About OCM:

I'm a 2x Rank 1 and Master+ player specializing in high MMR Assassin & "flex" play, and have played HotS since first wave technical alpha testing. I now stream and youtube more casually.

My guides are like notebooks. I update them progressively based on what I learn and theorycraft. As such, this guide is a culmination of my experience, successes, and feedback.

Twitch: OfClanMurray
Twitter: OCM_Heroes
YouTube: OCM

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So let's talk about Varian and what he means to me real quick. Without going too deep into OCM history, before Heroes I played World of Warcraft very competitively for 8 years. Over the course of 8 seasons, I maintained comfortable positions in the top 0.5% of the PvP brackets on Warrior.

Though I didn't know what form it would come in, Varian is the hero I have long awaited. There are a number of ways to play Varian that near perfectly mimic the kill or be killed style of the WoW warrior, while staying true to many kit mechanics and how they function.

In this guide, I will extensively break down three ways to play Varian that I believe stay the truest to the WoW warrior's kit, and allow for three very unique styles of play.

I will also be frequently updating this guide with videos and such to keep this as extensive as possible. I love this hero, and you should too.

This guide currently includes:
- ARMS BUILD (Damage)
- FURY BUILD (Damage)
- PROTECTION BUILD (Tank)

is an amazing yet somewhat standard choice for damage builds. Completing this is critical to maxing the damage output that this build can bring, and is pretty reasonable to complete.

is an AMAZING talent. Do not sleep on this, the ability to not only close gaps but also stun your target brings both CC and damage in the late game that works towards the "high burst" feel of the Arms build.

This burst heal proc works well with the Arms build not only in laning, but for quick sustain amidst fights when you trade out health for damage. This also works to the advantage of standard attack speed in this build.

The summit of the Arms build. This short, visceral cooldown is awesome. Using this in coordination with key abilities will allow for some pretty insane burst, but pretty characteristic of the Arms warrior. The range also allows for Colossus Smash to be used as an engage and gap closing tool.

Each banner has great relevance in a number of situations, but if there's one that stands out, it's the Ironforge Banner. This group AoE resistance is amazing, and allows for a little bit of tanky-ness in the build that you end up trading health out for damage.

A massive power spike for this build, this allows for even more damage in the CS combo. Regardless of the target, 6% of a target's max health is nothing to sneeze at, and benefits from the damage boost that CS brings to single target damage.

10 second cooldown, AoE application. Need I say more? This allows for even more frequent usage of the burst combo and gap closing with CS for damage and target utility.

This build is centered around fast and consistent damage with strong self sustain. Synergies are found all throughout this build, and like most paths to play Varian, this build power spikes at level 10 with the obtaining of Twinblades.

This build also makes use of the reduced Heroic Strike cooldown with talents like Mortal Strike to consistently target and reduce healing on the enemy team, a prominent strength against healers like Malfurion or Brightwing.

The ability to self sustain with this build is also very nice, and allows for great camp roaming and even the soloing of bosses at level 10.

Playing this build correctly will come with knowing when it's appropriate to go in, and when it's better to pick your fights. Getting greedy with this build will get you blown up, fast. Go for smart targets and avoid CC if possible.

Note that attack speed slows are very dangerous against this build, and I don't suggest building it if there are heavy blinds, AS slows, and such on the enemy team.

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Varian's functional solo tank build. It is important to note right off the bat that I have left both the 16 and 20 tiers open on this build. The tiers are very flexible and fit a number of situations depending on what you need, and you won't loose out on anything that would make you any less of a solo tank.

Note that Varian gains his tank health pool with Taunt at level 10, and is pretty easily nuked before then. Play smart and make use of the talents at 4 and 7 to sustain a frontline in the meantime, and be sure to abuse the immediate power spike at 10 when Varian practically doubles his health pool.

Regarding levels 16 and 20:

16
- Juggernaut: Great versus heavy frontline teams, especially if the enemy drafts 2 tanks against you.
- Mortal Strike: Still great versus consistent healers over time like Malfurion and Brightwing.
- Shattering Throw: Great versus shield comps like Zarya, Johanna, Tassadar, and so on. Pick this situationally.

20
- Vigilance: I believe this the weakest pick on this tier, but if you wish to have your ult up more frequently, it's not a bad option.
- Glory to the Alliance: Amazing synergy with consistent damage dealers on your team. This AoE amplification stacks nicely with banners like Ironforge for both resilience and amped healing.
- Demoralizing Shout: Great counter to heavy burst teams and wombo combo. A well timed shout can negate most if not all of the burst damage an enemy team will try to line up.

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