For beginners looking to improve, some strong yet achievable heroes to practice include:
Tanks
- Esmeralda – Her shields and sustained magic damage make her incredibly hard to kill. She can solo carry teams once farmed. However, Esmeralda is banned often, so have a backup.
- Ruby – Not as tanky as Esmeralda, but still durable. Ruby sustains well in fights using lifesteal from skills. Her crowd control and chase potential are great initiators.
Marksman
- Lesley – With her extreme late game damage, Lesley can erase enemies in 1-2 shots. Excellent at poking and finishing from afar. But very weak early game, so needs good farming.
- Layla – Her recent revamp makes Layla more viable. Her long range lets her safely dish damage in teamfights. Decent early game for farming, still powerful late.
Mage
- Lunox – One of the hardest mages to play well, but she dominates games with proper timing of her light and dark modes. Excellent sustained damage, mobility, and disruption against multiple enemies.
Assassin
- Saber – Straightforward assassin with an instant blink, shield, and burst ultimate. New players can quickly pick him up. Saber teaches target prioritization and isolation.
- Natalya – Not as mobile as others, but her deadly silence and burst damage secure kills. Her traps provide vision and disrupt teamfights. Strong at all stages of the game.
Support
- Estes – The premier healer. Estes‘ sustained healing lets teams outsustain poke damage and win wars of attrition. His ult grants team-wide health regen. Lacks escape tools, so position carefully.
- Rafaela – Easy to pick up like Estes with solid healing and speed boosts for chasing or fleeing. Her long range spam poke is great harassment in lane. Provides insurance if Estes is banned.
Fighter
- Guinevere – Her aerial combos render enemies vulnerable while dishing high magic damage. Excellent mobility for ganking side lanes or initiating teamfights. Needs quick fingers to maximize combos.
- Zilong – A starter hero, but still effective. Zilong strikes rapidly, chasing down and slowing enemies. Great for teaching fundamentals of fighting and pushing.
Other notable options: Kagura, Granger, Hanabi, Gusion, Benedetta, Selena.
In the end, comfort and skill with a hero matter more than perceived tiers. Play patiently, learn matchups, and stick to a few mains rather than spreading yourself thin. You’ll improve faster focusing on fundamentals over the meta. Mastering even starter heroes teaches transferable skills. Stay positive and keep practicing!
