The mid-season 7 patch brought significant changes for support heroes. With nerfs affecting half of them and even a slight rework to Zenyatta. Nerfing supports doesn't just weaken them all; it also means previously restrained heroes now have increased viability due to the reduced strength of certain supports.
D Tier:
Mercy
Mercy remains in a lower tier. She's great for supporting a high-damage DPS, but many of them are doing well independently. In certain scenarios, Mercy's ability to resurrect a pick can be extremely valuable, particularly in sniper matchups.
However, most of the time, Mercy struggles to keep up with faster-paced teams that overpower her capabilities. She's vulnerable to being eliminated easily, especially with heroes like Sombra who can eliminate her with one shot. Additionally, the recent D.Va buff makes it even more challenging for Mercy, as a D.Va dive can quickly take her down.
She also faces difficulty in surviving massive brawls against heroes like Rein, Mei, Bastion, and Symmetra.There are several better choices than Mercy, but she remains a reliable hero and isn't weak in every situation.
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C Tier:
Moira
Moira remains a strong choice, but she doesn't fit well into rush compositions. While she attempts to adjust for spam and dive strategies, she doesn't effectively support these playstyles and lacks synergy with most heroes. Although she can keep pace at the start of a fight, she often struggles to maintain effectiveness afterwards. Her healing is good, but in a meta full of heroes with high sustain, her damage output falls short.
Her exceptional healing and self-sustainability make her a strong candidate, possibly becoming a necessary pick with the right adjustments.
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B Tier:
Zenyatta
Zenyatta's recent changes have altered his playstyle, making him somewhat better overall. His buffs to the harmony orb, health, and discord range are positive, but the adjustment to how his discord functions reduces his flexibility during mid-fight. Previously able to swiftly switch targets, he's now penalized for doing so, unable to reapply the discord to the same target immediately after it's been removed. This change feels restrictive and limits his effectiveness.
The update has its ups and downs for Zenyatta. While his dueling skills and dive support have improved, the clunkier discord mechanism poses challenges. Zenyatta's strength lies in his discord orb, which connects his abilities, but the nerf hampers its utility. A 7-second delay restricts his ability to effectively target aggressive heroes, which doesn't align well with the need for quick, tactical abilities like discord.
Zenyatta has seen slight improvements but remains low on the hero list.
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Lifeweaver
Lifeweaver is one of the heroes affected by recent support changes. He faced significant nerfs, particularly in heal output and life cooldown, yet he remains capable of delivering widespread healing and safeguarding teammates from danger and critical engagements. His platform for repositioning himself and the team is less effective compared to Symmetra's teleporter, which offers quicker and more frequent repositioning.
The recent buff to Lifeweaver's heal output is a positive step, but it's not compelling enough to prioritize him over other supports, especially in an aggressive playstyle. While proficient in keeping teams alive, he lacks the ability to aid in pushing. Even in spam compositions, his passive healing approach isn't significantly beneficial.
Nevertheless, Lifeweaver excels at sustaining himself and the team, and his ultimate ability remains potent. Despite enduring three nerfs, he firmly holds his place in the B tier.
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Illari
Iliari is currently experiencing her weakest state due to recent nerfs targeting her damage and pylon, which were her key strengths. This downgrade has shifted her from the top tier, despite appearing powerful. Her pylon's reduced health makes it highly vulnerable, easily destroyed by tanks like Sigma and Doomfist. Furthermore, her primary fire's projectile size has been halved, demanding higher accuracy for consistent shot hits.
While she remains a strong hero with consistent damage output and healing, achieving the same value as before now requires better aiming skills.
With her pylon only having 100 HP, Iliari is expected to see reduced play. However, skilled players can still use her effectively, especially as she remains one of the strongest duelists, particularly when pylon placement is strategic.
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A Tier:
Brigitte
Brigitte stands out as one of the heroes benefiting from the recent widespread support nerfs for several reasons. Her recent buff, boosting the damage of her whip shot, has significantly enhanced her ability to deliver burst damage, allowing her to eliminate 200 HP targets more swiftly.
Her importance has surged in this new patch due to various defensive capabilities being nerfed.
Brigitte excels in safeguarding high-value supports, ensuring they can perform their duties without the constant threat of being overwhelmed by incoming attacks. Her proficiency in keeping other supports alive, makes her a consistent and reliable choice, particularly given her effectiveness against both Doomfist and Sigma, who are frequently seen in matches.
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Ana
Ana continues to maintain her strength despite recent adjustments. The addition of 2 seconds to her Biotic Grenade cooldown isn't a game-changer, merely a minor alteration in how she operates. While an extra 2 seconds might seem significant, her Sleep Dart cooldown provides a defensive tool in the interval.
Ana's optimal playstyle involves cautious engagement, minimizing constant exposure. Strategic cooldown management is crucial in playing Overwatch, and Ana's gameplay won't be significantly hindered by this alteration.
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S Tier:
Lucio
As supports become weaker, more aggressive playstyles emerge, prioritizing pushing forward instead of constantly defending supports. With a rise in Brawl and Rush comps, and balance adjustments favoring this style, Lucio becomes pivotal in speeding his allies into battle.
However, his focus isn't solely on speed. His recent self-healing buff during "amp it up" allows him to sustain himself more effectively. With a high skill ceiling, Lucio's "Sound Barrier" remains one of the top ultimates, serving both defensively and offensively. The ability to choose between the two modes is advantageous, as many heroes are optimized for one and struggle when forced into the other role.
Unaffected by the recent wave of nerfs, Lucio emerges stronger by comparison, effectively guiding his team to capitalize on vulnerabilities arising from these adjustments.
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Baptiste
Baptiste remains incredibly powerful and holds a strong position on the list. Despite the significant Immortality Field health nerf, the cooldown is negligible, and the rest of his abilities remain formidable.
In extensive team battles, the Immortality Field's health often isn't the most critical factor. Baptiste shines by employing his area-of-effect healing and the Immortality Field to sustain allies and safeguard them.
Although it can be quickly destroyed by enemies when deployed in their line of sight. This alteration matters more in one-on-one showdowns, where swift characters like Tracer and Genji can dismantle it swiftly and resume their movement across the map.
Similar to Iliari, his dueling power might be somewhat diminished, but he still stands as one of the stronger heroes overall. Baptiste's ability to stay strong despite a lot of nerfs shows how flexible he is.
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Kiriko
Kiriko emerges as one of the most positively impacted heroes following recent changes, with what's almost not a nerf - a mere 1-second increase to her Suzu cooldown. In the era of faster compositions, the demand for assertive support has risen, and Kiriko excels in this role.
Given the decline of Iliayti's pylon, she now claims the title of the best duelist, equipped with a kit that remains as effective as ever, enabling her to singularly carry and support her team.
Kiriko has consistently maintained her position in the top tiers since her introduction, making her a significantly more viable option, particularly when Baptiste encounters challenges due to a weakened Immortality Field.
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