Well, it’s not that she performs better in the hands of a more skilled player that’s the problem. That’s true of all heroes.
It’s that she feels more powerful against most heroes at the highest levels of play, and less powerful than most other heroes at the lowest levels. This is because her kit rewards skillful play more than other heroes, and punishes skill less play more than other heroes. It is indeed a design issue that her relative power is perceived differently across different leagues imo.
Her problems stem from the day she got her hack speed increased to a point barely anyone can react to unless a lucky bullet hits Sombra. And due to her perma invis, she can get into position much easier, lowering her skill cap.
She doesn’t need a hack duration nerf, but a speed reduction to her previous hack speed, along with the LOS changes removed and the 2s cooldown when shot tossed out as well.
Then invis can get worked on, maybe a resource meter.
The changes you are suggesting would reduce her power in the highest leagues for sure. But she would played even less in the lower leagues. It’s about adjusting her for both, imo.
I think a lot of people feel that way, Jet. But it’s mostly her hack in that category. Her stealth and trans loc make her slippery, but there are still ways of playing around them, like stuns, or destroying the beacon. I think eventually hack is going to be adjusted, I just hope they consider the whole picture when they finally re-evaluate her.
The complaints I am hearing are about the power of hack in GM and Masters. Haven’t watched much pro play, but literally no one I’ve talked to has said permanent stealth is an issue. Any kind of stealth is going to allow for good EMPs. I think you just don’t care for it personally. That’s fine. But there’s no real argument in your thread as to why it’s a problem that I can find. Just an assertion.
You’re also saying that reducing the duration of hack will make her stronger in the higher tiers and weaker in the lower tiers… I’m sorry but it’s hard to take you seriously after saying that. Hack is game changing in the higher tiers and barely followed up on in the lower tiers. You are right that increasing her damage would make her stronger in the higher tiers. But she would be proportionally weaker at the higher levels if you also reduced the duration of hack. She would also be proportionally stronger at the lower levels, because hack just isn’t capitalized on there anyway. Hack is largely what I’m seeing people complain about higher up, and damage is largely what I’m seeing people complain about lower down.
I’m not a very good Sombra since I don’t play her much, but I do pick her when the other team has both a Hammond and a Doomfist which is rare to see both of these played together in lower ranks. In higher ranks a lot more people play Hammond and Doomfist especially which makes Sombra a much better pick when she’s also a hero that needs great understanding of the game, timing, and to some extent tracking.
I don’t know how she could ever be great in lower ranks without a complete rework making her simpler to play.
I think you make the aspects of her that are complicated to capitalize on slightly less important, and the aspects of her that are easier to capitalize on slightly more important. For me that just means reducing the duration of hack and increasing her damage. SLIGHTLY. Until we find a good mix.
The main problem with Sombra from day 1 is that she can do NOTHING on her own. There’s nothing in her primary fire, her abilities, or ult that allows her to follow up and do anything by herself.
She either needs to be less team reliant by having some sort of damage boost on hacked/EMPed targets OR get some changes that make it easier for the team to coordinate with her. We’ve been asking for a giant icon above a hacked enemy for like 2 years now. The glowing effect is not easily visible. You don’t need Zen on a mic to use discord nor Ana to know who is anti-naded, so why do you need this special desktop setup to get ANY use out of Sombra?
The majority of the player base play on the ladder and in Gold. Most people don’t use mics or want to sit there and chat with people. Half the games I join there are friends sitting in their own discord server not even in team chat. Start making changes THERE so people can follow up with Sombra. There’s no reason you should require a mic and call out every single hack and EMP to get any follow up. That, or like I said, make some changes to make her less team reliant.
It’s not even an issue of damage or accuracy, it’s a problem that no one ever uses microphones or knows who is hacked on ladder. Improve the UI and the problem will work itself out.
Hack is more of a mentality problem because people tend to believe hack = insta death when in reality in 1vs1 you will probably kill her, even if you are hacked or at least should be able to force her to run away.
This is more of a high level problem because why would you choose a hero with low damage when you can choose tracer or genji who essentially do the same job but better and are less team dependant. On low level people have poorer accuracy and so called skill so obviously she is a problem for them, like many other heroes. And that’s why they love heroes like mercy or moira so much. You won’t fix someone’s aim just by buffing the hero’s damage output.
Sombra generally is countered by lack of teammplay. Regardless the place on ladder.
It’s probably due to fact that generally low ranks and high ranks play differently.
Could you elaborate? I am not going to be mean or something i was just intrigued by this statement
Sombras issue on ladder is her high reliance on her teammates to follow up and combo. But since not everyone has a mic, or even wants to enter voice chat it simply doesnt work out how it should even in grandmasters.
She needs qol changes like better visualization on hacked targets, maybe a base movement speed increase to chase down low health heroes, like Tracer and Genji can do and her translocation shouldnt cancel her reload, so her gameplay is more fluid.
All of those would be nice too, but with greater damage and a lower duration hack she could also secure solo kills a little easier too. I do like the idea of a bit faster base movement speed.
So we need to buff a hero that’s bad at lower tiers and OP at higher tiers (Sombra). But nerf a hero that’s OP in lower tiers but balanced in higher tiers (Brigitte)
I main Sombra/Brigitte and both of them need to be left alone. They’re fine
Sounds like someone who plays both in the upper leagues?
I play both as well, they are two of my top three favorite heroes right now.
I think the devs want every hero to have some place in the meta across the leagues. If you look at the win rates for brig in the lower leagues its something like 55%. If you look at the win rates for sombra in the lower leagues its something like 40%. It’s not about a simple buff or a nerf, its about balancing across leagues.
That’s wrong. Jeff literally said that they reworked Symm with the goal of getting her playtime in OWL season 2. They’re balancing the game around the high tiers
For Sym, maybe that was a consideration. Sombra’s perma stealth was aimed specifically at improving her experience in the lower leagues. This was well published. They are thinking about the game across the leagues when they make adjustments.