The Right Choice?

General Discussion
1

Before you get upset with me for thinking that the Mercy nerf isn’t exactly a step in the right direction, please at least try to hear me out. I’ve been doing a lot of math on all of this, and would love to see what others have to say on the matter. I just want to have a friendly debate.

So Why Is She Getting Nerfed?

There were various reasons why Mercy was nerfed. These seem to relate to two complaints I have been seeing quite often lately, which are both related to each other.

Her Pick Rate

It's Too High!

Mercy has had a very high pick rate for a while now. This is for many different reasons, her consistency being one of the larger reasons. However, the same can be said for Reinhardt. He is one of the best anchor tanks, and is picked very often as a result. Let’s take a moment to look at the top picked heroes in the last month:

Platinum:

Diamond:

Master:

Grand Master

Did you notice a pattern? That’s all related to the meta. See below.

The Current Meta

GravDragon

Since the Hanzo changes, GravDragon has become the meta. This is simply when Zarya and Hanzo combine their ultimates which commonly results in a team kill. In order to counter this, Zenyatta has been picked for his ultimate. It has the ability to outheal Hanzo’s ultimate on its own. But in order to power through Zenyatta’s ultimate, Mercy has been picked for her damage boost. This reflects in the pick rates shown above.

The other reason was for the sake of other healers. This was quite obvious, but I do see some flaws in this argument. I’ll go into that a bit later.

Will This Work?

If the meta doesn’t change based on these upcoming changes, no. Mercy has been picked to counter Transcendence in this GravDragon meta. This combo will still be very strong, though of course I cannot say for sure. If they really wanted to end this meta, they should have focused on Hanzo’s ult charge and Mercy’s damage boost.

Should She Be Nerfed, Then?

Not necessarily; in my opinion, at least. Due to the current meta and her pick rate, she does appear to be overpowered. This isn’t necessarily true, though I do believe that having Rez on a cooldown is questionable. Her healing output is also very high, but Geoff himself essentially said that this was intended.

This was already very well balanced in my view.

How Does She Compare to the Other Supports?

Currently, Mercy is alright when compared to the other supports. Once she is nerfed, she’s going to become a bit less effective… Of course.

Supports and Healing

Primary

Hero HPS
Ana 93.75
Brigitte 16
Lucio 16.25 (ally), 12.2 (self)
Mercy 60
Moira 80, 50 falloff (3 sec)
Zenyatta 30

Please note that this table does not take reloading into consideration.

Other Abilities

Hero Ability Healing
Ana Biotic Grenade 100 per ally
Brigitte Repair Pack 150
Lucio Amp It Up 46.8 (ally), 35.1 (self) (3 sec)
Moira Biotic Orb Up to 300 (75HPS)

Currently, Mercy does fare well when compared to other supports. She is, however, the only support other than Lucio who does not have a long-range healing ability. She and Zenyatta also do not have a secondary healing ability.

Supports and Damage

Primary Fire

Hero DPS Headshot
Ana 87.5 No
Brigitte 49 No
Lucio 80 Yes
Mercy 100 Yes
Moira 50 No
Zenyatta 115 Yes

Please note that this table does not take reloading into consideration.

Other Abilities

Hero Ability Damage
Ana Biotic Grenade, Sleep Dart 60, 5
Brigitte Whip Shot, Shield Bash 70, 50
Lucio Soundwave 25
Moira Biotic Orb Up to 200 (50DPS)
Zenyatta Orb Volley 230 max

Mercy’s numbers may be shocking, but do remember that all of the other supports have more than one ability that they can use to damage. That, and her main focus is healing. Other supports can easily switch between damage, unlike Mercy who has to pause while switching between her staff and pistol. This wastes time that could be used for healing. She is also the only hero that doesn’t have a secondary damage ability.

Support Ultimates

What About Ultimates?

Support ultimates can usually be used offensively or defensively. Ana’s ultimate is currently strictly offensive, but will soon become both in a way. Mercy’s is about to become the only strictly offensive ultimate, and will provide the least amount of healing compared to the other healing-focused ultimates.

Ultimate HPS per ally
Transcendence 300
Coalescence 140
Valkyrie 60 (soon 50)

Essentially, Valkyrie is going to become one of the most useless support ultimates. It’s already hard enough to use so long as the enemy team has a hitscan, which is very common.

Countering Abilities

So Who Can Counter What Ability?

Ability Support Counters
Micro Missiles Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Biotic Grasp
Scrap Gun (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Tesla Cannon Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Configuration: Recon (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Peacekeeper (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Endothermic Blaster Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Icicle (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Rocket Launcher (Min Splash) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
(Max splash) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Hellfire Shotguns (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Biotic Grasp
Heavy Pulse Rifle (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Machine Pistol (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Photon Projector (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Sentry Turret Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Rivet Gun Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Turret (Lv. 1) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Amp It Up, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
(Lv. 2) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb
Pulse Pistols (Least amount of damage) Biotic Rifle, Biotic Grenade, Repair Pack, Caduceus Staff, Biotic Grasp, Biotic Orb

This table was calculated based off of which abilities can be outhealed by a certain ability. More inconsistent abilities were not included. This isn’t always the same for every situation, and does not take loading into account. This table also does not include support ultimates as counters or any support abilities.

After the nerf, Mercy will no longer be able to outheal the Tesla Cannon, Heavy Pulse Rifle’s least amount of damage, Photon Projector’s least amount of damage, Level 2 Turret, or Pulse Pistols’ least amount of damage. This will make Mercy much less consistent overall, ruining her purpose.

Countering Ultimates

So Who Can Counter What Ultimate?

Ultimate Support Counters
Meteor Strike Sound Barrier
Dragon Blade Sleep Dart, Sound Barrier, Coalescence, Transcendence
Deadeye Sleep Dart, Shield Bash, Sound Barrier (2 seconds or less)
Barrage Sleep Dart, Shield Bash, Sound Barrier, Transcendence
Death Blossom Sleep Dart, Shield Bash, Sound Barrier, Transcendence
Tactical Visor Sleep Dart, Transcendence
Pulse Bomb Sound Barrier
Configuration: Tank Coalescence, Transcendence
Dragonstrike Transcendence
RIP-Tire Sound Barrier
Blizzard Sound Barrier, Valkyrie (Not in radius), Coalescence (Not in radius), Transcendence
Molten Core Rally, Sound Barrier, Valkyrie, Coalescence, Transcendence
Earthshatter Sleep Dart, Shield Bash, Rally, Sound Barrier, Valkyrie, Coalescence
Whole Hog Sleep Dart, Shield Bash, Sound Barrier, Coalescence, Transcendence
Primal Rage Rally, Sound Barrier, Valkyrie, Coalescence, Transcendence

This table only takes the damage from said ultimate into account. Counters are determined based on if they can outheal the ultimate, protect allies from the ultimate, or outright cancel the ultimate. This also does not include support ultimates.

Each support can counter various ultimates based on a certain set of circumstances. Mercy is currently able to counter the least amount of ultimates.

All of the information for these tables was gathered through the Overwatch Wiki and my own math. Some of it may be incorrect, so please feel free to tell me if I’m wrong.

She has only one healing ability, but is still able to pump out a large amount of healing. She lacks in long-distance healing abilities, which is what her high mobility makes up for. She only has one ability that can damage as well, which also has high a high damage output due to the time that it takes her to switch between her staff and pistol. She also has an ultimate which can barely be used for defense but is good for offense.

But Her Damage!

Let me set up a scenario for you. I’ve mentioned this to someone before, and figured it would be a good idea to include in order to show the difference in offensive and defensive abilities:
If a Genji were to flank any support, they all have various different options.

Ana She can land 3 body shots, or use the sleep combo. She could also sleep the Genji and call for her team. She also has her grenade to either help damage the Genji, heal herself, or both. (+100HP)
Brigitte She could easily take him out with her shield bash combo, or just whack him to death while healing herself. (16HPS)
Lucio He could land 10 body shots or 5 head shots in order to kill the Genji. He could also just as easily run away, and also has self healing. (12.5HPS)
Mercy She could land 10 body shots or 5 head shots in order to kill him like Lucio. She could also fly to a nearby teammate, but cannot heal herself unless the Genji stops damaging her for a second. (20HPS)
Moira She could latch on to him for 4 seconds in order to kill him, and can also use her Biotic Orb. All the while, she will be healing herself. (30HPS)
Zenyatta He could land 4 body shots or 3 head shots. He could also use his Orb of Discord in order to kill him faster. However, he cannot heal himself unless the Genji stops damaging him for 3 seconds, which only includes his shields. (25HPS)

But She Can Still Easily Outheal the Others!

This is not necessarily true. I know many people who can outheal Mercy with Moira easily, and actually have a better time healing with her then Mercy anyway. Moira currently has the highest healing potential, it’s just that she is rarely used properly. Heck, her current falloff healing is soon to become Mercy’s base healing.
And please, keep in mind that the other supports are able to easily damage and heal at the same time, or easily switch between the two. Mercy was never meant to be like them, and they were never meant to be like Mercy.

2 Likes
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She’s just a very versatile hero. Her kit compliments almost every hero in the game in almost any situation. Damage boost, reliable mobility, and rez are all insanely valuable abilities that are just inherently hard to balance.

I find it very difficult to think of a meta in which Mercy, with her current kit, would not excel in. However, it is extremely easy to think of multiple different metas where Moira and Ana, the other main healers, are simply outright throw picks. If Blizzard fixes that problem, I feel people will stop complaining about Mercy.

It would be really nice if they would do this and not change her 8 times in the process, by the way. I know many mercy players who are absolutely disgusted with how they keep completely changing and gutting her kit while refusing to acknowledge the core reasons why her kit is good in the first place.

+1 for formatting btw, next level

1 Like
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This is very true. It almost makes me wish that she wasn’t this versatile to begin with. I could care less about her Rez and Damage Boost at this point.

For Ana that makes sense, I don’t see that so much with Moira. I just think that she’s a pretty solid hero.

Definitely. I’m tired of adjusting to the constant changes, and am looking into maining other supports as a result.

Thanks! I spent hours on it, haha.

4

She falls very short in situations where you have people spread far apart that both need heavy pocketing. For example, a pharah and a widow. Other examples include full dive comps (genji/tracer/dva/winston). You can run moira with dive on maps like Hanamura where you can walk straight through the choke, stay in the healing mist, and then spread out, but on attack on maps with lots of verticality she falls off fast. All of those situations also hurt Ana a lot too.

I think unless they fix the other main healers not being able to follow characters to and from the high ground, not being able to get as much reliable utility from their cooldowns, and not being able to heal teammates behind barriers, they’ll always be less important than Mercy.

Personally, I think they should just add more healers that do have versatility instead of rework mercy for the 800th time. :confused:

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Ahh, okay. I can definitely see what you mean. I do believe that we have another triple tank/dive meta on the way, and Moira may actually be favored in said meta. I haven’t gotten to test out ptr yet, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

Maybe if they changed up Moira’s fade a bit and gave Ana some sort of ability that increased her speed or mobility they would become meta? I don’t trust the devs with Mercy anymore. All of these changes are giving me a headache… Just buff the other supports for crying out loud.

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I would say it was a random nerf, kind of like tracers pulse bomb.

But I think it’s sometbing at least.

Only time will tell👌

Adding some other healers like mercy would be great.

1 Like
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I feel like the next patch will actually be one of the most balanced. At least I did before Blizzard went crazy with all of the changes they’re announcing. I’m still trying to like mentally process how it’s all gonna change lol. It looks like there will be a good dynamic between snipers vs short range/stunny comps vs dive comps

Mobility never hurts. It would definitely be a huge buff to her. Part of me doubts Blizz will ever do it “because we don’t like buffing heros weaknesses - only enhancing their strengths!” but when have they ever actually stuck to that motto? Lol.

agree, especially if they compliment the immobile supports

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Ugh, same here.

They probably won’t. It’s weird to think that we started out with only 3 supports with different strengths and weaknesses; Mercy being dependent on the team, Lucio being able to mostly fend for himself, and Zenyatta being sort of a mix. I wasn’t really around for the simple days, but I’m not sure if I would really want to because… Roadhog

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I think Moira vs Mercy you are forgetting that Mercy is better in mobile metas. Moira average heal will be higher only because she is supporting a tank oriented slow comp like deathball

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That does make sense. I’m honestly mostly concerned about how her ultimate is going to be affected by all of this. It was already sub-par for an ultimate, now it’s basically going to be strictly used offensively. Just a weak Supercharger. :<

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Sorry for OT but i had to comment about that amazing formatting. Wow

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People seem to forget that Mercy has a high pickrate for two simple reasons.

  1. She is one of the only two main healers (3 if you count Moira)
    1.5 Ana is not currently viable and casual friendly.
  2. She has rez on cooldown which no one ever asked for.
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In my opinion she needed a nerf and after this change she will needs others.
The actually problem is that if you play a comp without mercy against a comp who is playing mercy instead you are in a big disadvantage ‘cause of the Rez.
The Rez cooldown should be reworked in some ways.

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Exactly. It was never about her healing… At least in my eyes.

She does have a high pick rate, and heals more than the other supports. But again, that’s mostly because of the meta and Rez. It’s all about her Damage Boost and Rez, it was never her healing. I wouldn’t mind if they nerfed everything other than her healing and mobility. Heck, if that was all she was… I don’t care, I just like her core gameplay.

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I personally think that Guardian angel, the blaster and the hps are the only things balanced about mercy.
Rez, dmg boost are gross.
Valkyrie is in a pretty good spot at the moment

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I still don’t particularly love Valkyrie, but I’m alright with it. I would say that it’s balanced, though it could become weak considering the direction the other supports’ ultimates are moving in.

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Valkyrie compared to other support ultimates is already weak in my opinion

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I suppose that’s true… Though Ana’s ultimate wasn’t that great before.

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1.transcendence
2.coalescence
3.rally
4.beat (ptr)
5.Valkyrie
6.Nanoboost (ptr)

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Haha yeah, that’s true. I think that I mentioned that it would become the only ultimate that will only be able to be used offensively in the ultimates section. It can’t save lives or provide any real protection… It can be used to strengthen a push and top everyone off, though.