[The February 2020 Tier List reflecting the latest hero rankings is here! Click on this link to check out the updated rankings for Season 20 and Patch 1.44.0.1.]
New year, new Overwatch. 2020 Serves to be a massive year for the game, likely bringing with it the debut of Overwatch 2 and the release of several new heroes. But, for the time being, not much has changed in Overwatch’s meta since the game’s latest patch was released in December that significantly nerfed barriers.
Nevertheless, this tier list exists to continue guiding 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 each hero’s performance from month-to-month (December 2019) so be sure to check back next month to see what changes lie ahead.
Also, keep in mind that Season 20 is anticipated to continue throughout the entire month of January, 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
- Orisa
- Baptiste
- Mei
- Sigma
- Moira
- Lucio
- Reinhardt
Even beyond the early stages of Patch 1.43, these seven heroes still remain top picks. At DPS, Mei is the clear best choice given her survivability and crowd control, as well as her ability to deal long-range damage effectively. 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]
Tier 2: Good alternatives to Tier 1 and still viable overall
- Wrecking Ball
- Winston
- Roadhog
- Mercy
- Zenyatta
- Tracer
- Doomfist
- Bastion
- Hanzo
- Reaper
Overall, dive has become a good second option to double barrier, which has opened up the field for several long-forgotten heroes. Mobile heroes like Winston and Wrecking Ball open up options for healers like Zenyatta and Mercy to be effective in dive scenarios, as well as opening things up for heroes like Tracer and Doomfist.
Otherwise, this tier is home to the strongest options alongside the top heroes mentioned above. Roadhog is incredibly 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]
Tier 3: Good situational picks but less strong overall
- Sombra
- Zarya
- Ana
- Pharah
- Junkrat
- McCree
- Symmetra
- Ashe
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 maps like King’s Row, but these heroes may otherwise struggle to succeed. Ashe also makes her way into this list due to her ability to sneak in massive Dynamite throws into clumped up teams with recently broken barriers. With all that being said, don’t completely ignore these picks or think they are incapable of winning, but look towards heroes in Tier 1 or Tier 2 for more consistent results.
[Related: Ranking the Best DPS Heroes in Overwatch’s Latest Patch]
Tier 4: Difficult to have success in the current meta
- D.Va
- Solider: 76
- Brigitte
- Torbjorn
- Genji
- Widowmaker
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 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 20.
Maybe it’s time Jack Morrison retired from active Overwatch duty again 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/2BJgBD9Dz2
— Stylosa (@Stylosa) December 2, 2019
As a reminder, this tier list is currently operating off of the latest live patch, 1.43. This list will be updated as patches continue to come out throughout the month of January and a new list will be published in February.
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