Patrick "Wat7" Marwal is the newest addition to the Team Dignitas Overwatch lineup. He has been a consistent contender in the competitive scene, previously being a part of Team Austria during the 2016 Blizzard World Cup and has won a plethora of Minor events.

Since joining Dignitas, he has had solid performances filling the extremely important dedicated tank role. We recently had the oppurtunity to ask him about playing a Tank, Orisa, character balance, and more.

Many times, players are unsure of what to focus on as a tank, with many just shielding up and hoping their team is able to win a shootout. What are the top priorities of a tank player?

Wat7: While the top priority is shielding teammates from danger, knowing when to engage is the most important skill of a tank. A Reinhardt that only holds his shield up isn't playing the hero to his full strengths.



A huge number of players in the community believe that Reinhardt is of vital importance for any balanced team composition. How true do you think this is?

Wat7: Yes, as he's the only hero who can have his shield up at all times. However, when played with a faster comp he often doesn't have the mobility required to keep up and Winston is preferred.



Due to his popularity, there are often times when two Reinhardts will come face to face. How do you win a Reinhardt duel?

Wat7: It's all about shield pressure, mind games, and prediction. A charge can win a fight on its own while a miss will often have the reverse outcome. What really decides the outcome are the teammates around you and the support you get.





Some Reinhardts will charge in/swing the hammer a lot and position themselves extremely aggressively while others will take a very defensive stance and prioritize shielding. Which style do you prefer and when do you decide to make the switch during a game?

Wat7: Playing aggressive with enough support from your team creates space for them to thrive free of danger and is also what I prefer. There are still times where you have to play defensive, for example when the enemy team has an overwhelming amount of ults coming into the next teamfight.

Dive comps have recently become popular as an answer to the tank meta. Often times, players will panic under the constant pressure and break. As a tank, what do your priorities become after the enemy starts to dive your supports and backline?

Wat7: As a Reinhardt, it's not easy dealing with dive comps most of the time. However, you need to shield your teammates as best as you can while looking for opportunities to capitalize on and finish off the diving flankers and Winston.



Let’s talk about the new and upcoming champion, Orisa. Many people have played her in the Public Test Realm and have stated that her kit is too powerful. Her “Halt!” ability that draws everyone together like a mini Zarya Graviton Surge is also highly debated as overpowered. What are your thoughts on Orisa?

Wat7: While her Halt ability is very strong when combined with other abilities, I wouldn't say her kit is overpowered. She's strong when played with and against other tanks, yet her lack of mobility also makes her susceptible to flankers.





Jeff Kaplan, the Overwatch game director, has stated that the purpose of Orisa was to act as an “anchor tank” that the team will play around, similar to Reinhardt. Do you think she has this capability?

Wat7: I don't think so. Her playstyle is a lot more similar to Zarya's. Her shield isn't mobile enough to be a valid Reinhardt replacement.



What do you think needs to be changed in order for Orisa to be a balanced, viable character?

Wat7: I think her kit is pretty balanced right now. While she's not a replacement for Reinhardt, I can see her used as a flex tank once players become better with her.



With Blizzard showing some love for tanks now, what kind of tank character or mechanic would you like to see implemented in the future?

Wat7: A support tank hybrid that’s focused on helping teammates would be interesting to play.

Who do you think is the most underrated character right now?

Wat7: I'd say Sombra. Her health pack denial and player-hacking are really strong and can make every tank player feel miserable.



Are there any character balance changes you’d like to see in the near future?

Wat7: The recent changes to Roadhog could easily be considered a buff and the nerfs to Ana’s rifle damage are a good start but her grenade and sleep dart are still too strong. I think both characters still need small changes to be balanced.



Starting with Season 4, a respawn timer delay has been implemented for the defense team. This was said to encourage coordination and was hopefully a solution to the constant deadlock of ties that would occur on Control Point maps. What do you think about this change?

Wat7: It's a nice idea, but the changes barely feel like they impacted anything and more changes are needed if they don’t want it to feel like the second points of 2CP maps are impossible to cap without near-perfect engagements. Right now, it's still too easy to contest and stall the point as the defending team while giving them a higher than even chance to win the fight, even though you clearly lost the fight earlier. Perhaps make it slightly quicker to cap that point overall?





Any map mechanics or ideas you'd like to see in the future?

Wat7: A map with five control points and constant back and forth would be great. Adapting back and forth from attack to defense.

Is there anyone whom you'd like to give a shoutout to?

Wat7: Shoutout to the OWG forum and all the fans that support our team!



A big thanks to Wat7 for his great, thoughtful answers. If you would to see more of Wat7, you can follow him on his Twitch and his Twitter .