Why the Shield Bash changes are actually genius

General Discussion
1

The Shield Bash changes are quite controversial, but I do play Brig a lot, one of my most played and favourite heroes so I want to say why I think they are actually brilliant.

What does Shield Bash currently do?

Currently Shield Bash is an anti-dive tool, duel ability and also can deny abilities and ultimates.

What are the changes to Shield Bash? (assuming what we have seen in playtests is exactly what we get).

  • Stun is removed
  • Cooldown is reduced from 7s to 5s
  • Distance is increased from 6.85m to about 10-11m
  • No longer blocked by shields
  • Now triggers inspire
  • Damage increased from 5 to 50

Why these changes are good?
The reason I think these changes are good, is because they remove the CC element of Shield Bash, while keeping it’s function entirely.

As an anti-dive tool, this shield bash lets Brig pressure flankers off of her with damage rather than the stun. If she hits Tracer with this shield bash, Tracer is gonna have to retreat. The 50 damage is a lot, and now Brig is healing herself.

What’s important to realise is that the reduced cooldown increases it’s uptime. So Brig can pressure potentially multiple heroes away during a fight while also activating her healing every time.

the increased distance is HUGE. Severely underestimated. This gives Brig mobility. Brig can now move around more flexibly. But most importantly, this increases Brig’s effective range, if Tracer has a 12m fall-off, now Shield Bash pretty much covers Tracer’s entire range onto Brig, allowing Brig to emit more pressure onto flankers at more range because of the threat of the 50 damage bash.

The ability to bash through shields sounds small, but it stops tank heroes from preventing Brig’s aggression or escape, which is huge for when Brig is retreating from Winston. A Winston should barely ever catch Brig with this new Bash.

So in essence it’s still an anti-dive tool, it still allows brig to duel (if not more effectively with more lethality), it lets Brig move more and more often, and that’s all in a trade for sometimes not stopping someones ability or ult.

That last functionality is key to some engagements, but overall I think the trade-off makes Brig very fun if not as fun as she was before.

I like this change and I can’t wait to try it.

34 Likes
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Having an actual mobility will be loads stronger than a 5 damage single target close range stun

Now I will have CHASE POWER :smiling_imp:

10 Likes
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I rather have anti-mobility debuff instead of stun, like a 0.1s stun for the interrupt and 1.4s of disabled mobility actives and passives on target hit.

Almost not an issue against most targets but makes Brig better anti-flanker.

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I was just saying in another thread that this is probably the largest buff a single ability in OW has ever received. I’m shocked that more people aren’t realizing how insanely good new SB is.

Her 3-hit combo is now a Tracer instakill again. Add Mercy pocket and it instakills any 200 hp hero. Massive buff to safe disengagement. Return from spawn practically cut in half.

How can anyone think the stun is better?! It’s not opinion – it’s objectively incorrect. :joy:

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Well, it’s not really a combo anymore, since Tracer can just blink away. But I do agree that the new SB is underrated.

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She doesn’t need it though, that is still CC.
Hitting Tracer with Bash is already enough to scare her off.
Hitting Genji with bash then some left clicks and maybe whipshot and he’s outta there.

The damage is already so much pressure and it heals her, with extra distance and uptime. It really doesn’t need any anti-mobility debuff. The whole point is she makes flankers leave.

I mean you do have to land the combo. Which against Tracer you will struggle. But even just landing the shield bash is enough to make her leave, the threat of the combo being an option if Tracer doesn’t p*** off is what makes bash good.

As for mercy pocket, I find that unlikely too cus without the stun there isn’t really a combo. BUT, Nano Brig is probably something you might see more.
Nano Rally is already decent, but now add more mobility and more damage.
75 bash? 105? whipshot? cant be bothered to do the math Primary?!

1 Like
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It also gets her back from spawn like 1% faster… :thinking:

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And now it’s even faster! by a lot.
In the time you could previously use 2 shield bash’s for 12m distance, you can use 3 for about 30m.

3 Likes
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Yeah that’s true, but I like that. I think it’s healthy for both sides.

Brig can still achieve the combo if she catches Tracer off guard, especially in the chaos of a brawl. Tracer still has the opportunity to escape, but if she takes a single SB hit then she’s likely going to need to recall anyway unless her support heals her.

Blizz is finally learning that PvP is about counterplay – not hardcounterpicks. My baby is growing up. :sob:

1 Like
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I’m all for Brig being more self sufficient. It saddens me that it means less teamwork though… part of the stun on current Brig is her lack of burst damage and she relies on her team to get the most out of her stun.

But hey, she’ll be one of the few usable supports in OW2 so that’s good at least.

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CC as a broad thing is not the issue.

The issue has always been trying to make hard CC work as a counter to mobility when it counters immobile heroes harder.

Cool. Its enough to kill immobile close range heroes way harder than it is to do it against Tracer. More damage literally falls into the same issue that the stun did: counters immobile heroes way harder than it counters Tracer.

Design-wise, its just inferior. Its a cowardly band-aid meant to skirt around the uncomfortable truth: you cant counter mobility with damage or hard CC, you need to counter it with mechanics that specifically target and punish mobility and not immobile heroes harder.

Any damage or hard CC that isnt auto-aimed will never counter mobile heroes more than it counters immobile ones.

2 Likes
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Well if immobile heroes had more damage and more durability than mobility heroes, it would probably balance out a lot better.

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Yeah but heroes like Cassidy, Symmetra, Reaper, Ashe, Widow, Rein all still have mobility abilities that are important.

A symmetra who is hit by bash can’t teleport away.
A cassidy hit by bash can’t instantly reload his weapon.
…etc

So the debuff you suggest still counters these heroes quite hard because without their mobility they always rely on what mobility they have even more.

14

Thats a very big if.

Specially when heroes like Mei, Sym and Reaper are nearly throw picks thanks to reduced tank survivability and increased damage all around. They already struggle to make an impact, they dont need a Brig with a 150 damage combo they cant escape all because there is an arms race against Tracer going on.

Half of those arent close range heroes, and the rest dont use their mobility as ways to counter aim to the same level heroes like Tracer and Genji do.

Sym isnt going to TP away instantly anyways, Reaper ignores the debuff as wraith is coded to cleanse it, Rein doesnt need to run away from Brig ever, the rest are mid/long range hitscans.

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A major issue in the live game is even with a one-hit combo against Tracer (melee + bash + melee + l+shift) is that Tracer can stll remain out of your melee range and just poke you. The proposed change actually makes it easier for Tracer to get away and stay within that closer range because you can’t lock her down at any point of the combo. So what if she takes 50 damage? She can recall immediately after she’s hit and at any point during your “combo”

1 Like
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:joy: So it’ll be 50 + 35 + 70. With Mercy pocket it’s 201.5 damage.

I’m very confident the combo is still perfectly achievable on any non-mobile squishy even without the stun, because few heroes can instantly escape the range of Flail and WS. Achieving that final WS will just have a higher aim requirement now, which is fair. Still achievable on Tracer too, but again it’s a higher skill maneuver now.

We’ll see how it all plays out though. I’m pumped for the alpha. Even if I don’t get in there will be plenty of vids.

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Defense Matrix

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Except it isn’t a combo now, since Tracer can recall / blink at any time during it.

Ok, THAT is funny.

But that still makes her better vs non mobility heroes than mobility ones…

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20

SB isn’t really a Tracer counter. It’s a deterrent in low-tier play against Tracers who probably shouldn’t be playing her anyway. An experienced Tracer will bait SB so it doesn’t counter her tanks.

Tracer immediately recalling after your SB means you’ve won the interaction. You traded a 5s CD for a 12s CD.

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You don’t need the full combo.
You have just forced her to use recall. Without recall Tracer is VERY SQUISHY and is AT HIGH RISK.

There is a reason one whipshot can force her away. Now you have Bash AND Whipshot.

You don’t need to kill her to counter her. You just want her to get lost and go away.

Definitely but the positions they play, Brig might struggle to reach + that requires both supports to not be on their team with mercy pocket. But I see what you mean.

1 Like