It’s now week five in the 2020 Overwatch League season and the end of year picture has become no less clear than it was during the preseason. Half the league has still yet to play their first match due to the coronavirus outbreak, teams with harsh travel schedules have already had to endure lost baggage and sickness and this week sees the introduction of hero pools. Starting this week, no team can lock in McCree, Widowmaker, Reinhardt or Moira. Inevitably, there will be teams that are advantaged and disadvantaged because of this.
Let’s get it straight, Florida does not look all that hot right now. With just one win against a terrible week one Houston squad, the electric pink team are off to an underwhelming beginning. However, nothing is beyond repair, and the hero bans may work in the team’s favor.
A Saya Taste in our Mouth
For whatever reason, Kim “KuKi” Dae-kuk and the rest of the coaching team have decided that the starting hitscan player should be Lee “BQB” Sang-bum and not Ha “Sayaplayer” Jeong-woo. Sayaplayer has been one of the better performing hitscan players in Overwatch history, so to bench him in favor of BQB shows a strong commitment to a player for reasons not currently available to the public. If Florida insists on fielding BQB however, then he should begin to look better in this hero pool without the need to play McCree or Widowmaker.
Before coming into the league, BQB was most well known for his Sombra play. Last week teams like the Houston Outlaws found success utilizing the Sombra instead of a more meta DPS like McCree. So with Sombra already being quite strong, she should become quite popular now that McCree is banned. BQB is not the only Florida DPS player that could see a return to their comfort hero, however.
Could Pharah be the Answer?
Kim “Yaki” Jun-ki made a name for himself with his Pharah and Doomfist play. Similarly to Sombra, Doomfist has been played quite commonly by some teams already, so to see an increase in his playtime would be no surprise. However, with no McCree or Widowmaker available, the use of Pharah may be pivotal in the matches this weekend. Pharah also plays quite well into Doomfist compositions, making her a great option in this hero pool.
Now, not only does this mean BQB and Yaki can play their best heroes, if Yaki does in fact play a lot of Pharah then Choi “Kris” Jun-soo will be able to play Mercy. His mercy isn’t anything to write home about but considering how much he is currently struggling on Lucio, this could see him lessen his burden on the team.
Winston’s Fate
With Reinhardt being the tank ban, a lot of different tank combinations could be viable. Orisa, Mei and Roadhog could be run in a halt and hook, bunker style compositions. Or like Vancouver demonstrated a couple of weeks ago, a classic Winston, D.va and Genji dive composition can be as effective as ever on certain points. Now, if Pharah does, in fact, see a lot of playtime then D.va might have to be permanently picked alongside the rocket queen as she might be the only character capable of shutting down an opposing Pharah. Lee “Gargoyle” Beom-jun should look fine on either the Roadhog or D.va though.
Koo “Fate” Pan-seung should start at main tank now that Reinhardt is not being played, not just because of his experience on characters like Orisa and Winston but because of his in-game leadership. Florida just looks much more coordinated when he is in-game with them.
Overall, this hero pool does suit the Mayhem. But this team is lacking much more than just a suitable meta. Confidence, some aggression and a passion to win go a long way in a league that isn’t necessarily won through mechanical dominance. Mayhem plays the Toronto Defiant this week, a team that has had a similarly rocky start to the season. Look for both teams to bounce back into form here.
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