We have not seen a change to Medivh for over two years. Seems Blizzard is happy with him, for now.

- Added a new section! Hunting Abathur
- Fixed some grammar mistakes (a never ending struggle)


Dust of Disappearance has been changed, allied Heroes who are given Stealth are unable to be revealed for .5 seconds. Makes it nice that it isn't immediately broken when its cast. Also give your teammate some time to realize they are stealthed. I do take this talent from time to time because it is pure fun but for it to really be effective you'll want a good team with voice.

Table of Contents

1. About the Threat Assessment
2. Tools of the Trade
3. Talents
4. Team Fights
5. Stratagems
6. Drafting and Synergy
7. Match Ups
8. Hunting Abathur
9. Builds
10. Medivh: Friend or Foe?
11. Maps
12. General Tips
13. Conclusion

When Medivh was released on Heroes of the Storm it was like Blizzard created a hero with me in mind. I can safely say he is my favorite hero. Unfortunately, you don't see many Medivh players and even less good ones. He is not very popular and I've even heard him called the worst hero more than once! I’d like to see more people playing as him. Even if that means people are only leveling him up for a few loot chests. His popularity troubles stem from his high skill level and play style.

A General Overview

Medivh's kit is marked by its damage potential and utility, many abilities and talents have multiple ways in which they can be used. One moment he is a aggressive attacker trying to disrupt the enemy backline and eliminate wounded heroes. The next moment he switches to a more conservative defender who stays safely back and capitalizes on timing his abilities to do the most good.

With Force of Will, Portal, and Poly Bomb you have three abilities that can be game changing and they all have relatively short cooldowns. Much of what makes Medivh great won't show on the stats page. A well placed Poly Bomb that spreads, a well timed Force of Will, a Portal that saves an ally, or finding an enemy ambush with Raven Form.

Strengths

- Tremendous mobility between Portal and Raven Form that excels at escaping or finishing off opponents.
- Raven Form, Portal, and Force of Will give multiple escape options.
- Abilities are effective offensively and defensively.
- Arcane Rift can deal damage to multiple opponents.
- Able to safely scout with Raven Form.
- Portal can give allies with little or no escape a powerful one.


Weaknesses

- High skill set.
- No wave clear until Guardian of Tirisfal at level 20.
- Not good against the environment.
- Very vulnerable to stuns and silences.
- Needs his teammates cooperation to maximize his talents.
- Getting killed before Arcane Rift's quest is completed can be a huge setback.

About me

I have not been playing since Beta and I'm not highly ranked in Heroes. I do have over 2,000 games played with Medivh (which makes me realize I have way too much time on my hands) and I've picked up a few things. This knowledge was gained through attrition and failures. All those heroes I have in the yellow of the Threat Assessment have at one point got me killed in the manner described. Venturing too close to the enemy base only to receive a hook from stitches who promptly gorged me and carried me to my doom. Yes even Morales whose well timed displacement grenade embarrassingly got me killed. I've learned though.

Notes about the rework(The rework was several years ago but I'm keeping this for nostalgia)

I’ve been writing this Medivh guide on and off for several months and right when I was about to post it I found out he was getting a rework. My play style relied heavily on the talents Quicken and taking Stable Portal at level one so I’ve had to adapt.

With the rework Medivh can now do more damage reliably. He is also stronger out of the gate with Master’s Touch built in and his Force of Will healing for 20% of the damage absorbed. The trade off is Portal and Force of Will have been weakened. Force of Will’s cooldown has been increased so Medivh can’t use it as casually as before. The Portal changes are the most dramatic. Medivh use to be able to have portals up nearly all the time (a one second gap) but no longer. A weakened version of Quickening and Stable Portal have been merged and moved to level 16. This greatly reduces Medivh’s ability to harass the enemy back line.

Fortunately some new talents have been added to soothe our pain. Such as the powerful Temporal Flux and a reworked Dust of Appearance.

I've set up the threat assessment a little unconventionally. Medivh can pretty much get out of all dangerous situations with using the following combination; Force of Will, Portal, Raven Form. I've created the threat guide based off of heroes that can ignore or threaten that combo. The threat assessment is the same for the other two builds as well.

For the most part heroes in the red can out right kill Medivh before you portal out, with the exception of Tracer who can make it to your exit portal before you can raven out.

The heroes placed in the middle yellow can change your position, which may disrupt your portal use. While some of the heroes pulling it off is slim you should still be aware of it.

Heroes in the green can be beaten in a duel or your abilities match up very well against them.

Your main source of damage that rewards you for hitting enemy heroes. Hitting a hero will reduce the cooldown from 7 to 2 seconds and refund the mana cost. It is important to position yourself so you can hit multiple heroes to capitalize on its damage potential. It has a baseline quest that requires you to hit 40 heroes without dying. This permanently increases the damage dealt by 75 and cooldown reduction for hitting a Hero by 1 second. You'll want to play very aggressively early match to get this quest completed before everyone gets deadlier. Check out these tips from my strategy section to help get this quest completed.

Medivh’s bread and butter. This ability can block heroics and Medivh wields it matter-of-factly. Timing is key so you block the most damage and by extension get the maximum heal. You'll need to know what abilities the heroes you're playing against have. Try and save it for whatever will do the most damage, the only exception is if an ally will die before that. Buoyed by traits like Arcane Explosion, Force of Magic, and Reabsorption this is one on the best abilities in The Nexus.

This ability is great for moving to attack teams and also escaping from them. This gives Medivh (as well as his allies) a great escape and a powerful tool to close gaps all in one package. In team fights getting to those hard to reach heroes in the backrow won't be an issue.

Raven Form is the most underestimated tool in Medivh's arsenal. Medivh is invulnerable while he is a raven so this gives you a unique decision, choosing when and where to engage an enemy. It is fantastic as a scouting tool to see what your opponents are up to, especially during those critical seconds right before a team fight. You can ignore tanks and assassins, choosing to fly straight to healers or squishy ranged heroes. This will force the enemy team to react to you, which is what you want. While Raven Form isn't as fast as a traditional mount I believe being able to fly over terrain more than compensates for this. With Raven Form you're 1.5 seconds away from complete safety at all times.

Has extreme utility and is the linchpin to good Medivh play. Its utility is incredible and you will find no shortage of situations when it will prove its value. Interrupts, escapes, silences and generally causing chaos in the enemy ranks are all possible. It has a short coolddown for a heroic at 40 seconds so you will have no problem with availability for team fights. Has incredible synergy with Temporal Flux. With this talent you can and should use Poly Bomb just like a normal ability.

Sends out a wave that stops heroes in time when hit. Works great on maps where you usually get team fights in tight places such as the objective(s) on The Mines and Infernal Shrines. Can be used to steal camps while the enemy team is stuck in time stop. Great for escaping. Long cooldown at 80 seconds. Note: Poly Bomb is so ingrained in my play style, I consider it a basic ability. That doesn't mean Ley Line Seal can't be used effectually but you will have to look elsewhere for information.

The nice thing about Medivh is on every tier (except 10) you have viable options to choose from. Another nice feature is most of the talent picks that you are likely to change up from match to match revolve around Force of Will. Since they are triggered by absorbing X amount of damage, you won't have to change your tactics drastically.

Talents in a green border are the go to pick, blue means they are viable depending on the circumstances, and red are not recommended.



This talent tier is wide open to whatever you'd like. I really don't object to any of them.

Raven's Intellect - Medivh is pretty easy to manage mana with since landing an Arcane Rift refunds it cost but if you are having trouble this can help. The health increase doesn’t mean much, you’ll be heading to a fountain or your alter for mana before health. I don't like being in Raven Form any more than is required so I'm not a fan of a talent that encourages it. This does have added incentive on maps where sustain is important such as Volskaya Foundry.

Portal Mastery - The most important thing about this talent is that it does not break Raven Form when used. When you pick this talent the E key portal functions exactly the same. This will add a 1 key portal in which you can choose both portal locations. This talent shines in small close quarter maps like Towers of Doom. Simply put you will be able to help allies that otherwise you would not be able to.

Keep in mind this talent doesn’t help Medivh himself in the slightest and if your teammates don’t use portals, this talent pick will have been a complete waste.

Winds of Celerity - I pick this talent almost by default with Raven's Intellect only good if you have need extra sustain and Portal Mastery relying on your teammates. It's always nice to travel faster and it isn't uncommon that you make a last second save or barely catch a retreating enemy. That being said the boost to speed isn't so great you'd be at a disadvantage if you didn't select it. So don't feel you're locked into this pick.

Note: If you are new to Medivh try playing with Portal Mastery and Raven's Intellect first. It can be tough to move away from an ability that increases speed once you're use to it, especially at lvl 1.



Mage Armor – Just like Portal Mastery it isn’t useful if you don't have a dedicated team. You and your allies will need to be on point to take full advantage. An armor increase of 25 isn't something to underestimate so if you have a good team this can make a real difference.

Raven Familiar – Does some damage but the main draw of this talent is the 30% slow for 2.5 seconds. Useful for heroes that rely on speed such as Tracer. Combined with Portal's range this selection can be deadly to retreating enemies. To take full advantage your teammates will have to use your portals.

Dust of Appearance – This powerful talent greatly increases Medivh's scouting. It grants vision in a large area, which is nice in itself, but revealing heroes for 8 seconds is excellent. Using this right before objective(s) and team fights will give your team an edge. Naturally this talent is great against stealth heroes but be warned this makes you a priority target for those same heroes.



Mystic Assault – Grants Medivh a small damage increase and a small amount of self healing. The health gain will be negated because your "ranged" basic attack requires you to be on the front line. Really hard to even say anything nice about this talent. I guess if you have problems blocking damage with Force of Will this is a decent pick at this tier but if that is the case you shouldn't be playing Medivh. Pass on this talent. You don't want to miss the synergy Arcane Explosion and Reabsorption have with level 13.

Arcane Explosion – A more interesting talent that does area damage as Force of Will expires, if it absorbed any damage. If you are up against several melee opponents or have a diver on your team this is an excellent pick. Great synergy with Circle of Protection which can inflict devastating damage.

Force of Magic – This talent has a reasonable trigger so you won't have any problems activating it. You'll be able to do significant damage if you can land Arcane Rift repeatedly with this talent, wrecking absolute havoc. It can stack one additional time, you'll have a 7 second window to achieve this for even more damage output.



Poly Bomb – Has great utility. Can be used to help you escape, win a duel, lock down a mobile enemy, or break up a team fight. I find its main use should be as an interrupt but the spread can cause chaos in the enemy ranks during fights.

Ley Line Seal – Being able to time stop an entire team is a useful ability. It is a very situational heroic. That being said it can be game changing when those situations do occur. Drawbacks include a long cooldown and a brief channel.

I much prefer Poly Bomb because it can be used effectively far more often. If you go with Ley Line Seal grabbing Temporal Flux is a must.


Circle of Protection - A free Force of Will for potentially your entire team, that sounds great!. Of course its unlikely you'll ever see it benefit all your teammates at once. This talent pairs with Arcane Explosion for devastating damage. Useful when you have a couple melee fighters and are going against a team with AoE damage. Its downsides are an increased cooldown to Force of Will and coordination between your teammates.

Enduring Will - Has good synergy with Force of Magic and Arcane Explosion as Force of Will can be used more often. Very useful against Chromie and Kael'thas who have multiple abilities that do big damage. The more heroes the enemy has that can do big ability damage the more you should consider this talent. There is no limit to the bonus so you will get the cooldown reduction every time you absorb enough damage. The negatives to this pick are you are missing out on Circle of Protection and Reabsorption which are great. If the team you are up against are smart they will simply coordinate their heavy hitting abilities, overwhelming our valiant Guardian.

Reabsorption – Simply put it is hard to pass up on healing, especially at a 70% return rate. So if you block 1,000 damage you or your ally is getting 700 health. This isn't an uncommon occurrence as Force of Will can absorb heroics. Not only has an enemy heroic been wasted but your ally (who was most likely about to die) is now back in a team fight. This pickup also helps your healer conserve mana/energy. Healers such as Ana, Lt. Morales, and Alexstrasza are often targeted because of their lack of self healing. This talent choice is able to get them some health back and stay in the fight.



You have some excellent choices at this level with all of them being viable. Wish you could have them all.

Arcane Charge – Increases the damage by 15% to every other Arcane Rift. This pairs nicely with Force of Magic to strengthen your main damage ability. If your team needs more damage this is a very solid pick.

Temporal Flux – The reduction to your heroic cooldown is incredible. You can wield Poly Bomb as if you were Brightwing (ok maybe not that often). All that practice hitting multiple heroes with Arcane Rift pays off with this talent. With every hero Arcane Rift hits it takes 9% off the cooldown of your heroic. When you take into account Arcane Rift's 1 second cooldown your looking at least at two Poly Bombs a fight. Your basic attack also reduces your heroic cooldown by 3% so take advantage. Keep in mind that percentage reduction is based off the total cooldown of your heroic. So Ley Line Seal actually receives more of a reduction than Poly Bomb. It makes Ley Line Seal much more appealing.

Since I believe good Medivh play revolves around Poly Bomb you'll want Temporal Flux more often than not.

Stable Portal – It comes late in the game at level 16 (I'm still better this moved from a level 1 talent) and goes up against Temporal Flux which is a shame because I absolutely love this talent. It turns Medivh into a raider who can much more frequently harass the backline. More often than not you'll be able to use Portal during a team fight and it will be ready again after the fight to either help you flee or kill a retreating enemy. Defensively this is a good choice if Tracer or Genji is continually catching you while your Portal is on cooldown.



Most heroes have great level 20 talents but Medivh's are underwhelming. Don't look for any game changers here.

Glyph Of Poly Bomb – The bulk of the time I use Poly Bomb as a silence/interrupt so I’m certainly not going to willingly lose its duration by half. Don't pick this talent...ever.

Medivh Cheats! - Increases the duration to nearly 4 seconds and grants the ability to control it. It is extremely satisfying to hit those heroes that think they have dodged it. If you picked Ley Line Seal pick this up as you're all in with this heroic.

Guardian of Tirisfal – This is a powerful wave clear (best in game?) that instantly kills all minions hit with Arcane Rift. Best time to use is when the minions are unengaged and are conveniently in a nice straight line marching down the lane.

Arcane Brilliance – Instantly gives 200 mana to nearby allies and a 15% increase to their spell power. Sometimes Guardian of Tirisfal just won't make a difference. If you have a mage or two on your team why not help them out? A 15% increase to damage is a nice boost and that mana came make the difference in a fight. The talent applies to Medivh as well.

Dust of Disappearance – Requires exceptional coordination and communication to take full advantage of so outside of Team League this talent won't be that useful. Allies aren't use to portals let alone suddenly having stealth. I do recommend trying it out at some point because it is a fun talent to use.

It is in team fights that Medivh will earn his keep or not. Medivh has various responsibilities in team fights which I broke down into 5 areas outlined below:

1. Arcane Rift to hit multiple heroes with preferences going to healers and the backrow.
2. Use Force of Will to absorb ability burst damage.
3. Using Poly Bomb where it will do the most good.
4. Finish off heroes.
5. Prevent allied deaths if Force of Will and/or Portal are available.

Further breakdown:

1. Arcane Rift has a low cooldown and can hit multiple heroes. Take full advantage of that and give priority to clustered enemies. If that doesn't present itself look for anyone isolated, like a long range hero such as Hanzo or Chromie. If no one is clustered or isolated go for the healer.

2. Force of Will is best used to absorb enemy heroics. It is hard to give advice because of all the different combinations of heroes you can face an the skill level of the person controlling them. So not only will you need to be knowledgeable on what every heroes abilities are but you'll need to quickly gauge who is the best player. Here are some examples of heroes you can't go wrong by blocking their heroics/abilities Tracer, Chromie, Junkrat and Genji.

3. Often times Poly Bomb will determine if you win or lose a fight. Deciding when and where to use it is critical. Clustered melee fighters are always a good choice because of the spread, especially in close quarters. It can also be used as an interrupt, such as using it on E.T.C. during Mosh Pit. Shutting down a healer at a critical moment is also effective.

4. With Raven Form and Portal Medivh is an excellent finisher. You need to take down any heroes who decide to retreat. Often times this will be a good time to use The Dive I describe in the strategy section.

5. Naturally protecting your teammates is a priority. So don't be afraid to use Portal if an ally needs it, even if it compromises your ability to finish off heroes. Same thing with Force of Will don't hold out for an enemy heroic if it will cost an ally their life.

Even though Medivh is a ranged specialist many consider him a support hero. I like to consider him both and play accordingly. The key to a successful Medivh is using both styles simultaneously. Playing as support is all about Force of Will and not only its timing (which is critical) but also who to shield. Force of Will can be a game changer on its own. A well timed Force of Will can not only save an allies life but get him enough health to get back in the fight. Portal isn't just for Medivh's personal use. It can and should be placed to help out your allies as much as possible.

For the ranged specialist gameplay as Medivh you are essentially fighting a guerilla war. Hit them as hard as you can where they weakest such as wounded heroes, healers, backrow, ect. Between your Portal and Raven Form you have the mobility to finish off fleeing enemies. Raiding the back row during team fight is a must. Often this simple move pulls front line heroes back to try and engage you. When in doubt there is nothing wrong with staying behind your tank in fights and fighting like a more traditional ranged hero.


Poke n' Run

The overall strategy I like to employ as Medivh is delaying and harassing the opposing team as much as possible. Medivh can't lane clear (until level 20) or take camps, at least not effectively, so he needs to constantly harassing the enemy team. With Portal and/or Raven Form you have the tools to be a master of the hit and run.

Medivh may not have burst damage but he can sustain damage across multiple heroes, especially once his Arcane Rift quest is complete. You are using multiple jabs not haymakers to knock out your opponents. You'll want to move across all lanes helping where you can and engage any heroes who are vulnerable.

Delaying doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Even attacking a mounted enemy moving between lanes and taking a Portal out can cost them time. Hitting a hearthing enemy is also a simple method. This isn't flashy but rest assured it helps your team win.

Another method of harassing and delaying is a Medivh classic...



The Dive

The Dive is when a hero flees to just behind his wall and begins to hearth and you move in for a quick and satisfying kill. You can either Portal in or fly in with Raven Form. If you do Portal in I always recommend using Force of Will after you portal rather than before to give you extra protection time. You have enough time for an Arcane Rift and a basic attack no more.


I like this move for two reason. One it is a extremely satisfying way to earn a kill. Second it plays right into the overall strategy of delaying the enemy. You can be sure that after you pull this move the enemy will travel deeper into their base before hearthing (even if you don't succeed), delaying their return a few seconds at least.



The Master's Touch

The quest for Arcane Rift is critical to the success of Medivh and should be earned ASAP. It is much easier and safer to get it early before everyone's abilities get deadlier. My personal best was two minutes in (QM of course).

Don't worry too much early game about who you hit with Arcane Rift. There is nothing wrong with poking a tank while you work towards your quest.

Since Arcane Rift can hit multiple heroes you'll want to be in the lane with the most enemy heroes. Along that same line put yourself in a position so you can hit multiple heroes.

Enemy compositions effects this progress hugely. Since melee heroes have to be close to fight they are far easier to hit continuously than their ranged allies. Use extra caution when facing multiple ranged heroes because if you die it can really set back your progress towards the achievement.

When your forts are being pushed is a great opportunity to work towards your Arcane Rift quest. Stay behind your wall and get those easy hits.

Keep an eye on the tank. A healer is usually near by and you have a chance to score two hits with one Arcane Rift.

If your fortunate enough to go up against Samuro follow them around until you complete your quest. Mirror Imagine counts as a hit and they generally travel together so you can hit at least two every Arcane Rift.



Nevermore!

I’ve stated briefly in the Tools of the Trade section that Raven Form is the most underutilized weapon in Medivh’s arsenal. While Medivh doesn’t have stealth that doesn’t mean he can’t be sneaky. In fact Medivh can be very sneaky and ambush heroes fairly easily. Using the element of surprise gives you an edge that enables Medivh to defeat heroes that normally he wouldn’t be able to.

Don't always fly straight from point A to point B. Taking a few seconds extra to avoid the enemy line of sight is what allows you to ambush your enemy. That means avoiding minions, forts, wall, etc. This allows you to slip in behind your enemies undetected.

The most critical time to scout is right before an objective is about to start. Make sure Dust of Appearance is ready. Getting that intel before a team fight is tremendously helpful. That is the most common time for Medivh to scout. Also when the enemy team disappears check on the boss. Those two scenarios are the most common times to scout. Other than that you’ll need to use your own judgement on when to use your time to scout. Generally you can get a good idea of where the enemy team is from your mini map. When you’re not sure where an opposing hero is, considering scouting.

Raven Form is a powerful escape. All you need is 1.5 seconds of uninterrupted casting time and you are safe. If you do get ambushed by an enemy a nice move is using Poly Bomb (which lasts 2 seconds) and then immediately use Raven Form. Also running into a bush can buy you enough to turn into a raven.
In certain scenarios in can be beneficial to use Raven Form in team fights. You can opt to use Raven Form instead of using a Portal to harras the backline. It is not as clear cut as who you plan on attacking, good to keep them guessing. It also pulls player’s attention to you because they have to respect what a Medivh’s plans are.

Raven Form is a great strength of Medivh, it can be misused however. Just make sure you always have a clear purpose when using it. Everyone has seen a Medivh just flying around in circles during team fights for who knows what reason.


The Art of the Poly Bomb

Poly Bomb is just fantastic and I find it to be the linchpin to good Medivh play.

It gives Medivh a much needed, albeit expensive, interrupt. Its cooldown is 40 seconds so there isn't much worry about saving it for a team fight. With Temporal Flux there is zero worry about its availability. It is a simple heroic but has endless uses. It can interrupt long heroic's like Nova's Triple Tap. Stop a mobile hero, like Genji, from using their escape, prevent a healer from healing, or use its intended use of breaking up a team's formation.

During a match you will use Poly Bomb, alot, pay attention to how players react when it happens. Do they react slowly or not at all? This information will be important when you choose who to use Poly Bomb on in a team fight. You want a player who will spread it around.

Speaking of who to use Poly Bomb on is perhaps the hardest thing for a Medivh player to decide. Your team's composition, enemy team's composition, and skill levels are all a factor in the Poly Bomb decision. After the first team fight you'll have more information on who the greatest threat is.

I've stated it before but I'll do it again because it's important. Poly Bomb can lockdown heroes with great escapes such as Tracer, Chromie, Hanzo, Abathur, Fenix etc. It won't lock them down for long but it does give your team a window and it makes divers think twice.

Be aware of teammates whose abilities pair nicely with Poly Bomb for devastating affect. Leoric's Entomb and Maiev's Warden's Cage are such examples.

Fighting Retreat

Everyone has been on the wrong end of a team right. If your team managed to disengage and retreat Medivh can be a savior.

The pursing heroes are easy to hit with Arcane Rift as effectually you'll have extended range since the enemy is running towards it. If your team got their share of hits in your attacks may just be enough to discourage pursuit.

The Art of the Poly Bomb

One of the more dangerous moves to attempt. You are trying to get the enemy team to waste an ability or, if you're lucky, a heroic. This leaves them at a disadvantage for the next fight. Find a couple of opponents and and get closer than you usually would. With Medivh's escapes I feel it's a safe gamble and the more experience you have the safer it gets.

Team composition matters, don't do this against a lot of stuns or mobile heroes or you'll just look silly when you die.

Medivh is best used in team league where you and your teammates will benefit from knowing how each other play. Medivh’s potential is unlocked when your allies trust that you will support them with well-timed Arcane Rifts and well timed Portals.

In Hero League though we shouldn’t do it, sometimes we predetermine what hero we will pick during a draft. With some heroes you can get away with that, Medivh is not one of those heroes. I wouldn’t recommend drafting him any higher than the third pick because with those higher picks you'll want the strongest heroes in the current meta. The later you draft him the better so you can see who your teammates and enemies are.

There are four questions you should ask yourself when thinking if you should draft Medivh.

1. Will I have synergy with my teammates?
2. Will I be able to maximize my damage to the enemy team?
3. Does the enemy have burst ability damage?
4. Is/will my team balanced?

A further breakdown:

1. See Strong Allies below. While Medivh generally syncs up well with most heroes it’s a good idea to have a hero or two he has good synergy with.

2. For Medivh to be an asset to his team he needs to rack up the damage. There is only one way to do that and that’s hitting multiple heroes with one Arcane Rift. That means playing against melee heroes and/or healers that stay close to the frontline. Make sure to have a couple melee enemies, preferably a melee assassin.

3. If the opposing team has a hero or two with high burst damage abilities Medivh is a strong selection. Such heroes include; Tracer, Genji, Chromie, Li-Ming, Kael'thas, etc. Any hero that can do 1,000 or more ability daamage, quickly can be considered to have high burst damage abilities.

4. Do make sure your team will have a tank and healer before drafting. If you’re not confidante in your ability to do damage make sure you also have an assassin on your team.

The above questions are just guidelines there are other things to consider such as the map or how your teammates feel about Medivh. Every now and then you'll run into a person who is upset if you select Medivh. In those situations it's often best to change your selection. You don't want a teammate upset before the game even starts and doesn't play to their full potential.

Strong Allies

Medivh works well with two types of heroes, divers and heroes with a lack of an escape. Divers, such as the likes of Illidan, Greymane, Genji, Falstad, Tracer, Lunara, ect, who charge at the enemy to do big damage but because of their low health pool are vulnerable to counter attack. Force of Will does wonders for these heroes by absorbing damage and returning some health. The other group of heroes are those with a lack of an escape. Some examples are; Arthas, Johanna, Li-Ming, Jania etc. Portal takes away a huge negative and makes them a stronger hero.

The heroes below don’t fit into the above categories but work well with Medivh.

Alexstrasza – Can be worth it so Alexstrasza doesn’t have to waste Dragon Queen and cleansing Flames to escape. Portal can be used to keep her abilities ready for team fights.

Chromie – With Medivh’s ability to scout with impunity a talented Chromie can wreck a team. Between Bye Bye and Force of Will Chromie is practically unkillable.

Fenix – Medivh and Fenix are surprisingly similar. Both rely on poke damage and have good escapes. Because of that Medivh and Fenix are natural partners to go hunting together and are deadly. When they use Warp and Portal respectively an enemy will be surprised and overwhelmed in short order. When it’s all said and done Fenix can use your Portal to escape.

Your best advantage as Medivh is players aren't used to playing against him and are prone to underestimating him. Make sure to be constantly using Arcane Rift if, at any point, you miss a shot it is often best to withdraw. You'll also need to anticipate enemy abilities so you can use Force of Will on time. The advice below also assumes you will have Poly Bomb available. Given its cooldown I don't think that assumption is unreasonable.

Anduin – Medivh will not be able to bring down Anduin quickly due his abilities to self-heal. Chastise can be a pain for Medivh as it can stop him from using his Portal. Flash Heal does require Anduin to remain stationary and has a brief delay so it is a good idea to harass him. Anduin needs good positioning to maximize Divine Star effectiveness, another good reason to harass him.

Abathur - Has his own section now!

Alarak - One of the few heroes that can outright kill you before you have a chance to do anything. He is a terrible matchup for Medivh. The one saving grace is the Telekinesis + Discord Strike combo is predictable and gives you some warning in advance. It can heal for a good amount if absorbed with Force of Will.

Alexstrasza - A great matchup for Medivh. Live and Let Live and Lifeblossom are two popular (and powerful) talent picks for Alex and both require her to be above 75% health to work. In any fight your goal should be to drop her below that threshold. Remember she has limited self-healing so it won’t be easy for her to get healthy. Always press her because there is a strong chance you can get her to use Cleansing Flame or Dragonqueen in order to prevent death. In a team fight save Poly Bomb for when she uses Dragonqueen.

Ana - Another good Medivh matchup. With your mobility you can reach her easily enough. Her only real threat to you is Sleeping Dart which can get you killed depending on who arrives while you’re asleep. Unlike other heroes she has to aim properly to heal so harassing her effectively shuts down her ability to heal. Eye of Horus can be annoying if she takes it. Be sure to shield low health allies with your own body if need be.

Anub'arak - Really no point to engage him unless you are working towards your baseline Arcane Rift quest. Burrow Charge can close the distance to his targets so keep that in the back of your mind when you have low health allies. Keeping a Force of Will or Portal can save the day. If an ally is under the effect of Cocoon and can't be reached give them a Portal nearby so they have a chance.

Artanis - Another beefy tank that you should just avoid. Between his deep health poll and Shield Overload you can hardly make a dent to him. Be on the lookout for Phase Prism as Medivh is vulnerable to abilities that change his position. A good time for a Force of Will is when Purifier Beam first engages as it will always hit a hero first before it can be out run.

Arthas - You may have noticed a trend by now that Medivh doesn't do great damage to tanks and that continues. With Arthas however, you can annoy the hell out of him with Arcane Rift. He has no escapes so he can't do much to stop you. Try to line up as many minions as you can when you hit him with an Arcane Rift.

Auriel - Because of her combat trait Bestow Hope not only is she never alone but often with the hero that can do the most damage. Only engage her during team fights.

Azmodan - Medivh can drive Azmodan from a lane but his high health requires Azmodan to be lured into over confidence. You'll want to poke him with Arcane Rift to get his health down some. Watch out for Globe of Annihilation during this process. When he is soften up get close enough to be hit with All Shall Burn. Azmodan is committed to engaging you at this point. Use Force of Will to give you more time to use Arcane Rift. Azmodan will still be close to you waiting for your shield to expire. Hit him with Poly Bomb if it’s available, if not use Portal to break All Shall Burn. At this point Azmodan will realize he is in danger and flee to safety. Kill him if you can.

Blaze - Not much you can do against Blaze. The only tip I can offer is you can block Jet Propulsion by getting it the way of his charge yourself. This puts you in danger but helps your ally.

Brightwing - To be brief, Brightwing is a major pain in the *** for Medivh. Polymorph can stop you from entering your Portal and prevent you from landing a good Force of Will. Pixie Dust will reduce your damage output and potentially get you killed by a faster opponent. With Blink Heal it will be hard for Medivh to kill any isolated heroes.

The only thing in your favor is Brightwing has to be close to heroes to heal them giving your Poly Bomb a good chance to spread.

Cassia - Nothing fancy when engaging her. Save Arcane Rift for her Fend which will return a nice amount of health.

Chen - His large health pool makes it impractical for Medivh to engage him. With his Fortifying Brew trait he makes a nice stationary target for Arcane Rift's quest. If he does Fortifying Brew you can use Poly Bomb to stop his healing

Cho' Gall - Another high health hero that is best avoided. Upheaval can easily get you killed. A Poly Bomb can throw this duo off hopefully giving your team a chance to converge on them. Be aware that Gall can still use his abilities even while he is a sheep for some reason. They also only count as one for the purposes of your baseline Arcane Quest quest.

Chromie - Medivh is the perfect counter to Chromie. Chromies like to hide well beyond the front line so use Raven Form as stealthy as you can an get in close. You should be able to dodge Arcane Blast fairly reliably and whenever you see the animation for Dragon’s Breathe use Force of Will. Use Poly Bomb if she uses bye bye. If you have Dust of Appearance fire it off before you land to see if there are any time traps. The one danger is if Chromie gets the drop on you and hits you with a Temporal Loop while Force of Will is on cooldown. If you have Poly Bomb use it to mess up Chromie's timing. You can use Raven Form to get out of a Temporal Loop if nothing else. Make sure you give your allies a Force of Will when they get hit with Temporal Loop as it can easily kill.

D.Va - Don’t directly engage this tank. Use Force of Will on allies who can't avoid Self-Destruct. When she is in Pilot Mode pull out all the stops to bring her down.

Deckard – With a lack of mobility and weak damage Deckard is vulnerable to a Medivh. His two non-healing abilities Horadric Cube and Scroll of Sealing can be avoided with Portal and Raven Form. Since Healing Potions doesn't care who needs it more make sure to always attack enemies near them. An enemy might pick it up by mistake making it unavailable for someone who needs it much more.

It isn't all good news for Medivh players. His combat trait Fortitude of the Faithful assures that you’ll never catch him isolated. With his potions he is very hard for Medivh to bring down.

For team fights I'd recommending using Raven Form to attack him at close range. He'll want to save Horadric Cube and Scroll of Sealing for your allies so he shouln't use them on you but if he does that is great. Deckard's allies will have to respond to you which will hopefully give your allies an opening.

Dehaka - Can be very disruptive to you and your Allies. Drag is a threat, make sure to stay out of its limited range when possible. Because of Drag doing poke damage can be dangerous. Get in the habit of immediately using Force of Will on however is being dragged as it puts a bull's eye on them.

Deathwing – With Deathwing being permanently unstoppable it means Medivh cannot use Poly Bomb or Ley Line Seal on him, which makes him dangerous to Medivh. You will want to be on the lookout for his dragon flight which can be used to easily get the drop on you. Not all bad news though. He is a large hero and easy to hit with Arcane Rift. Because of this Medivh can do good damage to him as long as he keeps his distance.

Diablo - Using Shadow Charge and Overpower many good Diablo players have humbled me. Better to have someone else deal with him. Because he is so effective at moving players out of position it can be justifiable to hit him with a Poly Bomb especially if there are other melee warriors around him.

E.T.C.. - This beefy tank is well known for his Mosh Pit heroic so you need to use Poly Bomb on him when he uses it. Just like all tanks he is best left to others.

Falstad - Medivh is more than capable of soloing a Falstad but he is also more than capable of killing you. This match up often comes down to skill. To innate the fight, bait him into using Barrel Roll and use Portal to avoid it. Return when his shield expires and start spamming Arcane Rift. Make sure you don't get hit twice with Hammerang.

Fenix - He plays similar to Medivh with poke damage and a good escape ability. But he can out range and out damage you so it is not a good match up. Planet Cracker and Purification Salvo are very predictable and easy to block. I don't recommend going up against him. The one way you can really damage him is to catch him as he is about to Warp with Poly Bomb.

Garrosh - Between Groundbreaker and Wrecking Ball you don't want to be near him. Poly Bomb will stop him from using Bloodthirst so he is a viable target when at low health to make sure he dies ASAP.

Gazlowe - Medivh can do damage to Gazlowe but with his Xplodium Charge and Rock-It! Turret he can close off a lot of real estate around him. It takes more time than is practical to destroy his turrets so it’s best to let another teammate deal with him in a single lane.

Genji - One of those heroes where there is a huge difference depending on the user’s skill level. He gets good mobility from Cyber Agility and Swift Strike. His Deflect isn't too much of a concern for Medivh as Arcane Rift's cooldown is so low (provided you hit him). You will need to Poly Bomb him when he dives deep as it prevents his escape for a short time which can get him killed. It also gives him something more to think about the next time he thinks about diving deep too early. X-Strike gives a visible warning so make Force of Will is ready.

Greymane - Not a good matchup for our Guardian. He can range poke you as well until he decides to go Worgen and attempt to bring you down. He is a good target for you to attack in team fights as Arcane Rift can damage him quickly. Just be careful of his response.

Gul'dan - Dangerous to you but since his mana is tied to his health you can really hamper him with poke damage. Arcane Rift has a bigger range than Fel Flame so your main concern is Corruption. Be even more cautious at level 10 if he goes Horrify and be ready with a Portal to help any allies that ran in an unfortunate direction.

Hanzo - I love this matchup because they are evenly matched and it is plain fun when it happens. You'll want to Raven Form to hit and begin your barrage of Arcane Rifts. After that it’s pretty much you two trying to dodge each other’s attacks while landing your own! Your success will depend on if you can absorb Storm Bow with a Force of Will an how many other shots you can dodge. Like all heroes with good escapes use Poly Bomb when you feel he is about to bolt. Dragonstrike provides a great opportunity to heal if Force of Will is ready.

Illidan - An Illidan at one point in my career must have absolutely destroyed me and my psyche because I sometimes catch myself going out of my way to harass any Illidan player I'm matched with. He isn't much of a threat to you unless he takes The Hunt which turns him into a huge threat. It gives you an audio warning so you don't want to listen to music or you could miss the warning (opps).

Poke him until he is annoyed and commits to a fight. Force of Will his Dive hit him a few more times and Portal out. Return and repeat the process. I'd like to think I've annoyed Illidan players enough that they take The Hunt just for me. It is easy to miss a Arcane Rift against him, if that is the case retreat. If he goes Metamorphosis he can be a good target for a Poly Bomb.

Imperius – You are no match for Imperius. If he goes Wrath of the Angiris it does have a windup so you’ll have warning to use Force of Will on whoever the target is. Celestial Charge is a threat with it’ stun so you’ll want to be on guard when Imperius. This hero is best avoided.

Jaina - Be cautious with her because she can kill you if you make a mistake. If she has full health do not engage alone until level 10. In the perfect scenario you'll want to surprise her with Raven Form and score first blood. Force of Will her first ability (if its Blizzard try and dodge and save your Force of Will. Before she can fire off another ability hit her with Poly Bomb. Depending on her remaining health either go toe to toe with her or Portal out wait for Force Will and head back in. The greatest threat to watch out for is her Ring of Frost + Blizzard combo.

Johanna - Like with most tanks your focus should be elsewhere. If she goes with Falling Sword it has a visible warning and you'll have time for a Force of Will.

Junkrat - Once you’re in close you can easily dodge his Frag Launcher and he’s helpless. The only danger coming from Concussion Mine which can knock you around if you’re not careful. If he uses it on himself you can catch him with Portal. Rocket Ride is easy to block with Force of Will and will restore a nice amount of health. RIP-Tire isn't much harder to block but he can try to fake you out to which hero he is targeting. Watch out for allies who are near him when he dies as Total Mayhem can easily kill, be ready with a Force of Will.

Kael'thas - After the rework Medivh isn't as good against KT as he used to be with the increase in Force of Will’s cooldown. You now have to be much more conservative in choosing if you should block Living Bomb and Flamestrike. Remember that Living Bomb has a 3 second delay before it explodes so don't mistime your Force of Will. Usually a Kael'thas won't go Pyroblast if a Medivh is on the field. It is slow moving and hits for high damage so it easy to absorb and heals for a lot. Smart Kael'thas' will use it at extreme close ranges making it harder for you to intercept .

Kel'Thuzad - A good Kel'Thuzad player has the skill and the kit to handicap Medivh. Shadow Fissure, Frost Nova, and Death and Decay can be used on one or both of your portal exits to punish you for not paying attention or even deny using said portal. Chains of Kel'Thuzad can change your position and that doesn't do you any favors either.

Fortunately for Medivh the number of players that are great with Kel'Thuzad are limited. He hangs around the fringes of team fights so Medivh has a good chance to isolate him. Ideally you'll want Arcane Rift's quest completed to engage him because you'll need to take him down ASAP. Use Force of Will to block his first attack and then hit him with a Poly Bomb.

Kerrigan - Can deal good damage but is fragile so not a bad choice for Medivh to engage when the circumstances allow it. Her main threat comes from her Primal Grasp + Impaling Blades combo. Primal Grasp gives a small warning so immediately cast Force of Will when you see it.

Kharazim - Since he will always have healing and needs to be near his allies he is a good candidate for harassment with Arcane Rift. He can close the gap to you quickly so it would be wise to always have a Portal ready when around him. For skirmishes Radiant Dash + Deadly Reach combo is a good choice for a Force of Will. Seven-Sided Strike is easily absorbed by Force of Will.

Leoric- See Arthas. Only difference is Leo has an escape so use Poly Bomb to shut it down. Be sure to use Poly Bomb before he uses his escape as it has unstoppable. Portal is a great escape for allies trapped by his Entomb.

Li Li - Her Fast Feet trait makes it hard for Medivh to hit her as she can quickly move out of range. Good time for a Poly Bomb is when she is using Jug of 1,000 Cups. If you have a teammate that relys on auto attack damage it can be beneficial for you to move close to Li Li so you can take one of the hits from Blinding Wind. Her biggest danger (to your playstyle anyways) is if she takes Let's Go! at level 7. Unstoppable can break Poly Bomb which can really throw a wrench into your fine tuned Medivh machine.

Li-Ming - You will want to absorb Arcane Orb with Force of Will. If you get her isolated she can be taken down. Make sure to dodge her Arcane Orb and use Force of Will for her Magic Missiles. Save Poly Bomb for Disintegrate. If she goes Wave Of Force you will have to be careful about using Portal around her. Outside of team fights she can baited into using Arcane Orb and/or Magic Missiles, use Force of Will to intentionally take the hit to get some healing and get a bonus to Force of Magic.

Lt. Morales - One of the harder healers to get isolated since she has to be fairly close to heal. She doesn't have any self-healing so you should attempt to lower her health before team fights. Usually not worth it to use Poly Bomb due to no burst healing and she can immediately begin healing again once the effect wear off.

Lúcio - With his speed and knockback Medivh isn't a threat to him. In team fights you'll have more success because he'll use Crossfade for the healing boost. Still I find him the most difficult healer to harass so you might want to focus on another hero.

Lunara - Her combat trait Nature's Toxin makes her a counter to Medivh whos Force of Will won't block poison once it's active. Medivh is vulnerable to Leaping Strike so you don't want to ever get too close. Hold onto Poly Bomb until her first use of Leaping Strike and then use it. Hopefully your teammates will converge on her at this point for an easy kill.

Maiev - While Medivh can contest her when she is at lower health generally your main use will be to counter her abilities with Portal. Warden's Cage can be completely by passed with a Portal so Maiev shouldn’t pick it. Portal won’t negate Umbral Bind but it should get you or your allies far enough away that its affect won’t matter. Be aware of Vault of the Wardens which can easily cause you to miss with Arcane Rift.

Malfurion - Naturally you will have to watch out for Entangling Roots as this is Malfurion's biggest threat to you. Other than that he is fairly easy to range poke. Tranquility is an excellent opportunity to use Poly Bomb.

Mal'Ganis – Between Fel Claws and Night Rush you do not want to deal with Mal’Ganis alone. He is a dangerous hero though, so you will want to poke him with Arcane Rift if he is not targeting you. Because of Night Rush I would not recommend raiding the backline in team fights unless you know it is on cooldown.

Malthael - With Wraith Strike he is a threat to our fragile Guardian. He is certainly never someone you want to solo. It is a good idea to target him if he is focused on one of your allies.

Medivh - I know why you came to this guide. To get information on the epic QM fight between two Medivhs. I like to picture a Medivh vs Medivh fight as two walruses trying to dance with each other while intoxicated, bizarre and no one wants to see it. You don't have burst damage but do have good escapes and shields so it’s pointless to engage each other. Keep an eye out for low health allies near a Portal exit. If you have good communication with your teammates it is worth using Poly Bomb on Medivh as it opens up some time for your allies to unload their heroics safely.

Mei – Like most tanks, Mei is not a good match up for Medivh. Not much point in engaging her unless you need to get your Arcane Rift quest completed. Portal can be used to counter Avalanche and get any teammates captured in it back to their original position quickly.

Mephisto – This is not a good matchup for Medivh. Mephisto is good at sustaining damage which Medivh is vulnerable to. Force of Will is tremendous against burst damage but against sustained damage, Medivh is vulnerable. With Skull Missile he can poke you right back. He is easy to miss with Arcane Rift because of Shade of Mephisto. If you do fail to land a hit with Arcane Rift you will want to Portal out.

Muradin - With Second Wind, Thunder Clap, and Dwarf Toss you don't want any part of Muradin.

Murky - I didn't realize it until I was writing these matchups but I'm more cautious around Murky than I am some assassins. While you can kill Murky, you can't do it quickly and his Spawn Egg makes it pointless. Safety Bubble often causes you to miss with Arcane Rift. Octo-Grab can get you killed so be aware if he takes it. Your time is better spent finding and destroying his egg.

Nazeebo - With all that poison going around he can punish Medivh for not dodging/blocking his attacks. If you can successfully negate his attacks you can do enough damage to drive him back, early in the game anyways. Portal nicely counters Zombie Wall.

Nova - You are a prime target for Nova because of your low health pool and you counter her very well. Dust of Appearance will disrupt her entire attack plan make sure to have it ready for team fights. You can neutralize either of her heroics with Force of Will. In the case of Triple Tap you can also Poly Bomb Nova to stop it. Use Arcane Rift to reveal her as often as you can.

Since shes a lone hunter (for the most part) you will have ample chances to engage her in 1v1 scenarios. You'll want to be sure to use Force of Will for her Snipe. Her next move will probably be a heroic and as I said before Poly Bomb can stop Triple Tap. If she went Precision Strike you will have to alert and dodge it.

Orphea – Her attacks area easy enough to dodge. Stay back and poke her with Arcane Rift. A well timed Poly Bomb can also throw them off their timing.

Probius - With Photon Cannon and Warp Rift Probius can be tough. These abilities, much like Gazlowe's, can shut off sections of the battlefield. If you can bypass all that he still has Worker Rush. His low health and tenancy to solo lanes encourages you to periodically try and kill him. He is faster than most heroes so keep that in mind when trying to land Arcane Rift.

Qhira – As long as your able to dodge her Grappling Hook and Carnage you will be in good shape. Make sure she does not close the gap and poke away with Arcane Rift.

Ragnaros - good choice to do poke damage to as he can only counter with Living Meteor. Just be sure to keep him at arm’s length. Lava Wave is a good time to use Force of Will to get you some easy health. He is fairly easy to drive off but can be difficult to kill.

Raynor - The toughest thing will be keeping track of his Adrenaline Rush. It is best to avoid pressing him too hard until you see it go off. Force of Will his Penetrating Round to avoid its moderate damage. Poly Bomb is best used to counter his Inspire.

Rehgar - Like most healers he is hard to isolate. Make sure to take down Earthbind Totem so your allies can concentrate on more important things in team fights. Whoever he uses Bloodlust on is a prime candidate for a Poly Bomb.

Rexxar - Very hard to safely poke Rexxar because of Misha and the ability Misha, Charge!. It can be a smart strategy to focus on Rexxar early game to work towards Arcane Rift's quest. He works closely with Misha and it can be easy to hit them both with one Arcane Rift.

Samuro - When your Medivh there is no better gift than going up against a Samuro. Dust of Appearance not only breaks his stealth but takes away his greatest strength during team fights and lets you know which Samuro is real. With his Mirror Image You often can get three hits with Arcane Rift and most certainly two. Go to his lane until you complete the quest for Arcane Rift.

Sgt. Hammer - Not a match up you'll often see but it does happen. By yourself there isn't much you can do to him but with allies you can safely kill him. Force of Will whoever charges him. Alternately you can hit him with a Poly Bomb just as your allies are about to attack. This will also remove him from Siege Mode when he returns.

Sonya - You can poke damage her and when she goes for her Ancient Spear + Whirlwind combo use Force of Will. Then Portal out of range an continue with your poke damage.

Stitches - Another hero you can't damage but can counter. It is good practice to always have Portal ready when around him. A good Portal will save an ally from Gorge, Hook, and Putrid Bile. When an ally is captured with Gorge you are their only hope to make it out alive. You have 4 seconds before you need to have a Portal up by Stitches. Let your ally know they have a Portal incoming and Force of Will them if you can safely get in range.

Stukov - The most dangerous healer for a Medivh because of Lurking Arm. In team fights you'll want to hit Stukov with a Poly Bomb just as he starts Lurking Arm. Another important aspect for team fights with a Stukov is who his friends are. You need to know what other abilities combo well with Lurking Arm. Zarya's Graviton Surge and Leo's Entomb are deadly when paired with a well-timed and placed Lurking Arm. If you get him isolated beware of his auto attack which hits hard.

Sylvanas - Can easily be soloed. Force of Will her Withering Fire and when she casts Haunting Wave use Poly Bomb to take away her escape. If she goes Mind Control there is a real danger so only engage when she over extends or if you can bring her down before Poly Bomb wears off.

Tassadar - Tassadar is a poor man's Medivh, never let him forget it. It is often best to wait until Plasma Shield expires before pressing him. The hardest thing to do will be to anticipate when he is about to use Dimensional Shift, you'll want to hit him with a Poly Bomb before he can do that. If he does get Dimensional Shift off make an educated guess on where he is going and Portal there. If he goes Archon he becomes a good target for Poly Bomb during team fights. Don't worry about Force Wall if you have a Portal ready.

The Butcher - With his great abilities and auto attack damage you should want no part of The Butcher. Medivh however, can be an effective counter to him. The most natural way is to Force of Will your ally right before Ruthless Onslaught hits. Another, not so obvious, method is to use Poly Bomb to negate Butcher's Brand healing. This small window if often enough for allies to focus him down. This works because Butcher players expect those heals when they charge in. When they realize what happened it’s too late.

The Lost Vikings - You won't see this match up often (ever?). Either they are separated and are easy kills or they are together and you can rack up the hits towards your baseline quest for Arcane Rift.

Thrall - He has enough health and does enough damage to make attacking him head on futile. Earthquake and Sundering are countered by a timely Portal.

Tracer - No other hero I'd rather not see in a match. She is easy to miss with Arcane Rift and can get to your Portal exit with Blink. If you hold out on Force of Will she can kill you with her auto attacks. If you use Force of Will to defend her auto attacks she'll Pulse Bomb you. Best defense is to stay close to your allies.

For team fights her greatest threat comes from Pulse Bomb. You can't ignore this huge damage so you’ll have to keep Force of Will ready. Smart tracer's know this and hold back from using it in team fights because they know you won't cast Force of Will.

The good news is if you do absorb Pulse Bomb you, most likely, prevented an ally from being killed and got them a nice chunk of health. Another trick you can use on tracer is when they Blink to an ally immediately Poly Bomb. At best your allies will use this window to kill her or at worst you've given something for Tracer to think about.

Tychus – His range and damage is enough to deter you from attacking him on your own. In team fights Commandeer Odin can warrant a Poly Bomb. Outside of team fights Force of Will is good to use against Overkill.

Tyrael – With Smite and El'druin's Might he can quickly close the gap on you. Even more dangerous is his abilities can allow his allies to do the same. This doesn’t make for a good match up. He is best left to others. Archangel's Wrath can kill so be ready with Force of Will when Tyrael dies.

Tyrande – While our valiant Guardian can solo Tyrande, he cannot do it quickly. So often she’ll be able to escape. She has the kit to be incredible annoying for a Medivh. If she goes with Overflowing Light you have the abilities to reach her and knock her below the 60% health threshold. When you do engage her always be mindful she has healing with Light of Elune. Dodge her Lunar Flare if you can, saving Force of Will for her auto attacks. She actually helps you out in teamfights broadcasting the intended target with Hunter's Mark use Force of Will to counter.

Tyrande players seem to be incredible with their map awareness and use of Sentinel. You have to be ready to cast Force of Will at a moment’s notice because Tyrande players love to unleash an owl at retreating low health heroes. You will have to be aware of this threat regardless of where Tyrande is on the map.

Uther – His burst healing makes it difficult to finish off weakened players. With his heath pool, stuns, and healing he is safe from being punished for being out of position by a Medivh. He is often a good target for a Poly Bomb during team fights because of all those stuns and burst heals. For an added bonus, he has to be close to use his stuns so you should get a nice spread. Just like Li Li he has an option to pick up an unstoppable which can break Poly Bomb.

Valeera – The most dangerous hero for a Medivh. With Garrote you will be rendered helpless for 2.5 seconds. If you already have a Portal up she will use Cheap Shot. General rule of thumb is if she gets the drop on you, you’re dead. Fortunately Dust of Appearance makes that very unlikely to happen in team fights. Map awareness should prevent that from happening outside of team fights.

Valla – Can be soloed fairly easily. Surprise greatly helps in this fight so use Raven Form to get to her as Portal is more recognizable, plus if things go badly you have an escape. Open up with an Arcane Rift and immediately Poly Bomb her. Save Force of Will for her heroic. Because of her damage output it is important to bring her down quickly. Be aware that much like Kel'Thuzad a good player can take a Valla to a whole other level.

Varian – Because of his damage and Parry he is best left to your allies. If need be you can safely poke damage him but have Force of Will ready for Charge. If he uses Taunt on you, it acts as a silence.

Whitemane – Here lack of an escape makes her a prime target for Medivh. If they go Harsh Discipline you will want to back off to make sure she cannot root you. Other than that, will her lack of an escape you will want to harass her during team fights.

Xul – Because of his great wave clear he warrants the attention of a better suited ally than a Medivh. So outside of team fights you won’t see him much. The best defense for Bone Prison is too quickly use Portal before it takes affect and create as much space between you two as possible. Poison is a great counter to a Medivh so he might go Poison Nova just for you!

Yrel – Like most tanks, she is best avoided. Avenging Wrath combined with Righteous Hammer can get Medivh out of position which can get him killed.

Ardent Defender is basically a self-cast version Force of Will that lasts twice as long. Just shows you how powerful Medivh can be. This heroic ability has a 120 second cooldown. Medivh wields virtually the same thing with a 1.5 second less duration but with an 9 second cooldown.

Zagara – Like Xul she needs the attention of an ally better suited to handling her than a Medivh. She can be brought down but she has the kit to do the same to Medivh. You’ll need to dodge Baneling Barrage and use Force of Will on all the zerg baddies she can summon. Her greatest threat to Medivh is all the Creep Tumors she spreads. It ruins your stealth approaches with Raven Form.

Zarya – Particle Grenade can poke Medivh taking down an already small health pool. Her shields make attacking Zarya herself impractical. The biggest pain is her Shield Ally which are enough to prevent Medivh from finishing them off. Graviton Surge can be a huge threat when combined with other talents, such as Fenix’s Planet Cracker or Stukvo’s Lurking Arm. Portal can be used to escape from it. Never hurts to remind your allies of that before the match starts.

Zeratul - I don’t think I’ve played this match up outside of Quick Match which is a shame. I absolutely love going up against a Zeratul. The 1 on 1 matchup is incredibly fun! Between Blink, Vorpal Blade, and Portal your epic fight will be over a large area.

You’ll want to use Force of Will against his Cleave. Then Poral out, Zera will most likely respond with Vorpal Blade. Go back through your Portal. He can either break off the attack or Blink to you. During this whole dance you need to be continuously spamming Arcane Rift an use your Poral often.

Sometimes a Zeratul player will use Vorpal Blade when you use Arcane Rift to dodge it. If this should happen withdraw. At level 7 be sure to check and see what talent Zeratul selects as they all increase his mobility in different ways.

As always, have Dust of Appearance ready for the team fight.

Zul'jin – You never want to go at him alone but you have some nice counters for him during team fights. You will want to keep an eye on him at all times and disrupt his Regeneration with the goal of forcing him out of the fight. Since he hits harder with low health, you’ll want to Poly Bomb when he’s softened up so your allies can kill him safely.

At the time of this writing Medivh has been changed to the support class. This class only has four heroes. Along with Medivh it includes Zarya, The Lost Vikings, and Abathur. What does this mean for Medivh in quick match? You will be playing most matches against an Abathur broken up by a game with Zarya. No way to sugar coat, it just plain sucks for Medivh. It is repetitive and worse yet makes it harder to complete the Arcane Rift quest with one less hero.

Because you will playing against an Abathur a high percentage of the time, I decided to give him (is Abathur a him?) his own section.

The best piece of advice I can offer is this; good Abathur’s need to be dealt with. However, good Abathur DO NOT hole up in places that will get them killed easily. I strongly recommend not attempting to kill him until after you complete your Arcane Rift quest. Even after you complete your quest you still need to respect Deep Tunnel. Poly Bomb can prevent this. So in a perfect world before you even attempt to kill an Abathur you should have completed your Arcane Rift quest and completed level 10.

Abathur Strategy

My goal when I play Abathur’s is for them to ask themselves, where is Medivh and what is he planning? I tend to harass them more than I can kill them. You need Abathur to respect where you are on the map. Even if you know you can’t kill him, I recommend using an Arcane Rift on him and retreating from time to time. I don’t care how good an Abathur player is, when they take damage, they are going to check to see what is going on. Often, they will reposition when you do this. A lot of Abathurs will also move when they revealed by Dust of Appearance.

Scouting Abathur

The million-dollar question really is how much time do you use to scout an Abathur? My answer is not much. Remember that good Abathurs do not hole up in spots that make them vulnerable. If they are bad Abathur, who really cares about killing them? The map affects this as well. Smaller maps you can scout a heck of a lot more. On your bigger maps, you are burning a lot of time when you scout.

Killing Abathur

Killing Abathur is no small feat. Here is my Abathur check list before going in for a kill:

1. Is he in a vulnerable position?
2. Where are his teammates?
3. Are minions and towers going to cause an issue?
4. Is this a good time to kill him?

Pretty self-explaining except for #4. When you kill a good Abathur they will not make the same mistake twice. You may kill an Abathur but did your team gain anything by it? Ideally, you would want to take down Abathur before an objective to get your money’s worth.

Final Thoughts

If you have willing allies it’s a different story with Abathur hunting. Chromie, Li Ming or Hanzo can take full advantage of you locating him. Allies with global range abilities like Nova's Precision Strike and Fenix's Planet Cracker combined with your Arcane Rift can take him down. Perhaps the best ally is Tyrande using her Sentinel. Abathur will pretty much have to stay at his spawn the entire match. Lastly any player that trusts you can use your Portal to quickly kill an Abathur and get out safely.

Happy Hunting!

Other heroes have several natural builds that occur because multiple talents at multiple levels have great synergy. Medivh doesn’t have that. Force of Magic and Arcane Explosion at tier 7 and the tier 13 talents are the only talents that sync together. Even then they all have to do with Force of Will so you can’t mess it up as all 5 of those talents sync up well or compliment.

Because of that Medivh can just go tier by tier and pick what will help his team the most. This creates many different “builds” with small variances maybe with only one different talent. I’ve named the build this guide focuses on Baseline because it’s important to have a starting point. It is much easier to learn how to play a hero if you focus on one build and only after playing it a few times slowly branch out and try different talents.

Baseline

Winds of Celerity - Dust of Appearance - Force of Magic – Poly Bomb - Reabsorption - Temporal Flux - Guardian of Tirisfal

This build is all about maxim utility and focused damage. Scouting, healing, interrupts, wave clear, damage and disruption this has it all. At the core of this build is Poly Bomb and Temporal Flux which gives Medivh a reliable interrupt/silence that can spread.

To gain all this utility you are sacrificing some damage. To offset this Force of Magic needs to be used effectively, that means hitting multiple heroes with each Arcane Rift.

The Last Guardian

Raven's Intellect - Dust of Appearance - Arcane Explosion - Poly Bomb - Circle of Protection - Temporal Flux - Guardian of Tirisfal

This is a popular build for Medivh and for good reason. It capitalizes on the synergy between Arcane Explosion and Circle of Protection for potentially devastating AoE damage. Because of this it best used when both teams have a couple melee fights. This build is strong against divers such as The Butcher and Illidan.

For this build you’re giving up talent choices at level 7 and 13 that will be decent throughout the game for talent picks that will be great in certain situations. For the greatest affect you’ll need to wait for your allies and enemies to be in the right positions and that there will be enough damage incoming to max out Arcane Explosion’s damage.

I don’t recommend you start out learning with this build because it requires good timing and tactical awareness.

Fury of Tirisfal

Winds of Celerity – Raven Familiar – Force of Magic – Poly Bomb – Enduring Will – Arcane Charge – Arcane Brilliance

This build is for the devil-may-care Medivh player that focuses completely on damage output. With Force of Magic and Arcane Charge combined Arcane Rift is empowered. Enduring Will allows you to quickly get the stack for Force of Magic. If you are able to hit multiple heroes with Arcane Rift the damage you will inflict is impressive by any heroes’ standards. Since it is so important to hit with every Arcane Rift the slow from Raven Familiar is invaluable. Unlike the The Last Guardian build this can be still be used effectually against ranged focused teams.

With this build you are giving up utility via Dust of Appearance and Temporal Flux for a sharp increase in damage.

Friend

Please be ready for a Portal at all times. Not only is it a life saver but it saves Medivh from having to waste a Force of Will on you when the Portal was sufficient. I also enjoy playing as Anduin and my teammates usually do give me props for a good Leap of Faith, which kind of drives me crazy. Leap of Faith is basically a Portal that you don't have a choice about entering. Use those portals people, they can be game changing.

If practical soak up as much damage as you can with Force of Will. Not only does it restore your health but it can trigger Medivh’s talents.

Dust of Appearance has a relatively short cooldown and last for eight seconds. Make sure you are constantly checking your mini map for enemy locations.

It's always a good idea to focus on who Medivh uses Poly Bomb on. It shuts down self healing and prevents escapes like Tracer's Blink.

Take the time to destroy walls for your Medivh. That line of sight the wall provides can be enough to disrupt Medivh's attack plan or costs him a few seconds to avoid its line of sight.

Foe

Medivh’s damage comes from a single ability, Arcane Rift. Being able to dodge his Arcane Rift neutralizes the damage he can inflict for 7 seconds instead of 1. This becomes even more important if he selects Temporal Flux at level 16.

His other abilities can be more difficult to counter. If you are hit with Poly Bomb make sure it doesn't spread to your teammates. Be ready for Force of Will as it will waste an ability. If you have a predictable combo like Alarak's Telekinesis + Discord Strike try mixing it up even if its not as effective.

Pressuring Medivh is advisable, with a low health pool he'll have to use Force of Will and/or Portal on himself. If you catch him with his abilities on cooldown he can be brought down quickly.

Maps with non fight based objectives, such as Infernal Shrines, Haunted Mines, an Blackheart's Bay are not good for Medivh. His main damage source, Arcane Rift, won't benefit from its cooldown reduction. He can't take camps or clear lanes effectively (until level 20) so his options on those maps are focused to fighting heroes.

Alterac Pass

All around a decent map for Medivh. The broken terrain makes Portal and Raven Form useful. The map is in the small side so you can reveal multiple heroes quite easily with Dust of Appearance. While Medivh isn’t good at capturing the Prison Camps the close quarters brawl between teams makes using Arcane Rift and Poly Bomb easier.

Volskaya Foundry

This is a good Medivh map because of the fight based objectives. Your Portal can come in handy for you and your allies to bypass all the conveyor belts around the objectives, especially the bottom one. The top and bottom forts are spacious enough to risk trying to kill an Abathur or any enemy with low health. You can also make use of the vents.

When possible take one of the seats in the protector as you'll have the best chance to get you and your ally out upon its expiration.

Tips
Your portal will move on the conveyor belts. That can be a good or bad thing.

The Protector Mech counts towards your Arcane Rift quest. It's dangerous so use caution.

Hanamura

Thankfully I've not played on this map much. Which is a good thing because it might be the worst map for Medivh. You can't be in Raven Form if you want to contribute to the payload speed which goes completely against his playstyle. There is however, alot of broken terrain which creates opportunities to ambush enemies.

Haunted Mines

The undead are not very strong on this map so Medivh can contribute to gathering skulls. The map is small so it is easy to scout especially with Dust of Appearance. Camps are important on this map so that is not a good fit for Medivh. To compensate you can try and steal camps from heroes you can solo, like Sylvanas or a Fenix who took some damage. With limited movement underground Portal can be real handy. Portal Mastery is a good talent pick for this map.

Towers of Doom

A strong Medivh map. This map was built for ambushes which Medivh can safely sniff out. With Medivh's kit he can delay at an objective buying team for your teammates to arrive. Because of that it can be a smart play to try and take the bottom objective yourself.

Infernal Shrines

Usually not a good map for Medivh but it can be. Because of the nature of the objectives you'll get team fights in a confined space so Arcane Explosion and Circle of Protection can be a good selection if you have a couple melee heroes. If you absorb a strong heroic and get Force of Will on multiple allies your talking about alot of dead guardians and probably heroes.

Tip
Be extra aware of stealth heroes on the objectives as all the movement from heroes and guardians is a perfect cover for their approach.

Battlefield of Eternity

A decent map for Medivh. You can hardly make a dent to the immortal so that puts you at a disadvantage from the start. Luckily for our Guardian most times a team fight breaks out which he excels at. Make sure Dust of Appearance is ready to go when the immortals arrive. Unless it is neck and neck for the immortal your better off harassing the enemy team.

Abathur wise this is probably the best map to harrass him on. The top and bottom forts have enough room between towers that you can safely take a shot at killing him. For some reason even good Abathur players will hole up near their fountain on this map and that makes them vulnerable,

Tomb of the Spider Queen

A strong map for Medivh. The long lanes and multiple walls in-between them create opportunities for ambushes or quick escapes. After some forts fall the lanes become very long. Quite often retreating enemies will run so far and begin to hearth, be sure to show them the folly of their decision! Even if you don't normal go Guardian of Tirisfal make an exception on this map as you'll be a gem collecting machine.

Sky Temple

While you can't help much on the objectives you can during the fights that usually happen. If your team makes it to the objective first Medivh makes an excellent picket. Intercept the enemy as far out as possible to slow them down for as long as possible. Portal is great on this map to get out of the objective quickly an safely if need be.

Garden of Terror

Medivh can't help much on attacking the big shamble outside of using Force of Will on the hero tanking. Your best off scouting for the enemy and seeing what their up to. With all the close quarters Poly Bomb can be used to great affect if a fight happens over the shambles. Some goes with Portal getting behind the enemies' heavies to the backrow is not hard on this map.

Tips
If possible you should get the Garden Terror as you'll have the best chance to get away cleanly when it gets destroyed.

The Garden Terror counts towards Medivh's Arcane Rift quest.


Blackheart's Bay

A bad Medivh map. You can't PvE, certainly not fast, so you are not gathering many coins using the traditional method. To make up for this you'll have to use Portal to snag coins that dead enemies and allies drop. Medivh can delay his opponents at the turn in fairly safely. Just walk up and use Arcane Rift at first then for the second delay use Portal. Because of all vision blocks and the layout this is one of the easier maps for Medivh to get flanked on so watch behind you and where you place Portal.

Tips
Since Medivh is an escape artist he can often times safely steal some coins from a chest an enemy is attacking. You'll need to time it perfectly so they don't see you until the last possible second and the chest is about to be destroyed.

Dragon Shire

A solid Medivh map do to its fight based objectives. A great map to find isloated heroes as they shuffle from objective to objective and the middle lane. Similarly to the turn in on Blackheart's Bay, Medivh can delay the enemy from summoning the Dragon Knight at the center of the map.

Tips
The Dragon Knight counts towards Arcane Rift's quest. More importantly it gives you the cooldown reduction so Medivh will be able to do considerable damage when defending against it.

Cursed Hollow

With all the vision blockers around the objectives this map has a similar feel to Towers of Doom. Be sure to scout out the enemy before the team fight. With all the broken terrain this is another map where Poly Bomb can be devastating. Also with all that broken terrain ranged heroes tend to isolate themselves and are prime targets for Medivh.

Braxis Holdout

A fight based objective map that plays into Medivh's kit. Dust of Appearance is a great way to see which objective the enemy is sending the most heroes to. Because of the tight space around the objectives ranged heroes tend to leave themselves vulnerable to Medivh getting behind him.

Tips
When the zerg wave hits use Arcane Rift on anyone pushing with the zerg. You can do significant damage to the swarm this way. If there are no heroes pushing with it use Arcane Rift on the Banelings.

Position yourself above the boss so you can react quickly to which ever objective needs help.

Warhead Junction

Medivh can move around quickly on this map collecting warheads or disrupting the enemy as the situation dictates.

Tips

Whenever possible try to be the one that gathers the warheads. With his kit, Medivh is unlikely to be killed and can use the nuke wherever he wants. Sometimes I like to drop a nuke right on an Abathur's head just so he knows, that I know, where he is.

In no particular order...

If you are not using voice chat, which I highly recommend you start, give your team the notice of an incoming portal by ctrl clicking its portrait.

You can hit Alt+Q to cast Force of Will on yourself ensuring you do not miss. While by no means necessary consider purchasing a gaming mouse. My “gaming mouse” is a typical generic mouse but it has a button on the side where your thumb rests. I have this assigned to cast Force of Will on myself.

Look for opportunities to get strong heals from slow moving and/or predictable heroics. Hanzo’s Dragonstrike, Fenix's Planet Cracker and Ragnaros' Lava Wave are some examples. Don't be afraid to allow yourself to be hit for the healing and/or the absorb bonus'.

You can pick up globes with Raven Form. This lets you safely collect globes while enemies are around.

When possible use Raven Form to close the gap on enemies. That way you'll still have Portal ready for use.

If you find yourself in a duel and its going to be close, portal out and wait for Force of Will's cooldown to reset and portal back.

Medivh excels at finishing off fleeing enemy heroes. You can catch up to them with a portal, kill them and portal back to safety.

Even if you are near death don't pull out of a close team fight. Hang in the back and use Force of Will. Either you will help your team win or be in a position to get them to safety if the fight is lost.

Sometimes you'll have two teammates who are in danger of dying. You'll need to make the choice on who is more important to the team and save them.

If you find yourself under attack at your portal exit head back through and immediately go to Raven Form often times this buys enough time to escape. If it doesn't head back through the portal and try the trick again!

When you are caught by a single enemy with Portal on cooldown you can use Poly Bomb on them which, conveniently, gives you just enough time to enter Raven Form.

When you are in trouble with little hope of escape just let Raven Form ride. I've lost count how many times I thought I was dead but I was able to Raven out at the last split second.

You have terrible wave clear until level 20. To help mitigate this line up your Arcane Rift to hit minions along with a hero.

Perhaps the most important tip/advice I can offer is knowing how other heroes handle. You need to know who has what abilities and what kind of damage they can do. This is true of any hero but especially for Medivh who has a small window to land Force of Will for the best affect.

Medivh can be rewarding hero for players who take the time to learn him. He is team player, remember to work with the team you have not the team you want.

In the WarCraft lore Medivh was known as The Guardian. Above all else you should protect your teammates from dying and help them however they need it. You exist to protect your team, it is your very purpose, you're the guardian.

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments. Thanks for reading!