What is the meta?

Since Overwatch was released in May 2016, there have been numerous tournaments held worldwide where professional teams gather to compete. The meta’s line-up of heroes comes from what professional players are using, and it is seen as the best possible way of playing the game. If you have owned Overwatch for more than a few weeks, you understand that the meta is constantly changing with buffs and nerfs to heroes, new maps, and even new rules.

There are a number of reasons that put certain heroes at the top of the meta. Sometimes a specific hero is just really overpowered and needs a hard nerf, but other times it can be a combination of specific heroes that just make them unstoppable. An example would be the triple tank meta. Some players would argue that tanks deal out too much damage and that makes them too valuable. Other players think the upcoming nerf to Ana is going to make the tank meta fall apart. A nerf to Ana’s grenade doesn’t seem like it could change the meta, but the smallest adjustments can have the biggest effect on how Overwatch is played. That is why the developers are constantly tweaking and updating the game.

As I just mentioned, one of the most important things to realize is the data that is used to create the meta comes from professional players. The meta is what the ‘best of the best’ use to win in tournaments, but at the mid-ranks there are other team compositions and strategies that can be used against the tank meta. I’m going to explain what makes the current meta so strong, how to combat the tank meta, and what to expect from the upcoming buffs and nerfs.

Who does the current meta revolve around and why?

The current meta is brought to you by Ana and the tanks. It sounds like a 1960’s teenage rock band, and it’s equally annoying. The most recent meta update was released on January 10th, and the top used heroes include Reinhardt, Lucio, Ana, D.Va, Zarya, and Roadhog. Although the current meta is composed of four tanks and two healers, a lot of players will switch out one of those tanks for a dps hero like Soldier or Tracer. Ana’s massive amounts of healing paired with a tank’s durability and damage is making the composition a necessity to pro teams.

In some cases, which can be seen in the meta, teams are dropping the second healer and solo healing just with Ana. She has the best burst healing in the game, and even if you can’t aim very well, tanks are really big targets making them easier to heal. Ana’s last buff increased the AOE of her grenade, allowing both her and Lucio to capitalize on healing multiple teammates at once. This meta has been harmful on Zenyatta and Mercy because Ana’s grenade currently gives a 100% healing increase. Pair the grenade with Lucio’s Amp it Up, and Lucio is healing multiple teammates as much a Mercy can heal a single teammate. Ana’s grenade is on a cool down, but it has the power to cancel out ultimates like Zenyatta’s. A lot of Zen players wait to ult until their team is caught in Zarya’s Graviton Surge. If Ana throws her grenade at them, Zenyatta can not heal his teammates through whatever wombo-combo the other team throws at them.

Since D.Va’s recent buff, she has been a necessity in the meta. Her Defense Matrix makes for a good supplement for Reinhardt’s shield, and combining Reinhardt’s Earth Shatter with D.Va’s bomb is a wombo-combo that can completely wipe the other team. Even though defense matrix is just an ability, she can use it to cancel out Soldier’s Tactical Visor or McCree’s Deadeye by simple flying to them and turning it on in their face. A lot of players chose Soldier 76 to combat Rein’s shield, but a Rein shield paired with D.Va’s Defense Matrix is too strong for him to take on.

This meta revolves around doing two things: breaking Rein’s shield and charging Ana’s Nanoboost. Once Reinhardt doesn’t have his shield, Roadhog is free to hook whoever was standing behind it. Ana’s Nanoboost is probably one of the most game-changing ults. Once the Reinhardt shield is down, Ana can pass out her Nanoboost, allowing whoever she boosts to effectively do whatever they want. With three or even four tanks on either team, you have to deal out massive amounts of damage or you will just sit in perpetual stalemate of tanks taking damage and getting healed. The current meta relies on Ana getting her Nanoboost quickly and breaking this stalemate.

Pairing all of Ana’s abilities with tanks that can deal some serious damage has made them a tough combo to combat. With the upcoming nerfs to Ana, Roadhog, and D.Va, as well as a buff to Sombra, combating this meta is going to be way more feasible.

What should we expect with the update and how do we counter?

The PTR is still changing, and developers are still working on balancing Ana and the tanks. However, what we have seen so far is Ana’s Biotic Grenade duration has been reduced from 5s to 4s, and the healing boost on allies was reduced from 100% to 50%. Heroes like Lucio won’t be able to capitalize as much off the grenade with his AOE healing. Ana will still be a powerful burst healer, but with this nerf to her utility, other single target healers like Zen and Mercy could become more viable.

D.Va is losing some armor but gaining some health. She will have 400 health and 200 armor. The two were previously flipped, but developers mentioned she felt too invulnerable. Attack heroes like Reaper, who is really good at shredding tanks, should be able to counter D.Va in this upcoming patch. Heroes like Mei and Symmetra are also useful against D.Va because they can use their primary fire through her Defense Matrix. Mei also has the ability to freeze tanks so her team can focus fire them down.

Roadhog’s hook is finally getting reworked and now pulls targets directed in front of him instead of straight to him. Developers want to make his hook fair without making it impossible for Roadhog players to hook enemies. There are some line of sight checks towards either side of the hook target, making it easier to hook someone halfway out of a doorway or behind a small object. Hook targets are slowed while they are stunned, making them less likely to break the hook. Pre-PTR Roadhog was essentially a really husky dps hero. He will continue to prey on people out of position from their team, but balancing his hook will allow teammates to strategize on killing him.

Sombra’s hack cool down reduced from 12s to 8s, and now it only takes 0.8 seconds to hack a target. Since the tank meta has left little room for attack heroes, hopefully this buff will bring Sombra back into professional play. Her buff combined with a nerf to Ana and the tanks will enable other healers and attack heroes to make their way into viable team compositions.s

Final Thoughts

It looks like Ana and the tanks are still going to be powerful after this next update, but hopefully it will allow for some versatility in professional matches. It’s important to remember that the meta is what the pro’s play, and you don’t necessarily have to play the meta to win. However, those heroes are at the top for a reason. They are really powerful, and they create some incredible combinations. At the same time, realize that pro teams are incredibly coordinated and know exactly how to play specific heroes in specific circumstances. If you are solo queuing, the likelihood of being that coordinated with your team is a lot lower than professional Overwatch teams. Take time to build a composition that works with your teams, and once you see the other team, be flexible enough to counter them. This next update could possibly bring back some of the counters to put Ana and the tanks in their place.

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