Alexei Stukov by MediaMix1

I know what you're thinking.

"A support that makes nearby allies heal? Isn't that what Brightwing is for?"

In a sense, yes. However, this doesn't grant a burst of HP like healing spells and healing passives typically do. Regenerative Aura literally boosts the rate you regain lost HP. For obvious reasons, he'll still get points for healing though (he's a Support, why wouldn't he?). Of course, a passive ability like this could mean trouble for another hero we'd like to see in HotS - Lucio. Crossfade works exactly like Regenerative Aura, making it rather redundant for the two to come to the game with a passive that does the exact same thing.

Unless Blizzard were to tweak Crossfade to do something totally unique and less similar to Regenerative Aura, there can only be one.

...

But wait, isn't this an example of what everyone says about Bastion VS Sgt. Hammer? ;)

Support heroes in HotS are not like Supports in most other MOBAs. In Dota 2, LoL, etc., Support heroes possess a kit that do not rely on items like their allies - allowing them to focus on spending gold for Wards and items that bolster their protection. In Heroes of the Storm however, Supports are basically healers. Not too long ago to when I made this concept, something sparked inside me to design an idea for an old character. Why Alexei? He's one of the eldest StarCraft characters I know and I loved playing as him in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.

When I decided to make a concept for Alexei, I kept the abilities he had in StarCraft II while also adding some spells from Brood War. Lockdown would be OP if it kept heroes from doing anything at all like it did in Brood War, but it still felt reasonable to have it do that to buildings and non-boss creeps. Why can't you use it on a Core then? Lol, like I have to tell you!

I know Infested Swarm is just a renamed version of Brood War's Dark Swarm, but you can thank Dehaka for the name change. I can already imagine Infested Swarm being a powerful game-changing ult in the hands of good Support players. Just imagine how troublesome that ult can be for Tracer, Nova, and Valla (to name a few)!

Psionic Lash is an upgrade for Spectres in the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty campaign, but I felt it was appropriate to include as one of Alexei's ults due to his current Psionic prowess. I mean, if a Spectre can do the Lash, I think Alexei can to. This is especially proven in the fact that Abathur himself states that his power is second only to Sarah's. And that girl can make a psionic nuke!

Level 1
*Conjurer's Pursuit - Collecting Regen Globes permanently improves Alexei's Mana regeneration.
*Scouting Drone - Basically, this allows you to plant a Terran device thing that works like a Ward. The Ward can't be hidden and can be destroyed. (Did I mention they have timed life?)
*Corruption - Corrosive Blast also reveals the target during its duration.
*Parasitic Bond - Damage dealt by Infested Terrans is returned to Alexei as Mana and HP.
*Total Lockdown - Lockdown's duration is doubled on non-heroic units. Duration for buildings remains the same.

Level 4
*Healing Totem - What do you think? :P
*Arcane Aura - Regenerative Aura now also boosts the Mana regeneration of himself and nearby allies.
*Sickly Aura - Regenerative Aura now also deteriorates the HP of nearby enemies. This does not affect Structures or Bosses.
*Dominant Traits - Infested Marines deal extra damage to all non-heroic enemies.

Level 7
*Calldown: M.U.L.E - Calls down a helpful, happy little robot that will repair damaged structures and replenish ammo for defenses.
*Toxic Waste - Increases the range of Corrosive Blast.
*Militant Infestation - Infested Terrans also adds an Infested Goliath.
*Mute - Lockdown now also disables Traits during its duration.

Level 13
*Parasitic Infestation - Lane creeps killed by Infested Terrans transform into Broodlings with timed life.
*Mass Corrosion - Corrosive Blast now also affects enemies near the selected target.
*Surging Aura - The effects of Regenerative Aura, along with any Talents used to improve it, are doubled.
*Hive Mind - Infested Terrans also adds an Overlord that reveals Stealthed enemies and grants un-obscured vision.

Level 16
*We are the Swarm - Adds a charge to Infested Terrans and partially reduces its cooldown.
*Shutdown - Adds a charge to Lockdown and partially reduces its cooldown.
*Black Treacle - Corrosive Blast now greatly slows the target and partially its cooldown is partially reduced. "Some days I miss vodka..."

Level 20
*Psionic Flare - Psionic Lash is now a skill shot and also blinds enemies.
*Perfect Swarm - Infested Swarm now Protects allies in its area of effect, preventing them from taking ANY damage. Protected allies can still be disabled.
*Rewind - When used, the cooldowns of Alexei's Basic Abilities are reset.
*Perfect Infestation - Infested Terrans also adds two Aberrations.