The value of a Moira being able to do what you described significantly diminishes as the skill level goes up. No backline at higher tier will panic because they see a lone Moira in their backyard. They will be able to heal their teammates while fending off the Moira (and while laughing at the dumb-dumb for throwing). If such “utility” is so great, how come you never see that in serious top level pro matches? You already know the answer.
If we are talking about a coordinated attack with your dive tank/dps, then there are support characters such as Kiriko and Lucio who can do that effectively while providing further value to the teammates simultaneously. When well timed, even the likes of Ana, Zen, Bap, Illari, and Juno can flank the enemy team effectively. (Moira can do it too, but that is not what you described here.) Furthermore, staying in the enemy’s backline implies that you are not able to heal your teammates, who will be consequently put at a disadvantage against enemy tank/dps that are getting healed.
Moira OTPs! Of course, we shall listen to the Moira OTPs on how great their main character is despite all evidence in the contrary because they are objective and unbiased. The people who want to sell crap as gold say it is gold, so we should think of it as gold! /s
And how many of them play pro on teams that compete seriously and successfully at the highest level (i.e., OWCS or its equivalent)?
If your primary source of defending the effectiveness of Moira’s character design is simply opinions of Moira OTPs, lmao, I rest my case here.
Generally, top OTPs have a very good understanding of their characters, and they rank up by playing around the character’s strengths and weaknesses. (This has become truer for tank players once 5v5 RQ was adopted as the primary format.) To their teammates, some characters are much more tolerable to one-trick, while others are less so. In that process, their teammates have to adjust solely for them (in addition to hating and putting some of them on the avoid list).
Let’s be very clear here. All characters are playable, and you can potentially climb the ranked ladder with any character in the game. What we are discussing here is the value of Moira’s design as a support character relative to others supports. As I stated above in response to someone else, you may win with Moira, but the burden you impose on your teammates—tanks, dps, and co-support alike—by playing the likes of Moira and Lifeweaver is higher when matched against a better combination of support characters. (This is a reason OTPs do not get recruited by pro teams because flexibility is necessary at that level.)
What other pro level commentators? Cite your source, because I highly doubt that ever happened. And they actually better be legitimately qualified to opine, not some gold-plat players hired to commentate the game—like Soe, whom I otherwise adore, by the way.
Tanking is not about “making opportunities for your team by using up enemy resources.” That is something all three roles do with their abilities and position, individually and collectively. Any knowledgeable veteran players know and understand this. With your statement, it is quite clear to me your understanding of the game is currently not deep enough. (This is not an attack on you. It is an objective statement based on observation of your inputs. We all learn and improve as we go.)
Every character requires skills and game sense to play well. The main reason the likes of Moira and Mercy get such a treatment is because all characters have varying degrees of skill ceiling and skill floor relative to others; Moira and Mercy happen to be at the bottom.
You sound like a respectful fella, and I appreciate you for reading my posts and writing your responses. Tones often get lost in written communication like this forum, and people quickly get personal when disagreed, so constructive discussion can be difficult.
I understand the world of silver-plat is vastly different from the high master-champ. While I recognize Moira can provide more immediate value and even be lethal in lower tiers of gameplay, it doesn’t exempt her from having an objectively inferior design that provides less value to her team than other support characters with better kits.