Well, the revitalized ranked environment was good while it lasted. Only a month ago, players had the opportunity to play several different compositions based on preference rather than strength. So many characters were viable, and there really weren’t that many bad picks. Teams could play Dive again. Things were good.
But in the blink of an eye, Blizzard decided to rock the boat. A large buff to Baptiste and a short-lived change to Brigitte shifted the meta in an all too familiar direction. People were worried about a buff to Orisa a few patches ago, and now their concerns have been vindicated. Double-shield is back with a vengeance, and Baptiste and Brigitte are the culprits this time around. Brigitte has been nerfed sure, but the meta has been set into motion. Competitive players are in this nightmare for a bit longer.
The following tier list exists precisely to help guide players through this more dynamic meta, reflecting how individually well-kitted Overwatch’s 32 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 so be sure to check back next month to see what changes lie ahead
[Previous Tier List: October 2020]
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
If there’s one thing about Double-shield this time around, it’s that the DPS players can play some fun characters still. Ashe and Echo have a surprising amount of synergy with Orisa’s pull. A pull into Sticky Bombs or Dynamite is a powerful combination that can insta-kill a low-health target or simply force out important defensive cooldowns. Baptiste is the main force in the new version of Double-shield, as both his damage and healing output received slight upgrades. Then of course there is his new and improved ultimate, which is roughly the size of a football field. Get ready to break a lot of immortality fields, because Baptiste is going to be here for a while.
These characters in the second tier are best utilized when the team has a plan. Diving around the Orisa with Tracer and Wrecking Ball is a good way to cause havoc. Displacing the backline or forcing out Immortality Field creates widows for the rest of the team to follow up and capitalize. Or the team can choose to stay a bit farther away with Zenyatta and Hanzo, in hopes to break the shields or surprise-kill a support thanks to a lucky headshot. With her buffs, Mei also is an excellent pick in several situations which may lead to some frustrations in the tank line.
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Here begins the “comfort” pick section. When faced with an unpopular meta, it is common for a lot of players to simply play heroes they are most comfortable with. Sometimes they are less than optimal choices, but there are times when a player can perform better on a pocket-pick than the “correct” pick. There are also a few characters here that received some small buffs that may make them a bit more viable. Symmetra is the noteworthy hero here, as her bonus health might mean the difference between a map-dependent pick and a true compositional option.
It would only make sense to think that characters like Bastion and Reaper would be really good against a team that just stays in one spot. However, Baptiste and Brigitte do a wonderful job at keeping their team alive against Death Blossom and a million bullets. Doomfist also struggles mightily thanks to Orisa pulls, Sigma rocks, and Brigitte stuns. Lastly, Widowmaker just needs to work extremely hard to find a good angle between all the shields, that she becomes more of a gimmick pick than anything. Hopping out of spawn real quick to get an early elimination is really all she can do at the moment.
Featured image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
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