The Overwatch world is overrun by GOATS comp nowadays. While GOATS comp is intricate, relying on teamwork and communication, fans and players alike are getting fed up with it. If you turn on any Contenders game, there is a high percentage chance that you will see both teams running GOATS compositions. However, with the new changes that will be coming in the newest patch, will Overwatch see a swing away from GOATS? Will the dive meta ever come back to fruition? A dive comp can be explained here, by the Overwatch Leagues’ very own Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson. The typical Heroes in a dive comp include Tracer, Genji, Winston and D.Va. The two supports are interchangeable, but Zenyatta and Lucio are popular picks.
With the typical Heroes that are run in a dive composition, how would the Gladiators theoretically adjust and play it? Here is a look at a typical dive comp, and how the Los Angeles Gladiators might line up if it makes a comeback.
DPS
The two DPS Heroes that make up a dive comp include Tracer and Genji. The Los Angeles Gladiators have three players signed to their roster to play DPS. Those players are João Pedro “Hydration” Goes Telles, Lane “Surefour” Roberts and new addition Gui-un “Decay” Jang. Looking back on the first season of the Overwatch League, Tracer was Surefours’ second most played character. He played Tracer for around five and a half hours in game. While it is not quite the Hero he is known for, he can compete on a high level with his Tracer (an example of his Tracer gameplay can be seen here).
Hydration would thrive in the dive meta. His most played Hero during Season 1 was Genji. He played six and a half hours in game as Genji. While playing Genji, he got many highlight reel clips, including this play against the Los Angeles Valiant. Hydration plays many of the projectile characters, including Genji, Pharah, Junkrat and Doomfist.
Finally, we turn to Decay. While playing at KongDoo Panthera in Korean Contenders, he played a range of Heroes. Included in that range was both Genji and Tracer. In this highlight video, put out by Team KongDoo, his Tracer and Genji skills are put on display. If the dive meta does come back to Overwatch, expect Decay to dominate at either role.
Tank
Next up are the tanks of the dive meta. The off tank players for the Gladiators are Hyung-seok “Bischu” Kim and Jun-woo “Void” Kang. The main tank players for the Gladiators are Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye and Byung-ho “Panker” Lee, who is signed to a two-way contract between the Los Angeles Gladiators and Gladiators Legion. The tank Heroes that are crucial for dive comp are Winston and D.Va.
When it comes to off tanks, both Bischu and Void played the majority of their time in the Overwatch League as D.Va. Both players have an argument for them to start for the Gladiators. Void previously played with both Decay and rOar at KongDoo Panthera. The chemistry between the three new Korean players could help with communication. However, Bischu is bilingual, being fluent in both Korean and English. Having Bischu on the lineup as a translator could be an advantage that he has over Void.
Finally, for main tank, rOar has the advantage over Panker. Panker is signed to a two-way contract, which allows him only a certain amount of games in the Overwatch League if he still wants to play with the contenders team. Either way, rOar has shown that he can be the main tank that the Gladiators need. In the dive meta, his Winston could be exactly the right fit.
Support
Lastly, there is the support Heroes that complete the dive comp. Typically, Zenyatta and either Lucio or Mercy are the support Heroes that are played. The Gladiators have a Finnish trio for their support players. Last season it was the duo of Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni and Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara. Then, during the offseason, they brought in Riku “Ripa” Toivanen from Team Gigantti.
BigGoose specializes in Mercy and Lucio, with them being the most and second most played by him during the Overwatch League season. He played 27 and a half hours on Mercy and almost nine hours of Lucio. His ability to play both of these Heroes will allow the Gladiators to be more flexible in dive. There are variations of dive, but classic dive has one of those two Heroes.
Next up is Shaz. Shaz played over 32 hours of Zenyatta during the first season of the Overwatch League. With Shaz, his ability to play Zenyatta could be key to the Gladiators’ success in dive. The discord orb, along with the communication from the support players, can push the Gladiators to a successful dive comp.
Finally there is Ripa. Ripa primarily plays Zenyatta, as well as Moira. While Moira is not in dive comp, Ripa’s ability to play her proves him an important piece of the Gladiators puzzle. If anything were to happen to Shaz, Ripa would be able to step into the position of Zenyatta.
The Overwatch League returns on Feb. 14. The Los Angeles Gladiators will be taking on the Seoul Dynasty in their first match of the season. For a quick look into the Stage 1 matchups for the Gladiators, check it out here! Many think that GOATS meta is here to stay. Curious about how the Gladiators might fare, click here!
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