Competitive Overwatch History — Double Shield Meta
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Back during season 18 of competitive Overwatch, players uncovered the insane value the back then recently added new tank hero Sigma had.
With his highly maneuverable shield Sigma is able to place basically anywhere in his line of sight without having to stand by it to keep it up, he is able to protect his team from a variety of angles, making him extremely effective against things like Pharah’s ultimate, which Orisa has trouble protecting her team from.
Another big advantage Sigma’s shield has over Orisa’s is that he had the ability to recall and replace his shield dynamically without a significant cooldown — a mechanic that has been nerfed by now. However, although being nerfed, this mechanic makes it possible for Sigma players to react quickly to enemy flanks or switching from a defensive to an offensive playstyle in a matter of seconds, forcing the enemy team to reposition.
With his shield opening up the possibility to block Doomfist’s meteor strike and other abilities from his kit like kinetic grasp, absorbing different abilities and ultimates akin to Dva’s defense matrix, and his rock, being a powerful tool for long range crowd control and disrupting enemy positioning, although having a steep learning curve, made Sigma a viable character in the game’s meta.
Sigma’s ultimate ability, gravitic flux, damages targeted enemy heroes half of their maximum health and can also lift them up and away from behind their own shields, opening up combos with other ultimates, like Mccree’s high noon for instance.
But now you may ask: What exactly is the double shield composition, and how do you counter it?
Well, as you can imagine Sigma plays a massive role in this composition. When paired up with Orisa, we get two highly mobile and redeployable shields acting independently from the tank hero’s position. Orisa can also help lining up shots for Sigma’s rock or clump up the enemy team for him to better hit his ultimate with her own cc ability “halt”.
While also being part of it, great counter for this comp is Doomfist. Doomfist’s kit consists mainly of close range melee attacks that make him fly straight through barriers and, on top, can’t be absorbed. Additionally, a great choice for countering double shield is Bastion. bastion outputs a constant stream of rather long range damage, forcing enemy shields down. Plus, Bastion’s tank transformation offers switching to a more aggressive playstyle, making him viable both in offensive and defensive situations. In terms of support heroes, the most common choice is Moira with her consistent healing through enemy barriers. The remaining support role can be fulfilled by a defensive Baptiste, a more agressive Lucio or a more adaptable Ana.
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