Test Zone Search (TZS) is considered the current state-of-the-art fast Motion Estimation algorithm because it presents
the best tradeoff between compression efficiency and complexity in comparison to the Full Search strategy. However, it is still one of the most computationally-demanding tools of current video coding standards, such as the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). This paper presents an analysis on the search area opportunities and best match distributions in TZS, which led to the proposal of a novel search pattern in its most complex step, the Raster Search (RS). The new pattern, named Octagonal-Axis Raster Pattern (OARP), allowed an average complexity reduction of 61% in TZS, with a negligible BD-rate increase of 0.0371% in comparison to the original algorithm.