While the hero pool in general feels very strong at the moment, and there are the current crop of heroes that are widely discussed in terms of being OP or first-pick/first-ban, I feel there are a large number of heroes who are incredibly powerful, but seem to be left out of the discussion on a regular basis. It could be due to the learning curve in mastering them, their reputation as being niche or easily countered, or just people forgetting they exist in the hoopla over reworked heroes.
Just for fun, go ahead and mention heroes you find strong, or possibly OP! I realize this will be fairly subjective, as we will likely never have accurate stats, but feel free to mention 3rd party stat sites if you wish. Here goes my list:
Healer - Uther. While his healing output isn’t the highest, he more than makes up for it in damage mitigation through his armor, CC, and Cleanse/D-Shield. A well-played Uther also counters many of the more dangerous enemy heroes, but he tends to be left out of the discussion due to the fact that many people do not know how to play a healer pro-actively, so believe he is weak. They only consider healing done, so assume he is low and mana-hungry.
Bruiser - Leoric. The bruiser category in general has had the greatest upheaval recently, what with the reworks to D Va and Gazlowe bringing both back into the meta. And even with his nerfs, Imperius is arguably the gold standard in terms of solid front line material. This means that a lot of good bruisers are seen as being weaker or less valuable than their kit deserves. Leo is right up there with the best in that he can bring a lot of unique options to the table, and Entomb, especially with the level 20 upgrade, is a game-changer.
Tank - Anub’arak. Yes, I am biased, as I have played him far more than most tank mains, even before last year’s mega-buff that propelled him into first-pick/ban status. There are a number of good tanks out there, and with his last two buffs, I do believe the big bug has reached the point of being top tier again. He is still seen as being strictly anti-mage (which honestly is still where he shines), but with his greatly improved EHP, he can handle AA damage when needed.
Ranged Assassin - Valla & Sylvanas. They are both staples in high ranked play, but you rarely see them discussed or contested in draft. While neither has the flashy, blow-them-all-up playstyle, both do absurd amounts of damage, and when played well are very hard to pin down and kill. They are outright indestructible when their front line is enabling them. I would rather face 20 decent Jimmys than 1 good Sylvanas.
Melee Assassin - Alarak. He keeps getting buffs, and people just don’t seem to notice. While it is true he is slower at PvE than most other heroes, if all of the enemy team is dead, it doesn’t matter. While Zeratul and Samuro get all the attention (although it is deserved, in my opinion), Alarak just quietly goes about his business, dominating team fights with aplomb.
Support - TLV. The support class is tiny, so none of them are really overlooked, but the changes to TLV have really made them strong outside of their traditional niche. I see them picked and banned on maps where they were never even considered prior to their changes. If the enemy team doesn’t draft/play to counter them, they will turn the map blue.