Overwatch's Patch 1.7 is possibly the most controversial patch to date, with the forums going crazy after changes to Roadhog and nerfs to D.Va and Ana. After any patch, there are going to be some overreactions, and a patch that drastically changes two of the most popular tanks is certainly no exception.
However, clarity has come in the form of the Overwatch NGE Winter Premiere Tournament, which is in its grand final stage live at PAX South. This is the first opportunity at a professional tournament that we get to see Patch 1.7 in action, played by people outside of Bronze and under, and they busted a few myths and misconceptions we had about Patch 1.7.
Busted Myths:
1. Roadhog is an unstoppable killing machine
It's funny how "Hook 2.0" went from the death of Roadhog to turning him into a terminator. On one hand, his hooks aren't as easy to land and will get broken a few times. As a trade off, his hook now brings people much closer, making them absorb a lot more of Roadhog's scrap gun shots, killing almost any hero instantly.
BUT. Roadhog still seems to be his normal presence in competitive Overwatch. He's powerful, but not nearly close to unstoppable. Roadhogs are falling in the tournament the same way they used to. A solid DPS hero who smartly plays behind his tanks can drop a Roadhog in a few seconds, especially if he's hit with an Ana grenade.
Speaking of which …
2. Triple Tank is dead!!!!
Not quite. In fact, many pro teams are still running quad-tank at the Winter Premiere. The theory was the changes to D.Va and Roadhog mixed with the nerfs to Ana's biotic grenade would make tanks far less viable and drastically shake up the meta, and it just hasn't. People are still running all the usual tank suspects, along with Ana and Lucio like nothing has ever changed.
That being said, with the changes to Roadhog's hook and the nerf to D.Va, atypical, mobile DPS heroes like Genji and McCree are seeing more play time as the tanks are not quite as powerful. But a complete death of the triple-tank meta? Not a chance.
3. D.Va is Trash tier now!
D.Va is not longer a terminator who can kill squishy DPS heroes at will with little counter – that much is true. But the idea that D.Va is simply not viable has been proven false. D.Va is a pick in almost every match at the Winter Premiere, and she's doing just fine.
The real issue is that non-competitive players don't use her quite right. She still does solid damage, and still has what is effectively the highest health pool in the game, but she seems more squishy to lower tier players because they're still trying to dive-in 1v6 and make it out. They also really want to get the GG ultimates where they kill the entire enemy team with one self-destruct, whereas professional players use D.Va ultimates as a zoning tool to turn the Reinhardt shield around and expose the enemy team to your other attacks.
D.Va has been changed and nerfed, there's not doubt about it, but reports of her death have been greatly exaggerated.
