Overwatch competitive solo queue can sometimes feel like wrangling a group of angry kindergartners. Everyone wants to play and do what they want and nobody ever considers compromising. On the worst of days, it can feel like the cumbersome weight of your team is impossible to carry - unless you play Roadhog.

"Carrying" in Overwatch is a lot less traditional than other games. The lack of permanent snowballing means the game is more or less always teetering on a knife's edge. Overwatch is a very momentum based game. Some argue that the thought carrying is preposterous - to this, I say nay.

Overwatch by design is and will always be a team game but people underestimate the impact of a single player. This brings us to Roadhog who, by design, is able to create such a large impact that he can change the tide of a match and shift the momentum in his favor. Why is this? How do I carry my angry teammates?





GOING HOG WILD

Roadhog has an incredible kit, which can enable him and his teammates to succeed when other heroes fall short. His self-heal allows for more positioning options, he has large area of effective range, and a high utility ultimate that offers both damage and a way to create space for his team on the objective or to reset a teamfight.





Positioning

Main Tank - When playing Roadhog up front, you want to absorb as much of the enemies' damage and attention as possible. Your self-heal gives you an ample amount of sustain that stacks nicely with the healing your supports offer. While pushing you should look to use your right click damage to destroy enemy barriers, allowing the DPS to start dealing damage that sticks. Moreover, you want to try to land hooks on the enemy tanks. Bursting them down allows for easy dive onto the back line and makes it easy for your DPS to do their jobs.





When playing Roadhog up front, you want to absorb as much of the enemies' damage and attention as possible. Your self-heal gives you an ample amount of sustain that stacks nicely with the healing your supports offer. While pushing you should look to use your right click damage to destroy enemy barriers, allowing the DPS to start dealing damage that sticks. Moreover, you want to try to land hooks on the enemy tanks. Bursting them down allows for easy dive onto the back line and makes it easy for your DPS to do their jobs. Flanker - What Roadhog lacks in mobility as a flanker, he gains in just about everything else. Your powerful heal allows you to make solo plays in the enemy backline, drawing attention away from the objective. Roadhog also has insane one vs. one and pick potential with his hook. When flanking you should always try to hook combo supports first. With even just one support dead it makes is that much easier for your team to beat down the enemy tanks and win fights.

Damage Potency

Sweet Spotting - Roadhog's Scrap Gun right click is an important tool. It offers a medium range damage option that doesn't involve landing hooks. A headshot landed at the perfect range can effectively one-shot any hero with a health pool in the 150-250 range. Learning the sweet spot takes practice but it is one of Roadhog's greatest assets that is often underused. To maximize damage, you want the Scrape Gun projectile to be hitting right as it explodes.

Hook Combo - Roadhog's hook has always been an interesting topic for debate. But as it stands now, the combo only kills if ended with a headshot and luck. Since Overwatch heros come in all shapes and sizes, the head hitbox changes form character to character. For consistency's sake, try to line the enemies chin up with the middle of your reticle.

Hook Displacement - Hook can be used to displace someone off of the boundaries of the map, most well-known being the middle well on Illios. Turning to face a ledge after you've hooked someone, dropping them off the map, is theoretically the highest amount of damage you can do. This tactic is also useful to drop someone off of high ground, away from their defensive position. Being able to displace someone is infinitely important; forcing someone to move, or to compensate their aim on your terms, can put anyone out of their comfort zone and at a disadvantage.





- Hook can be used to displace someone off of the boundaries of the map, most well-known being the middle well on Illios. Turning to face a ledge after you've hooked someone, dropping them off the map, is theoretically the highest amount of damage you can do. This tactic is also useful to drop someone off of high ground, away from their defensive position. Being able to displace someone is infinitely important; forcing someone to move, or to compensate their aim on your terms, can put anyone out of their comfort zone and at a disadvantage. Ultimate - Roadhog's ultimate is pretty straightforward and reliable. It's good for team wiping, but its rechargable enough that it's not wasted if used on one person. It can reset fights if your team is in a losing situation, or clear off the objective to give your team more space to work with. In order of importance you should use your ultimate to: 1) Push people off the map if near a ledge, 2) Make space for your team, and then 3) Solo ult someone for an easy elimination. Avoid holding on to your ultimate for too long but ask yourself, "What's best for the team?" before you press Q.

Counters

Widowmaker - Roadhog's only true counter is Widowmaker. As a sniper, a good Widow will never be in hook range. Moreover, considering how big of a target Roadhog is, a good Widow will make quick work of your health. To deal with Widow you just need to stay out of sight. If she controls the center of the map, dominate the flanks. Wreak havoc across the map and put pressure on her team in an attempt to get her to switch to a different hero.

Reaper - Although Reaper has sort of lost his edge as a Roadhog counter, he is still worth mentioning. If he catches you off-guard, he can deal some serious damage. Heal through his initial damage and hold your Hook until he uses his Wraith Form. Once thats on cooldown, you can go to town on him!

Zarya - Though Zarya can't outdamage Roadhog, with well-timed shields she can make life difficult for a flanking and frontline Hog. Look to land hooks on people out of her line of sight. You can also choose to pull her in and, using your superior damage, fight her through her self-shield to take her out.





CONCLUSION



Practice makes perfect. The more time you spend playing Roadhog the more you realize that he really is a one-man apocalypse. At the beginning of every match decide with your team if you're a frontliner or a flanker. Keep in mind who you should be hooking, whether it's a tank or an out of position support. Look for easy eliminations off the boundaries of the map using your ultimate or hook. And, most importantly, keep up the carry mindset. You won't be able to carry every game. If things are looking down for you and your team don't place blame and look for a scapegoat. Keep playing, keep trying your best, and in the words on Roadhog himself, "stay out of trouble".

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