tier 2
• Brutal Advantage: If Pummel successfully interrupts an ability, Saurfang’s next basic attack deals 100% increased damage.
• Cruel Intentions: If Saurfang successfully interrupts a channel or dash with Surgical Strike, it’s cooldown is decreased by 25%. For each enemy Hero Saurfang slows with Surgical Strike, he gains 10% increased movement speed for 1 second.
• Unbreakable Will: All damage mitigated by Defensive Stance’s reactivation is granted to Saurfang as a shield for 4 seconds after the armor fades.
Tier 3
• Carry Out: After casting an ability, Saurfang’s next three basic attacks reduce the cooldown of his last used ability by 1 second.
• Tides of War: Feint Charge now reduces the cooldown of Feint Charge by 80% when cancelled, and the range of Feint Charge’s reactivation cone is increased by 50%.
• Deadly Grace: Surgical Strike’s standard attack has a 20% increased width. Surgical Strike’s reactivation deals 25% increased damage. Surgical Strike’s cooldown is refreshed if it brought an enemy below 50% health, or if it an enemy dies.
Tier 4
• Commanding Shout: Saurfang shouts out, increasing the maximum healths of all nearby allied Heroes by 10% for 8 seconds. In addition, up to 3 times, Saurfang can activate the ability again to grant all allies affected a 650 (+4% per level) health shield for .5 seconds.
• Disarming Hamstring: Saurfang swings his axe in targeted semicircle, dealing 255 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies hit and slowing enemies hit for 35% for 5 seconds. Enemies hit at the outermost range are dealt 50% increased damage and are also disarmed for 2 second, becoming unable to basic attack.
Tier 5
• Berserk: After the reactivation of Defensive Stance ends, all enemies within 3 range are stunned for .5 seconds. 50% of the damage taken while defending is dealt to enemies when they are stunned by this.
• Old Soldier: Saurfang can now act normally while using Defensive Stance, and when reactivated, his next basic attack during his armor being doubled deals 100% increased damage.
• Opportunist: Reduces the armor Defensive Stance gives by 10 (to 15), but Saurfang is now Protected during the reactivation.
Tier 6
• Throat Punch: If Pummel successfully interrupts an ability, the enemy is silenced for 1 second.
• Feral Instinct: Saurfang is now untargetable while jumping back from Feint Charge. If Saurfang successfully stuns an enemy with Feint Charge, he gains 40% increased attack speed for 4 seconds.
• No Escape: Surgical Strike’s cone attack marks enemies for 1 second, preventing them from using mobility moves or channels. It’s linear strike pulls enemy Heroes hit 50% of the way towards Saurfang.
Tier 7
• Invigorating Roar: Commanding Shout heals allies for all damage dealt to the shields granted from reactivating the ability.
• Master of Arms: Disarming Hamstring’s cooldown is refreshed by 80% if an enemy Hero is hit by the outermost area of Disarming Hamstring, is interrupted by Pummel, or is hit by the downward swing of Feint Charge.
• Spellbreaker: Pummel now has two charges, but its cooldown is increased by 2.
• Blood and Honor: Every time one of Saurfang’s abilities hit an enemy Hero with a reactivation effect, he gains a stack of Blood, granting him 5% increased damage dealt. Every time he takes 10% of his maximum health in damage, he gains a stack of Honor, granting him 10% increased healing received. Upon taking fatal damage, he is healed for 3% of his maximum health per stack of Blood and deals damage around him equal to 40 (+4% per level) per stack of Honor, consuming all Blood and Honor stacks. Saurfang loses a stack of each every 6 seconds out of combat.