Mercy is arguably one of Overwatch's most beloved heroes. Who doesn't want Play of the Game for a clutch huge rez? However, Mercy currently rests at #6 in Competitive play popularity on Master Overwatch's stats list, with a popularity percentage of 7.35%. So, who reigns supreme? None other than Lucio! Lucio is #1 with a 10.53% popularity rate for Competitive play. The master of beat drops! Now, is this a bad thing? Absolutely not, but as a Mercy lover myself, I can't say I wouldn't like to see Mercy at #1.

Mercy's numbers are still good. 6 out of 22 is not bad, but has the queen of healing fallen from her throne? It seems so, and who has she fallen to? Dat Lucibro! How can this be?! Since the Ana patch, supports such as Ana and Zenyatta have become more popular and relevant in the current meta. The support pool has grown with these additions, and the rising star seems to be Lucio. But what about our Swiss Angel?

What does Mercy lack, and what do these other supports offer over her?

The Usual Suspects:

Lucio:

You've got to believe this hero's popularity has increased since the Ana patch, but what of its effects on Mercy? Lucio offers a ton of utility, with a constant heal-over-time passive, a speed boost, a knockback, and a game changing ultimate.

Sound Barrier: This ability allows the player to project large shields over his/her entire team within Lucio's line of sight. Thought you could get off that sneaky Death Blossom? Think again, you ain't reapin' anyone!

Relevance: Mercy can't shield her entire team or heal herself constantly over-time. While she can rez her entire team, that's only true if she doesn't get focused down first. So who wants to rez when they can drop a beat? If you can prevent your team from dying, then you won't need to rez them.

Ana:

Ana offers the player a vast utility belt. After all, mother knows best. With an arsenal of debuffs and crowd control, such as Sleep Dart, who wouldn't want to play this beast in mom's clothing?

Biotic Grenade: This mechanic is the main reason (besides Sleep Dart), to play Ana. A strong healing debuff melts popular damage based tanks such as Roadhog, making it easier for your team to push through maps or capture a point.

Relevance: Biotic Grenade presents a strong counter to Mercy's Caduceus Staff, which usually issues a constant flow of health to whoever it's connected to, but surprise! Get Biotic Grenaded and your ally's health (and possibly your own) ceases to restore.

Zenyatta:

Zenyatta's recent buffs have enlarged the pool of supports a player has to choose from. An increase in health from 150 to 200 (and with a nerf to Widowmaker's body shot), Zenyatta is a now viable choice in both Quick Play and Competitive.

Orb of Discord: Orb of Discord, another strong debuff, is a powerful tool for mowing down enemy tanks. Simply Discord an enemy and watch them disappear.

Relevance: When an ally or Mercy herself is Discorded, it becomes nigh impossible to heal a vulnerable ally before they meet certain death. This debuff orb will greatly increase the amount of damage your ally takes as long as they're within Zenyatta's line of sight.

Weapons:

All of the above mentioned supports have weapons that DO NOT require them to switch off their heals to defend themselves. When in use, Mercy's Caduceus Blaster requires her to switch from her healing (and damage boosting) ability all together. Lucio, Ana, and Zenyatta, can all simultaneously heal without giving up their defense or utility abilities, which puts Mercy in a less viable position.

Movement Speed:

Mercy is limited in her maneuverability. Zenyatta's movement speed for example, gives him a movement advantage over most of the other heroes. Lucio's Crossfade also allows him a movement speed advantage over most other heroes. He can also enhance his additional movement speed even further with Amp It Up. If Ana becomes the target of close quarter combat, she does not have a movement speed advantage, but does have Sleep Dart to give her some time to escape.

Mercy has neither a movement speed ability, nor crowd control. She does have Guardian Angel which allows her to change positions quickly, as the cooldown is only 2 seconds. However, this ability is largely reliant on her allies, whereas the other supports' maneuverability relies only on the player themselves.

Does our beloved angel need support?

Blizzard loves and cares for their hero Mercy, and according to the Overwatch forums, are in fact looking for solutions to help her out. Geoff Goodman, Principal Designer, has voiced his love for Mercy, as he is working on solutions, and/or possible ability changes, which are mostly being tested internally. Goodman explains, "...there are some things we can do to help her out in the near future." Ooo, is that a tease?!

Blizzard's own Jeff Kaplan has also voiced his love for Mercy. In the Ana patch Dev video, which was posted on the Battle.net client upon Ana's release, he voiced his undying love for Mercy and reassured players that she would not be left in the dark. Kaplan's care for and communication with the Overwatch community is something to hold dear to our gaming hearts, as a company with this much compassion for their community is something to value.

Our Mercy does need some love, but I don't think it's anything Blizzard's capable team can't handle.

See you in Valhalla heroes.

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