With the changes coming Soon[tm] to how XP will be collected, this seemed like a good time to talk about one of the most consistent solo laners since his release, Blaze. Although he is known for his strength in the off-lane, he is perfectly viable as a main tank, off-tank, or solo front line as well. I am starting to see him drafted as a main tank more often, with a bruiser such as Thrall or Malthael for the off-lane. Like Arthas and ETC, he is very flexible in how he can be built and played, and with his fantastic wave clear and durability, is a good pick on any map.
Main Tank Blaze
What sets Blaze apart from the other tanks, and what you have to keep in mind when drafting him as the main tank, is that is he classified as a ranged hero, meaning that while he is perfectly comfortable getting close and personal with the enemy team, he doesn’t have to. His AAs cleave and have a decent range to them, and his W and Q have a large cast range. Unlike most tanks, he can poke for days, and is a good choice when stalling an objective is important, such as on Towers of Doom, Cursed Hollow, or Tomb of the Spider Queen. He is also very strong at clearing, much like Johanna, so is also good on maps like Infernal Shrines or Braxis. He excels in a poke comp, as he can create a lot of space with his oil for his back line to cast safely.
When I tank, I tend to go for damage mitigation options, as I believe that it is better to avoid damage, than to soak and heal it back up, so the build I use puts emphasis on armor, CDR, and enemy damage reduction. One of the nice things about Blaze is that he can be built different ways depending on your playstyle, so if you prefer to rely on self-sustain, you can build for his trait and self-healing talents. The build I generally use is as follows:
Level 1 - New Habits. Being able to self-cleanse reliably, and having CDR on 40 armor and AoE damage is too good in my mind. The quest is very easy to complete, especially since Blaze is good at denying the enemy regen globes.
Level 4 - Oil Dispersal. Being able to control a larger area more often means you can often force the enemy team to fight on your terms, and makes it easier to peel when needed. It also works well with heroes that get bonus damage to disabled enemies, such as an Ace in the Hole Raynor. Blaze can get a little mana starved in long fights, so the mana return on this talent definitely helps. If they have a lot of damage that will always be in melee range, like a Cho’gall, I like Meltdown here.
Level 7 - Crossfire. This gives Blaze a dangerous poke, and can often keep the enemy’s backline hopping, so they can’t free-cast back at you. Hitting a soft target like Hanzo with a double-barreled Q will chunk off a large part of his health bar. It also gives you a finishing tool for fleeing enemies who may be out of range of the traditional tanks.
Level 10 - I am a huge fan of Bunker, but I freely admit that especially in lower ranks, or when you are solo queuing, it can be frustrating to see an ally about to get hit by Last Rites, Consume Souls, or a Pyroblast run past it with their hair on fire, to die two seconds later. I would probably recommend taking Combustion as you should always be able to get some value out of it, and paired with the Unstoppable from New Habits at level 1, it should be relatively easy to land.
Level 13 - All of these choices are solid and viable, so what I pick will always depend on the map and comp. Do they have a lot of ability damage from heroes like Li Ming or Alarak? Suppressive Fire without a doubt. Did they go with AA heroes who thrive on attack speed like Valla or Fenix? Nanomachine Coating will put a stop to their nonsense. If more clear, slows, and self-peeling is needed, you can’t go wrong with Fuel Leak.
Level 16. Thermal Protection. Did I mention I like armor? CDR? No? This talent is especially good when the enemy clumps up a lot, and when you are chaining CC with the rest of your team to lock them down and blow them up.
Level 20 - Both heroic upgrades are good, the Combustion upgrade is a must-pick if you went that route, and Burn Notice is a fun win-more talent. Pick what you like, you can’t go wrong.
Tanking Tips - Don’t set your oil on fire immediately unless you need to clear something fast or want the self-heal. The timer on the oil slick resets when you light it, so the longer you can delay that, the longer you can zone people with it. Also, since I almost always take Oil Dispersal at 4, lighting it loses the slow. Your Qs pierce and your AAs cleave, so positioning and aiming to take advantage of these are important, especially since Q hits reduce the CD on your trait. Use your trait in every team fight, and it is better to use it too early than too late, as the 40 armor when their CDs are being used can be the difference between which tank dies or backs first.
Solo Lane Blaze
From the moment he was released, Blaze was seen as one of the dominant solo laners due to his excellent wave clear and the fact that he can be hard to gank. Your W+Q combo can melt minions, incoming merc camps, and certain objectives, and since your AAs cleave, even just auto-attacking will kill things reasonably quickly. Like all solo laners, you will have to pay attention to your mini map, and save your E to get the heck out rather than using it on CD on your opponent in lane. You can E your lane opponent if they get out of position, to interrupt them, or to set them up to be ganked, but make sure you are using it strategically as it can burn through your mana, and not having it when you need it can be fatal.
Solo laning is generally about who can control the minion wave the best, and who can clear things the fastest. While survivability is still important, it isn’t your primary focus, so I tend to build him a bit differently.
Level 1 - New Habits. While the attack and move speed burst can be nice, I really only take that if I am going to have to solo camps as well as deal with other lane duties. If my team is going to be doing the camps either with me, or leaving me in lane while they do them, the CDR on my trait is more helpful.
Level 4 - Oil Dispersal. More oil and more mana is still a good thing.
Level 7 - All of these have their place, although I really only take Incinerator Gauntlets if I am going to be doing a lot of camp taking on my own, such as on BhB. I take Crossfire when I want to use Q to bully people out of my lane, especially ranged heroes who tend to have smaller health pools. I take Grill and Kill when fighting a melee solo laner, as I can stack it fairly quickly, and the extra duration on lit oil means I can clear things faster with less mana. It also gives me more sustain and damage in team fights.
Level 10 - If they keep insisting on trying to gank you, Bunker is an excellent “Nope”. Otherwise, Combustion is always a safe pick.
Level 13 - Fuel Leak. More oil and a self-peel if they want to chase you when you E the heck out of there.
Level 16 - By this point, you will be with your team more often than not, so I usually take Thermal Protection. This can help with off-tank duties, and the CDR means you can assist in CC chains more reliably. It also allows you to get more value out of Fuel Leak.
Level 20 - Burn Notice, unless I went Combustion at 10.
Conclusion
Blaze is a versatile, durable hero who can fit in almost any comp and map. Practice placing his oil, and get used to the range of his AAs and Q so you can take advantage of his strength in a poke war. If you mostly play QM, he is an excellent hero to use in that mode as you don’t have to sacrifice clear for survivability, and if you end up with multiple tanks on your team, you can use him else-where. He can be built for a lot of self-healing and damage mitigation, so if your comp does not include a healer, you should still be fine. I hope you enjoy playing the big firebat as much as I do!
