It still kind of blows my mind how few pugs realize the strength of Junkrat. He's my most played now, by far, and I have much higher win-rate with him than anyone else.
But sometimes I wanna try other heroes and nobody else ever seems bring him so if we start getting rolled I'll usually have to switch and single-handedly turn the game around. He's ridiculously strong in virtually all situations, it's crazy.
I even saved myself from a boop with his mine the other day, it was awesome. Lucio was like "whaaaaat? *dies*" He did not expect me to pop back up from that abyss he knocked me into.
For anyone chasing the mercy 4 res achievement it's kinda reliably performed with a 6 stack. Just run mercy+lucio and Let team rush in as five. Either they take point, or die for a good res.
All this talk of "hard" counters. I dunno. I don't really buy the idea in this game. I mean, the closest I can really come up with is say..Pharah is a hard counter to Rein/Junkrat, and even that's sort of BS. I did an ult high up in the air and had a Rein leap off a ledge and take me out with a melee. Maybe the exception that proves the rule, but still...In general, I find that things people consider hard counters aren't, unless you're 1) on a specific map type, 2) your team has a specific playstyle and 3) the enemy team has a specific playstyle.
Like some people consider Widow the hard counter to turrets. ehhhhh, I say it depends. "Widow is the hard counter to Pharah." I don't think so at all. I mean...could be...if your Pharah needs to hang around the point and Widow can be away from it..sure, maybe then.
I mean, your pharah story is pretty anecdotal in the grand scheme of things. In general pharah has the tools to threaten reinhardt (high damage primary, splash damage, vertical mobility allowing pharah to attempt to shoot over reinhardt's shield, knockback to disrupt his positioning) while the best reinhardt can do is shield and hope his teammates take out pharah, snice fire strike is a projectile with travel time and charge doesn't really threaten pharah. you saying one time a reinhardt was in a position to jump off a ledge high enough to reach where you were hovering and melee you doesn't suddenly invalidate the advantage pharah has in general over reinhardt.
Fair enough. So maybe I'll agree that in a few one-on-one situations, yes, there are a very few hard counters. I just don't think it generally matters. Like usually if Reinhardt is really threatening it's because people are bunching up on him and that's a potentially dangerous situation for Pharah. Junkrat is 100% a better counter in that situation. If people aren't bunching up on him, Pharah's probably a better counter, but then you have to ask yourself whether he's worth countering? Maybe...if he's good.
edit: my point is the important counter here is probably Junkrat, and you're countering the enemy team bunching up more than you're countering Reinhardt specifically. Maybe that's pedantic, but I don't really think so?
MadPen on
3DS: 4098-4243-6127
0
No-QuarterNothing To FearBut Fear ItselfRegistered Userregular
I'm not not super good at Junkrat but I can't tell you how many pubbie games I'm in where we're losing and no one's switching and sigh, switch to Junkrat and we win...
... and then someone on my team goes "Wow, how did we win!" despite getting Riptire PotG and an elimination card despite only playing Junkrat for a fourth of the match.
That's aside from people on the other team complaining that "Junkrat's OP!"- almost always always ALWAYS coming from a shittily-played Bastion. Stop playing my favorite character poorly and shift your position once in awhile you goose!
I'm not not super good at Junkrat but I can't tell you how many pubbie games I'm in where we're losing and no one's switching and sigh, switch to Junkrat and we win...
... and then someone on my team goes "Wow, how did we win!" despite getting Riptire PotG and an elimination card despite only playing Junkrat for a fourth of the match.
That's aside from people on the other team complaining that "Junkrat's OP!"- almost always always ALWAYS coming from a shittily-played Bastion. Stop playing my favorite character poorly and shift your position once in awhile you goose!
good god, you're an illidan main AND a bastion main?
One thing that keeps getting to me about push maps is how you can push the whole goddamn payload to the end of the map in like a minute and a half, but the next 6 are spent fighting over that last 2 feet since the enemy almost literally spawns on top of it.
can someone describe the ideal situation to play d.va into? I got a legendary skin for her and am trying to play her more, but I get frustrated with how quickly she gets focused and falls apart compared to basically any other tank. I usually end up switching to roadhog and suddenly the mccrees/soldiers/tracers who were shredding me start having a bad time.
can someone describe the ideal situation to play d.va into? I got a legendary skin for her and am trying to play her more, but I get frustrated with how quickly she gets focused and falls apart compared to basically any other tank. I usually end up switching to roadhog and suddenly the mccrees/soldiers/tracers who were shredding me start having a bad time.
Yes. She's not actually a tank. Treat her as a flanker. Hit and runs.
Be REALLY annoying.
M A G I K A Z A M
+3
The Escape Goatincorrigible ruminantthey/themRegistered Userregular
can someone describe the ideal situation to play d.va into? I got a legendary skin for her and am trying to play her more, but I get frustrated with how quickly she gets focused and falls apart compared to basically any other tank. I usually end up switching to roadhog and suddenly the mccrees/soldiers/tracers who were shredding me start having a bad time.
She's confirmed to be getting buffed soon-ish, so she's a little on the weak side right now. I enjoyed her a lot defending on Hanamura B just popping in and out of the building, harassing their healer/sniper, and picking up the plethora of healthpacks around by just spamming boosters. And her ult is VERY good for clearing the point off.
That said, you can do a lot of stuff on Hanamura B and have it work because it's insanely defender favored with a little coordination (but not too much coordination, like at pro levels, where you just get immediately rolled before getting entrenched).
0
Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
can someone describe the ideal situation to play d.va into? I got a legendary skin for her and am trying to play her more, but I get frustrated with how quickly she gets focused and falls apart compared to basically any other tank. I usually end up switching to roadhog and suddenly the mccrees/soldiers/tracers who were shredding me start having a bad time.
Technically, she is the tankiest of the tanks by far, because she can absorb a HUGE amount of damage before actually finally dying if you're good at getting away on foot. But it's not an obvious thing, and if people stay on top of her even after she gets out of the mech, she gets swatted pretty easily.
D.va does best when she has allies to fall back into, so she can unload with her pistol and get a new mech. She's also great for pushing through chokepoints or gutting an enemy push by just shooting down everything coming her way; she can even jet boost while knocking projectiles.
I use her mostly on defense or for KOTH, because then people are always running at you and her shotgun range doesn't hurt you so much. And don't forget that her rocket boost damages whoever she hits! I didn't realize that for a while, and it really helps her out. Fly into an enemy, then either melee right when you ram them or start firing; she can do a ton of damage that way.
Commonly, I jet boost into an enemy crowd, unload while everyone recovers, neutralize projectile until my boost finishes recharging, then fly away to heal up. Just focus on whoever has low health and you can get plenty of effective kills and get away.
EDIT: Does anybody know if one of her buffs is removing the huge-ass warning from her ult? Because it makes it borderline useless, since it warns everybody in a thousand feet and doesn't last nearly long enough to do much area denial. McCree's is way easier to kill people with, and the most it gets is a bit of a glow.
can someone describe the ideal situation to play d.va into? I got a legendary skin for her and am trying to play her more, but I get frustrated with how quickly she gets focused and falls apart compared to basically any other tank. I usually end up switching to roadhog and suddenly the mccrees/soldiers/tracers who were shredding me start having a bad time.
Fun fact, her boost can be pointed vertically. She can basically fly. Also her forward barrier can be used while closing in on a target. Also her forward barrier can be used while flying.
I like this game a lot, but I'm already starting to get to a "I've kind of seen all this" place with it. I kinda wish it had daily quests like HotS or Star Wars Battlefront "play winston 3 times" "Get 12 turret kills". The gameplay is fun fun fun, but I still find myself wanting more of a hook to keep playing. Skins and sprays are maybe not quite enough.
I like this game a lot, but I'm already starting to get to a "I've kind of seen all this" place with it. I kinda wish it had daily quests like HotS or Star Wars Battlefront "play winston 3 times" "Get 12 turret kills". The gameplay is fun fun fun, but I still find myself wanting more of a hook to keep playing. Skins and sprays are maybe not quite enough.
I can't wait for Ranked, personally. I like climbing ranks and getting good. Dailies, on the other hand? I'd rather not. The "play <CHARACTER> 3 times" stuff goes against the design intent of swapping to what the team needs. Unless its super simple and very limited like "Play 5 games" or "Win 3 games" or whatever that doesn't involve spamming a certain hero, I'm completely opposed to the idea. People already don't swap enough.
I do, however, think that the first win of the weekly brawl should give a loot box, though. As it stands unless its super amazing, I see no reason to play it.
Thats a example of good team play / team comp too. Always shielding people in front then rotating back when low, speed boosting people out of danger among other good plays. They are all good enough not to require comms to do so too
I like this game a lot, but I'm already starting to get to a "I've kind of seen all this" place with it. I kinda wish it had daily quests like HotS or Star Wars Battlefront "play winston 3 times" "Get 12 turret kills". The gameplay is fun fun fun, but I still find myself wanting more of a hook to keep playing. Skins and sprays are maybe not quite enough.
I can't wait for Ranked, personally. I like climbing ranks and getting good. Dailies, on the other hand? I'd rather not. The "play <CHARACTER> 3 times" stuff goes against the design intent of swapping to what the team needs. Unless its super simple and very limited like "Play 5 games" or "Win 3 games" or whatever that doesn't involve spamming a certain hero, I'm completely opposed to the idea. People already don't swap enough.
I do, however, think that the first win of the weekly brawl should give a loot box, though. As it stands unless its super amazing, I see no reason to play it.
Your objection is reasonable, that was more a spitball suggestion than an idea I'm married to. Just want more of a hook is all. Will suspend judgement until ranked play
I'd be very wary of Seagull videos. He is absolutely good at the game; one of the best, really. However, in most of his videos Shayed, a Mercy on his team, is constantly glued to him for the majority of the match regardless of who he is playing. It can give you very skewed expectations about how to play a character when they're constantly doing bonus damage and rarely have to retreat from engagements.
The 6-man teams and bigger roster with deeper niches really make it hard to say "I just want to have a good time playing X character tonight" because the chances are much higher it just isn't going to work and you're not going to have fun.
Well, yeah - this was kind of an explicit design goal. Character switching is very much an intended part of the game, you're not meant to be able to sit back and say "I am playing this specific character come Hell or high water."
Definitely makes it a different beast to TF2, but it's not an outright bad design choice.
It's kinda overrated, tbh. A few swaps can be really pushed, but I certainly feel confident in going all game as Pharah, Torbjorn (on defense,) Roadhog, and Lucio for their respective roles, most of the time.
re: earlier: 1v1 balance is pretty important. Not only can it tend to influence overall balance, but very large 1v1 balance skews are pretty toxic even if balanced on the grandest of scales. Either from the receiving end of getting destroyed without any recourse, or, I'll be frank, far too many people are too impressed with themselves for easy victories. The best victories are those where the scales are perfectly balanced, and it is only one's fervent desire to win that makes them succeed. Easy wins are emotional fast food for the immorally vain.
And now I have to read that line with the voice of Big Daddy during his death scene. Repeatedly.
I'd be very wary of Seagull videos. He is absolutely good at the game; one of the best, really. However, in most of his videos Shayed, a Mercy on his team, is constantly glued to him for the majority of the match regardless of who he is playing. It can give you very skewed expectations about how to play a character when they're constantly doing bonus damage and rarely have to retreat from engagements.
I listen to the podcast that features Shayed, and she has some... interesting opinions on game balance, all of which are 100% based on how easy or hard it is to pocket heal Seagull. I don't mean to sound like I'm slamming her, but both Seagull and Shayed have opinions based on their specific experiences playing together, and not the game as a whole or a solo queue player.
Thats a example of good team play / team comp too. Always shielding people in front then rotating back when low, speed boosting people out of danger among other good plays. They are all good enough not to require comms to do so too
The best part is that when reinhardt gets a shield he immediately drops his own shield. Even if he's not actually fighting someone he's at least inviting people to take shots at him.
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
+1
The Escape Goatincorrigible ruminantthey/themRegistered Userregular
I'd be very wary of Seagull videos. He is absolutely good at the game; one of the best, really. However, in most of his videos Shayed, a Mercy on his team, is constantly glued to him for the majority of the match regardless of who he is playing. It can give you very skewed expectations about how to play a character when they're constantly doing bonus damage and rarely have to retreat from engagements.
I listen to the podcast that features Shayed, and she has some... interesting opinions on game balance, all of which are 100% based on how easy or hard it is to pocket heal Seagull. I don't mean to sound like I'm slamming her, but both Seagull and Shayed have opinions based on their specific experiences playing together, and not the game as a whole or a solo queue player.
To be fair, this is a context that should be applied to everyone but isn't. People will try to mimic the pro scene for most esports even though they simply don't have the skill or coordination to pull it off. Your assessment of what is good/bad are largely going to be shaped by the experiences you have, and that's true of everyone from pro gamers to streamers to plebian gamers.
I got a little salty, as I think most people might, around 9-10. So I started noting in chat - "0 for 9 today" - "now 0 for 11." I quit to the menu after the twelfth consecutive loss ...
... and within a few seconds, receive an invite to a group. From the guy who had suspiciously been on the opposing team for a good 8 of the consecutive losses. Realization slowly dawns as I hit the confirm button.
"we felt bad."
There had been a group of 5 players coordinating their efforts to smash me on teamspeak for the past seven games. So, naturally, the next game was my first win xp bonus. I triple- and quadruple-golded, respectively, defense and offense on Hanamura, finishing with a d.va solo cap. It was a very confusing experience all around. I'm validated that sometimes the world really is out to get you and that once the tables were turned I outscored them all, but wow does it suck that you can just be matched into that level of crapfest in Quickplay and not be warned by default. I had to go digging in the forums afterwards to find the menu option that shows parties.
Molybdenum on
Steam: Cilantr0
3DS: 0447-9966-6178
0
The Escape Goatincorrigible ruminantthey/themRegistered Userregular
I got a little salty, as I think most people might, around 9-10. So I started noting in chat - "0 for 9 today" - "now 0 for 11." I quit to the menu after the twelfth consecutive loss ...
... and within a few seconds, receive an invite to a group. From the guy who had suspiciously been on the opposing team for a good 8 of the consecutive losses. Realization slowly dawns as I hit the confirm button.
"we felt bad."
There had been a group of 5 players coordinating their efforts to smash me on teamspeak for the past seven games. So, naturally, the next game was my first win xp bonus. I triple- and quadruple-golded, respectively, defense and offense on Hanamura, finishing with a d.va solo cap. It was a very confusing experience all around. I'm validated that sometimes the world really is out to get you and that once the tables were turned I outscored them all, but wow does it suck that you can just be matched into that level of crapfest in Quickplay and not be warned by default. I had to go digging in the forums afterwards to find the menu option that shows parties.
wait that's a menu option? why the hell isn't it on by default?
I got a little salty, as I think most people might, around 9-10. So I started noting in chat - "0 for 9 today" - "now 0 for 11." I quit to the menu after the twelfth consecutive loss ...
... and within a few seconds, receive an invite to a group. From the guy who had suspiciously been on the opposing team for a good 8 of the consecutive losses. Realization slowly dawns as I hit the confirm button.
"we felt bad."
There had been a group of 5 players coordinating their efforts to smash me on teamspeak for the past seven games. So, naturally, the next game was my first win xp bonus. I triple- and quadruple-golded, respectively, defense and offense on Hanamura, finishing with a d.va solo cap. It was a very confusing experience all around. I'm validated that sometimes the world really is out to get you and that once the tables were turned I outscored them all, but wow does it suck that you can just be matched into that level of crapfest in Quickplay and not be warned by default. I had to go digging in the forums afterwards to find the menu option that shows parties.
Jeese man if your team loses that much, quit that queue and find a more balanced set of teams. Throwing more good money away after the bad is always a bad idea.
Secrets, lies, and tragedy. The trifecta.
3DS Code: 5043-2172-1361
Xbone Tag: Salal al Din
I got a little salty, as I think most people might, around 9-10. So I
Jeese man if your team loses that much, quit that queue and find a more balanced set of teams. Throwing more good money away after the bad is always a bad idea.
I mean, the lesson is learned now, but until this point I hadn't really noticed that the lobby is constant between maps. Turnover in teammates is usually high enough that I had just figured every attack/defend set used freshly pulled randoms.
Posts
But sometimes I wanna try other heroes and nobody else ever seems bring him so if we start getting rolled I'll usually have to switch and single-handedly turn the game around. He's ridiculously strong in virtually all situations, it's crazy.
I even saved myself from a boop with his mine the other day, it was awesome. Lucio was like "whaaaaat? *dies*" He did not expect me to pop back up from that abyss he knocked me into.
http://i.imgur.com/MxELgGO.gifv
Fair enough. So maybe I'll agree that in a few one-on-one situations, yes, there are a very few hard counters. I just don't think it generally matters. Like usually if Reinhardt is really threatening it's because people are bunching up on him and that's a potentially dangerous situation for Pharah. Junkrat is 100% a better counter in that situation. If people aren't bunching up on him, Pharah's probably a better counter, but then you have to ask yourself whether he's worth countering? Maybe...if he's good.
edit: my point is the important counter here is probably Junkrat, and you're countering the enemy team bunching up more than you're countering Reinhardt specifically. Maybe that's pedantic, but I don't really think so?
... and then someone on my team goes "Wow, how did we win!" despite getting Riptire PotG and an elimination card despite only playing Junkrat for a fourth of the match.
That's aside from people on the other team complaining that "Junkrat's OP!"- almost always always ALWAYS coming from a shittily-played Bastion. Stop playing my favorite character poorly and shift your position once in awhile you goose!
good god, you're an illidan main AND a bastion main?
did you ever have a soul?
Have you seen him? Now you have
So much running, but so little escaping.
Be REALLY annoying.
She's confirmed to be getting buffed soon-ish, so she's a little on the weak side right now. I enjoyed her a lot defending on Hanamura B just popping in and out of the building, harassing their healer/sniper, and picking up the plethora of healthpacks around by just spamming boosters. And her ult is VERY good for clearing the point off.
That said, you can do a lot of stuff on Hanamura B and have it work because it's insanely defender favored with a little coordination (but not too much coordination, like at pro levels, where you just get immediately rolled before getting entrenched).
Technically, she is the tankiest of the tanks by far, because she can absorb a HUGE amount of damage before actually finally dying if you're good at getting away on foot. But it's not an obvious thing, and if people stay on top of her even after she gets out of the mech, she gets swatted pretty easily.
D.va does best when she has allies to fall back into, so she can unload with her pistol and get a new mech. She's also great for pushing through chokepoints or gutting an enemy push by just shooting down everything coming her way; she can even jet boost while knocking projectiles.
I use her mostly on defense or for KOTH, because then people are always running at you and her shotgun range doesn't hurt you so much. And don't forget that her rocket boost damages whoever she hits! I didn't realize that for a while, and it really helps her out. Fly into an enemy, then either melee right when you ram them or start firing; she can do a ton of damage that way.
Commonly, I jet boost into an enemy crowd, unload while everyone recovers, neutralize projectile until my boost finishes recharging, then fly away to heal up. Just focus on whoever has low health and you can get plenty of effective kills and get away.
EDIT: Does anybody know if one of her buffs is removing the huge-ass warning from her ult? Because it makes it borderline useless, since it warns everybody in a thousand feet and doesn't last nearly long enough to do much area denial. McCree's is way easier to kill people with, and the most it gets is a bit of a glow.
Fun fact, her boost can be pointed vertically. She can basically fly. Also her forward barrier can be used while closing in on a target. Also her forward barrier can be used while flying.
Have you seen him? Now you have
I can't wait for Ranked, personally. I like climbing ranks and getting good. Dailies, on the other hand? I'd rather not. The "play <CHARACTER> 3 times" stuff goes against the design intent of swapping to what the team needs. Unless its super simple and very limited like "Play 5 games" or "Win 3 games" or whatever that doesn't involve spamming a certain hero, I'm completely opposed to the idea. People already don't swap enough.
I do, however, think that the first win of the weekly brawl should give a loot box, though. As it stands unless its super amazing, I see no reason to play it.
Thats a example of good team play / team comp too. Always shielding people in front then rotating back when low, speed boosting people out of danger among other good plays. They are all good enough not to require comms to do so too
Streaming 8PST on weeknights
Your objection is reasonable, that was more a spitball suggestion than an idea I'm married to. Just want more of a hook is all. Will suspend judgement until ranked play
And now I have to read that line with the voice of Big Daddy during his death scene. Repeatedly.
I listen to the podcast that features Shayed, and she has some... interesting opinions on game balance, all of which are 100% based on how easy or hard it is to pocket heal Seagull. I don't mean to sound like I'm slamming her, but both Seagull and Shayed have opinions based on their specific experiences playing together, and not the game as a whole or a solo queue player.
The best part is that when reinhardt gets a shield he immediately drops his own shield. Even if he's not actually fighting someone he's at least inviting people to take shots at him.
I've been meaning to practice that more... I like the feel of his rifle a lot more than 76's.
To be fair, this is a context that should be applied to everyone but isn't. People will try to mimic the pro scene for most esports even though they simply don't have the skill or coordination to pull it off. Your assessment of what is good/bad are largely going to be shaped by the experiences you have, and that's true of everyone from pro gamers to streamers to plebian gamers.
First we have a typical Torbjorn PotG with a little Reinhardt bonus.
Then we have some engine weirdness.
Steam: MightyPotatoKing
I got a little salty, as I think most people might, around 9-10. So I started noting in chat - "0 for 9 today" - "now 0 for 11." I quit to the menu after the twelfth consecutive loss ...
... and within a few seconds, receive an invite to a group. From the guy who had suspiciously been on the opposing team for a good 8 of the consecutive losses. Realization slowly dawns as I hit the confirm button.
"we felt bad."
There had been a group of 5 players coordinating their efforts to smash me on teamspeak for the past seven games. So, naturally, the next game was my first win xp bonus. I triple- and quadruple-golded, respectively, defense and offense on Hanamura, finishing with a d.va solo cap. It was a very confusing experience all around. I'm validated that sometimes the world really is out to get you and that once the tables were turned I outscored them all, but wow does it suck that you can just be matched into that level of crapfest in Quickplay and not be warned by default. I had to go digging in the forums afterwards to find the menu option that shows parties.
3DS: 0447-9966-6178
wait that's a menu option? why the hell isn't it on by default?
Jeese man if your team loses that much, quit that queue and find a more balanced set of teams. Throwing more good money away after the bad is always a bad idea.
3DS Code: 5043-2172-1361
Xbone Tag: Salal al Din
I mean, the lesson is learned now, but until this point I hadn't really noticed that the lobby is constant between maps. Turnover in teammates is usually high enough that I had just figured every attack/defend set used freshly pulled randoms.
3DS: 0447-9966-6178
I'm seeing forum posts about it but not finding any box to check, so who knows.
3DS: 0447-9966-6178
not if the games themselves were "close" by whatever metrics they have for that
you'll get requeued if the game is bonkers bad, like a complete KotH shutout
Yeah we figured you dc'd
I was playing sooooo bad and tilting I probably should have quit five games before I did. Sigh
I had all five golds up until the last 45 seconds. JUST LET ME HAVE THEM.