you don't want the alternative (not yet, anyway)

tldr: higher skill ceilings being meta is what ensures variety in the vast majority of ranks that aren't GM. We should focus on bringing more heroes closer to Genji/Tracer level for value/skill output, not bring them down, and examine why heroes heroes like Ashe/Echo aren't meta

The concept of skill expression is kind of doomed as a concept since it's heavily tied to what is culturally accepted to be skillfull, which is inherently survivorship bias. Who decides what is tolerable as an objective preference? You? The people that are ok with it, so they stay? The people that left to another game cause they disagree? I'd say whatever leans the most into what makes overwatch, overwatch. What are the core philosophies at the center. I violently despise playing into sojourn and I absolutely do not think she requires the "skill" everyone excuses her presence for. Take aim away and she has absolutely nothing. My rank almost entirely sits on top the load bearing aspect that is my mechanics, and I just don't think it's something I consider an overwatch-oriented skill. It's a fundamental. There are character aspects I think suck like mei freeze sure, but the complete exclusion of them in the higher ranks means that at best the game is just about timing and zoning. In a stupid way, everything you consider annoying about overwatch are the exact thing that give the game it's personality. Saying that there's no character that lives up to "the fairness" of tracer or sojourn, in a roster of 18, means that if after all this time we're still here-- maybe it's that those "fair" characters are the ones in the wrong game. And I mean that's what I thought for the most part over the last couple years, but since season 9 they flattened out the skill curve without nerfing the 'fair' heroes while also not buffing the 'dishonest' ones. ATM idk where I stand but my core stance is that I don't like the elitism of the few high elo DPS, because climbing the ranks doesn't matter if you do them on the wrong hero. You'll be gate kept because of artificial prestige. And that's not in overwatch's spirit imo.

Agree with a lot, disagree with a lot. Twitter not a good place for a good discussion, maybe something we could chat about on stream...

Although I highly agree with you and personally don't mind Tracer and Genji being meta because of their high skill ceiling, the outcast is Sojourn and always will be Sojourn because of her waaaay lower skill ceiling and how she's revolved around her one shot (Love the shirt btw)

Agreed!

Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you over that shirt

🐐

The original post could have just been Orisa, Mauga, Ram. It’s tragic watching pro tanks locked into those heroes. Outside a few exceptions, only Winston has been a consistently healthy tank pick. Support and DPS have had way healthier metas.

Freja has kind of made this a moot conversation, yeah? Sojourn is seeing very little playtime at the highest level and they've now introduced two very high skill heroes in a row. Perhaps aiming to solve this problem long term in that way

I think there's definitely been an effort to receive more skillful heroes in the last year or so, but there's also been a concerning lack of progress with older heroes, which has left many of them in the dust. Stuff like adding back Mei freeze as well shows there's not a cohesive vision with certain older heroes on the roster. For every Lifeweaver/Pharah/Rein that's been updated fairly well over time, there's a Symmetra/Mei/Mercy that's been left behind in the last few years.