In Overwatch, communication is vital. Players need to effectively communicate to provide information to their teammates. This allows for individual players to decide what needs to be done to transition the game into a win. While important in solo queue, to ensure that your pre-made is successful, it's critical to constantly call out what's occurring on the map & what you're planning on doing as an individual. While playing with the Sonya Squad, I've learned what's required to be said in a game and how to act upon it. In this article, we'll be discussing the importance of a main shotcaller & sub shotcaller, what calls are important, reacting to calls, and how it all mixes together.

Shotcalling

In every team, there needs to be some type of shotcaller. In the Sonya Squad, our most experienced player Loyal fills this role. Every map has some type of objective & Loyal's focus as the main shotcaller is to ensure that we're always working on what needs to be done to actually win the game. In a sense, he's the reins of the team. Together, we're a wild horse but we're all tethered to him & he pulls us back in when we start to get a little wild. It's important that every group has some type of "leader" that maintains focus in the game.

While the main shotcaller's role is to keep us focused, team's also have sub shotcallers. These are generally one or two players in a group that focus on calling out positioning on heroes, telling people to move a certain way, and calling out a certain strategy to deal with enemy compositions. The main shotcaller can fulfill this role but it can be overwhelming for him to play and micromanage the entire team. In the Sonya Squad, two or three people tend to call the aforementioned points out to make sure we're always all on the same page.

That being said, every player in the game is responsible for calling out basic information such as how close they are to charging up their ultimate, what champion they are swapping to, and the target they're currently focusing down. In itself, effective shotcalling can be more critical than mechanics in objective focused games like Overwatch.

What should I call out and what shouldn't I call out?

Shotcalling is important but too much communication in your comms will quickly result in players tuning out information & nothing being done. It's critical to communicate important points. Objectives, hero positioning, ultimate cooldowns, and swapping heroes are important. Talking about how you killed someone or that you think you got play of the game can be detrimental to the voice comms. Stay on the topic and don't talk over each other. That's key to making sure that the comms are crystal clear.

This is one habit that some of the Sonya Squad are still working out. It's not uncommon for us to talk over each other. It's not always a bad thing because, at the end of the day, we're a team who like to have fun. DarkKatana & I tend to be a little bit more silly when it comes to the comms. But if we're trying to be more serious, it's better to focus up.

Reacting to calls

"Reaper in the building on the right."

"My Sound Barrier is up."

"It's High Noon."

"Three of them down. Rush the objective."

These are all variations of important calls that'll be made in the game. How do you react to the calls made by the shotcallers? It differs from situation & the shotcallers will most likely emphasize what needs to be done. If Reaper is on the right, it's in your best interest to have one or two people go and take him out. If Sound Barrier is up, look to synergize your ultimates for a play on the objective. If your McCree is roleplaying, it's time to look for a play with his ultimate and make another play on the objective. If three of the enemy team are down & the shotcaller calls to rush the objective, drop what you're doing and rush down the objective. At the end of the day, the main focus is that you're trying to ensure that the objective is secured for the map.

Mixing it all in

The role of a shotcaller in Overwatch is likely to be the most important role in the game. In a sense, you're the captain & leader of the team. What you say, do, and how your teammates react to the calls are what directly impacts whether or not you win a game. It's not just the communication but it's also the quality of communication. Don't be dismayed if your shotcalling isn't effective in the beginning. Practice makes perfect. But every premade deserves a LoyalKnight.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you guys in the next installment of The Sonya Squad.

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