Are you tired of bouncing between silver and gold ranks in Competitive Play? Do your defensive stands always break down in Capture the Flag? No matter who you are teamed up with, does every match feel like a mess?



Team chemistry is a necessity if you want to win in Overwatch, and it can be achieved in under five minutes if you know what you are doing. I’m going to give you 10 quick tips that should elevate your team play in just one match. People are going to love playing with you, so prepare for a flood of friend requests to come your way. These strategies are bulletproof, so no matter what you do, don’t veer from the script.





Tip 1: Select Mei

Even if you don’t enjoy playing as Mei, picking her shows your willingness to be a defense hero, and, above all, a team player. Do not waste time in selecting her. Make sure you are the first person to choose a hero, as your eagerness cements you as the leader. If you’re wondering why you can’t select any other defense character to fill this role, well, we’ll get to that later.





Tip 2: Immediately Criticize the Team’s Comp

“Do we really need a D.Va or Pharah?” Your teammates may not like hearing you criticize their picks, but in the long run, it shows just how serious you are about determining the perfect comp to win. Even if the comp looks great, voicing doubts may lead to a player switching to make your chances even better. If people don’t respond to your initial inquiry, keep talking. Repeating the short line “D.Va, switch,” will work wonders for you. People will be impressed by your passion.





Tip 3: Show Your Playful Side

You just established yourself as a leader who wants to win. Now you need to show your team you are good-natured and fun. There are three ways to do this: 1) Repeat one of your hero’s voice lines over and over again. Do this until the game caps you. Start again when the cap is lifted. 2) Whenever one of your teammates sprays a wall, immediately place one of your sprays on top of it. Do this for every spray that is applied. You may have to do this roughly 15 times. 3) When the doors open for the match, block the main opening with Mei's ice wall. This move always catches people off guard and leads to plenty of laughs.





Tip 4: Stop Playing as Mei

Now that your teammates know you are a perfectly balanced teammate, you can switch to a better hero. If you are confident in your skills, pick anyone you want, even if it breaks the comp. You can never have too many snipers. Attack Bastion and Torb are good fun too.





Tip 5: Snarky Tone = Better Play

This is your first game of the night, but some of your teammates may have been playing all day, and their alertness may no longer be at a competitive level. Being critical of their play through snarky comments will surely make them take notice, and, if you play your cards right, get a little angry. That’s good. You want them fired up. They’ll play better. Things to say to a healer: “Do we have a healer?" "I’m not getting healed at all.” "I'm gold in healing and I'm not even a healing hero." For attack you can say things like “Genji, why didn’t you push the point with me, you were right there. We could have had that." Or even "Are our shields made of glass? Why are you not using them?" Even if you aren’t near the action, you can watch the kill meter to see who is dying, and can complain about their performance. Don't stop talking.



Tip 6: Thanks!

If the team chemistry isn’t coming together and a point gets taken from you, continue stoking the fire by saying “Thanks!” as many times as the game allows. This shows you appreciate your teammates’ efforts, but desire better results.





Tip 7: Always Push the Point

You’ll see pro teams coordinate attacks and wait for their tanks and shields before taking a point, but in the amateur ranks, you are better off trying to do everything yourself – like a leader would. Your attack should go off without a hitch. Launching a solo ultimate will also take the attention off of your teammates.





Tip 8: Written Encouragement

If your teammates aren’t listening to you, send them a text message that just says, “switch,” “come on,” or “what was that?” They'll probably write you back.





Tip 9: Quit

If your teammates still won’t play along with your plan, quit the match. A good time to do this is after you lose the first point. Leaving is the ultimate way of telling other players they need to be become better teammates.





Bonus Tip 10: Never Do Any of This

If you said "Hey, I do that!" for any of the above tips, think long and hard about what you’ve done to your teammates. You’re only hurting the team, and angering players in the process. Pay attention to team comp, be competitive, be friendly, don’t give up, and have fun. That’s all we ask. Basically, be a respectful human being, and never use any of the nine tips I provided.