Prot Warrior 12.1.5 Guide: Mountain Thane, Colossus, BiS and Tier

This prot warrior guide 12.1.5 gives you the answer first. Play Mountain Thane for raid, Mythic+ and PvP, keep Shield Block rolling, dump spare Rage into Ignore Pain, never sit on two Thunder Blast charges, and gear Strength, then Haste, then Crit and Versatility, with Mastery dead last. Colossus is the backup tree that The Promise of Tomorrow finally remembered: Practiced Strikes now cuts the Rage cost of Execute and Revenge by 10, and Protection Execute hits 30% harder.

Patch 12.1.5 goes live on October 13, 2026, in the middle of Midnight Season 2. Talents, the Jade Warlord’s Dominion tier set and the Mythic+ pool carry over from 12.1 untouched. What changes is your weekly chore list: the one boss raid The Unbinding of Kith’ix, the Labyrinth of Kindo’jan with Valeera Sanguinar, hourly Aqir Invasions in Eversong Woods and Zul’Aman, and Ascendant Venomstones that push weapons, trinkets and necklaces past the upgrade cap.

What Changed for Protection in 12.1.5

• Protection Execute deals 30% more damage.
• Practiced Strikes, a Colossus talent, now also reduces the Rage cost of Execute and Revenge by 10.
• Mountain Thane got nothing, which is how you know it was already winning.
• Ascendant Venomstones drop from every Heroic or Mythic raid boss, keys at +10 and above, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves and Nightmare Prey Hunt Champion gear chests.
• The crest cap is lifted the week of October 20.

The 12.1 baseline still applies. Ignore Pain absorbs 25% more, Revenge hits 20% harder and can proc from auto attacks, all ability damage went up 11%, Fueled by Violence heals you for 125% of bleed damage, and Devastating Focus makes the Devastator target take 30% more Revenge and Execute damage.

Hero Talents: Mountain Thane and Colossus

The mountain thane vs colossus debate has a boring answer. Top Mythic+ data shows 45 Mountain Thanes for every 5 Colossi, and top rated arena players run Colossus exactly zero times.

Tree	What it does	Content
Mountain Thane	Turns Thunder Clap into Thunder Blast, adds lightning procs, extra Rage and longer Avatar	Raid, Mythic+, PvP
Colossus	Adds the Demolish channel, stacks Colossal Might, debuffs enemy damage, cheaper Execute and Revenge in 12.1.5	Single target raid niche, huge pulls, Execute enjoyers

Mountain Thane

Lightning Strikes gives Thunder Clap, Revenge and Execute a 25% chance to drop a lightning bolt on one enemy, 30% more often during Avatar. Thorim’s Might makes every strike generate 3 Rage and adds 25% Revenge and Execute damage. Avatar of the Storm grants 2 Thunder Blast charges when you press Avatar and resets Thunder Clap, and outside Avatar a Lightning Strike can grant a 4 second Avatar.

Snap Induction gives a Thunder Blast charge on Demoralizing Shout. Capacitance, gated behind Conductivity, extends Avatar by 2 seconds per Thunder Blast. Burst of Power lets Lightning Strikes remove the cooldown from your next 2 Shield Slam casts, Flashing Skies adds a Lightning Strike to every Thunder Blast, and Storm Shield covers the defensive side.

Take it for raid, Mythic+ and PvP. It generates more Rage, flows faster and adds no new button, which is exactly what a tank wants while a boss is trying to delete them.

Colossus

Demolish is a channel that hits your target three times and splashes everything within 10 yards. While channeling you take 10% less damage and ignore stuns, knockbacks and forced movement. Colossal Might stacks from Shield Slam and from Revenge hitting 3 or more targets, and each stack adds 5% to the next Demolish.

Dominance of the Colossus makes Demolished enemies take up to 10% more damage from you and deal up to 20% less to you for 10 seconds, scaled by consumed stacks. Tide of Battle adds 3% Revenge and Execute damage per Colossal Might stack, and Practiced Strikes now trims Execute and Revenge cost.

Take it for single target raid bosses with predictable damage, for mass pulls where Earthquaker or Boneshaker Shockwave control matters, or because the 12.1.5 Execute buff sparked joy. It loses to Mountain Thane on survivability, comfort and Rage flow.

Talent Builds Per Hero Tree

The prot warrior talents 12.1.5 builds are the 12.1 builds, because the patch changed numbers, not nodes. The import codes below are Method’s Mountain Thane strings; Colossus players flip the hero tree in the loadout and keep the spec picks listed in their own block.

Mountain Thane Raid Build

• Take Heavy Repercussions while Haste is low, then swap to Into the Fray once Shield Block uptime holds without it.
• Keep Thunderlord and Enduring Alacrity as flex points and cut them first when you need defense.
• Take Tough as Nails only on bosses that hit hard with melee.
• The offensive version drops Battle-Scarred Veteran, Last Stand and Hunker Down for damage, which is fine until your healer blinks.
• Keep Spell Block and Spell Reflection on magic heavy fights.

Standard raid code: CkEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0yAAAzMzwMzYGzmxsMjxY0wMDLzMzMDGzMAAAAYZMAzYAGYDWWMaMDgZLmZDzMmZwsBAzMAAMDMG

Offensive raid code: CkEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0yAAAzMjZmZmZGzmxsMjxY0wMDLzMzMDGzMAAAAYZAYGDwAbwyiRjZAMbxMbwMmZwsBAzMAAMDMG

Mountain Thane Mythic+ Build

The prot warrior mythic+ build leans on Thunderlord, so every Thunder Clap shaves time off Demoralizing Shout, which in turn feeds Snap Induction more Thunder Blast charges.

• Take Disrupting Shout, Shockwave with Rumbling Earth and Storm Bolt for stops and interrupts.
• Swap Javelineer for Barbaric Training when you want more Revenge damage.
• Run Heavy Repercussions at low Haste and move to Into the Fray once your gear carries enough Haste.
• Treat Tough as Nails and Bloodborne as flex points.

Mythic+ code: CkEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0yAAAjZMmZmZGzmZmlZMGjGzYGLzMzMDDzMAAAAYZmBwYAGYDWWMaMDgZLmZDGzMDjNAYmBAADMG

Mountain Thane PvP Build

Every top 2v2 and 3v3 Protection Warrior runs Mountain Thane. The prot warrior pvp build keeps Thunder Clap, Impending Victory, Heroic Leap, Storm Bolt and Defensive Stance from the class tree, plus Brace For Impact, Indomitable and Shield Wall from the spec tree.

• Dragon Charge and Morale Killer are the most common PvP talents.
• Power Through Adversity shows up on most top players.
• Thunderstruck adds a root to your Thunder Clap family.
• Disarm, Bodyguard, Shield Bash and Rebound rotate in by matchup.
• Venomous Aspirant’s Insignia of Alacrity and Venomous Gladiator’s Medallion are the trinkets top players actually wear.

Colossus Raid Build

• Path through Demolish, Martial Expert, Colossal Might, Dominance of the Colossus, Practiced Strikes and Tide of Battle, since Revenge and Execute are now your cheapest damage.
• Pick up No Stranger to Pain and Veteran Vitality to cover the survivability gap against Mountain Thane.
• Take Massacre and Devastating Focus, because the 30% Execute buff is the whole reason this tree is on the table.
• Use Heavy Repercussions at low Haste and Into the Fray once Shield Block uptime holds.
• Keep Thunderlord and Enduring Alacrity as flex points, and take Tough as Nails only for melee heavy bosses.

Colossus Mythic+ Build

• Take Boneshaker or Earthquaker so Shockwave controls the pull instead of decorating it.
• Keep Seismic Reverberation, since Revenge is your main AoE spender on this tree.
• Take Disrupting Shout, Shockwave with Rumbling Earth and Storm Bolt for stops.
• Swap Heavy Repercussions for Into the Fray once you are comfortable with Shield Block duration.
• Swap Javelineer for Barbaric Training for extra Revenge damage.

Colossus PvP Build

No top rated player uses it. If you queue anyway, the pitch is Demolish ignoring stuns and knockbacks during the channel. The PvP row stays the same: Dragon Charge, Morale Killer, Disarm, Bodyguard, Shield Bash and Rebound. Expect to be the only Colossus in the bracket and to learn why.

Rotation Per Hero Tree

The prot warrior rotation 12.1.5 did not change, and both trees share one rule: Shield Block first, Ignore Pain whenever Rage would overflow, damage with whatever is left.

Mountain Thane Opener

1. Throw Ravager as the pull timer ends.
2. Charge in and press Avatar, which grants 2 Thunder Blast charges and resets Thunder Clap.
3. Press Shield Block.
4. Spend both Thunder Blast charges, each one extending Avatar by 2 seconds.
5. Press Demoralizing Shout and spend the charge Snap Induction gives you.
6. Press Shield Charge, then Shield Slam, then Champion’s Spear or Thunderous Roar if you talented it.

Mountain Thane Single Target

1. Press Shield Block if it is down or about to cap charges.
2. Press Ignore Pain to avoid overcapping Rage.
3. Press Demoralizing Shout on cooldown.
4. Press Shield Charge on cooldown.
5. Press Thunder Blast at 2 charges.
6. Press Shield Slam.
7. Press Thunder Blast.
8. Press Thunder Clap.
9. Press Execute when available.
10. Press Revenge as filler.

Mountain Thane AoE and Cooldowns

• Thunder Blast and Thunder Clap move to the top on packs, and Revenge on 3 or more targets triggers Seismic Reverberation.
• Burn existing Thunder Blast charges before pressing Avatar, or Avatar of the Storm overwrites them.
• Do not press Avatar and Demoralizing Shout back to back, since Snap Induction charges will overflow.
• During Avatar, Thunder Blast is your first priority because Capacitance keeps extending the window.
• On a Violent Outburst proc, spend it on Thunder Blast against 2 or more targets during Avatar and on Shield Slam otherwise.
• Save Shield Wall for real damage and Last Stand for disasters, and keep Rallying Cry for raid damage spikes.

The tree turns Thunder Clap into your main button, adds Rage through Lightning Strikes and stretches Avatar. Never clip a full set of Thunder Blast charges, because that is the entire tree.

Colossus Opener

1. Throw Ravager as the pull timer ends.
2. Charge in and press Avatar.
3. Press Shield Block.
4. Press Demoralizing Shout.
5. Press Demolish.
6. Press Shield Charge and fall into the priority.

Colossus Single Target

1. Press Shield Block if it is down or about to cap charges.
2. Press Ignore Pain to avoid overcapping Rage.
3. Press Demoralizing Shout on cooldown.
4. Press Demolish on cooldown.
5. Press Shield Charge on cooldown.
6. Press Shield Slam to build Colossal Might.
7. Press Revenge.
8. Press Thunder Clap as filler or to refresh bleeds.
9. Press Execute when available, and expect it to climb this list after the 12.1.5 buff, so sim your own character.

Colossus AoE and Cooldowns

• Revenge beats Thunder Clap for damage on packs whenever your health allows spending Rage offensively.
• Channel Demolish in the middle of the pack so the splash hits everything.
• Charge, Heroic Leap and Intervene cancel the Demolish channel, so stop panic clicking.
• Do not delay Demolish just to line it up with Avatar or Demoralizing Shout.
• Use Shockwave with Earthquaker or Boneshaker to stop casters you cannot reach with Pummel.
• Save Shield Wall and Last Stand for the moments Dominance of the Colossus cannot cover.

The tree adds a channel to the loop and turns Revenge into your main spender. Never clip the Demolish channel and never sit on capped Colossal Might stacks.

Shield Block is not a cooldown, it is the tank. Shield Slam also hits harder while it is up, so letting it drop costs you health and damage at the same time. If your Shield Block uptime is under 90% on a melee boss, your talents are not the problem.

Stat Priority Per Hero Tree

The prot warrior stat priority is short: item level first, Strength above everything, and secondaries in the order below. Diminishing returns start at 30% from rating, and there are no hard caps.

Mountain Thane Stats

Content	Priority
Raid	Strength, Haste, Crit = Versatility, Mastery
Mythic+	Strength, Haste, Crit = Versatility, Mastery
PvP	Versatility, Haste, Mastery, Crit

Haste means more global cooldowns, more Thunder Clap casts, more Lightning Strikes and more Rage. The soft breakpoint is Shield Block uptime: below it you need Heavy Repercussions, above it Into the Fray takes the slot. Top Mythic+ players sit around 32% Haste. Leech and Avoidance are the tertiaries worth keeping.

Colossus Stats

Content	Priority
Raid	Strength, Haste, Crit = Versatility, Mastery
Mythic+	Strength, Haste, Crit = Versatility, Mastery
PvP	Versatility, Haste, Mastery, Crit

Haste still wins because it means more Shield Slam and Revenge casts, more Colossal Might stacks and faster Demolish cycles. The same soft breakpoint applies: Heavy Repercussions while Shield Block uptime needs help, Into the Fray once it does not. No caps, no tricks, just Haste until diminishing returns make you cry.

Jade Warlord’s Dominion: The Tier 36 Set

The prot warrior tier set midnight season 2 is pure damage. Your 2-piece makes free Revenges deal 15% more damage and buffs your next Shield Slam by 20%. Your 4-piece makes Ravager and free Revenges bleed every target for 12 seconds and cuts Ravager’s cooldown by 30 seconds. Nothing in it keeps you alive.

Slot	Piece	Token	Boss
Helm	Tempered Horns of the Jade Warlord	Venomforged Effigy	The Twin Fangs
Shoulders	Raging Pauldrons of the Jade Warlord	Venomforged Remnant	The Lost Explorers
Chest	Cuirass of the Jade Warlord	Venomforged Icon	Vashnik the Malignant
Hands	Jeweled Gauntlets of the Jade Warlord	Venomforged Idol	Entombed Sentinels
Legs	Greaves of the Jade Warlord	Venomforged Relic	Sszorak
Any	Your choice	Slumbering Coil Curio	Ula’tek

How Mountain Thane Uses the Set

Mountain Thane spends Rage on Ignore Pain and Thunder Blast, so free Revenges are the only Revenges it casts often, and the 2-piece buffs exactly those. The 4-piece puts Ravager on a much shorter cycle, which lines up with Avatar more often. Value is high: get 4-piece before any non tier upgrade except a weapon.

How Colossus Uses the Set

Colossus already lives on Revenge, and 12.1.5 makes paid Revenges cheaper, so free Revenges stack on top of a higher Revenge count. The 4-piece bleed adds AoE damage to Demolish pulls and the shorter Ravager cooldown fills gaps between channels. Value is high, slightly higher than on Mountain Thane: get 4-piece before any non tier upgrade except a weapon.

Fastest Route to 4-Piece

1. Clear bosses 2 to 6 of The Venomous Abyss every week, since each drops one token slot.
2. Kill Ula’tek for the Slumbering Coil Curio, which buys any missing piece near the Catalyst in Silvermoon City.
3. Push any non tier plate from Mythic+ or raid through the Catalyst for the rest.
4. Fill the raid row of the Great Vault, which offers tier tokens like any other drop.
5. On the 12.1.5 PTR, the Kith’ix cantrip helm Corroded Hulk’s Skullcap occupies a tier slot and can be catalyzed while keeping its effect.

BiS Gear Per Hero Tree

The prot warrior bis 12.1.5 list is the Season 2 list plus a few Kith’ix pieces. The last two Mythic Venomous Abyss bosses drop item level 344 loot, far above everything else, so below Mythic ignore The Coiled Altar except for trinkets and weapons.

Difficulty	Venomous Abyss	The Unbinding of Kith’ix
Raid Finder	279 to 289	285
Normal	292 to 302	298
Heroic	305 to 315	311
Mythic	318 to 324, last two bosses 344	PTR testing moved it from 344 to Myth 3/6

Mountain Thane BiS

Slot	Item	Source
Head	Skullguard of the Risen Sacrifice	Nek’zali the Soulcoiler
Neck	Aqirbane Reliquary	Ula’tek
Shoulders	Raging Pauldrons of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Back	Silken Voodoo Drape	The Coiled Altar
Chest	Cuirass of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Wrist	Spellbreaker’s Bracers	Crafted
Hands	Jeweled Gauntlets of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Waist	Girdle of Toxic Regret	The Coiled Altar
Legs	Greaves of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Feet	Poison-Proof Stompers	Altar of Fangs
Ring	Masterwork Sin’dorei Band	Crafted
Ring	Charged Sandstone Band	Temple of Sethraliss
Main Hand	Aman’muso, Warlord’s Vengeance	The Coiled Altar
Off Hand	Venom-Slashed Scuteward	The Lost Explorers
Trinket	Voracious Heart of Ula’tek	Ula’tek
Trinket	Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique	The Coiled Altar

Mountain Thane puts Voracious Heart first, since its on use Strength lands inside Avatar and Capacitance stretches that window. If you are behind, use Strongblood’s Ceremonial Cleaver from Nek’zali, Teldrassil’s Sacrifice from The Blinding Vale, Speakeasy Shroud from Murder Row, Auric Puddle Stompers from Kings’ Rest and Shellbound Bracers from the raid. Crafted Spellbreaker’s Blade and Spellbreaker’s Rebuke cover weapons until Mythic drops arrive, and Thorned Reply with Tempest’s Shelter are the dungeon pair.

Trinket fallbacks are Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag, Keeper’s Seething Core, Font of Venomous Rage, Tumor of the Swarm and Kith’ix’s Twisted Horror’s Tendril. For defense, First Mate’s Shellward and the tank only Lightbearer’s Shield Fragment from Kith’ix are the picks. Band of the Swarmcaller from Kith’ix is a strong ring with a damage proc.

Colossus BiS

Slot	Item	Source
Head	Skullguard of the Risen Sacrifice	Nek’zali the Soulcoiler
Neck	Aqirbane Reliquary	Ula’tek
Shoulders	Raging Pauldrons of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Back	Silken Voodoo Drape	The Coiled Altar
Chest	Cuirass of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Wrist	Spellbreaker’s Bracers	Crafted
Hands	Jeweled Gauntlets of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Waist	Girdle of Toxic Regret	The Coiled Altar
Legs	Greaves of the Jade Warlord	Tier
Feet	Poison-Proof Stompers	Altar of Fangs
Ring	Masterwork Sin’dorei Band	Crafted
Ring	Charged Sandstone Band	Temple of Sethraliss
Main Hand	Aman’muso, Warlord’s Vengeance	The Coiled Altar
Off Hand	Venom-Slashed Scuteward	The Lost Explorers
Trinket	Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique	The Coiled Altar
Trinket	Voracious Heart of Ula’tek	Ula’tek

Colossus puts Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique first, because its passive execute effect stacks with a tree that now leans on Execute. If you are behind, use Strongblood’s Ceremonial Cleaver from Nek’zali, Teldrassil’s Sacrifice from The Blinding Vale, Speakeasy Shroud from Murder Row, Auric Puddle Stompers from Kings’ Rest and Shellbound Bracers from the raid. Crafted Spellbreaker’s Blade and Spellbreaker’s Rebuke cover weapons until Mythic drops arrive, and Thorned Reply with Tempest’s Shelter are the dungeon pair.

Trinket fallbacks are Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag, Keeper’s Seething Core, Font of Venomous Rage, Tumor of the Swarm and Kith’ix’s Twisted Horror’s Tendril. For defense, First Mate’s Shellward and the tank only Lightbearer’s Shield Fragment from Kith’ix are the picks. Band of the Swarmcaller from Kith’ix is a strong ring with a damage proc.

Mythic+ and Great Vault Sources

The Season 2 pool is Altar of Fangs, Murder Row, Den of Nalorakk, The Blinding Vale, Voidscar Arena, Kings’ Rest, Ruby Life Pools and Temple of Sethraliss. End of dungeon loot caps at 311, while the Great Vault from +10 keys hands out Myth track items. Kings’ Rest alone has nine useful pieces, catalyst slots and jewelry included.

Ascendant Venomstones Per Hero Tree

• Ten Ascendant Venomstones buy one upgrade, spent near the Catalyst in Silvermoon City.
• Only fully upgraded Season 2 Hero or Myth items, or maximum quality Tidal Crafted gear, qualify.
• Only weapons, trinkets and necklaces can be raised, and necklaces are new to this system.
• You unlock drops through the quest Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom from Orin Straylight, then wait for his research.
• PTR reports put a maxed Hero item in the low 330s afterward, and Blizzard has not published a final number.
• An Ascendant item cannot be upgraded further, so stones spent on a placeholder are stones thrown away.

Mountain Thane Venomstone Order

1. Spend the first 10 stones on your weapon, ideally Aman’muso, Warlord’s Vengeance, because weapon Strength scales Thunder Blast, Shield Slam and every lightning bolt.
2. Spend the next 10 on Voracious Heart of Ula’tek, since its on use window sits inside Avatar.
3. Spend the third batch on Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique.
4. Spend whatever remains on Aqirbane Reliquary, because a neck is only stats and Stamina.

If your weapon is still a Hero placeholder you will replace with a Mythic drop, skip it and start with Voracious Heart.

Colossus Venomstone Order

1. Spend the first 10 stones on your weapon, ideally Aman’muso, Warlord’s Vengeance, because weapon Strength scales Demolish, Revenge and Execute.
2. Spend the next 10 on Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique, since its passive execute effect pairs with the 12.1.5 Execute buff.
3. Spend the third batch on Voracious Heart of Ula’tek.
4. Spend whatever remains on Aqirbane Reliquary, because a neck is only stats and Stamina.

If your weapon is still a Hero placeholder you will replace with a Mythic drop, skip it and start with Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique.

Consumables, Enchants, Gems and Embellishments

Slot	Pick
Flask	Flask of Thalassian Resistance
Combat potion	Light’s Potential
Health potion	Silvermoon Health Potion
Food	Silvermoon Parade or Harandar Celebration
Weapon oil	Thalassian Phoenix Oil
Helm	Empowered Hex of Leeching
Shoulders	Silvermoon’s Mending
Chest	Mark of the Worldsoul
Legs	Forest Hunter’s Armor Kit
Boots	Farstrider’s Hunt or Shaladrassil’s Roots
Rings	Silvermoon’s Alacrity or Eyes of the Eagle
Weapon	Acuity of the Ren’dorei or Berserker’s Rage
Diamond	Indecipherable Eversong Diamond or Powerful Eversong Diamond
Other gems	Flawless Deadly Peridot, Flawless Quick Lapis, Flawless Versatile Peridot

• Arcanoweave Lining is the most used embellishment among top Mythic+ Protection Warriors.
• Adorned Fang grants Haste that grows as the target loses health.
• Polished Ammolite stacks Crit buffs on Crit procs.
• Stabilizing Gemstone Bandolier doubles Jewelcrafting embellishment effects.
• Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt goes on a crafted Spellbreaker’s Blade while you wait for a Mythic weapon.

None of these differ between the trees, because both run the same stat order. Only PvP changes, where Versatility gems and enchants replace Haste.

Macros, Addons and Cooldown Tracking

• Use /cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][] Intervene so saving a healer does not require targeting one.
• Use /cast [@cursor] Heroic Leap to stop leaping where you were not looking.
• Use /use 13 followed by /cast Avatar to fire an on use trinket with Avatar.
• Use /cast [@focus,harm][] Taunt for taunt swaps without retargeting.

WeakAuras did not come to Midnight, killed by Blizzard’s secret values restrictions, so the built in Cooldown Manager does the tracking now. Keep a boss mod and Raider.IO, and stop hunting for the old aura packs.

Mountain Thane only: put Thunder Blast charges and the Avatar timer on your Cooldown Manager bar, because overcapping charges is the main way this tree loses damage. Colossus only: track Colossal Might stacks and the Demolish cooldown, and bind nothing to the same key as Charge, since it cancels the channel.

Where Prot Warrior Sits in 12.1.5

Tree	Raid	Mythic+	PvP
Mountain Thane	A	B+	B
Colossus	B	B minus	D

If you are googling best tank 12.1.5, the answer is still Blood Death Knight. Protection Warrior sits in the A pack with Guardian, Brewmaster and Protection Paladin in raid, and around fifth of six in top key data. It has no hard weaknesses, no composition requirements and one of the strongest Shield Walls in the game, but brings no unique party buff.

Worth maining into 12.1.5? Yes, if you want a tank that never gets benched for a missing utility. No, if you need the meta pick. The 12.1.5 changes only touch Execute and Colossus, so Mountain Thane mains change nothing and Colossus fans finally get a reason to open the hero tree tab.