Picking heroes in Overwatch may seem pretty simple. 2 Tanks, 2 Offense and 2 Supports. Naturally, that’s what most people tend to pick when playing competitive ladder, but 2 Random tanks + 2 Random DPS + 2 Random Supports do not always mesh well together. You’d be surprised at the different types of team compositions that are available and how they work. Here I will go into full detail about how these compositions work and which heroes complement each other in these compositions.

Standard 2-2-2 Composition

The 2/2/2 Standard is probably the most well-known composition that people generally go towards, as it’s the one composition that makes the most sense to go towards. In the competitive ladder when you play with random players, it is easiest to play with as the combos are easy pull off and do not require large amount of coordination. Standard 2/2/2 is a balance of flankers creating space and allowing your front line to move up and take kills. The team can easily spread out when needed and collapse on each other when needed to, making it very flexible. It is also the most flexible team composition to play as you can play different heroes for each role meaning that you can switch to counter specific heroes.

Weaknesses to the 2/2/2 composition is that other compositions tend to work better, as they are able to either survive against what 2/2/2 does with Triple Tank or you'll get outdamaged by Triple DPS Dive. It does not mean that you immediately lose against those compositions though, as if you have better target selection and coordination as a team you can easily beat those other team compositions. Now we’ll look at what heroes you can play in each role.

Reinhardt/Winston

The main tank role should be fulfilled by a Reinhardt in this composition. Reinhardt is the core of this team, the initiator and defensive shield. Reinhardt’s job in this composition is to allow the team to push up and to be a frontline damage dealer with the swing of your hammer.

You can also play Winston in this composition. It is slightly more aggressive and can work as well. It leaves your backline slightly more exposed but in return it allows the offence heroes on your team do more damage as your flankers Genji and/or Tracer to follow up with you. Winston is also a pick for chasing around a Genji that is doing a large amount of damage to your team.

Zarya/D.Va

The second tank is the Flex Off-Tank should be fulfilled by either a Zarya or D.Va. Zarya should be picked on maps do not have a lot of verticality, as she struggles to get energy and cannot force or support the team in trying to push the enemy team off of the high ground. In maps that do not have a lot of vertical high ground with choke points to go through and defend, she is able to take in damage to build up a lot of energy. Playing Zarya in this composition allows her to gain a lot of energy and deal a large amount of damage. D.Va is good on maps with a large amount of verticality such as Watchpoint: Gibraltar and Numbani. D.Va allows you to have a presence on the high ground, being able to block any damage and knock enemies off with her Boosters ability.

Soldier 76/McCree

For offensive heroes, you should take a hitscan hero. Soldier and McCree allow you to deal damage from your role creating pressure, breaking the enemy Reinhardt's shield, and dealing majority of the damage to the enemy team. You are also in charge of peeling for your healers, staying close to them and protecting them if any flankers approach them. Soldier 76 has sustainability with his Biotic Field. He can place this on himself and healers keeping them up in HP. McCree has more damage potential and, in theory, deals with single flankers the best out of any character with his Flashbang. McCree has more damage potential but does not have the sustainability Soldier 76 does and it is down to personal preference who you pick in this slot.

Tracer/Genji

For the second offensive hero, you should pick a flanker such as Genji or Tracer. Genji is more likely to wipe a team out with his ultimate and Dash resets, while Tracer is more about getting picks with her Pulse Bomb. Both are there to create space and disrupt the enemy's backline healers. Their main job is to try and create the space for your main core of tanks and hitscan heroes to push and deal damage. Once you’ve created that space for your team to deal damage, it’s time for you to go in and clean up people who are damaged which is when communicating with your team is vital.

Ana/Zenyatta

For the main healer in a 2/2/2 composition, you can either play Ana or Zen. Ana allows for greater heals and her Nano Boost which combines well with Soldier 76 and Genji ultimates. This gives you team wipe potential. Zenyatta is a pick that has a lot less heals but he provides a substantially more damage compared to Ana for the whole team and himself. Being able to put Discord Orbs on enemy targets allows your team to focus and kill enemies a lot quicker and potentially snowball very quickly. Your job as the Main Healer is to keep everyone alive, with your Main Tank being the priority to allow them to engage and deal as much damage as possible for the offensive heroes to clean up after.

Lucio

For the second healer, you should use a Lucio. The versatility that Lucio brings to a team with his speed boost is too good to pass up on. Stay close to your Ana or Zenyatta at all times to keep them protected.

Pros

• Flexible
• Easy to play together with random players
• Potentially counters everything

Cons:

• Sometimes lacks damage
• Less sustainability compared to other compositions
• Weaker compared to Triple Tank and Dive
  
  

Triple Tank Death Ball

Triple Tank a famous composition for players who played in Season 3. The composition that has slightly fallen out of favour but is still played by professional teams and is another composition that is fairly easy to organise in competitive queue when playing with random players on the ladder. When playing Triple Tank, you all play close together as a unit and push together as one. You protect your Ana at all costs and let he use her Biotic Grenade with Lucio's heal aura to keep the tanks alive for as long as possible while allowing your Roadhog and Soldier to break enemy shields to get picks. Summing it all up - stay close, protect your healers, and don’t die.

Reinhardt

Reinhardt is a must pick in this composition. He is your shield and battering ram. Your main role playing as Reinhardt in the triple tank composition is to make sure you are close to all your tanks and keep them protected with your shield. With a Roadhog, Soldier 76 and D.va or Zarya on your side you should be able to win the shield war allowing you to press up to apply pressure.

D.Va/Zarya

The next Tank you should play in this role is a protective Off-Tank such as D.Va or Zarya. This pick is very dependent on which one you are most comfortable on and the map. When playing D.Va in a Triple Tank composition, a large part of your job is to eat a lot of damage that is coming at your Reinhardt's shield. If there are any Soldier 76's or Ana’s sitting on the high ground, your job is try and knock them off or get in their face. When playing Zarya, you are to stay close to your team and use your shields to protect your team and get to full energy. Once you get full energy, tell your team to push into the enemy team so you can go in and kill them!

Roadhog

Roadhog is a large part of why the Triple Tank composition came into the meta. With the ability to deal a large amount of damage, break shields, and make picks happen, your job is to simply do these things. Try and break the enemy Reinhardt's shield and hook targets into the group so they are blown up by your team.

Soldier 76

Soldier 76 is key to this composition because of his ultimate combo with Ana and his Biotic Field. Your job is to help your team break down the enemy's shields and deal damage. When playing Triple Tank your Ana should build up her ultimate fairly quickly and she will try to Nano Boost you when you have your Tactical Visor up to deal tons of damage.

Ana

The Triple Tank composition was originally built because of the healing potential of Ana. With her Biotic Grenade and all with all the tanks sticking together, she is able to heal everyone very quickly. When all the tanks are hit by the Grenade with Lucio's healing aura and Soldier 76's Biotic Field active, there is very little that can outdamage the healing of this combo. With this much healing being done, try and keep the Reinhardt alive at all times and use Nano Boosts frequently to win team fights.

Lucio

Lucio is a key component of the Triple Tank composition. With his speed aura, he allows the slow tanks with limited movement to move forward fairly quickly and engage. Being close together as a group allows Lucio’s aura to be in full use. If the group ever splits up, stay close to your Ana and protect her all costs.

Pros

• Strongest on defense
• Easy to play in competitive ladder
• Able to survive most attacks

Cons

• Low Damage
• Weak to being split up
• Immobile
  
  

Dive Comp

“Dive Comp” is an aggressive way of playing Overwatch. It is a composition where all the offensive heroes and Winston jump on targets that have Discord Orbs that Zenyatta has placed on them. Quickly killing targets, you move from target to target until the team is either completed wiped or they have to back off. This is the most popular composition in professional play, but it is also one of the hardest compositions to play in competitive ladder as it requires strong chemistry and communication.

Winston

Winston engages fights. He will jump on targets that your DPS jump on. You are there to soften up targets and also be a large meat shield for your other divers. Jump into the enemy team and drop your barrier so that your teammates can weave in and out to protect themselves. Be careful not to jump into a Roadhog by yourself as he can instantly hook and one shot you, ruining the fight.

Tracer

Tracer in a dive composition is a large part of your damage as a team. With Discord Orb, you are able to use one clip of ammo to kill normal 200hp heroes and use two clips to kill tanky targets who have Orbs attached to them. You are there to also abuse the backline while your team dives into the rest of the team. Try and kill the healers as once the healers are gone, it is virtually impossible for the enemy team to survive a dive attack.

Soldier 76

Soldier is there to deal damage to targets and soften them up. He is a threat from the backline that teams getting dove struggle to deal with. Soldier 76 is able to have a free game if your frontline dive is doing it correctly. Soldier 76 is there to finish up targets and also soften them up. He is also here to protect your backline if anyone is able to get past your frontline and target your Zenyatta. Dropping your Biotic Field on your healers

Genji/D.Va

The fourth hero you can play here is either Genji or D.Va. Genji is a more offensive approach to the already aggressive dive strategy. With the amount of damage going through on the enemy team, he is able to clean up with dash resets fairly quickly. D.Va is there as a more protective shield when going in. She is able to use her Defense Matrix to eat Biotic Grenades that can potentially save the enemy team and she protects your damage dealers while dealing damage with her cannons at the same time. Her movement with her Boosters allow her to get around the map fairly quickly and follow the dive front line. It is questionable which is the most optimal but it’s down to preference on which one you believe will work better in the situation.

Zenyatta

Zenyatta is a main part of the Dive Comp. His Discord Orb is what allows your frontline to destroy targets in under a second. With having DPS that are constantly out of sight, you are able to put on Orbs of Harmony on them before they go in to keep them protected. Try to keep your Harmony Orbs on teammates when they are fighting and keep Discording the enemies that are being attacked.

Lucio

Lucio is there to keep your Zenyatta safe and sit on objectives as your teammates move forward. Use your speed boost on your team to allow them to move faster towards the enemy team to engage or fall back to stay on the objective depending on the game mode.

Pros

• Lots of damage!
• Very mobile
• Probably the best composition in the game if done correctly

Cons

• Frail with low heals and heroes with small health pools
• Requires communication and strong chemistry
• Can be disrupted if the other team plays more aggressive
  
  

Sombra 2CP

The “2 CP Sombra comp”. This is a fairly new composition that has being played mostly in the Korean professional scene and is coming over to the West. This is a form of dive composition which uses Sombra as your main healer by hacking all the health packs around the map on control point maps. This a composition that is only used on control point maps when defending, as each team has to fight on the point allowing Sombra to use her EMP and ultimately win the fight. Sombra is able to have her ultimate up almost every fight. This composition is extremely difficult to play in a solo queue situation, but if you are playing with a team, it’s an extremely strong composition to play on control point defense.

Winston

Winston is used to be an initiator, played similarly to how you play Winston with the Dive Comp. You wait for the EMP to be used and target enemies that have been affected by the EMP to take them down. Jump in and be the frontline for the team. If you're going to die, try and jump to a health pack to get healed up quickly and give your Sombra her ultimate again.

D.Va

D.Va is in the composition as a form of protection. Her mobility allows her to engage with the Winston and also run to health packs hacked by the Sombra. She engages with Winston and the DPS. Use her Defense Matrix to eat any damage that can potentially kill anyone and gets in the enemies' faces.

Soldier 76

Soldier 76’s role on the team is to be a backline presence. You play from midrange allowing to deal damage from higher position away from the fight. Keep close to a health pack so you can run towards it if you're in trouble. Try to use your Tactical Visor in conjunction with Sombra’s EMP to allow you to have a free reign against the shieldless enemy. Try to use your Biotic Field to heals others that are in danger, as it can be a lifesaver in certain situations.

Tracer

Tracer is a strong hero to play in this composition. You bring a backline presence with Sombra allowing you to potentially get picks on healers before fights even start. When teamfights start, you are there to clean up targets that been hit by EMP and disrupt their healers. With your high mobility, Blink towards health packs to keep yourself healed up.

Sombra

Sombra is the main part of this composition. Hack all the health packs in the area to deny the enemy from using them. Your team has to play around the health packs so you can get your ultimate every fight. Try and harass the healers by going in behind them with your Thermoptic Camo and teleport back with your Translocator. Once you get your EMP, wait for them to all gather up and use your EMP. This allows your team to collapse onto them and kill them while they are defenseless.

Lucio

Lucio is there as a way of AoE healing and topping off your teammates. Stay close to your tanks so they have a heal aura and use your speed aura to get them out when they are in trouble.

Pros

• Very strong when it works
• No counter potential

Cons

• Only works on 2 CP when defending
• Requires strong teamwork and communication
  
  

Other Mentions

Pharah + Mercy = Pharmercy

Pharmercy is when you play Mercy + Pharah together. This is usually a map dependent pick and does well in a dive composition with maps with very high ceilings. Pharmercy is usually played in dive compositions as she deals a large amount of damage with her rockets allowing other players in your team to push and clean up damaged enemies. You can slide it into other compositions

Gravity Dragon

Zarya and Hanzo is a combo that has been around for a long time, as it is a team composition that has been around since the days of beta. Use Graviton Surge to pull in multiple targets of the enemy team so Hanzo can use his Dragonstrike to kill anyone who is caught inside of it. This only works when you have a Zarya player who is able to get her ultimates very quickly. If she can't, it can take too long to pull off the combo and lose your team a large amount of momentum.

Ana + Torbjorn + Symmertra = Ultimate Defense

The ultimate defense composition using Ana as your main healer with Torbjorn to give armor packs to your teammates and Symmertra with a teleporter to allow your team to comeback quickly to the point if they die during a teamfight. This is usually used when defending on hybrid maps during the first point hold. It is a very effective strategy to use on the competitive ladder, but it is very rarely used in a professional game because it is easily countered by good communication and chemistry. People tend to run into Symmertra’s turrets or leave Torbjorn’s turret alone, allowing your team to clean up people who are out of position.

Widowmaker + Zenyatta + Mercy = One-Shot One-Kill

This is a composition that has been coming into fruition lately in professional play. If you have a strong Widowmaker player on your team, you can make your Widowmaker one-shot with body shot any normal 200 HP enemy in the game. With Mercy’s damage amplification and Zenyatta's Discord Orb, Widowmaker can take out most characters with a body shot. This composition is very susceptible to dive as you have very little backline protection as your tanks have to go in as you sit behind. Being disrupted by a Tracer is troublesome for this trio, but it can be very deadly if left alone.

El Presidenté

The famous “El Presidenté” strategy. Playing around a Bastion can be pretty fun. El Presidenté is all about having the Bastion mount up on the payload while you protect him at all costs. Have a Reinhardt and Orisa for double shields. Have Mercy constantly powering up the Bastion with Ana keeping everyone at full HP. Once Bastion and Ana get their ultimates, combine them so Tank Bastion can go out seeking destruction.

Final Thoughts

The metagame at the moment is in the best state it has been since the game has been released. There are many team compositions that you can play whether it be online competitive ladder or at a LAN Tournament. It is important to understand what kind of team compositions and hero combos that are available to you in a game. These team compositions that I have spoken about are not set in stone and you can play different variants of them depending on your own hero pool. It is also important to switch heroes to counter enemy picks. If your team is struggling against a Pharmercy combo, switch to McCree, Soldier 76 and D.Va. But understanding why and what you should pick to go with what others to support each other in a game of Overwatch is incredibly important. Overwatch is a team game and not even the best players can 1 vs 6 teams. This analysis is also written of 21/05/2017 Patch 1.10.1.2. Which means that these compositions are subject to change depending on hero rebalancing or even heroes being reworked.

Feel free to give me some feedback on the article and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, poke me on twitter @Zefhus.

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