I’ve always enjoyed playing every role in Overwatch, but playing support was how I went pro.

It was the easiest role to go pro with at the time because there weren’t many good supports. I ended up enjoying the role because I got really good at it.

The support role allows me to see the game from an overall perspective since I have a good point of view for that with my heroes. It allows me to give the team good information or explain my understanding of the game. It helps me with making the calls.

The reason why I enjoy support, with both Lucio and Mercy, is because you actually have to be moving around a lot and looking around without stopping. They are very high APM heroes. I enjoy that.

The leader of the team on the Fusion is either me or Eqo. I’m the shot caller, but Eqo is the one who gives us insights about how to play the game and tells us what he wants to do. He’s really vocal, but I’m the one who reminds everyone about our win conditions and gives directions so that everyone is on the same page.

For example, if the opposition has a Lucio and we have a Mercy, I’ll remind everyone that our win condition is to play long fights with poke, keeping our distance.

I just try to remind everyone of the global win conditions for the team.

I tell people who I’m pocketing or helping so they know when to move forward or take a risk.

Sometimes I call who to focus, but I don’t always want to do that, it should be other people. If I know they have monkey ult or a D.Va bomb, when we’re focusing that person I try to remember they have ult and make sure everyone is aware.

Similarly, if we get a pick, I remind everyone to pressure tanks. Even if we can’t deny a rez, we can abuse that to pressure tanks and get more sustain. We end up with more healing than they do, so they have to go back and we take space.

I’m constantly reminding people of the cause and effects. I try to do it all the time, but it’s hard because I have to focus on surviving too. It’s a hard job.

I would say I’m doing my job correctly when, first of all, I’m not dying and, second of all, I’m healing the right target at the right time.

For example, sometimes a Tracer goes for your Zen. When I’m playing well, I’m able to notice that the Tracer will do this before it even happens – I know it’s their win condition. So I don’t necessarily heal my Zen, but I keep an eye on him while healing someone else.

I’m always communicating with Boombox so that he plays in positions where I can push forward and he can help me get back.

It’s super important, for example, that he plays on the edge of the high ground, instead of further back, so I can go aggressive and play on the ground and still fly back to him. It gives me verticality, which is important for Mercy. I need an anchor point to move around from.

Sometimes you need to tell your teammates what you want from them. Sometimes with Mercy, your team or a teammate over-extends and you have the option to help them. You have to decide whether to help them, and risk your life, or let them die and try to win a 5v6 because it’s potentially still winnable.

Sometimes I make the mistake of helping teammates who over-extend but the best option is always to remind people that they’re over-extending so you don’t expose yourself. Reminding people like that can make my job easier.

As a player, I feel like mechanically there’s not much for me to improve right now, given the heroes I play, because they’re kind of limited. But sometimes I make the wrong decisions or I don’t keep the team on the same page.

Sometimes we choke because we don’t know what to do.

My role is all about decision making, especially in those situations, and that’s what I want to improve most – I always want to have an answer for my team.

If I always have an answer, we’ll be able to play around anything.

Image Credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment