✅ Modified 1-3-2 that can be 1-1-2-2

General Discussion
1

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One approach to solving Queue Times is a modified 1-3-2.

  • RoleQueue changed to 1BarrierTank, 3Damage, 2Healer
  • Strong buffs to BarrierTanks
  • All offtanks moved to a subclass of Damage, called Bruiser
  • Mei moved to Bruiser subclass
  • Limit 1 Bruiser per team
  • First Damage player to pick Bruiser prevents the other 2 Damage players from picking Bruiser
  • Bruiser players can switch back to Damage
  • Optional “Dibs” Queue for Bruiser that soft-locks you the first player to pick Bruiser, out of 3 Damage players, during the initial hero select screen.
  • If the Matchmaker can’t find someone preferring to have first-pick on Bruiser, it just grabs 3 Damage.
    • So it would look like 4 queue options, but really be 3 queue options from a matchmaker perspective.

Results:

  • Queue times go down a lot
  • DoubleBarrier isn’t possible
  • DoubleOffTank isn’t possible
  • Future-proofs the game to make it so adding additional Tanks doesn’t cause problems. (i.e. More BarrierTanks = D.mon, or more Bruisers = Mauga)
  • Dramatically simplifies BarrierTank balance, and allows them to be buffed to desirable levels
  • Allows for more composition flexibility than 2-2-2, without abolishing Role Queue.
  • Also prevents anything resembling TripleTank. (I.e. 2 Tanks + Mei/Reaper)

Downsides

  • Bruiser players will add to the DPS queue.
  • Can’t put two Bruiser-preferred players on the same team.
  • Only 4 BarrierTanks hero choices for Tank players.

Upsides

  • 50% less Tanks needed per round.
  • 50% more DPS per round.
  • Can buff BarrierTanks a lot without worrying about DoubleBarrier or DoubleOffTank.
  • More than 1 worthwhile Barrier Tank besides Reinhardt.

Kinda feel like those upsides more than cancel out the downsides.

77 Likes
2

This I like, although it kind of hinges on the “Heavy Damage” category and how those heroes are balanced. Could you clarify this point: “About 100-200hp taken OffTanks”?

Would Zarya be a Heavy Damage hero as-is or would she be shuffled into the barrier tank category with the 1/3/2 buffs? She was undoubtedly the most capable tank during the 1/3/2 experimental card.

I feel like the ability to switch from Heavy Damage to 3x regular DPS is a great compromise, but I liked 1/3/2. I could see 2/2/2 proponents not appreciating such freedom.

1 Like
4

So, kind of mix Role Q with the old Damage role, except instead of offense and defense, you have “normal” and “heavy” damage.

This way, you would have a place for off tanks, that you wouldn’t have to try and rework in the main tanks, but you wouldn’t have to worry about people stacking a bunch of these off tanks together.

If I’m understanding this correctly.

If so, this is definitely been one of your better ideas

4 Likes
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Yeah, pretty much that.

Only problem is it’s a bit too wordy right now.

Need to figure a better visualization for it.

Heck, could even call these heroes in the “Heavy Damage” as “Defence Heroes”.

Although that pulls in baggage around snipers and turret heroes.

2 Likes
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Maybe “Heavy Damage” and “Light Damage”, for names?

Heavy can imply power, but can also imply size.

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Also tossed around the names Bruiser and Brawler.

1 Like
8

You might even be able to move Reaper, doomfist, and Bastion to that category, with the right changes.

That would also eliminate the Reaper/Mei combo

5 Likes
9

Potentially, but those heroes don’t offer peeling like an offtank does.

If they want to use the mechanic for balancing out 250hp heroes, turret heroes, Sombra or snipers. That’s up to the devs. But for now it’s an unnecessary complication.

1 Like
10

Fair enough, I was just trying to think of different ideas. Especially with how prevalent the Mei/Reaper combo is (and as been) in the league.

Plus, with those 3 (Reaper, Bastion, DF) being the “beefier” heroes in the Damage roster, it might make sense.

Just a thought. Just trying to help you build on your idea.

1 Like
11

Why would I like Zarya with 100-200hp removed on a character that’s easy to hit? She’d have 100(150)hp and 100(150) shields. 1 second off bubble does nothing. She’s 50% faster to kill. And since you don’t want her to outcast DPS in damage. I don’t like this change.

3 Likes
12

I dont think this would help queue times much sadly.
It could even make them worse.
The bottleneck is the main tanks.
No one wants to play them.
From a gameplay perspective this could work very well though.

13 Likes
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Well, if they move Mei to the “basically an offtank” position.

Then the tankiest comp you could run, would be like Rein, Zarya, Reaper, Doom

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  1. It makes for a lot of Damage spots.
  2. By limiting barrier tanks to 1 per team, they could buff them a LOT to the point that they might be grossly overpowered in 222.
    Which would make them more desirable to play.
3 Likes
15

To be honest, they could just leave OffTanks as-is. And make changes later based on whatever meta develops.

I’ll take that part out for now. Good recommendation.

4 Likes
16

Yeah mabye but all the players who prefere the offtanks would queue for one of the damage slots.
My guess would be arround 60-70% of the tank players.
I meen i would not mind if they gave this a test.
I also hope you are right when you say it would reduce queue times.
I just dont think you are.

1 Like
17

I don’t think either. I would never Q on tank than. Since Zarya is now a DPS. You have the argument of double off tank not being usable. But you lost everyone who off tanks. What would be the population for tank be left at?

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18

Hard to say, would need some testing.

But you could probably improve it a bit by buffing barrier tanks by like vaguely 50%.

Really they could just keep upping the stats on barrier tanks until they are desirable.

1 Like
19

I wish we would get actual numbers from Blizzard. So we could see, by ranks, and modes. How many people play Main and off tank.

3 Likes
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Even if we could, I don’t know how relevant it would be.

Especially when you could buff BarrierTanks to potentially ridiculous levels with this change.

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I personally love the idea. The only problem I can think of is everyone crying for a second tank and the 3 of us citing which gold medal we have. Rofl.

2 Likes