Samuro boasts lethal and unpredictable skills in Heroes of the Storm
The big, green, sword-wielding dude that is Samuro hasn’t exactly had it easy. The orc blademaster’s still pretty torn up about his clan’s descent into evil, so he’s dedicated himself to the redemption of his people. That means hard training, and killing lots and lots of bad guys.
In “Heroes of the Storm,” Samuro is an unpredictable Hero, with skills that allow him to confuse and ambush his opponents. He’s quite mobile, too, able to rush into battle and escape just as swiftly. As for that giant sword of his? It isn’t just for show; with a flurry of slashes, he’s capable of bringing a devastating amount of pain to his unfortunate targets.
Samuro is a Melee Assassin with one Trait, three Basic Abilities, and two Heroic Abilities. His significant complexity makes him a challenge to use competently.
Advancing Strike (Trait, passive)
“Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes increase your Movement Speed by 25% for 2 seconds.”
It may not sound like the most inspired of Traits, but the 2-second speed boost is really quite helpful.
The battle getting a tad hairy? Advancing Strike allows Samuro to make a hasty retreat. Is the enemy fleeing? Samuro won’t have much trouble catching up to them. He can sprint between targets so that he can be where’s he’s most needed as quickly as possible, too. He may not be as agile as Tracer, but Advancing Strike does wonders for Samuro’s mobility.
Mirror Image (Q)
“Create 2 Mirror Images that deal 30% of your damage and have 50% of your current Health. Images last up to 16 seconds, and only 2 can be active at once.”
Mirror Image is like Nova’s Holo Decoy, only better. Two copies are generated instead of one, each capable of doing damage from the get-go.
Like Holo Decoy, Mirror Image enhances Samuro’s survivability through trickery. Your enemies won’t know who’s who, so while they’re busy pounding away at the copies, the real Samuro can slink away to safety. Or better yet, use that confusion to your advantage by striking your target when they least expect it.
And because the copies can fight back, the sight of three Samuros can be quite demoralizing; it might even make your enemies think twice about engaging him in combat.
The real beauty of Mirror Image, however, is that it can be used in combination with Critical Strike.

Critical Strike (W, passive)
“Your next Basic Attack within 8 seconds will be a Critical Strike, dealing 50% increased damage. This also applies to Mirror Images and does not break Wind Walk.
Passive: You and your Mirror Images deal a Critical Strike every 4th Basic Attack.”
It’s important to remember that Critical Strike has a passive element. What this means is that even without activating the Ability, Samuro will deal more damage every 4th Basic Attack.
Activating the Ability allows you to control exactly when you want to land that critical hit. It resets the Basic Attack animation, though, so it wastes an unused 4th Basic Attack. For maximum effectiveness, you can wait for Samuro to complete his 4th Basic Attack, then immediately activate Critical Strike for two successive critical hits.
Both the passive and active elements of Critical Strike apply to Samuro’s Mirror Image copies, so you can imagine the kind of destruction Samuro can unleash on foes.
Critical Strike also combos with Wind Walk, allowing Samuro to spring some deadly ambushes.
Wind Walk (E)
“Enter Stealth for up to 8 seconds or until you attack, use an Ability, or take damage. While Stealthed, your Movement Speed is increased by 30% and you can pass through other units.
Damage taken during the first 1 second will not break Wind Walk.”
Enemies can’t hurt what they can’t see, making Wind Walk an excellent escape tool. The 1-second window and speed boost further sweeten the deal.
But Wind Walk isn’t just a defensive technique; Samuro can use it to ambush targets, too. While invisible, it’s fairly easy to sneak up on an enemy. Imagine their shock when Samuro finally decloaks and shoves his massive sword through their belly.
You can activate Critical Strike while in Wind Walk, allowing you to perform particularly lethal surprise attacks.
And for the ultimate combo, you can charge your passive Critical Strike up to the 4th Basic Attack, cast Wind Walk, then close in on your target. Once you’re ready, cast Mirror Image, perform your 4th Basic Attack, then immediately activate Critical Strike.
Two Level 13 Talents enhance Wind Walk’s life-saving properties. Kawarimi “creates an Image at your location that will continue whatever you were doing,” while Shukuchi “teleports Samuro a short distance in the direction he’s currently facing.”

Bladestorm (R1)
“Become an unstoppable whirlwind, dealing moderate damage to nearby enemies every second for 4 seconds.”
If you want a Heroic that’s easy to use but considerably damaging, Bladestorm is the one to pick. It helps that Bladestorm makes Samuro immune to crowd control effects. He can still take damage, however, so it’s best used when your opponents are incapacitated.
For maximum damage output, choose the Level 20 Talent Dance of Death. This makes Samuro’s Mirror Image copies perform Bladestorm as soon as he does.
Illusion Master (R2)
“Switch places with the target Mirror Image.
Passive: You can control Mirror Images separately or as a group, and they deal an additional 15% of your damage.”
Illusion Master gives Samuro an enormous boost in utility. It is, however, the more difficult of the two Heroics to master.
Samuro can trade places with a copy anywhere on the map, so it’s basically like a teleport that isn’t limited by distance.
Illusion Master’s passive aspect is what makes it so deadly. As you can control each copy individually, you can give them more specific commands, such as attack a particular target or pretend to capture an objective. As the line between original and mirage are further blurred, enemies will be forced to deal with each copy as if it were the real Samuro.
You can even use this Heroic to set traps for enemies. For example, Samuro can engage the enemy, then switch places with a copy nearby. While the enemy is preoccupied, Samuro can use Wind Walk to sneak up on them, then strike.
For blood and honor
Samuro is a versatile Assassin who benefits from having Abilities that boast great synergy. His critical attacks hit hard, but you can combo his skills in multiple ways for even more ridiculous damage. As if that wasn’t enough, his mirror copies can sow discord on the battlefield by keeping the enemy guessing about your next move. He’s also highly mobile, sprinting between enemies or away from dangerous situations with ease. And when you’re feeling particularly devious, Samuro can use stealth to ambush unwary opponents.
Of course, all this comes at a price: Samuro’s one of the more difficult Heroes to master. You’re going to have to rely on fancy finger acrobatics, not to mention impeccable timing, to get those combos and surprise attacks right. So ready yourself for some intense, blademaster-style training.
The payoff is substantial, of course. Samuro is strong, fleet-footed, and unpredictable, making him one of the most dangerous combatants to enter the Nexus.
Samuro is now available for purchase in “Heroes of the Storm.” — TJD, GMA News