CrsGrim plays professionally on (TeamCurseGaming) as their Support/Mage player. He has over 218games played with Zeratul and there's no sign of him stopping anytime soon. Theorycrafting and fantasy drafting is his most admirable trait and helping his team always brings a smile to his face. Watch the video belows to learn more about CrsGrim and the Team Curse family. Check out his other guides to learn more about the Heroes in Heroes of the Storm.


Zeratul is one of the few assassins able to dish out damage and retreat safely without a scratch on him. I will be using common gaming lingo in order not to alienate new Heroes of the Storm players.

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LORE:
Zeratul is a Dark Templar prelate. As a Dark Templar, his ancestors were exiled from Aiur for refusing to submit to the Khala. A renowned psionic warrior and assassin, Zeratul is somewhat secretive and calculating, but is nevertheless honorable and loyal to his species. He teaches Tassadar how to use Dark Templar energies and facilitates the final attack on the Overmind by slaying several cerebrates.

Following the death of the Overmind, Zeratul tries to put in motion the reunification of the Khalai survivors with the wayward Dark Templar and unmask the secrets of Samir Duran's experiments. After Duran revealed he had been breeding Protoss-Zerg hybrids for a greater master, Zeratul set out to find Duran's master and his plan. Zeratul gives Jim Raynor a crystal with his memories to emphasize the importance of the latter's mission to de-infest Kerrigan.

Later, Zeratul guides Kerrigan to Zerus, the original home of the Zerg, and encourages her to re-infest herself so she can stop Amon, a fallen Xel'Naga who is revealed to be the master of Duran and seeks to destroy all life in the Korpulu Sector and remold it in his image.

Abilities:

YES: Greater Cleave

The range on Cleave is very small, you want to increase its radius.

NO Block: Zeratul has great escape capabilities and rarely dies.
NO Rapid Displacement: As you get more in tuned with this hero you will learn to use Blink wisely.
NO Seasoned Marksman:As Zeratul you will be moving through the lanes looking for potential ganks.
NO Regeneration Master: As Zeratul you will be moving through the lanes looking for potential ganks.

YES: Gathering Power

Helps your healer keep players at full health, cast it when a fight is about to begin. Announce in VOIP, to stay within ward. Basically your helping 5 players instantly.

NO Focused Attack: Your a single burst hero with low hp who shouldn't spend to much time stationary.
NO Vampiric Assault: Attack speed on Zeratul is too slow to make this viable.
NO Sustained Anomaly: Players expect a Void Prison so they will split up making this talents sub-par.
NO Vorpal Blade: No sense in attacking the same hero since hero switches are frequent in a team fight.

YES: Searing Attacks

Just the right amount of time You should spend in the middle of the team fight.

NO First Aid: Casting Blink should be enough for your survival.
NO Shadow spike: The range is not necessary, you a one trick pony.
NO Follow through: You are forced to melee right away and relies on you attaining your target.
NO Rending Cleave: The damage is very low and only lasts 5seconds.

YES: Void Prison

Can be both used offensively and defensively in a team fight, can easily turn the tides of a battle.

NO Shadow Assault: You are very squishy and want to keep a distance from the team fight while your cooldowns come back up.

YES: Assassin's Blade

Just the right amount of time You should spend in the middle of the team fight.

NO Spell Shield: You shouldn't be taking that much damage, because of Blink.
NO Wormhole: With practice you will be to use Blink wisely.
NO Burning rage: Not spending more then 5seconds in melee makes this talent sub-par.
NO Giant Killer: Only viable if you go Shadow Assault and the Rehgar on your team goes Bloodlust.

YES: Double Bombs

Singularity spike is Zeratul's highest damage dealing ability and can be cast from a safe distance, its only logical to cast it twice.

NO Stoneskin: With practice you will be to use Blink wisely.
NO Void Slash: Increases your damage but not as mush as Double Bombs and requires you to be in melee.
NO Executioner: Requires you to be in a vulnerable melee postition.
NO Berserk: Only viable if you go Shadow Assault and the Rehgar on your team goes Bloodlust.

YES: Bolt of the Storm

The only talent in this tier that benefits you.

NO Nerazim Fury: Only viable if you go Shadow Assault and the Rehgar on your team goes Bloodlust.
NO Fury of the Storm: Only viable if you go Shadow Assault and the Rehgar on your team goes Bloodlust.
NO Protective Prison: Analyze you team composition and figure out if your team will be offensive or defensive.

Early Game:

As the game starts head to a lane that you will be ganking prioritizing heroes with little to no gap closers, afterwards stay in a bush mounted and tell your teammates to let the lane push abit. Preferably 2 minion waves in engage the target with the ability rotation listed below.

Late Game:

As Late Game approaches, objectives become a higher priority, and you will be leaving your ganking lane more often.
You and your team will be moving as unit throughout the map, capturing camps.

Map Specific Strategies:

Cursed Hollow: 1/1/3: Roam between lanes looking for potential ganks, when Tributes spawns stay in a nearby bush stationary because moving around frantically makes you slightly visible to the enemy.
Blackheart's Bay: 0/4/1: You and your team will be pushing middle lane back in hopes to get middle chest, afterwards Zeratul and 2 other teammates clear Giants->Pirates->push bottom lane to tower->bottom knights. Your other teammates during this process should soak mid and bottom.
Haunted Mines: 4/1: Early game capture watchtower and send 4 teammates up-top and 1 bottom (pref: a gap-closer).
Dragon Shire: 1/1/3: Solo top lane, only capture Shrine when you lane is pushed. 3 bot take jungle camp at Level 3/4/5 then bottom Shrine and rotate mid. You can tank a few hits as you capture Shrine top, in order for your team to capture Dragon.
Garden of Terror: 3/1/1: Tassadar lanes mid. If your able to push the lane more then half way cast Oracle (D) to avoid getting ganked. Focus on soaking experience and calling MIA's.

When it comes to team compositions, Zeratul fits very well in team coordinated Heroic Abilities or better known as Wombo Combos. This is known to be risky because it relies on high amount of skill and precision without this your teams functionality deteriorates.














At the current "meta" Safety poke and Poke compositions are very popular. They can both through out a heavy amount of damage while still retaining some aspects of survivability.