I am a longterm MOBA player from germany and currently enjoying HotS ALOT. (Diamond-player in League and Rank 1 in HotS)

So this is my very first guide! I choose to make a Butcher guide because i think everyone is building him wrong and the Q-Build is OP!!

Butcher is just as stupid as he was in Diablo. He is a very one dimensional hero. When he goes in - he is IN and need to punch the **** out of his W'd victims. And this might be very enjoyable for you! With this guide you cant fail. Here are some quick pros and cons i figured out:

Pros:

• Sickest duelist in the game (illidan is a joke for him)
• Ridiculous self heal if he can get autos off on his W'd target (can bait very well)
• Stronk ganks with his E
• Decent CC with ult
• Crazy DPS
• Extremely fun to play

Cons:

• Vulnerable to hard CC
• Squishy if he cant get AA's off with his W
• Very predictable (if you go in with E enemies can place skills at your target -> learn to cancel you E sometimes!)

LEVEL 1

Invigoration - GOOD: This is basically a 25% cooldown reduction on your mighty faceslammer (you will always hit heroes in combat, its hard to miss). Your DPS will also increase cuz you get more AA-Resets (Who needs attackspeed if you are just resetting your autos?). Butcher is also quite mana-hungry. So it gives you more damage, more slow, more mana.

Block - OK: Might be good if enemy team is very Autoattack heavy ( Nova, Raynor, Thrall, etc.) So if you are a little ***** and tryhard alot take this in some cases!

Chop Meat - BAD: Your Q does 50% more damage to minions and structures, you can push a bit faster... gain 3 meat instead of 1... Oh wow you might have a bit more damage on your AA in some cases (if you are not already capped). This talent is not that good.

Victuals - OK: This gives you some nice sustain. Combining this with Abattoir might be reasonable to get double rewards while collecting meat. I still dont like this because you already have very strong sustain with butchers brand.

LEVEL 4

Flail Axe - GOOD: Hit more faces with 40% larger club! More chase potential, more sniping (the range is bigger than people think!). In conjunction with Crippling Slam you will slow there whole fcking team. To be honest this talent is only worth if you are aiming for the Q-Build and get the synergy - what you should!

Unrelenting Pursuit - OK: Very decent. 40% Cooldown reduction is significant (let you chase or escape in sticky situations). But it has no place in the Q-Build.

Cheap Shot - BAD: Maaaaybe if your team has alot of CC and you are able to punch multiple heroes with one Q. But keep in mind that the Q itself is not your main damage tool! Your AA's do the work. So 100% more dmg on the Q is not that impressive.

Envenom - OK: You never go wrong with this skill. But you need that enlargement on your ****er man.

LEVEL 7

Brutal Strike - GOOD: More burst. 50% more damage on Butcher's AA is actually alot.

Insatiable Blade - OK: This gives you 50% more heal on your AA's against heroes (from 150% to 200%) Compared to Brutal Strike you get more value out of this when you attack a few times BUT in a defensive manner. You are an assassin so you are aiming for dmg rather than defensive stats (Also notice that if you do more damage with Brutal Strike you will heal more). But this is still a good choice if you think you are able to get alot of AA's off.

Abattoir - OK: This is what most Butcher player take and i dont get why. You are able to get 15% more damage IF you collect the desired meat. To outdamage Brutal Strike (considering you got the 15 bonus meat) you have to get 4 AA's off (15*4 = 60%) in one Q-Rotation! Actually if you skilled Invigoration you are able to get exactly 4 AA's off (i tested that!). But its much safer go get that damage in a burst-form like Brutal Strike.
Sure you get some value by only loosing half of your meat-stacks but i think its not worth. Only take this if you go for Blood Frenzy.

Final Assault - BAD: Joke talent...

LEVEL 10

Furnace Blast - OK: Sick burst. Activate this one second before you go in with Ruthless Onslaught to time it with your stun (less reaction time for them to heal or whatever).

Lamb to the Slaughter - GOOD: I still prefer this ult. Much frustration on your victim much pleasure on your side. Its works somewhat like Octo-Grab - perfect to make catches and hold that face in place!
The best thing about this ult: Your victim cant Bolt of the Storm out, they will just jump back to you.
Downside: can be hard to land on the right target (its no point and click!) but it has some cast-range. So you dont necessary have to engage while casting this ult.

LEVEL 13

Burning Rage - BAD: This is a tank talent - you are not a tank.

Savage Charge - OK: Deals 15% of the CURRENT health. You probably wont charge on a full life enemy tank to get the most out of this. It still adds some extra burst to your kit. But i never take this one over Crave Flesh.

Crave Flesh - GOOD: Just two words: MORE CHASE. Getting 1-2 more AA's and a Q off makes or brakes the deal. You also might use this to escape.

Spell Shield - OK: Situational just like Block.

LEVEL 16

Crippling Slam - GOOD: Great synergy with Flail Axe. Providing your team an aoe slow on a 3 sec cooldown (if Invigoration skilled). The duration is increased to 2.5 seconds - they are perma slowed. This is the tip of the Q-Build.

Enraged - OK: This one is still a decent alternative for this build, because its not meat reliant. 40% Attackspeed and 75% tenacity is pretty insane. So you might get off some much needed AA's to survive a close combat.

Blood Frenzy - OK: No place in the Q-Build. Only take this if you took Abattoir!

LEVEL 20

Fires of Hell - BAD: It adds another Burst after 3 seconds - but will this even go through? Living three seconds after your engagement and sticking to your target is not that easy. Bolt is just much more needed.

Slaughterhouse - OK: Compared to Fires of Hell you can use this ult without engaging (it has some cast-range). This can lead to you some nice aoe-ult-combos.

Nexus Blades - OK: 20% on Butchers AA's are alot but the slow is not really needed (you already have slow on your Q). Again: you need that Bolt.

Bolt of the Storm - GOOD: Every experienced MOBA-Player knows that a 40 second instant gap-closer has insane value. Finally you can be more ballsy with your engages without dying immediately. Its very versatile: you can use it to chase, to escape or to make plays (dodging skillshots and stuff).

• Don't be the first one to engage with Ruthless Onslaught! Even tho you look tanky - you are not. Be patient and wait till the enemies used their CC on other targets - you are not Zeratul who just jumps out. Timing is key with Butcher!
  
• If your Ruthless Onslaught gone through commit to your target! Its often better to keep hitting your target (when its marked with Butcher's Brand) than trying to walk away. Butcher is very bad at escaping so you want to make as much dmg as possible once you cant escape.
  
• Sometimes its smart to mark a healthy guy with Butcher's Brand so you can heal up alot! For example: you dive in with Ruthless Onslaught on Valla who is pretty low (1-2 AA's left) beside her is Muradin dont waste your W on Valla! The initial damage on your Butcher's Brand is very low - dont think about that.