The latest patch for Overwatch has brought many changes. Among other things, adjustments for Sombra, Genji, Orisa, and D.Va. The most important change, however, is the alteration of the ultimates – which has made some heroes disproportionately stronger.
Sombra – The Ultimate Killer
With the update 1.16 / 2.19, the hero Sombra was adjusted. She can now interrupt the ultimates of Ana, Orisa, Mei, and Reinhardt as well as D.Va’s “Call Mech” with her hack.
At the same time, all ultimates have also been adjusted. Once they are used, all charges are gone. You have to start again from 0%. They discharge immediately when the button is pressed, not only when they take effect or over a short period.
This is something that Blizzard did not explicitly address in the patch notes. This change means for Sombra that she can completely drain an opponent’s ultimates with her hack and also the EMP.
The computer specialist can, with good timing, not only prevent the use of an ultimate but also completely reset it. This applies both to those mentioned in the patch notes and to almost every ultimate that does not fall under the “Transformation” category.
Who is Prepared?
The colleagues from Your Overwatch and Overwatch Central have conducted tests and concluded that the ultimates of the following heroes cannot (always) be reset:
- Doomfist
- Zenyatta
- Tracer
- Symmetra
- Zarya
- all heroes with transformation ultimates (Soldier 76, Genji, Mercy etc.)
However, they are not completely sure about Doomfist, Zenyatta, Tracer, and Zarya. In their tests, they were able to interrupt the effect of the ultimates with perfect timing.
Through absolute precision, these abilities can also be negated. The same is true for Ana, but her time window is slightly larger. Blizzard should revisit this and define more precisely which ultimates can be prevented.
There is More…
All of this sounds like Sombra is now one of the strongest heroes in the game. She has certainly become stronger with this adjustment – the same applies to all heroes with the ability to stun opponents (“hard CC”).
The characters for whom this is particularly interesting are McCree, Doomfist, and Roadhog. Since they can all cause a very precise and quick stun effect, the same applies to them as for Sombra’s hacks. If an ultimate is interrupted by them, it is gone.
The same effect is also produced by Mei’s freezing and Ana’s sleep dart. However, these require extreme accuracy and precise timing, as well as good foresight to achieve the same effect.
The Losers
These changes particularly pose a problem for D.Va and Lúcio. If D.Va is interrupted after using her explosion when calling the mech, she cannot do it again immediately. She is vulnerable for a long time and is very likely to be dead shortly thereafter.
For Lúcio, the rule is: The ultimate discharges as soon as the button is pressed, not only when landing. He now has to be very careful about when to activate the sound barrier.
For the game itself, this means that the timing of ultimates and team fights in general require much more finesse. Additionally, tactical interruptions by characters who can interrupt will be rewarded more frequently. Fights should generally be much more intense, making the game somewhat more balanced when players with similar skills face each other.
