While Overwatch releasing five heroes at the same time proved to be a bold experiment, given the game’s rapid increase in players and the general positive reception to it from returning fans, it can certainly be deemed a success. That doesn’t mean it came without any growing pains, though, as a few of Overwatch’s new characters have found themselves getting insta-banned — though it seems like Blizzard doesn’t think Domina is as problematic as the community does.
Anyone that has played a match of competitive in Overwatch Season 1 will have noticed which heroes are being banned the most. From the very start of the Season, Fika, AKA Jetpack Cat, has been nearly unplayable in competitive matches. If there’s a match with water or an environmental hazard, Jetpack Cat is even less likely to be played, with players frustrated by her Ultimate, which sees the flying feline grabbing and dragging whoever she lands on to their doom. This, combined with her powerful melee and Purr perks, made her a force to be reckoned with. However, she isn’t the only ban target, as the community perceives Domina as overpowered, which is a stance Blizzard has pushed back on.
Blizzard’s full ban rate and win percentage breakdown can be found here.
What Blizzard’s Data on Overwatch’s New Heroes Reveals
In the EU, South Korea, and the United States, Domina and Jetpack Cat are the obvious go-to bans at the moment. Domina is at 57% (EU), 61.3% (KR), and 59.8% (US), while Jetpack Cat is at an even more brutal 68.8%, 80.7%, and 66.7%. It’s a rough time to be attached to either of these two heroes, especially when Anran’s ban percentage never went above 8.2% and both Emre and Mizuki are almost never ban targets. Obviously, this data reveals something was up, which explains why Blizzard made changes.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
For Domina, her Ultimate charge time was increased by 12%, a fair nerf that has only seen her win percentage drop by a point, which Blizzard says indicates it was the right call. Her mains weren’t particularly bothered by the adjustment either, even supporting it since they felt they had their Ultimate prepared for nearly every team fight. For Jetpack Cat, the Territorial and Claws Out perk combo was deemed too powerful (it was picked far more than any pairing), which saw both perks being nerfed. She should now be less deadly in 1v1 duels. While this hasn’t stopped Jetpack Cat from being banned, as she’s simply been deemed annoying by many as they struggle to adapt to her kit, perhaps the bans will become less common as players adapt to her. Intriguingly, it seems like this is what Blizzard hopes to happen with Domina as well, as it doesn’t seem to agree with her ban rate.
In fairness to Blizzard, Domina’s win rate is hardly egregious, as it’s on par with Mizuki and Jetpack Cat’s. Really, the only outrageous win rate in the image above was Emre, who benefited greatly from his weapon and grenade damage buff, as it’s clear to see the exact moment when Overwatch’s February 24 balance patch kicked in. According to Blizzard, those banning Domina simply perceive her as being overpowered, perhaps due to her ranged damage, or her bulky, segmented shield. Blizzard simply thinks that players may not be using her counters effectively — aggressive characters like D.Va and Reinhardt can charge her and take her out, with it being hard for her to respond in time. Winston is another viable option for keeping the Vishkar higher-up in check.
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It does seem like Domina mains are safe from more nerfs for the time being, as Blizzard seems to want to take a wait and see approach with the fashionista, though this is only speculation. While there will surely be those that agree or disagree with the notion that Domina is fine as is, her fairly run-of-the-mill win rate does back up Blizzard’s argument that players see her as stronger than she actually is.
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
