The 2-2-2 meta has officially arrived in the Overwatch League. The start of Stage 4 ushered in the first pro play of the new role locked system and, outside of the PTR, the first time fans have been able to see the new system in action. The impact was certainly felt across the OWL, with several teams already suffering upset losses. This is, at least in part, due to the power of certain heroes in the locked 2-2-2 system. Drawing from a small initial sample size, here are what appear to be the five most effective heroes in 2-2-2.
#1: Orisa
This is one that many players saw coming, as Orisa has been continually buffed in an attempt to make her an option over Reinhardt. It certainly seems to have worked. In just about every different meta in 2-2-2, outside of a traditional dive, Orisa is a viable option. She synergizes extremely well with Roadhog and is resistant to crowd control abilities, making her an excellent counter to Mei’s Blizzard. Overall, Orisa looks to be viable for a long time in the beginnings of the 2-2-2 era.
#2: Mei
As was just mentioned, Mei has become a staple pick for teams running Orisa/Roadhog. For a number of reasons, this makes sense. Her ability to wall off enemies after they have been hooked to secure kills and her ability to counter enemy hooks with her wall was key in OWL’s debut 2-2-2 match. The Paris Eternal dismantled the Houston Outlaws running this combination. In addition, Mei’s icicles do not have any fall off damage. This allows Mei to contest an enemy Pharah, McCree and even Widowmaker. All in all, she has a ton of utility in 2-2-2 and would be a worthwhile investment for players trying to get ahead of the meta curve.
#3: Hanzo
Hanzo lands on this list because of his viability across a number of different strategies. He works well in double sniper and offers good mobility to set up a crossfire with Widowmaker but is also a perfectly good option next to a Mei/Roadhog/Orisa composition. He offers a lot of quick damage with Storm Arrow to enemies who get halted by Orisa and can also help break barriers about as good as any hitscan hero can. This, mixed in with his mobility, range and ability to scout make Hanzo an extremely viable option in 2-2-2.
#4: Ana
The first and only healer on this list has to be Ana. For much of why she was beginning to be favored in GOATS, Ana continues to thrive in 2-2-2. Her sleep dart is great at stopping a team opting to run dive and can even shut down Genji’s nano-blades at certain skill levels. Otherwise, her grenade is what makes her a must pick. Being able to nestle it behind an Orisa shield and anti-heal the entire enemy team can be all it takes to win a team fight, not to mention it’s uses to burst heal both Ana and her teammates. Other healers like Mercy, Baptiste, Zenyatta and Brigitte are viable as well but Ana’s utility and multiple synergies make her simply too strong in comparison.
#5: Roadhog
Roadhog sits lower on this list than some might place him because of the other options for him alongside Orisa. D.Va or Zarya are other options that OWL teams showed can work as a second tank but, even still, Roadhog comes out on top. Simply by virtue of Orisa and Mei’s synergy, Roadhog is very nearly a must pick and can guarantee kills with proper coordination. His self-heal makes him require less healing, which is welcome news for any Orisa players reading this article, and his ultimate isn’t half bad either. All in all, Roadhog will stay in the meta as long as Orisa and Mei do but likely not a moment longer. Begin practicing him with caution.
Still Adapting and Learning
Overall, these are the top five heroes in 2-2-2 after a single day of OWL action. These pros have been scrimming on these heroes for some time, so these are likely strategies that have been worked out, however, the sample size is still small. As such, keep an eye on how the meta develops. Who knows, perhaps Hyojong “Haksal” Kim did enough in his match with the Vancouver Titans to usher in a Genji meta. Maybe the meta moves to a dive at some point.
The point is, continue to be patient and keep an eye on how things shift around until the Role Queue Beta hits servers on August 13. For now, these five heroes appear as if they should still be relevant around that time.
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