The Nerf
On March 22nd, only a few days after the GosuGamers Weeklies, Blizzard put out a new patch. It included a ton of stuff: a new map, a bundle of awesome skins, a UI overhaul and a lot more. Included amidst the large patch notes was a single balance change:
Zenyatta had received quite a heavy handed nerf, the only hero to have a balance change. It may seem extreme at first, but once the circumstances are considered, it begins to make sense. Since the beta has returned, Zenyatta has been incredibly dominant. He was ran as one of the core supports nearly every time, but was the first to be swapped out if a team wanted someone else. It wasn’t until the past two weekends that he really became a problem.
Zenyatta saw a huge increase in play in a strategy known as Zenlotta or Double Orb or Orbital Destruction; all manner of things. The strategy revolved around 2 Zenyattas, Tracer, Genji, Symmetra, and a Flex hero. The idea being that the Zenyattas would put Harmony Orbs onto both of the flanking offense heroes and Symmetra would shield them, making them incredibly difficult to kill, mobile targets. They would then go and steamroll the opposing team, never giving them a moment of rest to establish a solid defense. It proved incredibly effective, to the point where it was being ran nearly every time, on both sides.
The Double Zenyatta strategy was played almost always during the finals of the GosuGamers Weekly NA #8
The popularity of this strategy led to Zenyatta achieving a pickrate of 150% that weekend, meaning that he was guaranteed to appear 3 times on one map, a huge oversaturation, and a clear sign that there was something wrong with the hero. Blizzard clearly felt this way too, as only two days after the GosuGamers Weekly he received the nerf mentioned above.
Where is he now?
The question is, what are the effects of this nerf? At the time of writing, only the GosuGamers EU Weekly has occurred, but the effects are already clear. Zenyatta currently sits at a 54% pickrate, meaning he is likely to show up only one time in a single match. He’s seen a lot less play, but not just in the sense that teams are reacting to his nerf and not picking him anymore. Teams will try to use him, but it’s clear that their opponents are already prepared. Once they get a Discord Orb thrown on them they immediately hide until it wears off. And Harmony Orb just can’t do as much when it wears off a few seconds after Genji or Tracer go in.
Maybe these nerfs seem a bit heavy, then, if Zenyatta is seeing such a large decrease in play and teams seem so quick to play around it. After all, a once core hero now sitting at a 50% pickrate does seem like quite a big drop. In comparison it may seem that way, but the more heroes sit at a middling pickrate, the better the balance. It means that teams aren’t set on running a single hero, but also that they will run it when needed. It opens the doors for alternatives, and more heroes to make their way into the meta. With Zenyatta’s nerf, Mercy has gone from a 28% pickrate to a 60%, a near double. Many heroes that didn’t fit into the Double Zenyatta strategy are also seeing a lot more play now as the lineups become more diverse.
The GosuGamers Weekly EU #9 featured a slew of character's not normally seen during Zenyatta's dominance
Without Zenyatta dominating the playing field, strategies become a lot more diverse. Teams no longer feel pressured to always have a Zenyatta in their lineup and subsequently heroes to play around him. This opens the door to many heroes who wouldn’t otherwise synergize with Zenyatta, but do well with counterparts such as Mercy. For example, Zarya saw a pickrate increase from 30% to 60% as she works well with Mercy’s damage boosting and burst healing, but can’t do much with the passive health from Harmony Orb due to a lack of mobility. It’s not just Zarya, many heroes like Junkrat, Widowmaker, and Pharah are seeing increased play with his decrease in popularity.
Overall the Zenyatta nerf has been good for the meta. He sits right in the middle of pickrates, and as a result makes strategies involving him and those without equally viable. Many heroes are seeing a rise in play, and the ones that rely on him are dropping down to more even levels as well. Granted, it’s still early days and it could turn out Zenyatta is still overpowered, or his pickrate could continue to decrease until the Double Zenyatta plague becomes a distant memory. For now though, he looks to be in a good place. Strong enough that he still sees good amounts of play, but not so strong that he won’t be swapped out for an alternative if a team wants something different. In harmony with the rest of the meta, as is fitting of his character.
For more competitive Overwatch news and features, follow us @GosuOverwatch.
