Role lock: A whole new game
I must admit I was initially hesitant to the idea of a strict role lock. I really liked seeing the variety of compositions that were seeing some play in Overwatch League. At one point in stage 3 triple tank triple support, quad dps, and 222 bunker compositions (as well as a myriad of variations) were all being used successful in certain situations. 3:3 GOATs was still the default however, and more often than not fights devolved into the same set pattern.
Yet now, having seen role locked League matches and played them myself in the Beta, it seems I was wrong. What’s been lost in the options available to teams is more than made up for by the consistency and balance it has brought to the game. I think once you accept the new parameters of the game, and stop considering what might be under a different rule set, then you’ll be in a better place to appreciate the breadth of strategy that can be achieved
Less variety, more consistency
What this means for ordinary ranked play
Randomplayer: 222
Randomplayer: 222 plz
Randomplayer: Cmon guys 222
Randomplayer: plz be Rein
Randomplayer: 222 or we lose
[End Scene]
A common enough refrain familiar to any silver/gold player in ranked games prior to the 222 lock. The risk of having no tanks or support meant that this composition was pretty much the desirable standard. Arguably 3:3 variations were more meta, and the few times I saw this pulled off well certainly resulted in a greater likelihood of success. However the requirement for coordination and effective communication meant that this was rarely the case.
What this means is that in practical terms my ranked games haven’t changed very much from my good games in the past. The biggest difference has been the reduced options for truly bad compositions to be played.
Gone are the days of four DPS mains instalocking their favourite heroes with no consideration for the map, composition, or their teams chance of success. I can’t tell you how many times I reluctantly filled as Mercy, who despite her currently much lower healing output was still the best choice for solo healer due to her maneuverability and survivability. It might have been possible for some Overwatch League teams to make this composition work, it very rarely did in my oh so regular ranked games.
The result of this is that while I do miss the creativity that was theoretically possible without locked roles; the effect of the changes on my actual games has been more consistently fair and fun games, and overall an improvement in my attitude towards competitive mode as a whole.
