Debunking versatility: transfers win championships

An oft-repeated mantra of Overwatch is that versatility is the mark of a top team. Teams that can field varied compositions have more tools to approach games and opponents, and players with deep hero pools can facilitate those compositions. Players like TviQ, Rascal, Libero, Nevix, and Zebbosai among others have been lauded for the flexibility they bring to their teams, while Rogue, Lunatic-Hai and former EnVyUs were chided for their one-dimensional nature.

Teams are also often criticised for making rapid roster changes or not allowing synergy to develop between their six. Changing roles, cutting players, rotating, and trialling are often looked down on as marks of a struggling team. Teams are encouraged to work through their difficulties and hone synergy, developing their own individual talent and style rather than chopping and changing to fit the meta.

This mantra may, for the first time, now be true. The recent balance patches have sent us closer and closer to universal viability, but it's important to realise that Overwatch has typically been a game of set metas.

The championship teams and the regional best teams in Overwatch have rarely been flexible and long-standing. These teams have nailed a particular style, often the current meta, and rode that to victory on the basis of crisp execution. If a player didn’t fit the times they were kicked out for an upgrade, perhaps only a temporary upgrade at that. When the goal is championship titles, being a consistent silver is consistent failure.

There is a place in the history books for teams who stuck with their roster and refused to bow to the meta. Those with versatility and a foundation of strong teamwork are often found making repeated deep runs in tournaments. They win matches even when their individual talent doesn’t fit the meta. They can beat weaker teams playing the meta and stronger teams when they shake. But these “jack of all trades” teams are rarely the dominant team of an era, and few of them have ever won championships.

Two components appear to create championship-winning teams: The first is a roster change. The second is aligning the style and players closely to the meta.

Historically, in the first year of Overwatch, there have been clearly defined metas which were acknowledged by most teams and widely used, with counters rarely developing until the next patch. Winners were as much forged by the patches as their hard work; lightning-fast adaptability and individual talent that slotted into priority roles was the key.

For obvious reasons top teams rarely luck themselves into a new patch. It would be a fortunate team indeed that had the foundations needed to compete at the top and then stumbled into a meta which perfectly aligned to their players. More often than not, these teams sensed the change on the wind, making roster changes to give them all the pieces to master the meta. Their reward was a rapid rise in ability relative to their peers, often timed perfectly to whisk away a championship.

There is also a trend of roster changes having a large effect outside of their alignment with the meta. Many top teams have made roster changes before tournaments simply to boost raw ability or fix a weak component; the bulk of the evidence shows that intelligent transfers have the most impact out of any alteration a team can make. Roster changes appear to trump team synergy - at least with that exact six - when comparing across established top teams.

It may be that team synergy is independent of roles, or that in Overwatch’s six-player teams a single or double player transfer can often keep the style and strength of a team intact. Perhaps individual skill, for all its apparent weak impact, is vitally important over teamwork. I leave the conclusions to you. Here’s the evidence:

EnVyUs: November 14th 2016 - January 24th 2017

cocco, chipshajen, INTERNETHULK, Taimou, HarryHook, Mickie. Image credit: OGN Global

The most obvious example of this phenomenon is EnVyUs in their period of dominance, stretching from APEX Season 1 playoffs through MLG Vegas and up to the beginning of APEX Season 2. A single new player, an intelligent role shift, and a meta seemingly made to fit formed the perfect storm.

EnVy had started with a stumble in the groups of APEX Season 1 but still made it into the playoffs. They were at the mercy of the first seed teams as to their quarterfinals opponent, and everybody was aware that a new patch would hit between the groups and the single-elimination bracket. Talespin added another wrench into their plans, accidentally planting the seeds for EnVy’s dominance, with his last-minute farewell; HULK was left to find a replacement with little time and a playoff battle looming.

He chose Mickie, a flex player from Thailand that he had connected with at the World Cup. The choice proved inspired; EnVyUs’s gleeful new workhorse set to mastering D.Va and HarryHook swapped with HULK, the former running permanent Soldier: 76. The simple swaps maximised the power in their roster and gave EnVyUs two worldclass players on the two new strongest heroes.

They were underestimated by Rogue and toppled the tournament favourites in the quarterfinals. They went on to beat Kongdoo Uncia, another team massively boosted by the new patch, and then AF.Blue in the finals 4-0. It was a showcase of intelligent roster building and adaptation to the new meta, and EnVyUs couldn’t be stopped until the next patch in January 2017.

The roster move, while perfect for the late 2016 patch, opened up long-term holes in the team. EnVyUs lacked a Genji or a Tracer player and were hit hard by the dive meta, seeming almost unable to adapt. They had a poor performance in APEX Season 2, didn’t look outstanding in the Rivalcade Rumble, and had to make new roster changes coming into APEX Season 3. Despite this, and even with the benefit of hindsight, I am quite sure that EnVy would be happy to make the same decisions again.

Lunatic-Hai: January 24th 2017 - Present

EscA, ryujehong, WhoRU, Tobi, Zunba, Miro. Image credit: OGN

The next large example is Lunatic-Hai, winners of APEX Season 2. The team had decided to make full use of OGN’s newly added eight-man roster rule by signing Zunba, a star offtank who had played with their core in the World Cup, and WhoRU, a Genji with incredible potential from the ladder.

They originally intended to rotate their eight players until a scandal broke in the Korean scene; LEETAEJUN and Dean were lambasted for their indecent correspondence with female fans, stirred onward by heated denials and then countering evidence. Both players eventually announced their retirement and Lunatic-Hai let them go, replacing them directly with their new additions. This new roster was an incredible dive team just as the meta strongly slanted in that direction.

This was no accident. Lunatic-Hai did not luckily land in this situation, as shown by their early rosters before LEETAEJUN and Dean retired. The team had already planned to shift Miro into the main tank role, at least for Winston, and Dean and EscA sat on the bench for their first APEX game. When their two players retired, EscA simply filled in for LEETAEJUN’s role on similar heroes that he already possessed and the team was set.

Though it was perhaps fortunate that Lunatic-Hai were saved from fielding an inconsistent LEETAEJUN and instead had to focus on their set six, Zunba and WhoRU were deliberately added to fill in vital slots for the team. Lunatic-Hai saw their weaknesses and potential for vast improvement by helping Miro and playing a more dive-heavy style. They read the meta, and made roster changes to facilitate that.

Lunatic-Hai throughout APEX Season 2 was one of the least flexible dive teams in the world and yet won the entire tournament, the most competitive of Overwatch so far. RunAway outplayed them with preparation in the playoffs and almost did the same in the finals, but Lunatic-Hai’s execution would not be denied.

Part of the reason that this theme has been so prevalent in APEX is that a patch has hit each time during the tournament, changing the meta quite drastically. In APEX Season 1 this was a huge change from groups to playoffs; in Season 2, the Koreans were already playing more dive as a general rule, then D.Va and Ana were nerfed mid-groups with Roadhog and other changes following in playoffs.

The tournament is also so long that OGN has not been draconian in enforcing team roster stability, allowing teams to alter their rosters to respond to shifts in the meta.

The scariest aspect of Lunatic-Hai is that they now appear to be evolving. APEX Season 3 would mark a whole new trend for the team.

Rogue: January 10th 2017 - Present

NiCO, KnOxXx, winz, aKm, uNKOE, SoOn. Image credit: OGN

Rogue are one of the major exceptions to this rule with their former championship roster, but fit solidly into the theme when considering their all-French lineup.

After the triple shuffle which saw them bring in SoOn and Skipjack from Misfits, Rogue failed to perform up to their standards. Though they only played one tournament and were beaten by the eventual champions, Rogue were eliminated from IEM GyeongGi in their first match and the team wanted a change.

They could smell the move from tank to dive in the air. After sampling the Korean meta and then trialling transfers in scrims for months, they crafted their new roster to fit a meta Rogue had partly developed. Skipjack was removed from the team officially on January 10th, allowing KnOxXx to take on tank, winz to move to support, and new flex DPS NiCO to join.

Their roster, and especially the new addition, was designed with triple DPS in mind. NiCO is on the flex role, classically associated with offtanks, yet was known for - and mostly fielded - his Genji. NiCO also allows Rogue to play Winston/D.Va with double hitscan excellently, another vogue Rogue composition.

With this roster they crushed North America and have been competing at a reasonable level with the very best teams in APEX. As for their versatility? Rogue claims to have it in spades but so far has almost never shown it.

If we take them at face value and believe that they are also a top tier Reinhardt or tank-heavy team, there are still big issues. If Rogue don’t know when to run a different composition, or prefer simply to grind out triple DPS in the hopes of winning a dry fight, then they might as well be one dimensional. The timing and choice involved in fielding different compositions is as important as the ability to pull them off.

So far Rogue is a team that believes their one style, with only NiCO or uNKOE ever swapping between two heroes, is their best route to success. There’s nothing wrong with that, and they are probably right, but Rogue cannot claim to be a versatile team without proof of concept.

LW Blue: December 12th 2016 - Present

LW Blue (or as they were branded at the time LW Red) won IEM GyeongGi. It was a major tournament with top Korean and Western teams, albeit with an odd format. The single biggest factor, the individual element that propelled them to stardom from mediocrity, was Fl0w3R.

Fl0w3R’s addition from their sister team added a huge amount of firepower. He unlocked Sarbyeolbe to become a secondary star for the team by relieving the pressure from his partner, and the two tore through IEM GyeongGi. It was the largest difference a single player has had to any top team in Overwatch.

This championship win, however similar in terms of a transfer accelerating LW Blue to a win, does not directly fit the trend. There was no larger meta alignment at work here, and LW Blue remain a very versatile team with strengths across the board. Nevertheless, the transfer unlocked LW Blue’s latent potential and catapulted them into the upper echelons, rather a grind to improve with their core six.

LW Blue have now brought in Pine to replace Fl0w3R while his wrist heals, though this is not an upgrade and the two share similar styles and hero pools. If LW Blue are able to take IEM GyeongGi and APEX Season 3 with this roster, they will have been only the second team to ever buck the trend described here. They have the talent and the tools, but their execution and resolve must be outstanding.

Misfits: September 9th 2016 - October 10th 2016

Nevix, Kryw, Zebbosai, SoOn, Hidan, ryb. Image credit: Turner/ELEAGUE

Misfits as a team embodied this principle before their all-Swedish lineup. Their rosters exhibited this phenomenon twice over two championship wins, both times crafting their six to fit and shape the meta.

In this time period, from September to November 2016, Misfits won the Overwatch Open and helped to pioneer the Mei/Reaper “Beyblade” meta as a direct counter to the triple tank teams rising in Europe. After losing to NiP in the Lenovo Cup just prior to the $300,000 LAN at ELEAGUE, Misfits took advantage of the recent Mei buffs to craft a composition to isolate and melt tanks, then win pivotal fights with huge ultimates.

The roster changes were their main storyline coming into the event though; Skipjack’s mother was gravely ill just as Zaprey had suddenly quit Overwatch for his studies, leaving the team without a tank or DPS. Misfits moved Nevix from Ana to DPS and added in ryb and Hidan on tank and support.

The swap gave them a more aggressive Reinhardt and a strong Ana, but most importantly it allowed Nevix to set up a huge amount of won teamfights with his Mei play. SoOn was given the resources to obliterate enemies, dropping onto teams with a Nano-Blossom and a Zarya bubble, as Nevix shot icicles into their eyes and denied positioning with his wall.

It was a roster swap - and two new players - that let Misfits perfect a meta-defining strategy and slam through playoffs. They narrowly beat NiP and then Rogue to win the European side, finishing with a slam dunk on EnVyUs for the trophy.

When they returned to online play, this time without ryb and with a nerf to Nanoboost, Misfits lost consistently to Ninjas in Pyjamas.

Misfits: November 14th 2016 - December 5th 2016

SoOn, skipjack, (Zebbosai hidden), Nevix, Hidan, COOLLER. Image credit: DreamHack

Misfits did it all again though for DreamHack Winter. This time, the roster changes were deliberate and planned despite their hasty appearance. Kryw was removed from the team shortly before DreamHack and COOLLER joined on Lucio, allowing Zebbosai to play flex.

Misfits pioneered an early triple DPS strategy with Widowmaker rather than Soldier: 76 providing the brunt of the damage, as Nevix and SoOn played Genji and Tracer, their two most powerful heroes. They brute forced their way through the tournament in an environment more suited to tanks and healing, aided by Fnatic knocking out NiP.

It’s often said that Fnatic paved the way for Misfits to win DreamHack Winter by knocking out NiP, given Misfits’ four consecutive series losses to the Ninjas online, but this was not a team prone to smacking its head against brick walls. Misfits' roster had just been changed with this tournament in mind, crafting the triple DPS composition especially for DreamHack.

We never got to see them play NiP with that style into the Finnish tanks, though one could argue Fnatic played like a sloppier version of NiP in the final. There are certainly question marks around how a theoretical final between Misfits and NiP could have played out, but Misfits had definitely designed the roster swap to shake things up and give them a chance to reverse their loss streak against NiP.

Misfits crafted their lineup to tackle the meta once again with a fixed style. It resulted in their second championship win.

Rogue: June 25th 2016 - November 15th 2016

uNKOE, aKm, TviQ, KnOxXx, Reinforce, winz. Image credit: Turner/ELEAGUE

The largest outlier. Rogue’s era of being arguably the best team in the world stretched from late June to mid November 2016 and spanned two championships and a number of deep runs.

Rogue stuck with the same six throughout that five month period, winning the Atlantic Showdown and APAC Premier. This time period extended from the very beginning of hero limit 1 up to the D.Va meta, which saw them fall to EnVyUS in the APEX Season 1 playoffs and rebuild their roster. It’s the first era of Overwatch, and it belongs to Rogue.

Though this team is definitely the largest, and perhaps only, true outlier to the overall phenomenon at work, Rogue’s path to their first championship title has definite echoes.

Rogue finalised their six players by bringing KnOxXx into the team towards the end of June. He replaced iddqd, though the team had been trialled Toxiken for a number of weeks in between, and was worked into Rogue across tournaments in July including the Atlantic Showdown qualifiers.

This roster move, unlike the others in this article, did not shift Rogue drastically upwards in terms of results, with Rogue still on par with the top four in EU at that time. It did, however, allow them to adapt perfectly to a huge shift in the Overwatch meta: the formal introduction of hero limit 1.

This happened in early July, just in time for the Atlantic Showdown qualifiers and preparation for the first championship LAN. Bringing KnOxXx into the team on support allowed winz to move to Zarya where he was a powerhouse, with the move also giving them more of a tactical and leadership edge.

The change ultimately propelled them into an upset over EnVyUs, their first championship win, and the Rogue era of summer 2016. Rogue were a versatile team, they survived and performed through different metas, they kept their roster and adapted each time. But this does not disprove the rule; Rogue were good enough to break the mould.

Rogue at APAC. Image credit: Carson Knuth

Ultimately only a few championship winners do not fit this theory at all. Rogue won at APAC Premier by being the best global team at that time with a long-standing and highly successful, versatile roster. Immortals won the Winter Premiere and Carbon Series after getting in Verbo but that had nothing to do with the meta, more so that the elite teams were not present.

A number of teams have been able to make deep runs with long-standing rosters: NiP with Zuppehw, Lunatic-Hai with Dean and LEETAEJUN, EnVyUs with Talespin, REUNITED with kyb, FaZe with TwoEasy, Fnatic with iddqd - the list goes on. None of these teams were able to fine-tune their roster to claim a championship and all were forced to upgrade bar NiP, who hang on to the same six Finns and are looking to TaKeOver 2 for glory and redemption.

There has not yet been a team which was world-class, plummeted due to an unfavourable meta, but still stuck with the roster and were able to regain their form on the other side. Rogue and Immortals are the closest, with the former never really slumping and the latter regaining their form throughout Carbon Series but not on a non-worldclass level. If NiP are victorious at TaKeOver 2 then they will have broken new ground, defying the meta with a style powered by incredible synergy.

It seems unlikely. So far, the meta in Overwatch has been set and incredibly strong, essentially deciding which teams it propels into success. Whether by virtue of understanding the strongest composition or by having the individual talent to slot perfectly in, if you had the best meta comp, you were likely to win.

The most recent patches have been the most balanced Overwatch has ever seen. Almost every composition is viable from triple DPS and triple tank to triple support. Versatility is still a debatable virtue over focused excellence in executing a specific comp, but it’s becoming more and more relevant.

Blizzard could, of course, turn this completely back on its head with a single patch, but the trend is moving towards crafted strategy and counter-strategy rather than rapid adaptation to master a meta.