One former OWL player and coach thinks that Lifeweaver doesn’t have what it takes to be competitive. Let’s look at the proof.
Despite a number of positive and much-needed changes, Overwatch 2's newest Hero Lifeweaver may still need some time to grow. The newest support is legal for this season's Competitive Mode play as of Monday, but that doesn't mean for sure you'll see him get used in many games. And according to former Overwatch League player and coach Jake Lyon, Lifeweaver isn't ready for the Competitive stage in his current, passive state.
Let's take a look at what ole Jakerat had to say about Lifeweaver on the opening day Overwatch League pre-show stream and see if his assessment is fair.
Lifeweaver: Competitive risk?
The question of Lifeweaver's competitive viability came up on the tail end of yesterday's Overwatch League Watchpoint pre-show. Now a retired player and coach, Jake sits on the desk to provide--in this writer's opinion--excellent commentary and assessment of the league. However, he didn't mince words when asked if we'll see Lifeweaver in OWL play any time soon.
"I don't think this Hero will be used at all," said Lyon in response to host Soe Gschwind's query on if Lifeweaver's changes were enough to make them playable. "I like the changes--I think they're aimed in the right direction. But, I say, not even close to enough."
The reason for Jake's reaction? He says that Lifeweaver lacks in survivability and offensive capabilities, making the hero a liability in the backline. Jake makes the comparison to another Support Hero that does, from time to time, see OWL play time. "You compare it in my mind to a Hero like Zenyatta who, yes, can die easily, but can absolutely put down huge damage, can have a massive impact, and is worth defending and playing around."
And that seems to be the crux of the issue: Lifeweaver is often just a sitting duck. With Jake's comments in mind let's look at Lifeweaver's kit and see where it fails players in ranked play.
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The biggest hole in Lifeweaver's ability to be competitive is their survivability. When back and away from the fight Lifeweaver can provide continuous healing and even pull friendly players out of the proverbial fire. However, he has no real way to counteract dive attempts--he can really only delay the inevitable. Petal Platform and his Dash provide a lot of vertical movement and potential for escaping death. However, this only buys him so much time against dogged Heroes such as Genji, Tracer, Winston, and Sombra.
And unlike the aforementioned Zenyatta, Lifeweaver doesn't have the offensive threat or power to make diving on them a risk. Even at 200 HP, a dive on a lone Zenyatta always has the potential to go wrong, thanks in part to his Discord Orb. While Lifeweaver's Thorn Volley is better, it still lacks the same threat as a full Zen volley.
At higher levels of Competitive play we might see talented players make use of Lifeweaver and their strong, but passive kit. However, at low levels of play they simply lack the ability to make an impact alone. When used in low level games you're more likely to see a tank run right back into certain death after Life Grip. Likewise, without implicitly pointing out the Petal Platforms it's rare for DPS to take advantage of the verticality.
More changes to come?
It's entirely possible we'll see more changes to Lifeweaver in the coming months. That said, Lifeweaver exists on a sword's edge of balance--much like Mei, Wrecking Ball, and Reaper. Too many small buffs can take a kit that breaks the core mechanics of the game and turn the Hero into an unstoppable menace. We'll have to wait and see if the midseason patch will bring any further changes for our resident botany enthusiest.
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