With the release of the latest set of patch notes, the typical nerfs and buffs happened. Bug fixes and quality of life changes also happened. Yet, a closer look at the patch notes reveals a few heroes that haven’t seen competitive play in a while receiving some buffs that could signal the return of a familiar playstyle: Dive.
D.Va
D.va was the first target for some buffs, and she needed them badly. With the introduction of Sigma, his Kinetic Grasp was a better version of her Defense Matrix in every way. Where D.Va couldn’t stop Chain Hooks and Whip Shot, Sigma could, and he could translate that damage into shields. Not only did Sigma receive a nerf where he could no longer block these abilities, D.Va was buffed so that the regeneration on her Defense Matrix is faster and its regeneration begins quicker. That key ability was what kept her meta for so long despite numerous nerfs, but could this be the buff that brings her back?
Winston
This is arguably the biggest buff to the classic Dive composition in this set of patch notes. Winston received two enormous buffs, both to his shields in what seems to be an attempt to keep him in line with the rest of the tanks in the current shield heavy meta. The lesser of the two buffs was the increase to the health of his Barrier Projector from 600 health to 700 health. This gets Winston in slightly more contention as an option for certain maps with verticality, such as Watchpoint: Gibraltar or Dorado. In combination with D.Va’s buff, the amount of damage that the Dive composition takes is drastically reduced. Potentially to a point that a slower meta may favor a Dive oriented composition, or at least allow it to exist in fringe cases.
Tracer
Tracer’s buff wasn’t necessarily game-changing, but it did signal Blizzard’s intention of trying to bring back the composition that Overwatch had seen for quite some time. Upping the fall-off range of her primary attack from 10 meters to 13 meters means a few things. This first indicates that Tracer is able to poke from a safer distance before tunneling in on a target, removing herself from threats just far enough to keep her alive longer. Additionally, the reduction in fall-off damage means that those few cases where Tracer tries to finish off an enemy from range can occur more often.
Dive is one of if not the most iconic compositions Overwatch has ever seen. However, with the introduction of GOATS and double shield meta, the team composition was pushed aside due to better options. However, with these buffs, a blast from the past may be coming sooner than many expected.
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