Players can breathe easy again, as the “neo-GOATs” composition did not stick around for long. Last month there was a growing concern that the all-out aggressive composition would dominate the competitive ladder. but luckily for everyone it seemed to be just a flavor of the month. Since then, players have pivoted back to the classic Reinhardt rush comps that people know and love. Things were finally getting back to normal.
However as people began to get comfortable in the meta again, Blizzard came in to shake things back up. On Thursday July 1, the Overwatch team announced a new batch of nerfs for the hitscan role as a whole. The changes were made to revert an old buff that was designed to combat the GOATs meta in it’s heyday. Now with role lock preventing players from ever picking three supports and three tanks, Blizz has decided to peel back some of the strength of the hitscan DPS characters.
With some DPS characters getting a big nerf to damage, shield tanks are getting a bit of a foothold back into the meta. Orisa in particular may see a rise in play as she can be a big headache for opponents thanks to her high durability. Overall the meta is still more map dependent than ever, but don’t be surprised to see some more Sigma/Orisa comps in the matches to come.
[Previous Tier List: June 2021]
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Reinhardt and Zarya once again stay on the top of the tier list as they are just a solid tank duo to fall back on regardless of rank. Though they still struggle on maps with plenty of high ground, the simple plan of “run at them with our hammer” always finds a way to work. D.Va is an excellent option as well to help protect main tanks from any opposing Mei or Echo. Speaking of which, both Mei and Echo are getting a small little buff thanks to the hitscan nerfs. They have a little more survivability with the damage fall-off, giving the DPS characters more of a chance take over the game.
Brigitte and Tracer find their way back to the top as excellent options to both pair with, and hinder, Echo. As a team, Brig can keep Echo in the air for quite some time thanks to her Repair Packs. Brig also acts as a deterrent to the enemy Tracer from diving straight to the back line. On the other hand, Tracer is one of the best counters to Echo as she can easily hunt down the enemy Echo if left unattended. Echo, Brigitte, and Tracer act as an interesting rock-paper-scissors trio in competitive matches, and can often be the defining aspect of each team.
With hitscans being a tiny bit weaker, it’s only a matter of time before Pharah and Mercy take to the skies once again. The classic flying combo will have an easier time finding value on most open maps. On the flip side, Torbjorn has been a break out candidate for a whole array of different compositions. Torb works in anti-dive comps, as well as brawl comps thanks to his unique kit. His ability to gain massive momentary durability and damage output allows Torb to become a threat at key parts of a team fight.
Sigma and Orisa are on the verge of breaking out of the second tier, and it may happen sooner than players think. The double-shield duo are finding more and more play time on maps that favor a static defensive composition. Sigma has seen a bit of play alongside Reinhardt, but his real strength comes with the combination of Orisa’s HALT and his own Accretion. These two tanks can pump out some serious damage, and they are poised to become the best front line in the game once again.
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Whenever Orisa slowly rises to the top of the tier list, there are always two characters that happen to join her on the climb. Doomfist and Roadhog have plenty of synergy with Orisa, all thanks to her pull. Doomfist provides massive amounts of disruption to shake up the enemy front line, while being able to dive back in to follow up on Orisa pulls to secure an elimation. Meanwhile Roadhog and Orisa can easily open a fight with a pull/hook combo to quickly turn the game into a 5v6.
Genji could find a spot in the meta as well thanks to the impending double shield meta. His ability to dash around the battlefield allows him to find off-angles and pressure low-health targets. It also helps that his ultimate is almost a guaranteed fight-win with Orisa’s ultimate. It doesn’t hurt that Genji may assert himself into the meta through sheer reluctance to not play him on every map. Players love the cyborg-ninja, and he will most likely be common place once again very soon.
The bottom tier shrinks every month it feels like. Bastion is just in an awful spot as a character, let alone as an option in the meta. He can still take over games in very low ranks, but outside of that, it feels like Bastion just can’t do much of anything. The turret character got hit with the hitscan nerf as well, making Bastion even less viable than before. Try not to play Bastion in competitive games.
Widowmaker unfortunately stays at the bottom of the tier list because of her limited viability on maps not named Junkertown. The premier sniper doens’t have the tools to work around double shield compositions easily, and fails to make an impact against most rush comps. In the right hands, Widow can be a game-changing character. However for the majority of games, she won’t have much of a chance to make anything happen.
Featured image courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
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