I will start by giving a brief description of what the word tempo in this game means; for those who are unfamiliar with the phrase:

Tempo refers to the way in which a team dictates the direction and speed of the game. This means that if your team controls the tempo of the game then you are making the enemy play to your speed. By doing this you can control and predict the enemy teams movement and play style on the map effectively. 

In my opinion, being able to control tempo is the biggest influence on the outcome of a game. If you can effectively control the tempo of the game then you will more than likely win.
  • ​Level Advantage
  • Talent Advantage
  • Experience Advantage
  • Merc Control
  • Map Control
  • Rotation
Gaining Tempo is often the hardest part of the process. The easiest way to gain control of the Tempo is to get an Exp lead. Exp leads are one of the most important factors in the outcome of almost every Heroes of the Storm game. You can gain early Tempo and Exp lead in the following ways:

  • Try to play with a 3 man lane if possible, the aim of this is to push the enemy gates and fort early on the outer ring to get an Exp lead.
  • After taking the gates and/or fort in one lane you should rotate your 3 man lane to another lane and repeat the process.
  • You should always try to keep 1 or 2 players in a lane/s for early objectives to gain an Exp lead from minion waves.
  • Early Exp > Early Objectives - in general principle.
  • Take Merc camps at appropriate times and for the right reason. For example on Sky Temple; if you knew that in the next wave of temple spawns that it would be 1 temple bot at 5:00. then you should take the Hard Merc camp near top lane at around 4:25 - this forces one of the enemy players to defend top during the temple which would give you the numbers advantage in a team fight, or the enemy can leave the merc camp to take the top fort.
  • Early Kills can give a good Exp lead early - This is most effective in roaming compositions.
  • Remember though that it is often better to play safe and not die than make a risky, greedy play and die as you would then give the enemy team a lead.
  • Heroes of the Storm is heavily focused on Objectives. Try to zone enemies away from objectives, either physically or with the use of split pushing or merc control.
  • If you have a talent lead on your opponents then you should look to team fight as you will be more likely to win and extend your control of the game.
Gaining tempo can be difficult and losing Tempo can be easy. Once you have the Tempo you need to make sure that you do not allow the enemy team to make a comeback.
  • Play aggressively to take advantage of your lead - do not make risky moves though as you can risk losing the Tempo.
  • Once you have the Exp lead wait until you have a talent lead on your opponents and then force a fight - for example if your team gets level 7 and the enemy is level 5 then you should force a team fight as you will win (unless you play bad).
  • Rotate your 3 man lane (if you have one) after each outer fort you destroy. This will help you keep your Exp lead and open up the enemies side of the jungle for invades.
  • Every time your team wins a team fight you need to instantly look at the map and see what you can take from your opponent. This will vary between situations from easy camp, to boss, to objectives, to pushing or ending.
  • Do not risk your lead by engaging out numbered fights or diving towers.
  • Fight on your own ground - pick where you think on the map it is best to fight for your composition and force the enemy to a team fight in that location.
  • Keep track of enemy movements - This is very important as this is how you out rotate your enemy. For example if we were playing BlackHeart's Bay and we see 5 enemies in the bottom lane and we have 3/4 in top lane then you should start the boss as the enemy will never get there in time to stop you. This should be done at all times from picking fights, invading/taking Mercs, pushing lanes and going to objectives.
  • Control all the Merc camps on the map.
  • Always fight in a location suited to your composition.
  • Have the Exp and Talent lead.
  • Have lane control.
  • Have objective control.
  • Force the enemy to play to your style and speed.
  • To end the game as quickly as possible.
  • Whenever you are looking to engage past level 10 you should be checking which people on your team have their Heroic Abilities - this can be seen from the tab menu in game.
  • Enemy Cool Downs will not show on the tab menu but try to keep note of them if you know the timers.
  • Merc control is key, but make sure you are taking Mercs at the correct time and for the correct reason (to help control Tempo).
  • Early Exp > early objectives.
  • Do not make risky plays going ham to try to get a kill as you may give the opponents the lead instead (I see this happen a lot - especially in lower elo).
  • Communication is important. It is best to have 1 or 2 people maximum shot calling for you. A team must play together with the same mind set to keep Tempo, if players are all doing their own thing then it will be much harder to control the Tempo.
  • Choose your rotations depending on enemy positioning and biggest Exp / map control.