Still in the PTR, Arcade Mode is quickly becoming the premier mode for casual fun (and, of course, bonus loot boxes). The most popular mode thus far is the 3v3 Elimination by a long shot, which puts two teams of three against each other in a best-of-five team-deathmatch-esque series where everyone only has one life.
Since this game mode is so drastically different than your standard 6v6 in Quick Play, the metagame requires some tweaking, to say the least. Right now, it's only available to play on the Ecopoint: Antarctica map, and this will queue us in on a few more tips.
Top-Tier Heroes
Roadhog
Roadhog is a game-wrecker in lower-number battles. His only true hard counter is Reaper, who won't often show up in 3v3 (see below for reasons why).
You'll quickly find that the opposing team will likely be made up of one tank and two offense heroes, and Roadhog is the single best hero in the game for picking off low-health, high-damage opponents. And he can beat almost any other take 1v1 under the right circumstances. You'll also find that much of the action on Ecopoint: Antarctica takes place in a small corridor, meaning his hooks are much easier to land.
His Take a Breather ability also nullifies the need to dedicate a team slot to a healer (a strategy I wouldn't recommend anyhow, but we'll get there).
Ana
Ana is great in this scenario because, while she is also a squishy hero vulnerable to Roadhog hooks, it's not too difficult for her to land a quick sleep without dying, but it may require a bit of luck and sloppy Roadhog play.
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Besides that, she can fight from afar or up close, and help her teammates tremendously in either scenario. While you can pick up a Widowmaker instead, I'd recommend Ana since she has more utility.
Sombra
Sombra is, of course, the new hotness, and everyone will want to play her regardless of whether or not they actually can. Here's the thing: it's really easy to overplay your hand as Sombra in a 6v6 game. You'll go invisible and get cocky, and poorly plan your exit strategy, and die from all the teammates of the person you tried to pick off behind enemy lines.
In 3v3, though, her behind-the-scenes trickery is that much more difficult to defend against, because even a well coordinated team will only have two other players flying to defend against you. And, if they're not too well-coordinated – it's game-set-match.
Her hack lasts for what seems like an eternity – meaning you and one other person can isolate and destroy the most annoying targets. Imagine a Roadhog who can't hook or heal. Imagine a Tracer who just walks around normal speed only able to fire her peashooters at you. When played right, she's a thorn in the side of any team's strategy.
Heroes to Avoid
Reaper
Reaper is tempting. He's deal so much damage and has top-notch escapability. And in a game with fewer opponents to punish you if you overextend, how could this be a bad choice?
Well the real issue is that this isn't the same Reaper in the 6v6 modes – he's drastically underutilized in 3v3, where the low number of opponents and brief runtime of each round makes it so he'll likely never get his Ultimate and it will be far less game changing when he does. You'll also find that you hardly ever use his teleport.
You're much better off going with someone like McCree, who still has decent damage and escapability, with a little bit of utility thrown in there and an Ultimate that is good no matter how many opponents there are.
Reinhardt
The real issue with Reinhardt isn't the hero himself, it's the map in which he plays. Ecopoint: Antarctica, has all of one or two chokepoints. Reinhardt's major benefit is that he can escort his team down a path to an objective, but there are not small paths and no objectives in 3v3 Elimination.
So, if you do something cheesy like a Reinhardt-Bastion combo, there are so many ways that an opponent can sneak up behind you and put the kibosh on your whole strategy. Especially once people figure out how to play Sombra, this will get shut down in a hurry. Do yourself a favor and avoid the big man.
Mercy
It's so tempting to play 3v3 like 6v6 Quick Play, and so you'll want to get Mercy. "We need a healer," "we need a tank." You need to start thinking differently. Mercy has virtually zero offensive capabilities, making her presence in an elimination mode at best a minor assistance.
She also has the same problem as Reinhardt and then some. The new map offers lots of ways for people to get around and focus fire the Mercy. Worse yet, if you kill the person Mercy is protecting (difficult, but not impossible), she's suddenly useless. Also, there's not as many teammates to protect her. If Mercy gets in trouble in 6v6, she can retreat back to her five teammates and be just fine. Not so in 3v3.
If you were trying to defend a point in 3v3, I'd say go for it. But this is elimination. Get some damn offense.
