The best Overwatch players are constantly changing. This might be because the game itself is a very new esport. It was released on May 24, 2016, and its main competition – the Overwatch League – has only been running since the beginning of 2018. And yet, Overwatch is already challenging esports juggernauts like League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Dota 2.
With that, more and more people are asking themselves: who is the best Overwatch player of all time? And while it might be hard to choose just one, the fanboys at BettingTips.gg have prepared a list of 10 pros who can make a claim to this title. Without further ado, let’s get to it!
Let’s Get Started with our Best Overwatch Players List 2021
10. ArK
It’s hard to get recognized as one of the best Overwatch players as a support. Especially if you’re also a Mercy main. In that sense, Ark is no different. He started his career by playing in APEX Challengers Season 2 on the Rhinos Gaming roster. However, his team finished the tournament (have a look also at our Overwatch World Cup page) in seventh place, and he had to join LW Red and play two more Challengers Seasons to qualify for the premier APEX league. There, LW Red reached the second group stage before falling prey to Cloud9 KongDoo and Nc Foxes. A decent result, but not a spectacular one by any means. Certainly not one to warrant a place among the top 10 Overwatch players.
And then the Overwatch League began. ArK joined New York Excelsior as their main support, and he quickly became the foundation of the entire team. His playstyle was measured and calculated, and he’s gone on record saying he values staying alive above else. A surprisingly selfish approach for a support player, but it worked. For his courage and contribution to the team success, he deserves to be among the best Overwatch players of all time.
He also provides a strong shot calling presence, and it was with his help that Excelsior rose to the very top of the Overwatch League. Granted, ArK wasn’t the flashiest player. But if you wanted a guardian angel that keeps your star players alive as long as humanly possible, ArK was the perfect man for the job. He retired in 2020 but his contribution to the game warrants a top 10 placement.
9. Miro
Miro is a player with a legacy. His first exposure to the competitive play happened when he joined Lunatic Hai for the Overwatch Power League. Still, it wasn’t until the 2016 Overwatch World Cup that he got everyone’s attention. With his help, the Korean team dominated the competition and claimed the title without dropping a single game.
As for Miro, he established himself as the best tank player in the world. And for good reason. He was the king of Winston, pushing the hero to the absolute limit with every game he played. Later on, the way he created space and used jumps to move around the map swiftly became the competitive standard. Together with Lunatic Hai, Miro proceeded to score back-to-back APEX victories. And while he was recently overshadowed by other tanks, he deserves a place on our list for being a Winston trailblazer. Today he is coaching Team Diamond and has plenty of wisdom to share.
8. Mano
Where Miro goes, Mano follows. At one point in time, these two have been the best Overwatch players in the world. At least, when it came to playing tanks. Miro was undeniably great on Winston, but Mano had what it takes to match him on the oversized gorilla. Meanwhile, he could also show up on Reinhardt and Orisa, which was one of the main reasons why he was chosen to represent South Korea at the 2017 Overwatch World Cup. The Koreans took the trophy at the event, and Mano’s versatility was a huge part of that victory. But his achievements didn’t end there.
When the Overwatch League began, Mano put on an absolute clinic as a part of the New York Excelsior lineup. His reliable frontlining enabled amazing DPS players like Pine, Libero, and Saebyeolbe, and he knew his limits enough to seamlessly initiate game-winning fights. And in the end, that’s exactly what you want from your tank player. with Miro retired from Overwatch, Mano chose Philadelphia Fusion as his new home and as one of top 10 Overwatch players, he is surely one of their best assets.
7. Libero
Even when you’re trying to answer the “who is the best Overwatch player?” question, it’s hard to find someone who’s skilled at several heroes at once. After all, most pros are dedicated specialists who are focused on mastering one hero instead of being jacks-of-all-trades. Not Libero. His hero pool is more akin to an ocean, as he effortlessly picks up one character after another. He is also one of the most loyal players in Overwatch, having competed exclusively for the New York Excelsior. Punters who trusted our Overwatch League predictions surely have fond memories of him playing at top-tier level and carrying his team to victory.
He first entered the professional scene as a Hanzo main on the Meta Athena lineup. However, he’s probably best known for coming up with unorthodox wall placements on Mei, and it because of him that Meta Athena pulled off some of the most creative flanks in Overwatch history. Nowadays, he’s at his best on projectile heroes, and his Genji, Junkrat, and Pharah add a ton of firepower to New York Excelsior. At this point, Libero has a solid claim to being the most versatile pro in the game, which is makes him one of the best Overwatch players of all time.
6. Effect
Effect is a player with weird history. Despite starting his career on the Meta Bellum lineup and enjoying success in APEX Challengers Season 2, he jumped at the opportunity to play for Team EnVyUs. There, he turned into the unstoppable DPS engine, and his Tracer was the driving force behind EnVy’s fourth-place finish in APEX Season 3. He knew when to go in, he picked the right targets, and – most importantly – he almost never missed. Things went downhill from there, though.
Effect joined the Dallas Fuel lineup to participate in the Overwatch League. Unfortunately, his new team crumbled under the weight of synergy issues and poor decision-making, but Effect retained his hitscan prowess. Despite the shaky form of Dallas Fuel, Effect’s foes always had to think of ways to deal with his Tracer. And in most cases, they still failed. Effect retired in 2021, but for his achievements over the years he deserves a place on our list, currently standing in the 6th position.
5. Gesture
Gesture is likely the best player Overwatch among current tanks. And we’re not saying this lightly. His rise to glory began on GC Busan, an unknown team that finished second at APEX Challengers Season 4 to qualify for the main league. No one expected much of them for APEX Season 4, but the newcomers took over the league and upset established squads like Lunatic Hai and Cloud9 KongDoo to score a first-place finish. Later on, the entire GC Busan lineup was acquired by London Spitfire, and Gesture went on to assert his dominance in the Overwatch League.
Much like Miro and Mano, he’s a Winston specialist. However, he improved the playstyle of these tank legends to turn into an unstoppable frontline machine. No matter the opponent, Gesture consistently finds new ways to get to the backline and wreak havoc among enemy squishies. And unlike many other Winstons, he knows his limits so well that he takes the kills and gets out without giving up his own life. Gesture carried the London Spitfire for two season, but he found his greatness when he joined Seoul Dynasty in 2020. The manner in which he supports his team against any for he is worthy of a place on the list of best Overwatch players of all time.
4. Profit
Even among the best Overwatch players, Profit stands out as a DPS prodigy. He was a key part of GC Busan’s miracle run in APEX Season 4, and he translated this success into Overwatch League victories when he was signed by the London Spitfires. Profit is a razor-sharp Tracer main that annihilates his enemies with surgical bursts of damage. He effortlessly goes in and out of fights, so you can always count on him to assassinate a priority target and set his team up for a strong push. This is a priced quality for Overwatch betting, especially when evenly matched teams meet.
That’s not the only thing he’s good at, though. Profit is downright oppressive on heroes like Junkrat, Genji, and even Roadhog. His versatility was vital to Spitfires’ victory in Stage 1 of the Overwatch League. But even when his team started slumping, Profit never wavered. He played for the London Spitfire with his reliable tank, Gesture and today they spearhead the unstoppable force called Seoul Dynasty.
3. JJoNak
When you talk about the current best Overwatch players, the name JJoNak always seems to come up. The Korean support flew under the radar until he joined New York Excelsior, one of the best Overwatch teams in the first OWL season. It was there that he finally entered the spotlight as a Zenyatta specialist.
The most noteworthy thing about him is that he isn’t your conventional support. In fact, he deals a ton of damage in most of his games to the point where he regularly outshines experienced DPS players. JJoNak knows the ins and outs of his hero so well that he’s consistently picking off enemy snipers and creating openings for his teammates. Granted, his team sets him up for success, but few other players could display the same relentless aggression on Zenyatta. And considering Overwatch teams are now trying to emulate JJoNak’s playstyle, he deserves a lot of credit for being so dominant in the support position.
2. Ryujehong
Now, I know what you’re thinking: how can Ryujehong be the second-best player Overwatch has ever seen when JJoNak outshines him in terms of recent results? Indeed, if you look at the latest showings, JJoNak is a more impactful support He should be ahead of him in our top 10 Overwatch players, right?. However, he’s still at the start of his competitive journey, so it’s hard to tell how long his success will last. And Ryujehong has already forged a legacy.
As one of the oldest players in the scene, Ryujehong kicked off his career on Lunatic Hai. On this team, he claimed two APEX championships and revolutionized the way people viewed the support position. He spent the most time on Zenyatta, but it was his Ana that pushed him into the realm of legends.
Whenever Ryujehong picked that hero, he turned into a demigod that could simultaneously pick off enemy squishies and save his own allies from certain doom. Moreover, every Genji was painfully aware of his presence, as Ryujehong never failed to stop their Dragonblades with well-timed Sleep Darts. Sure, he might not be as dominant now as he was in the past, but there’s a reason why even JJoNak views him as a role model.
1. Saebyeolbe
Saebyeolbe (aka SBB) is the greatest example of a clutch player and truly the best Overwatch players of all time. He played in three consecutive seasons of OGN’s APEX, and while his team never reached the finals, Saebyeolbe poured his heart and soul into every game. Seasoned fans will remember his spectacular Roadhog performance where he single-handedly dismantled KongDoo Panthera on Route 66. Others will recall SBB bursting down team USA’s Adam and Sinatraa at the 2017 Overwatch World Cup to clinch the match for South Korea.
His skill only seemed to increase when he joined New York Excelsior in the Overwatch League, as Saebyeolbe had complete mastery over the hardest trio of heroes in the game in Tracer, Widowmaker, and McCree. He has great aim, sure, but his real strength lies in his impressive mental fortitude and unnatural ability to pull off one game-winning play after another. Today he is a key player for Seoul Dynasty and the reason of their surge in 2020 and 2021. And if that isn’t deserving of the first place in our top 10 Overwatch players list, we don’t know what is!
