Most who play Overwatch know about the 2/2/2 meta. If not, the 2/2/2 meta is a team composition that consists of two tanks, two DPS and two supports. Simple, right? Not really.

Actually, it is much more complex due to the fact that the 2/2/2 meta relies on team synergy. But what is team synergy?

Team Synergy: The PB&J Effect

Team synergy is like a PB&J sandwich: multiple parts coming together to make a delicious whole. Which is what happens with a good 2/2/2 comp. A good 2/2/2 comp will always factor in how the parts come together as a whole.

An example of a good 2/2/2 comp is Reinhardt, Zarya, Soldier 76, Genji, Mercy and Zenyatta. This comp is good for multiple reasons. First, let’s look at the tanks.

Tanks: The Bread

The tanks serve as the bread to the 2/2/2 meta sandwich.

Reinhardt is the main tank for this 2/2/2. His main job is to soak up damage for his team with his shield. His shield provides Soldier 76 mobile cover to shoot from and his ultimate makes them sitting ducks for Tac-Visor. Next up is the secondary tank, Zarya.

Zarya is the enforcer for this 2/2/2. Her job is to protect with her barriers and punish with her beam. Her barriers protect her teammates while simultaneously building up her beam damage. Also, Zarya’s barrier complements a flanking Genji because of the added protection. Most of all her Graviton mixes well with Genji’s Dragonblade and Reinhardt’s hammer swings.

Moving on to the peanut butter of the 2/2/2: the DPS.

DPS: The Peanut butter

There are two types of peanut butter one can have just like there are two types of DPS: creamy or chunky.

Soldier 76 is a creamy peanut butter due to his consistent damage output. His pulse rifle is good for taking down targets. Combine that with discords from Zenyatta and he is able to shred tanks quickly. Usually, people don’t mix peanut butter types but when it comes to DPS you need some chunky.

Genji is a chunky peanut butter because his damage is erratic. This is because he is a flanker, which you need to harass the enemy backline. Genji’s whole kit allows him to do that. Genji is able to quickly eliminate discorded supports and, as stated above, his ultimate combos extremely well with Zarya’s.

Finally, we come to the supports: Mercy and Zenyatta, the jelly of the sandwich.

Supports: the jelly

The jelly in any 2/2/2 meta sandwich is always the supports with their sweet healing and tart damage boosts.

Mercy’s role in the 2/2/2 is the main healer who prioritizes healing the tanks, while also boosting her teammates kill potential with her damage beam. Her damage beam combined with Soldier’s ultimate or a fully charged Zarya is a scary thing to deal with. Throw in her resurrect and you have all the ingredients for one sweet healer.

But while Mercy is sweet, Zenyatta is tart. His discords leave a sour taste in his enemies mouths by upping the kill potential of his whole team. His harmony orb also makes him an ideal healer for Genji because of its range. And his ultimate soaks up enemy damage like bread.

All of these heroes working together make for one delicious combination because their talents complement each other. And the true beauty of the PB&J 2/2/2 meta is that it’s adaptable.

Enemy has a Winston killing Genji? Swap him for a Reaper. Have a Widowmaker taking pot shots at the healers? Switch Reinhardt for Winston and jump on her. Need speed? Replace Zenyatta for Lúcio.

Yet there is the possibility of creating a bad sandwich with the 2/2/2 meta.

2/2/2 meta: Bad sandwich

A bad sandwich made by the 2/2/2 meta would be something like Roadhog, Orisa, Hanzo, Widowmaker, Zenyatta and Symmetra. This comp is bad because you have two chunky DPS with ultimates that do not mesh well with their tanks. One support that doesn’t heal and the other cannot heal enough. In addition to a tank in Orisa that requires her DPS to stand behind her barrier, something that Hanzo and Widowmaker are wont to do.

This is not to say that you can’t win with this team. It would just be extremely difficult because the heroes have no synergy with one another. Always keep in mind that team synergy is key to a successful 2/2/2 meta just like with PB&J.

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