Huge changes dropped for Overwatch yesterday, most notably Symmetra’s full kit overhaul as well as several other heroes’ Ultimate rework. For those who missed out on what was discussed, you can get yourself up to speed with these meta-shifting changes here. 

Speaking of the meta, here’s a quick overview on how we think these reworks are going to affect the current strategies at play, as well as the potential direction of the Overwatch meta.

1. Orisa Getting A Huge Bump in Pick Rates

The improved ult-charging time for our favorite traffic controller omnic means that she’s now more robust overall as she is able to use her ult more frequently. This enables teams on both sides (offense and defense) to play more aggressively ensuring a faster-paced game compared to battles of attrition in the past. Orisa players will be less-likely to hold on to their Ult for long now, so expect tons of fireworks especially at chokepoints in the early game and expect to see more frequent team fights featuring dual Orisa superchargers activated towards the closing phases.

2. Rise of Orisa Picks: The Longevity of the Swedish Meatball and Barrier Comps

Firstly, what’s the ‘Swedish Meatball Comp’? Well, it’s the composition involving heroes with huge pools of health with shield capabilities, supported by Brigette and either Moira or Lucio. Tasty. Think any four tanks and two very effective AOE healers.

Orisa, being the most versatile of the shield heroes due to her ability to cast her shield at a distance makes her a viable pick in the evolution of this strategy. The downside of this strat is the relatively low burst damage potential to finish off team fights due to the absence of DPS heroes. Dropping a Supercharger will certainly negate this and attacking teams will be able to clean off fights more effectively going forward.

3. Doomfist Is Now More Robust; But Don’t Expect Too Much of A Change

Doomfist gets a buff with his shield gain increased from 30 to 35 for normal abilities. The increase of 5 shield points may not seem much at first but if used correctly by expert players, the combo potential will make him much harder to kill. How many times have you tried to punish a diving Doomfist only to see him dash out of harm’s way thanks to his timely dodges?

The increased movement speed for his ultimate (150% to 200%) grants him improved mobility regardless of him trying to hunt down enemies, or simply ult-ing to get out trouble. The reason we think these changes won’t affect Doomfist much was due to the fact that very few players are well-accustomed to his playstyle, and being a hard hero to master, is more of a niche improvement than an over-compassing adjustment.

4. Symmetra Gets A New Lease in Life – But Barely

The most misunderstood hero gets even more confusing for many. By allowing her to project her turrets from a distance, Symmetra players get to expand their sneakiness  creativity to a whole new level and we can’t wait to see what the community comes up with, especially in smaller maps.

The new ultimate, Photon Barrier, might not seem much at first can be a very effective ult which forces the enemy’s hand. Defending teams can now funnel the attacking team’s options to close-quarters battle instead of cherry picking how they approach the objective. For example, on Hanamura B. Defending teams can now fall back to small corner on the point and deploy the barrier at an angle. The high ground is pointless if your shots can’t hit. This barrier negates the likes of McCree, Soldier and even D.Va’s potential fight-winning ultimates; thus forcing the attacking team to fight on the defender’s terms.

Symmetra’s teleporter rework will definitely contribute to the small rise of her pick rate especially on 2CP matches but we still consider her being a niche pick in the grander scheme of things. She doesn’t have any movement abilities which makes her the most vulnerable of the 200HP heroes and the turrets are more of annoyances than straight up damage dealers. As for the rework on her gun, we have little worry for most Symmetra mains’ aim.