Just because a hero isn’t meta doesn’t mean they are underpowered or bad. Roadhog is completely fine, but his pickrate is low because of the Graviton/Dragon meta. You’re throwing if you’re not running Rein/Zarya.
Reinhardt is pretty garbage but he’s still meta. Does he need buffs? Probably. His pickrate is the highest at the moment, but he still does need some help.
Mei is fine too, especially after the PTR buff. Her pickrate is still one of the lowest, but is she a bad character? Maybe in this meta, but she definitely isn’t bad. Just be careful with what you say.
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Great point! However, I have to disagree with this part.
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Completely agree and I’ve been in arguments about this before… Sure, pick and winrates can give an idea of the state of a character but just because something isn’t getting picked, doesn’t mean it’s “F-tier” or whatever… It CAN mean there’s something wrong with the character but it could also mean that the character simply doesn’t sit well in the current meta.
…Also, another thing that annoys me is the usage of “viable”.
“Make XYZ viable” when they’re completely viable… Even attack Torb is viable in my eyes.
The word people are looking is consistent or reliable rather than viable IMHO.
roadhog is the worst tank wym
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He’s hardly a Tank, but that’s the thing. He’s good with punishing bad positioning. He’s pretty much the only character that does this, besides Widow.
Wait so now we cant scream op since pickrates dont matter? ok no more nerfs to any character since it doesn’t matter
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But i want muh hero to be viable in every situation no matter what so that i don’t have to learn to play the game. 
No, pickrates should not be used as a reference for something being OP. Hanzo is the most OP hero in the game at the moment but he isn’t the most played, Reinhardt is; and he’s pretty bad.
You can’t be garbage and meta at the same time.
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Yes you can. Reinhardt is the perfect example of this. He has countless bugs, has no range, and is easily punishable. But he’s still meta.
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??? That’s honestly not how it works you really cant cry op if the stats dont reflect that at that point your going by muh feelings lets nerf bastion 3 more times I guess because he’s dumb op even though he has the second or worst pickrate depending on where you look
That’s some next level mental gymnastics.
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What do you mean by “stats”? Pickrate isn’t an accurate way of pointing out an OP hero. Even though the majority hates Brigitte’s guts, she still isn’t the most played. Also no, a Bastion meta would be the worst thing ever.
As a mei main i can say she was incredibly viable before the ptr update aswell, in almost any situation, tho she is hard to play, like a genji that doesnt attract weebs. She is balanced and viable, reliable anywhere with the right guy behind the keys. This is what blizz should be aiming for with every hero. Pick rate is simply popularity, nothing else.
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No ,you can’t.
Meta stands for Most Effective Tactic Available,you cannot be a huge part of the most effective tactic in the game and still be garbage.
Yes he has bugs but those don’t stop him from being good ,yes he has no range but his role isn’t to get kills with the hammer ,it’s to protect his team.
Emphasis on “easily punishable”
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He is the most effective tactic, but he’s still internally bad.
So true.
Some on these forums expect pick rates to be even across the board and any variation means someone is OP / UP. No, some maps, compositions, metas just enable some heroes more than others. Some heroes are simply more accessible than others.
If pickrates were even across the board, Overwatch would be an even more watered down version of what it’s becoming.
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But someone like Sombra isn’t entirely fine. Ever since her release, she has had the lowest pickrate and winrate. She’s literally been in the bottom of the barrel for almost 2 straight years, lower than Torb, Sym, and bastion. But the changes on the PTR that they gave her are completely awful and the wrong direction for her
Yes, we know that Sombra and Torb are bad. That has nothing to do with their pickrates though. We know they are bad, we don’t need pickrates to decide that. Also Bastion is a very viable tactic on some maps, so he shouldn’t be buffed. He doesn’t need to be in the middle of pickrates to be okay.
And Sombra shouldn’t get any changes despite being the lowest win and pickrate hero for months.