This is just a brief analysis of my recent experiences in OW2 and duoing support with several friends over the past several months. The following is a Tier List to what I believe are the best Support Duos in the game, along with general principles behind the comps. Please keep in mind we are always in coms with at least each other on support!
S Tier
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Kiri+Zen
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Kiri+Mercy
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Kiri+Bap
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Bap+Brig
A Tier
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Kiri+Ana
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Kiri+Lucio
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Kiri+Brig
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Brig+Ana
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Bap+Lucio
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Bap+Mercy
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Bap+Zen
B-Tier
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Brig+Zen
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Zen+Mercy
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Zen+Ana
I don’t really care to expound beyond S, A and B, as there’s little reason to ever play anything other than the above while in a duo.
And before you Moira players have a hissy fit, understand that in a setting where I’m exclusively duoing and always have reliable coms, Moira’s autonomy is entirely unnecessary in our lobbies. Also, being a bit of a Bap OTP, I never have the need to touch the hero, as Bap is her competition but fulfills the same function, only better.
A breakdown by heroes now:
Kiri
Kiri is arguably the best hero in the game currently. So of course she’s going to dominate pairings in the S-Tier and A-Tier slots. When she is paired with low output supports such as Zen, Mercy and Brig, her strongest function is actually in enabling the non-pocketed DPS, while occasionally peeling and enabling her tank. While this concept may seem unstable on the surface, in the right comps it makes for near unstoppable teams, with the opposing support pocketing one DPS and Kiri sticking the other.
There is a cognition required to understand when that is appropriate, but given the current tank meta with Ball and Orisa frequently dominating with their autonomy, Kiri is actually much stronger as a secondary pocket so both DPS are hyper enabled.
When paired with Ana or Bap, Kiri should fully commit to a single DPS and work around them while Ana or Bap pockets the Tank. In a perfect setting your other DPS is playing around the tank with some form of autonomy and occasionally assistance from your Ana/Bap.
This functions best with low autonomy tanks such as Monke, Rein, Zarya or JQ who need heavy support investment and a DPS to readily engage the space they create.
In our experience thus far, Kiri’s most potent pairings are Bap and Zen, allowing tremendous frag potential from one’s support lineup, along with some incredible Ults for space denial/creation. The reliance on teammates to create picks and space is arguably at a minimum with those pairings, and as always the less reliance you have on randoms, the better.
Baptiste
Bap was arguably the most broken hero in OW1 and only fell second to OG Brig in complaints by the community. Rest assured he’s still broken as ever. However his skill floor has risen significantly with the shift to 5v5. His function as a flex support has heavily shifted to his DPS potential. His ability to pressure and duel opponents is bar none on support.
His function is still primarily as a tank pocket. However it’s more than just healing your tank mindlessly. It’s about applying pressure on targets your tank is engaging with your own damage, and forcing damage on opponents who apply pressure onto your own tank. Many times on Bap you walk this line of knowing when to sacrifice your own tank in order to wipe out the tunnel visioned opponents. Maybe at the end of your own pressure you manage to save your tank with I.F., but overall it’s far more impactful to just outright eliminate feeders INT-ing on your tank than to desperately try and save your tank.
This mentality is wildly counter-intuitive in average lobbies who fail to understand the resource economy, yet it’s far more consistent in results as it once again eliminates the reliance on allies to actually perform.
Zen
I posted around a month ago how Zen is the best support in the current game and anyone who says otherwise has skill issues. Zen is wildly powerful with KO potential within his secondary fire. Discord is still one of the most broken abilities in the game, and the more coordinated the lobby, the stronger it becomes.
It helps Zen tremendously that Bap and Kiri have such high DPS potential to help capitalize on Discord. Working within duos often flexing between all three of these heroes allows for supports to heavily frag and carry the DPS. Once again I’ll bring up “autonomy” and how important it is to never rely on your allies to do anything. Combinations of Zen+Bap/Kiri fully enable a duo to autonomously exist within a lobby.
Transcendence exists as a C-Tier Ult, but when paired with Bap or Kiri I’d make the argument it’s value skyrockets. Tsuzu and I.F. can exist first as pick denial, but Trans can carry if those abilities are on CD or fail before repositioning. Simultaneously, Window and Rush are two of the best zoning Ults in the game for both offensive and defensive potential.
Trans allows an entire team to fully commit to Window/Rush and handily win a teamfight. Or the two can stagger their Ults for complete denial of space. So while Trans is consistently weak as an Ult, these pairings actually improves the value of the Ult.
Brig
Brig continues to exist as OP in the upper ELOs, but a throw in average ranks. Please understand that my experience as a Brig flex and as an upper ELO players means I will be viewing Brig from the perspective of my experience duoing at these MMRs.
While I’ve been making a consistent argument pertaining to hero autonomy and duo autonomy, Brig doesn’t really fit this argument. What Brig does do is hyper-enables your support Duo to more securely exist, play aggressive and relieve peel pressures.
Brig’s primary function within a lobby should be to pocket one DPS with Repair Packs while simultaneously positioning in her backline to provide Inspire for her Supports duo and possibly her other DPS. Brig really allows your other support to tunnel vision a tank and DPS, so when paired with a Support that has frag potential and a player who can consistently frag, Brig becomes an absolute menace.
What holds Brig back from breaching more S-Tier lineups is her lack of vertical mobility, along with no reliable poke damage to offer. This means a player must always be working to position in the most optimal spot in order to provide constant value, or risk essentially being AFK.
The necessity of understanding where these positions exist and how to rotate to them is perhaps her most skillful requirement, and one that many lobbies lack the patience to play around. For those reasons, I struggle to think more of Brig, though I do believe she’s incredibly strong alongside the right support.
Mercy
Mercy as a pocket fairy has continued to withstand the test of time. Pairing her with highly autonomous heroes such as Bap or Kiri still allows her to fulfill her primary function as a Blue-Beam feeder, as her responsibility to peel the flex support is wildly reduced with these heroes.
The niche pairing alongside of Zen should be utilized in pokey spam comps that need burst to punish high sustain+low mobility comps.
The problem with Mercy will always be her value is consistently tied to the performance of her allies. And while one can pocket a Bap or Zen, leaving the team with virtually zero sustain tends to cause implosions. But again, pairing with the highly autonomous Bap or Kiri really allows Mercy to fulfill her duties in the most effective manner possible.
Ana
I know. Ana is strong in the current meta. But her need for consistent peel from either her main support, or her tank will always downgrade her value in a game that rewards autonomy. Yes Sleep Dart and Anti-Nade are some of the best CDs in the game. And Ana has the best healing registration in the game. But all this said, her lack of burst damage, vertical mobility and pokey playstyle will always result in an incredibly high skill floor and ceiling that few will succeed with.
At the end of the day, Bap, Zen, and Kiri provide more value with less effort and less skill, thus making them better options.
Lucio
I love the frog. But like Ana, he fights the battle of a high skill floor and ceiling that few can consistently find value with. Yet what keeps him relevant is the strength of Rein, Ram or Winston. And currently they’re all in a decent spot. So Lucio continues to find value.
But the issue with the hero is his primary function as a positioning enabler. Speed Boost will always put some reliance on one’s allies to enage, once again breaking the pattern of autonomous heroes reigning supreme.
His inconsistent damage and low healing output push him well behind Kiri, while his utility requires more skill than that of Mercy or Brig to make use of. Still within the right team composition he can be a YUGE asset, and for those reasons he’s still a solid niche pick.
