It’s an experimental… in exchange for not being able to grapple directly out of spawn, Ball got a couple small but useful buffs. Chances of the ball changes going to live in the next patch I think are very high. Probably the whole patch, really… as much as people don’t want to see more Doom or Genji, there’s no changes that are all that crazy.
Wrecking Ball
Grappling Claw
Now begins on cooldown after respawning
Adaptive Shield
Cast time reduced from 0.2 seconds to 0 seconds
Duration increased from 7 to 9 seconds
Minefield
Proximity mines no longer stick to walls
Developer Comments: Wrecking Ball is the fastest hero in the game which works well for his disruptive playstyle. However, to help reduce his contribution to objective stalling, his Grappling Claw ability will now start on cooldown upon respawning. Proximity mines will no longer attach to walls as it resulted in accidental bunched up placements, out of range from most enemy targets, more often than any intentional clever uses.