February marks the final month to experience Competitive Overwatch as it has been played thus far. With hero pools on the horizon and a plethora of patches having recently gone live, Overwatch feels like it is in a bit of a renaissance at the moment. A big part of the reason the game feels this way is due to the shakeups in the previously solidified double barrier meta.
The following tier list exists precisely to help guide players through this more dynamic meta, reflecting how individually well-kitted Overwatch’s 31 heroes are and how well they synergize with other powerful heroes. With each month, there will be a new tier list released to update changes in each hero’s performance from month-to-month (January 2020) so be sure to check back next month to see what changes lie ahead.
Keep in mind that Season 20 is anticipated to continue throughout the entire month of February, meaning that the currently limited map pool will remain in effect. Those will be taken into consideration when ranking heroes.
Tier 1: Optimal heroes with high win-rates and synergy
- Moira
- Reinhardt
- Wrecking Ball
- Reaper
- Orisa
- Mei
- D.Va
The newest couple of patches have shaken up the meta a great deal, making heroes that were previously near-unstoppable feel much more balanced. Because of this, the top tier is notably much slimmer than it once was. Reaper and Mei still feel like the most dominant DPS heroes, despite nerfs to each, and the shields of Orisa and Reinhardt still prove useful enough to keep them in Tier 1. For healers, the gap is now much closer between Moira and the other healers as she overtakes Baptiste for the top spot. D.Va also feels Tier 1 at this point because of her ability to singlehandedly shut down certain DPS and fly near constantly.
Overall, the meta isn’t set on any one thing at the moment, so the gap between this top tier and the rest of the list feels much smaller than it typically does.
[Related: Overwatch Hero 32 Candidate Tier List]
Tier 2: Good alternatives to Tier 1 and still viable overall
- Roadhog
- Mercy
- Zenyatta
- Tracer
- Hanzo
- Sigma
- McCree
- Zarya
- Ana
- Lucio
- Baptiste
The nerfs to Hanzo and the buffs to McCree make them feel like they are about on a level playing field at the moment. Otherwise, Tracer’s older buffs are finally catching up, making her a solid dive option. But, unfortunately, nerfs to Doomfist and other dive DPS options being subpar makes her slightly less effective. This tier also plays home to some offtanks and supports that, at the given time, still feel very playable and effective. Roadhog pairs well with Orisa, Sigma is still viable despite low OWL usage and Reinhardt/Zarya can still feel quite strong on certain maps.
Tier 3: Good situational picks but less strong overall
- Sombra
- Winston
- Pharah
- Junkrat
- Symmetra
- Ashe
- Doomfist
- Bastion
- Sigma
This tier is home to a grouping of DPS heroes that are more niche in the current meta … and Winston. Several of these DPS heroes have either been nerfed from higher tiers or simply haven’t been patched in a very long time. It seems like the game has been reeling from the power creep in heroes like Hanzo, Mei and Reaper for such a long time that heroes like Junkrat, Pharah and Ashe are, oftentimes, mere afterthoughts. As the meta develops and dive makes a resurgence, look for some in this tier to climb the ranks. Until then, try to look elsewhere.
[Related: Overwatch Needs More New Heroes in 2020]
Tier 4: Difficult to have success in the current meta
- Solider: 76
- Brigitte
- Torbjorn
- Genji
- Widowmaker
No tanks sit at the bottom tier at the moment, just a collection of ill-forgotten DPS heroes and Brigitte. These heroes can be good, however, it takes so many unique situations to make them so for players across all skill tiers. For example, Torbjorn might dominate in Bronze SR’s just as Widowmaker does in Grandmaster. Flip those situations and the result is likely abysmal. With that kind of inconsistency, these heroes are simply not viable as consistent choices in the current meta.
As a reminder, this tier list is currently operating off of the latest live patch, 1.44.0.1. This list will be updated as patches continue to come out throughout the month of February and a new list will be published in March.
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