Climbing as a one trick Zenyatta

Competitive Discussion
1

Okay, here’s my issue:

Back in Season 1 of Overwatch, I was just learning the game. I was a flex main, and had little more than a basic grasp of how abilities functioned for each character.

So after I get placed ~1800 SR, I take a break from the game. A long one. 9 months pass without much playtime (except to check in on new heroes, reworks, etc.) and now I finally find myself getting a real grasp of the game after 30+ hours on my now favorite character, Zenyatta. So recently I did my placements for the last few days of Season 11, flex roles to win once again, and get placed very similarly, ~1900 SR. I was disappointed to see that after so many more hours of the game, all of my learning from my friends, etc. to know that I only placed 100 SR higher after 40+ hours of learning the game. So now Season 12 has just started, and I picked Zen for all of my placements. Consistent silver metals or higher in damage, healing, and elims. I placed ~1950 SR. So one of my friends I mentioned just got the game, is a decent bit worse at the game, (but not too far off) did his placements for the first time. He placed ~2200 SR by just picking Lucio. Now of course this didn’t bother me too much, but I found it really peculiar. So to keep this story from dragging on any longer, I’m going to try to wrap it up quickly and neatly:

I know that I am a decent bit better than my friend, I know Zenyatta fairly well, but I just cant seem to get out of my situation, no matter how well I do. I just place silver. I am having a really hard time climbing, even when Q’ing up with multiple people I found in-game, and now I’m just stumped. I feel like my character choice really does rely on competence of the random people I match with, and since my character has no mobility, and only has his damage potential to protect himself, I feel like I can’t climb without a somewhat solid team. I felt like if I had a fresh account I would have a much better start, and would get placed at a much better level than I currently am, but not only do I not want to, but I probably shouldn’t buy another copy of the game to try and get placed higher, but I feel like climbing is much to difficult and reliant on teammates with my best character.

So in conclusion, I just have to ask: Is there something wrong with my character choice when it comes to climbing? If so, should I learn a new character? If you’ve had this problem before, how did you solve it?

(Sorry this was such a long-winded post. I really am curious to see if other people are having, or have had some kind of similar experience with the competitive scene of Overwatch. Thanks for your time!)

(EDIT: Thank you guys for the advice, it is a lot of help. I expected a lot of ‘get gud’, but got some genuinely good advice. I’m going to just put some more time into what I do, and try and integrate some of the stuff I’m seeing here. Thanks a bunch)

2

40hrs and your in silver… consider yourself lucky cause 40hrs ain’t jack… Put some more time in and you will climb…

1 Like
3

The friend I mentioned has a total of 26 hours in the game and got placed mid gold. My total playtime is ~120 hours, and ~40 on Zenyatta.

4

Maybe I’m reading it wrong but it sounds like you’re only doing placements. Placements will never land you in a wildly different sr than you ended your season with regardless of how much you’ve improved. The bulk of your climbing will have to be done during the actual season.

5

No matter how much time you put in after the break, you will still get placed around the same role. Also, switch if you are getting countered.

6

I was basically a one trick zen in season 4 and got to masters… but he was a lot more powerful back then. Now he’s got like a ton more counters, a ton more nerfs and sadly other supports are usually just too OP to not be using.

He was my favourite hero for a long time but they don’t want him to be powerful I guess.

Sadly brig more or less does the same thing but better in most ways but more importantly she does it effortlessly while zen is incredibly stressful to stay alive with in comparison.

If you wanna keep with it my advice is just work on your aim. If you’re shooting ulting mccrees, widows or genjis out of the sky you’re gonna have so many chances to make plays. The more you keep LOS to heal and deal damage and the longer you stay alive the faster your ult will charge. You can use your ult to counter lots of stuff and he can definitely make big plays in silver.

7

Dont feel bad. I mean, during season 2 and season 3, nearly the entire playerbase placed in platinum. It eventually got changed, and the new average was gold, except most players maintain their rank even when not deserving of it. It’s easier to maintain a rank than to climb. After that, players stayed at that rank forever, since each seasons placement matches just put them near where they left off the season before. It rarely changes much.

Anyway, you also have to remember that most of the playerbase got a lot better as a whole over time. Everyone improved. Season 1 to 3 diamond became season 4+ platinum. Old silver became bronze. Everyone improved, so if you weren’t around improving with them, you fell even further behind, and it became more difficult to rank up than it used to be. Then blizzard removed PBSR from Diamond+, and new accounts created after that could rank up only to around 3499 max. A GM player could rank up to GM immediately before that, but no longer. The game now expects people to climb, even if they’re far better than the rank they start in as new accounts.

Tl:dr: Early OW players had it a bit easier to rank high at the start, its a lot easier to maintain a rank than climb (even if that rank is higher than some deserve), the overall population is a lot better two years into the game than they were during the first few seasons, and now the matchmaker kind of regulated newer accounts lower than some should be by default. If you’re better than your rank, you’ll climb with enough games played. If your friend isn’t good enough for his rank, he will either fall or be hardstuck, while you eventually pass him.

8

Okay here’s the thing…You didn’t take enough time off for your MMR to reset. I think it’s after 1 year or so. I’m not sure. So basically you’ve gotten better but you’re still placing silver that’s it’s like a continuation to the game. And people in silver aren’t the best to play with.

So my best advice would be:
1 - get a new account
2 - don’t Smurf.
3 - grind up your level to 25
4 - play comp again.

You should get a better SR.

Infact I need to take that advice myself. But seriously, that’s what to do

9

Are you on comms?

Being on comms as Zen is worth at least 300 SR.

You don’t have the mobility of other supports, but you do have a big RED flag you can place on enemy heads. If your not on comms your not going anywhere one-tricking Zen.

2000 SR Zen - herding cats with a lazer pointer…

10

Other people get better as well. If you placed 1900, that means you didn’t get better fast enough, and even though your skill has increased, so has others. Try playing some more, you’ll climb for sure

11

Your friend did his placements on a fresh account and 90% of all fresh accounts gets placed around 2000-2500

You already had your account and already did your first placements months ago you said, after the first placement you will always get around the SR you had previously

If you would buy a new account level up 25 and do your placements you will also get placed around mid gold if you don’t completely throw your placements

My fresh account also got placed far higher than my main

12

As someone who pretty much one tricked zen out of low gold to diamond, I can say that if you get good at him he can pretty much carry a game. Along with that another helpful tip is to que with someone who is a dps main, not some random but someone you can say is very competent at what dps needs to do. Duoing dps and support is a very good way to climb, especially in the low ranks you could probs 2v4/6 tbh.

13

See Bronze - Sliver - Gold ranking guide, especially the section on psychology, where it discusses patience. Also, for the record, I’m a Zenyatta main, from 600 in season two, to low plat at the end of last season.

14

Wont climb much. You are bound to meet tracers/sombras who will hunt you as zen. As a sombra if i see a zen its hunting time until they switch, easy win if they dont switch or dont have a briguette/tank in the backline looking out for me.

You gotta switch if Same enemy is hunting u down after 2-3 times