p
For the last several months, mobile set-ups, able to easily target opponents' backlines— otherwise known as dive compositions—have been the driving force behind the metagame. In this article, I examine some of the most popular ones, analyzing how they work and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each, compared to the rest.
• Lucio, Ana, Winston, D.Va, Tracer, Genji APEX S3 playtime: 03:46:46; APEX S3 win rate 44.47%
This was the first composition to become popular, since dive's return to prominence earlier this year, and to a degree can be considered the standard one. Compared to other dive-orientated compositions, it was considerably more prevalent last season of APEX, but we still continue seeing it nowadays. Several months ago, some might have even refused to call anything replacing a hero other than Ana, a dive composition.
All the heroes with the exception of Ana, and to a much lesser degree Lucio, are mobile enough to find themselves at the enemy's backline. In a situation where the support heroes are targeted by the enemy, both have abilities that can help them fend off the attackers to give the opportunity to the mobile core to trade favorably or assist.
One of the weaknesses of this composition are Pharmercy (Pharah + Mercy) set-ups, but they aren't impossible to overcome, as the most skilled Ana and Genji players have shown themselves able to deal with the rocketeer and its companion. Additionally, both D.Va and Tracer can be quite the nuisance for the flying duo to be dealing with, even if not too much of a threat.
Another weak point of this set-up is the inability to dish out high amounts of damage on a consistent basis. In short bursts, especially when ultimates are available, it can be quite devastating; however, if ultimates are lacking, the composition is heavily dependent on keeping everybody alive or outnumbering the opponents. Even when that is the case, it requires the ability of focusing targets properly more so than non-dive types of compositions. If the set-up loses a hero without an immediate trade, or having the required ultimates to clean up, the fight can instantly snowball against them due to lack of damage or sustain, depending on who was taken out.
• Lucio, Zenyatta, Winston, D.Va, Tracer, Genji. APEX S3 playtime: 06:37:05; APEX S3 win rate 42.06%
A variation on the previous composition, which offers more consistent damage at the expense of consistent healing, utility and a degree of self-sufficiency. Additionally, with D.Va being able to eat Ana's ... well, everything—except Nanoboost—and Winston's Barrier Projector presenting similar problems, while Zenyatta's Orb of Harmony and Orb of Discord are untouched by Defense Matrix, it is easy to see why the robotic monk has grown in popularity. Particularly when one considers the effectiveness of Transcendence against dive compositions and their prevalence in the current metagame, and Ana's diminished ability to create picks after the Biotic Rifle nerfs.
All that is not to say Ana doesn't offer any benefits in the current metagame. The sharpshooter's aforementioned utility can still be immensely powerful—whenever it isn't eaten by enemy D.Vas—and makes her less considerably dependent on help for escaping opponents' dives alive. And even though Ana's own damage output is overall lower, she offers a reliable way of attacking targets located at medium to long range. uNKOE and ryujehong might be able to hit most of their Zenyatta shots regardless of the distance between them and their target, but it isn't the case for the vast majority of players. Perhaps the biggest upside of Ana over Zenyatta is Nanoboost's ability to swing team fights when combined with certain ultimates. Transcendence is a powerful teamfight ultimate in its own right, but it can't compare to Nanoboost when it comes to wiping power.
• Lucio, Winston, D.Va, Sombra, Tracer, Genji APEX S3 playtime: 03:20:06; APEX S3 win rate: 43.74%
During APEX S2, we saw some Sombra play, most notably from Rascal, but it wasn't until the current season we got to see it on a regular basis. However, thanks to some direct buffs, players and teams having more time to master, and to a lesser degree, Zenyatta's rise, the hacker has become one of the more prominent characters in the current metagame. While a preemptive usage of Transcendence—as seen in the EnVyUs vs X6 match—can be an effective tactic against EMP, it isn't a reliable one. Furthermore, even if Zenyatta times her ultimate perfectly and triggers it right before EMP, trading the two abilities is a beneficial exchange to Sombra's team, as EMP can be charged significantly faster. This makes the counter-play inefficient in the grand scheme of things, even if it can be effective in certain situations. And when that option is gone, the robot is an easy target to hack and bring down to 50HP. Even though D.Va is considerably more tankier, she's vulnerable to Sombra in a similar manner, since Defense Matrix doesn't stop hacking. Due to her reliance on abilities, once hacked, the character is borderline useless and extremely vulnerable to being desuited.
Unlike the two supports (Ana and Zenyatta) she replaces in this composition, Sombra has significant mobility. It allows her to be part of the dive core, but rather than being a pure kill threat, she's used to distract and create space for the rest of the squad. And due to the fact that she is a situational pick—and how powerful hacked HP packs can be—the lack of a traditional healing ability isn't as much of a drawback as one would assume at first thought.
And while Sombra's fragging isn't on the level of other DPS characters, the stats for APEX S3 show her averaging more than 150% the number of frags Zenyatta does, who in turn doubles Ana's average kills over time.
The key component in the following compositions remains the mobile diving core, but this sort of compositions adds a backline damage threat, which looks to make use of the havoc caused by the dive core to deal damage without attracting attention. It is a natural progression of the standard dive composition, as the ranged heroes offer simultaneously a safer way to deliver damage and a protection for the backline support(s).
• Lucio, Zenyatta, Winston, D.Va, Soldier 76, Tracer??? APEX S3 playtime 06:25:12; APEX S3 win rate: 41.70%
• Lucio, Ana, Winston, D.Va, Soldier 76, Tracer APEX S3 playtime: 02:31:27; APEX S3 win rate: 52.36%
• Lucio, Zenyatta, Winston, D.Va, McCree, Tracer APEX S3 playtime: 00:30:28; APEX S3 win rate: 14.50%
• Lucio, Ana, Winston, D.Va, McCree, Tracer APEX S3 playtime: 00:14:15; APEX S3 win rate: 67.37%
Few players exist—RunAway's Haksal is the first coming to mind—who are skilled enough on a mechanical level to present a threat for enemy heroes located at medium range or beyond with Genji. Other top players who specialize in the hero—even well-respected ones like Lunatic-Hai's WhoRU—have rarely been able to showcase a similar level of accuracy with shuriken. And even among those who've done it, no one has reached a level of consistency comparable to that of RunAway's young star.
A Pharmercy is another threat the vast majority of teams will have a hard time dealing with if they were to use a composition focused on diving the enemy's backline. D.Va is certainly a useful tool against the flying duo, and on specific maps, some Genji players have been able to utilize terrain to take down the flying duo. Nevertheless, similarly to the previous instance, neither of the two options is a dependable way to deal with the problem that Pharmercy can present.
For teams who don't have Haksal or someone of comparable skills on the roster, the solution solving both of the aforementioned problems has been adding a hitscan hero like Soldier 76 or McCree, which excel at medium range.
Combined with an Ana or a Zenyatta, both heroes are enough to threaten, if not take down long-range opponents. Additionally, both provide higher damage per second output and are an efficient pick regardless of the resources they receive. Undoubtedly, Genji, Soldier 76, and McCree all benefit from Nanoboost and getting their team to work around them, but the drop off for Genji when not being the focal point of his team is significant. In contrast, Soldier 76 and McCree decline in a more linear manner and, compared to the ninja, are more efficient even with a minimal amount of resources. To top it off, the fact that they can be fully effective damage threats from a longer range means that Soldier 76 and McCree can be positioned near the backline support, which makes it considerably easier for them to switch from assisting the dive core to defending the support, be it with damage or utility.
All of this isn't to say that running the two hitscan heroes has no downsides compared to Genji. Dragonblade, especially when combined with Nanoboost, offers explosiveness on a level hard to reach even for the best Soldier 76 and McCree players, and unlike the latter two the ninja it can't be shut down by a D.Va. Furthermore, even though the Soldier 76 and McCree can deliver all their damage from safe distance, it is also easier for the opponents to dodge it by running behind shields or terrain. Given his horizontal and vertical mobility, such tactics are, for the most part, ineffective against an above average Genji player.
• Lucio, Ana, Winston, D.Va, Soldier 76, Genji APEX S3 playtime: 01:11:26; APEX S3 win rate: 56.14%
• Lucio, Zenyatta, Winston, D.Va, Soldier 76, Genji APEX S3 playtime: 01:07:38; APEX S3 win rate: 59.14%
Tracer has been quite popular in the current metagame, but we've also seen a few teams—most notably, Afreeca Freecs Blue—playing Genji instead of her. Picking the ninja trades the heroine's self-sufficiency, better horizontal mobility and higher damage output for vertical mobility superior explosiveness. However, in most cases, the decision of whether a team runs Genji or Tracer along Soldier 76 is based on personnel, rather than what type of composition will be better suited against the opponent, or fits the map. For example, if a team has a Genji specialist, who is one of the best on the ninja but only above average on Tracer, the squad will almost always favor Genji, regardless of map and who the opponents are.
The win rate we see for the Genji compositions is a noticeable improvement from the ones with Tracer, but it is worth noting that AF Blue are responsible for more than half the playtime of the above compositions. This is relevant as the team is yet to both drop a map and play an elite level opponent. Thus, as they make up a large portion of the playtime, the win rate for the compositions is inflated and not representative of how powerful each of the characters is within the current metagame.
• Lucio, Zenyatta, Winston, Soldier 76, Tracer, Genji APEX S3 playtime: 03:16:59; APEX S3 win rate: 57.67%
• Lucio, Ana, Winston, Soldier 76, Tracer, Genji APEX S3 playtime: 00:36:13; APEX S3 win rate: 67.97%
Many speculated that the triple DPS compositions will take over APEX's third season, but 2-2-2 has remained considerably more prevalent. The former puts both its users and the opponents in a position where they're heavily reliant on quick decision-making and impeccable execution, even more so than 2-2-2 dive compositions. This is a direct and obvious result of swapping D.Va for a third DPS character; losing D.Va's natural durability and Defense Matrix's ability to peel or deny opponents' DPS makes a team less capable of taking damage. However, dishing out more decreases the time it takes to get rid of the opponents, especially when coupled with Zenyatta. This causes the 2-1-3 to be played out slightly different than a 2-2-2 with Soldier 76. The option of disengaging is practically non-existant when the dive is initiated with it, and more often than not requires softening up targets before commiting. The set-up is a hard one to run well, but when done so, its damage and mobility, combined with the aggressive nature, puts a tremendous pressure on the enemy team.
Talking about the above triple DPS set-ups, referred to by some fans as 'the Rogue comp', is a hard thing to do without mentioning the French squad. It is the case because they're not only the team who popularized it, but also the one best suited to run it at the top level of competition. Unfortunately for winz, Lucio players don't get the opportunity to play something other than the DJ often, but each of Rogue's players excels at their respective hero for the composition. uNKOE, aKm, and SoOn in particular are among the very best worldwide. As such, to say the composition fits the squad like a glove would be an assessment that is more than fair. Having so much firepower on the outside makes challenging the backline with one hero a suicide, and even sending two will rarely cause more than a temporary distraction. Yet, if this isn't done, it gives the opportunity to two of the most skilled players in the world to rain fire unchallenged.
Whenever one decides how to approach Rogue's triple DPS composition, it is very much a 'pick your poison' scenario that is borderline impossible to handle, even with the appropriate counters, unless you have an edge on them in terms of raw fire-power or synergy.
Cover credit: Asteltainn Photo credits: OGN Stats are courtesy of Winston's Lab
About the author: Hello readers, I go by the ID RadoN! I’ve been following different games within the esports industry ever since finding out about it in 2009. The titles that I follow closely for the time being are Overwatch, CS:GO and Quake Live, while occasionally dabbling in SFV, Dota 2 and LoL. If you wish to reach out, follow future content, or simply know more about my thoughts on esports and gaming, you can find me on twitter at @RadoNonfire.