Overwatch‘s Hero Pool Reveal was last night, and a new set of heroes will be sitting out this week of April 27. McCree, Widowmaker, Wrecking Ball, and Mercy will not be available. Here’s how each of these might impact Overwatch in the coming week.
McCree
McCree is one of the most popular damage heroes in the Overwatch League and at high ranks in competitive play. His ban for the week of April 27 isn’t overly surprising, but it will force players to adapt. Most likely, people will turn to the recently buffed Ashe. Her pick-rate in high-ranked competitive play is 25.3% compared to McCree’s 25.6%.
Widowmaker
Another popular competitive pick, Widowmaker gets to spend more time out of the lineup. Hanzo is the most comparable to her, with a .1% play difference in high-rank Overwatch play. Expect to see a decent amount of Ashe and Hanzo picks in the coming week, along with the ever-popular Mei and Reaper picks.
Wrecking Ball
This hero gets a lot of play as a stall hero in both the Overwatch League and high-ranked competitive play. Without him around, expect to see a lot more D.Va or Winston when it comes to stalling. Reinhardt and D.Va will likely continue to be the top Overwatch League picks, with Sigma, Zarya, and Winston remaining popular in competitive.
Mercy
Mercy has been on the rise since the release of Echo, but her play rate is still far lower than that of Ana. Expect to see a lot of Ana, Lucio, and Brigitte this week. Heroes like Echo and Pharah, who excel with Mercy pocketing them, might see slightly less play this week as well. Keep in mind, however, that these heroes may benefit from the McCree and Widowmaker bans.
🛑STOP!🛑 These heroes aren't allowed through next week. Echo, on the other hand… 👀 #OWL2020 pic.twitter.com/y4QTe4tdD1
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) April 27, 2020
With this week’s hero bans, it looks like we might start seeing a pattern. The popular heroes each week will rotate in and out, while less popular heroes will be available for most weeks. Blizzard will surely address this in the future.
Published: Apr 27, 2020 02:00 pm