Today's blog will be the first in what I hope will be an ongoing series focusing on analyzing new Heroes as they come out, but before going into HGC play. I'll be speculating on the strengths and weaknesses of the Hero from a competitive standpoint and then giving my totally scientific analysis and grade** for whether the Hero will see much HGC play.We'll be focusing on Junkrat for this article, as he was the first hero released post HGC cutoff. Junkrat was initially allowed for play at Blizzcon, but large Pro outcry led to a reversal of the decision which saw him banned. It's interesting to muse on what, if any, effect Junkrat may have played in the finals. He was considered to have a very unique kit, but ultimately underpowered, a point which Blizzard addressed in a balance patch not long after.Junkrat is being positioned as a ranged "disruption" assassin. If I were to have written this article a few weeks ago, I would have said he probably wouldn't see much play due to the very popular double support meta (two supports, a tank and off-tank bruiser, and a hyper carry). Now that we've seen a large balance patch with support nerfs almost completely across the board, my perspective is a little different. While I don't believe we'll see double support go away, I think these changes at least have opened up the opportunity for a second assassin, or specialist, to be viable in competitive comps.So where would Junkrat fit in a team? I see Junkrat as much more of a counter-pick to melee or mid-line squishier targets. He has respectable poke with Frag Launcher, and zoning with potential with Steel Trap and Concussion Mine. A good Junkrat can execute a similar move as Garrosh, picking a vulnerable target and displacing them with Concussion Mine for the rest of the team to pounce on.What maps might he be utilized on? Junkrat excels in tight corridors and enclosed objective spots. This will allow him to get maximum value out of Frag Launcher and Concussion Mines. The Tribute spawns in Cursed Hollow or the tight enclosed spaces of Tomb of the Spider Queen and Dragon Shire objectives give him ample opportunity to inflict maximum damage, interrupt channeling, and give his grenades multiple chances to hit if you miss initially. The varied terrain and ample choke points also give Junkrat a quick entrance or exit with Concussion Mine.What are his strengths and weaknesses for competitive play? Junkrat can have decent poke with fairly long range. He also excels at creating chaos, ruining positioning, and causing general disruption within teamfights. He also has a very powerful "get out of jail free card" with his Rocket Ride, that can be devastating to cc'd opponents, and useful for avoiding death, then getting back into battle quickly. On the flip side, Junkrat is an extremely squishy hero. Strong dive or cc can see him neutralized very quickly. He's also lacking in burst damage outside of his Rocket Ride ult. Speaking of the Rocket Ride, one of his biggest strengths can also become one of his biggest weaknesses. If Rocket Ride is misused, your team may quickly find itself in a 4v5 situation for several crucial seconds, especially on some of the larger maps, or if the fight is taking place far from your main base.Final Grade for HGC Play: C, Niche pick for certain maps, or for a pocket pick strategy. Unlikely to see general play.**Analysis is not actually scientific and grade is totally subjective