The June 16 Patch released this week and a few quality of life features to the game as well as the UI interface have been implemented that will smooth out some of the game’s nagging pains. A priority queue will now be in effect for Competitive matches that have been hit with an AFK player, which has been a hotly requested feature from the Blizzard fan base since the very first seasons of competitive play.
This patch features some of the most dedicated DPS changes in recent memory as Echo, Genji and Hanzo have all been altered in different ways to level the current meta. Finally, last year’s Overwatch League MVP has been granted his own insignia into the game as Sinatraa’s Alien Zarya skin is now available for purchase in the game store.
The Important bits
With competitive Overwatch games still being a daily grind for the most fervent of players, a quality of life buff such as this prioritized queue for collapsed games is one of those non-gameplay updates that are just as much appreciated as any buff or well deserved nerf. No longer will players have to suffer another full wait to get into a game after another player’s connectivity issue within the first minute of entering a lobby.
While players have been asking for this kind of change for a few seasons now, Overwatch finally getting it together shows a sense of urgency towards their fanbase as they continue responding to community trends with each and every patch.
With that being said, there is an idea in the Overwatch community that certain heroes in the game are not as effective or are ‘outdated’. The synergy being laid out between heroes like Baptiste, Sigma and Echo continue to dwarf the hero combinations of heroes that were there at game launch. As patches continue to come in, buffs like the ones seen for Genji will need to continue if he hopes to hold a candle to the dominance that Doomfist has over the current meta.
While Genji’s shuriken numbers have gotten a slight adjustment (28 damage to 30) there is still a fundamental gap in cooldowns and ability effectiveness that keeps Echo and Doomfist at a higher tier. You might have to wait a bit for the best Overwatch players like Haksal to him up in competitive.
The high cooldown on swift strike with no CC at the end of it (like Doomfist), and the difficulty of pulling off those kills without a clear combo (like Echo), still has Genji on the outside looking in when it comes to close-range DPS options at the highest level. While these qualities of life buffs are appreciated, more nerfs are going to have to come elsewhere for Genji to rejoin the best Overwatch heroes.
Hanzo’s changes are a welcome addition to the meta as well, after the previous nerfs made him very difficult to pick up on certain maps. With the new changes, he can achieve a kill with three standard body shots on an opponent or one body shot followed by a headshot. This small scale change makes a huge difference when taking into account the amount of damage certain DPS heroes can achieve in small bursts. This change makes the spam vs. dive meta a little more even playing field and will have to see it take shape on the professional stage within the coming weeks.
For a more in-depth breakdown of all the new stats in the June 16 Overwatch Patch Notes, refer to this link for more.
Overwatch League MVP Skin
2019’s Overwatch League MVP has finally made his mark on the game in a permanent fashion as Jay “Sinatraa” Won has honed his former dreaded nickname in stride and applied it to one of his most prolific heroes last season in Zarya.
In the early stages of his career, Sinatraa was meme’d for this alien moniker that he has grown to love. The implementation of the Alien Zarya skin in her newly fashioned Men In Black-esque attire is available in the game store for 200 Overwatch League tokens. Fans of Blizzard and the Overwatch League still have an opportunity to grind out some tokens by watching the OWL live and linked with your twitch account in order to receive said tokens.
For those seeking some quick Overwatch betting tips. This patch doesn’t shift things too much, so you can keep your eyes focused on Philadelphia Fusion and NYXL until the end of June.
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