Simply put, Overwatch is a team-based game. Without a basic knowledge of team composition, counters, and team strategies, your chances of winning decrease drastically. With the possibility of some of your teammates being random, having the ability to communicate with your team effectively is often the difference between a win and a loss. Here are some basic gameplay tips to improve your competitive play.

Positive Communication

Always go to team chat.

If you want to communicate effectively with your teammates, you must switch over to team chat. Overwatch is a game completely dependent on teamwork and coordination. You don’t necessarily have to talk in team chat, but team chat allows you to hear your team’s call-outs and strategies.

Positive communication is vital to keeping everyone focused and confident. Constructive criticism can be really useful, especially at mid-ranks where there is such a wide range of knowledge of the game. However, you have to find ways to give teammates advice without insulting them. You don’t have to constantly compliment everyone, but it generally is not a good idea to tilt your own teammates.

Team Composition

Most teams use the 2-2-2 composition with two tanks, two DPS, and two healers. Insta-locking DPS is not going to help your team figure out who is the best player in each role. For example, as someone who loves playing Mercy, I have to know when it is time to switch on to Zenyatta. One of my teammates is an amazing Reaper, but for the sake of composition, he plays Zarya for us when we need the extra tank.

Understand that once you have chosen your hero, you may have to change. I mentioned that I loved playing Mercy. Well, if there is a Tracer absolutely destroying me on the backlines, I will hop on Zenyatta to deal a bit of damage on top of healing my team.

However, not everyone plays the meta, and it’s important to realize that just because the pros are using certain heroes to win, you can still get wins with the other heroes. For example, Symmetra has been near the bottom of the meta since the beta was released. Some players even consider her to be a "troll pick." Playing Symmetra while defending maps like Hanamura and Volskaya can be a very strategic pick. Since the defending spawn is so far away from the point, getting Symmetra's Teleporter up helps fallen teammates quickly return to the objective.

There are certainly times, however, when Symmetra might not be the best choice. Most heroes have certain game modes, maps, and other heroes they either do or don't play well with. Just remember to always prioritize team composition above personal preference.

Be flexible, and be open-minded before asking someone to switch off a hero.

Counters

Right now, the meta has four core heroes who show up about 80% of the time: Lucio, Zarya, Reinhardt, and Ana. These heroes are really powerful right now, and they make for really good picks. If there is an awesome Zarya on the other team, you probably should not pick D.Va since Zarya is a hard counter to D.Va. Or, if you see an enemy Ana, know that she has a sleep dart that can completely stun heroes out of their ults. Since Lucio has incredible mobility, maybe designate a Mei to slow him down or a Roadhog who can completely stun him with a hook. Reaper is the designated "tank shredder" at the moment, but taking down a Reinhardt takes teamwork. Your teammates can cover a Reaper from fire while he takes care of Reinhardt.

Make sure you remain flexible, just like with choosing an initial team composition. If there is a certain enemy giving you a hard time, just ask your teammates what you can do. Some of the best advice anyone has given me in general is instead of looking at everyone else thinking 'What can they do better?", look at yourself and think, 'What can I do better?"

Strategic Ults and Focusing

Overwatch is highly reliant on ultimate abilities, even with ultimate costs being increased 25% for all heroes in the latest PTR. This nerf only adds more values to ultimate abilities, so work with your teammates to strategically place them. I’ll give you an example using Pharah’s Barrage. When used alone, Pharah is left completely exposed and immobile against hit-scan characters like McCree or Soldier 76. If Pharah combines her ultimate with Zarya’s Graviton Surge, she is more likely to get picks or even a team-kill. Moral of the story: plan your ults. Solo-ulting can easily go wrong and turn into a wasted ult.

Lastly, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the other team, like you’re playing 1v6, it’s because they are focus firing. Focus firing is when multiple teammates focus a single target on the enemy team. Overwatch can give us “tunnel vision,” but being able to pick enemies as a functional team can help you attack, defend, or push the objective.

Overwatch is not about individual skill and ability. There is no “carry” in Overwatch, so remember to stay positive and strategize around your teammates. Gold metals or getting POTG mean nothing when paired with a ‘loss’ in competitive.

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