December is a busy time for Overwatch, this month being no exception. This month has brought players a seasonal event in Winter Wonderland and has changed the meta through the most recent patch notes (1.43) which have significantly changed barriers in the game. All of this shakeup has no doubt affected which heroes are currently most viable in the game’s meta.
This tier list exists to help guide players through this new patch, reflecting how individually well-kitted Overwatch’s 31 heroes are and how well they fit within the current meta. With each month, there will be a new tier list released to update changes in hero’s performance from month-to-month (November 2019’s tier list can be seen here) so be sure to check back in January to see what changes lie ahead.
Also, keep in mind that Season 19 is anticipated to continue through the month of December, meaning that the limited map pools will still be in effect. Those will be taken into consideration when ranking heroes.
Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Even though patch 1.43 is still in its infancy, these heroes have clearly risen to the top of the rankings. At DPS, Mei is the clear top pick given her survivability and crowd control. Tanks, even though many hoped it would change, still favor barriers. Orisa is perhaps the strongest single unit in the game at the moment, but Reinhardt and Sigma remain strong allies over any mobile dive tanks. At support, Baptiste is the top pick due to his DPS (which is higher than Soldier:76’s) and his utility with Immortality Field. Pair him with either Lucio or Moira and a win will become that much easier.
[Related: Ranking the Best Tank Heroes in Overwatch’s Latest Patch]
Image Courtesy of @steel_peach on Twitter
Overall, dive has become a good second option to double barrier, but is nowhere near as strong in the early stages of this patch. Because of that, mobile tanks and DPS heroes are placed in this tier alongside Mercy due to her ability to move around the map. Otherwise, this tier is home to the strongest options alongside the top heroes mentioned above. Roadhog is effective with Orisa and the DPS on the bottom half of this list are the most viable with double shields outside of Mei. Look for any number of these heroes to creep into the top tier in January.
[Related: Ranking the Best Support Heroes in Overwatch’s Latest Patch]
Image Courtesy of Alexis Moreau
This list contains heroes that remain good in certain situations but have a harder time map in and map out. For instance, Pharah can be a good option for Environmental Kills on certain maps and Zarya can be strong on King’s Row, but these heroes may otherwise struggle to succeed. Don’t completely ignore them, but look towards heroes in Tier 1 or Tier 2 first and foremost.
[Related: Ranking the Best DPS Heroes in Overwatch’s Latest Patch]
These heroes find themselves mostly at the bottom due to a lack of any balance changes significantly affecting them. Skilled hitscan players can still get use out of heroes like Ashe, Solider: 76 and Widowmaker, however, all of those barriers sure can be tough to shoot around. Overall, be cautious with these picks at most competitive ranks in Season 19. I hope the video below serves as proof.
Maybe it’s time Jack Morrison retired from active Overwatch duty again 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/2BJgBD9Dz2
— Stylosa (@Stylosa) December 2, 2019
Follow me on Twitter: @GoopyKnoopy I would love to dialogue with you about anything I’ve written!
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Featured Image Courtesy of Alexis Moreau
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