The best damage Hero at lower ranks is far more dependent on a players skill set. In the higher SR ratings of Overwatch, playing into the meta and team compositions will be far more important. At low SRs, the focus was on basic game sense improvements; while at the middle SRs, we moved into more mechanical skills. For diamond and above, more in-depth game sense will be the goal.
Diving into these ranks will be a bit trickier. A typical player at this SR will be looking for more specific tips. The ultimate goal is to give all players a guide of what will help them excel. Perhaps a player has not yet made it to diamond but feels they have a firm grasp on the skills in the first two parts of the series. Perhaps a diamond or masters player is looking for that one thing to push them over the top. Whatever the case, here are the choices for best damage Hero at high SRs.
Best Damage Hero in Diamond: Mei
Mei is an absolute nightmare to deal with. Her primary fire can freeze opponents. She can go invulnerable with Cryo-Freeze and heal herself. She is the only character in the game that can build a physical structure. And her ultimate is a game changer. On top of all of that, if a player’s mechanical skill allows them to hit headshots with the Endothermic Blaster’s alternate fire, Mei has solid damage output.
That is inherently Mei’s weakness. She does not have the raw damage output of a lot of Heroes in the damage category, but has perhaps the most utility. Mei was the choice for the best damage Hero in diamond simply because this is the point where team play will become the focus.
What to Work On: Target Priority & Ultimate Economy
Target priority is a major key to winning team fights in Overwatch. Mei is an excellent Hero to focus on this skill. Typically a team’s first priority is to take out the opposing healers. At high ranks, Overwatch becomes a sustain contest, so eliminating the opposing healers ends a fight quickly. Mei should also utilize her Ice Wall on choke points. This is an amazing tool for cutting off an opposing tank that steps too far forward. At this point, the target priority shifts to the isolated character. A quick freeze with the Endothermic Blaster, and the fight is over before it started.
Managing ultimate economy has two major components: timing and tracking. Ultimate timing is likely a skill that has been honed throughout a players climb in competitive Overwatch, but one that can always be improved. With an ultimate like Blizzard that can be so impactful, Mei will excel at learning this. The two most important factors to consider is whether or not a fight is already won or lost. Throwing out Blizzard in a four versus six is almost always a mistake, regardless of which side of that match-up a player’s team is. This isn’t an absolute rule, of course, but a general rule of thumb to avoid wasting an ultimate ability.
What is ult economy? Who has the advantage?
Ultimates can win or lose you a fight. They're no joke.
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Ultimate timing will also require players to pay attention to cooldowns. Watch for D.Va’s Defense Matrix and Zarya’s Particle Barrier and Projected Barrier, as they are potentially very strong counters. Many other characters have escape mechanics they can utilize against a Blizzard so a player’s awareness becomes key.
Ultimate tracking will go hand in hand with timing. Defensive ultimates such as Zenyatta’s Transcendence or Lucio’s Sound Barrier, can counteract a Blizzard. Knowing that the other team has these available will shift a player’s focus to freezing those characters or forcing them out prematurely. Pay attention to all ultimates as Mei. Tracking them, she can counter most characters. Freezing opponents or a well placed Ice Wall can ruin a team’s plan.
Counterplay: *File Not Found*
Mei walks into a bar. There is no counter.
Mei is a character that doesn’t necessarily counter anyone on her own, but is also not countered directly. Characters that are strong duelist against Mei will have abilities that reset the freeze timer from her Endothermic Blaster. This is typically an invulnerability or escape mechanic. Reaper, Zarya, Moira and an opposing Mei are the most common.
The way to win these fights is by managing cooldowns better. Both Cryo-Freeze and Ice Wall can force the opposition into awkward positions that allow the freeze to take effect. If Mei uses Cryo-Freeze before the opposition uses their escape, Mei is fighting from behind automatically.
Best Damage Hero in Master & Grandmaster: Doomfist
First of all, congratulations. Making it to master or grandmaster is no small feat. Giving advice to the elite players in competitive Overwatch often falls on deaf ears. So in addition to masters or GM players, we will give advice to lower-ranked players looking at what’s ahead. For the best damage Hero at this rank, we will focus on one of the highest skill DPS characters with extreme carry potential. Doomfist.
The Talon big boss boasts one-shot potential on a majority of the Hero roster. Because of this, Doomfist is potentially the best damage Hero in the game. His slow reloading Hand Cannon also boasts impressive damage scores. He is even considered overpowered in the current meta. His primary challenge is managing cooldowns and knowing when to use abilities as escapes and when to utilize them as attacks.
What to Work On: Ascending to Godhood (Also Communication)
With Doomfist, the biggest thing to work on is combinations and decision making. He is a lightning-fast character that has difficult combinations but is almost useless when his abilities are on cooldown. Manage these and work on timing during fights. The biggest advice on Doomfist is to always keep practicing. He is a very high skill character with a steep learning curve. A top-level Doomfist can absolutely destroy a game. Practice makes perfect.
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The other pivotal skill is likely one every Overwatch player could improve on. Communication. The Overwatch community has a less than stellar reputation and oftentimes, staying positive is the hardest part of the game. Communicating effectively by joining team chat, either listening to or making calls, and generally being a good teammate is a massive step for most players.
Not much of a talker? That’s okay! Being in the voice channel in order to hear calls for a flanker, ultimate combination call outs or even basic reset calls is a huge step forward. It is not every player’s job to be a shot caller (or even talk often), but it is every player’s job to communicate. Find what role works best and be a positive teammate.
Counterplay: CC Machines
Unlike Mei, Doomfist does have hard counters. The most common picks are Sombra and McCree. As stated, Doomfist is a sitting duck without his abilities, so a decent Sombra can force a switch. Any stuns or pulls can make a player think twice so managing positioning and tracking these abilities is a major asset to any damage character, especially Doomfist.
At this high of a level, most players will be able to counter a Doomfist. However, most Doomfists will understand how to outplay these counters. He is a character that can chain kills as fast any in the game, so an expert on him will often carry matches.
Damage Heroes: Top 500 and Beyond
It’s now time for the grind to continue and to push for rank one. Practicing all of these characters and skills will be excellent tools, but in the end, understanding the game and excelling on even one character can be enough. The best advice at this point is after each game, think about what could have been done better. Work on improving those parts of play and come to terms with the fact that a teammates play cannot be controlled. Only one character can be. So focus on what can be done better. Every player should find the best damage Hero that fits their play style, and keep on grinding!
Find the picks for bronze and silver here!
And the picks for gold and platinum here!
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