Add Grounded status effect

General Discussion
1

I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while. Not terribly original as this debuff exists in other games, but I think it could help solve a key problem in the rock-paper-scissors that is HoTS draft.

Here are some facts:

  1. Certain Tanks are designed around having powerful slows. (Ex: Mei, Arthas, Tank Blaze)
  2. Dashes inherently counter slows.
  3. There is no tool in the game to counter just dashes. Stuns, Silences, and Roots work, but have other benefits and therefore are a large chunk of a Hero’s power budget.

These Tanks are relegated to off-meta because dashes are innately strong and prevalent in the meta, especially with many of the Overwatch Heroes. They work best when the enemy team drafts “poorly” and does not have enough mobility to deal with the slows.

In comes the solution: Grounded

This debuff would work like a partial Root: it disables the target’s movement abilities only.

For visuals, a yellow/orange version of the green root icon would work, along with the GROUNDED text.

The best Hero to test this status with is Mei. Simply add Grounded to her Blizzard (W) base. More specifically, Blizzard briefly Grounds enemy Heroes each time it deals damage (similar to E.T.C. Mosh Pit).

This change would allow Mei to function in a broader range of scenarios without affecting situations where she is already strong/working (low mobility on enemy team).

2

The status effect it self is not a terrible invention.
Grounded is an movement ability disable, which is unique.

BUT(!!!) for
1, there are already so much slow and root in this game, and root already do this effect.

  1. The reason an effect like this has not been added to things like Mei’s W (And this is a pure assumption on my part) is that it is a team game, if Mei isn’t able to keep people inside her W, then her teammates should help her on this task.

If heroes with Dashes was affected by this like that, then that would remove alot of the counter play and counter pick abilities.

Usually when you encounter effects like a team full of slows, you pick a very mobile team to counter it, but if heroes with Slow effects got a Grounded effect aswell, then that would kind of take away the entire point about them.
Usually having a dash is a tradeoff for another thing, like damage, or a CC effect.

Example Genji is very voulnerable, and has zero CC.
Genji just being placed inside a Blizzard would nearly be a death sentence then.
And this would take away alot of the skill gaps that HOTS desperately needs to differentiate between ranks.

3

The meta is full of high mobility characters. Not just Overwatch Heroes, the most meta Bruisers and Ranged Assassins also come with dashes + speed bonuses (Hogger, Blaze, Yrel, Falstad, Sylvanas, Valla)

Tanks that use Slows as a major part of their power budget are just at a disadvantage compared to Tanks that have high agency CC. Slows are already weaker than hard CC, even against Heroes without dashes or speed bonuses. Same idea as burst is always good: quick moments of strength are always valuable.

For a Stun Tank like E.T.C., he engages well into Heroes with or without mobility. Slow Tanks only really engage well into Heroes with no dashes or movement speed bonuses.

Mei shouldn’t be balanced around the existence of an allied Alarak to help her land W consistently at the start of fights. The Tank roster is the smallest, we need more non-niche ones, and in order for them to be consistently playable they need solo agency (can force engages) and tools to deal with the meta. Grounded would give Mei some uniqueness + agency, and would probably boost her from D to A tier. She has many drawbacks still (ex: mana) but at least she would have a reason to be picked.

4

It’s kind of the point.
She isn’t, she has tools to place people in her W, but since it is a team oriented game, mixing it up with heroes like Alarak, or like Malfurion or any other hero for that matter that combines well with her, secures that.
It’s also a zoning ability, just like ETCs Ult, it doesn’t require you to actually use it, nor does it require you too have a setup, the enemy team knowing that the possibility of being stuck in a tight space with a Mei W is usually enough for a Mei to scare them away and/or separate the entire team.

Having a grounded effect completely busts heroes like Mei, it would take her from being somewhat of a Situational hero, to an absolutely meta hero vs all heroes.
While the game is buildt around counter picks and proper drafts, there would be no reason NOT to go Mei, as her W would ALWAYS land, even against teams that are spesificaly buildt around not being dragged down by her.

And some heroes are even completely shut down, Grounded is some what of a semi root, except that it lasts for an entire Blizzard AND is AoE AND is super easy to hit.
Tracer forexample, which is already a very situational hero would be dead, Genji would be dead, there are just soo many heroes that would be so ridicolously countered.
And not like in a Valla vs Zeratul way, it would be worse than that.

Like i said, the idea is cool and all, but it doesn’t implement well like that, and if anything it can’t be a setup for other abilities unless that hero is setting up for them selves.
An ability that secures the hit of an ability is just a 100% hit ability with no counterplay.
It would have to be an entirely new hero.

Mei or Jaina or any of those type of heroes has their own type of setup, but are also based around getting help.

Heroes that are not based like this are usually Duel heroes, like Qhira, Artanis, Kerrigan…

5

The effect of completely disabling movement ability is more of a partial silence rather than root and it’s too harsh for slow to get this extra functionality.

I’ve had an idea to make slow more impactful as well, which is to affect movement abilities by reducing the distance of them.

For example, if a Genji got a 20% slow then his E and trait will travel less 20% distance, this make their movement dull in concept of slow but I guess it’s also a big change in game sense entirely, so may not be a good idea :laughing:

6

But I don’t need to burn a mobility tool to get out of Blizzard. You can just walk out.

Also, I’m not sure players will be thrilled by an ability that is factually a worse option than roots or silences.

7

Mei is pretty strong in low elo on par with Joh and Tyrael, but falls down in higher elo.

Grounded would be too much for her. She’s not as terrible as you said and she has good tools to protect her team even tho it’s not going to lock high mobility enemies. Tyrael can’t lock much yet he’s the best tank because stats + enabler.

8

IMO the game shouldn’t be balanced around low elo. I’m in favor of buffing (heavy power reallocation/rebalancing really) of Heroes that are often trollpicks or otherwise niche in high rank like Valeera, Nova, Zagara, Li Li, and so on.

Tyrael is a walking stat stick. Great damage and self sustain with buffed utility compared to before. His teleports give him Zeratul level skill ceiling and by consequence very high survivability. Mei is a finnicky combo tank with frankly low rewards for landing her kit compared to the counterplay available. Not to mention her cooldowns or mana costs. Sure you could buff her existing numbers / talents but it would be exciting to get a new effect like this.