Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-28140663-20160629161548

woah im still trying to avoid Mage

Tanks aren't necessarily slow, however based on the Wikia's and game's definition, they are expected to have a lot of defense buffs and a sprinkle of AoE for good flavor. They are lackluster in terms of damage, so you'll want to base it on survivors, not on slow moving tanks that 1 shot. A tank isn't a slow moving powerhouse, a tank is a survivor, likely to be one of the last ones alive when a team is dismembered.

All Tanks are noted to have a passive that increases their survival capabilities, such as buffing their Guard, or straight up increasing defense. Try to follow this pattern, but each way defense is buffed comes with a downside that can be worked around (Obsidian), or has to be earned (Ichor)(or is super unbalanced (Barbarian))

E Utilities in Tanks have patterns of being defensive (Omega, Obsidian), 'passive' (Barbarian), or supportive (Ichor) Note that no passive is a speed buff and they generally help make them stronger in stats or just being there for use.

Z is based on the subrole, hence why Obsidian has a projectile for Z because he is a subrole Mage. Other things to note is that Z requires a bit more effort to use correctly (Omega, uses more block; Obsidian, needs obelisks; Barbarian, needs a stunned victim; Ichor, needs some blood to actually be effective) Z is also known for being more short range in comparison to other classes. However, Z can be absolutely devastating if used correctly, so keep this in mind when you design Z.

X is one of the more offensive attacks of a Tank, such as Omega relying on it to deal consistent damage, Ichor requiring to use this to mark faster targets and seal their fate, Barbarian uses it to rush in and try to get an instant stun, and Obsidian using it to break down obelisks for tons of damage and to place them elsewhere.

C is generally a backup for X if it goes wrong, if you whiff X+S you can always Stomp, if you miss Bash you could just use Painbringer, if you fail Blood Bind you could try and stagger them with Impact Fist, and if are in a bad situation after using Fissure, you might want to use Reinforce or at least use it elsewhere afterwards.

V is generally a large AoE but it is known for being one of the most destructive ultimates in comparison to other classes if utilized correctly. Imagine taking 100 damage from Ichor's V, or getting Buster Slammed 10 times in a row, or getting stunned from the massive AoE that is Barbarian's V, or getting debuffed by all 3 AoEs of Obelisk Hop. Try to make your ultimate just as dangerous, but takes some setup to fully use correctly.

Don't be afraid to debuff a tank's damage rather than speed, note that the passive 0.1 Attack debuff on tanks isn't there for no reason. You should seldom ever make a tank debuff its own defense however, unless its an extremely special occasion like Obsidian's armor going too low.

Remember that tanks should always have defense debuffs sprinkled into their moves. Even if its just in their passive, remember that they need the slightly higher defense ratio to be considered a Tank. 