The new Overwatch hero Hammond, officially known as Wrecking Ball, is set to be one of the game’s more divisive characters. Currently available on the Overwatch PTR, there has been much discussion surrounding the pros and cons of rolling out as the unique hero since he was unveiled last week. While he initially seemed a little useless given his low damage output, lack of team defense abilities and high skill ceiling, it’s now becoming more clear where he fits into the game’s line-up. Unfortunately, for those who were happy to see the back of its popular dive comp, Hammond/Wrecking Ball will likely herald the return of the once mighty team composition.
Wrecking Ball is a high mobility hero, with him able to use his Grappling Claw to traverse the map at super speeds. On top of this, he has a disruptive Piledriver ability that crashes down upon enemies, sending them hurtling into the air along with dealing damage in the process. While this all sounds well and good, the inherent problem with Wrecking Ball is that after diving into the fray, he doesn’t dish out much damage. While he can pump out some burst damage, his hitscan quad cannons lack the raw power of D.Va’s Fusion Cannons, and his temporary shield requires a bunch of enemies to be surrounding him in order to receive its full effect. However, pro players are discovering that his strengths lie elsewhere.
Overwatch Hammond Dive Comp: A True Game Changer?
Though Hammond has yet to be unleashed on the main Overwatch servers, these problems have the potential to make him an unpopular pick. However, veteran and pro players are quickly learning that he can be incredibly useful given the right circumstances, and has the potential to bring back dive comp all over again. Dive comp sees a team focusing their attack on individual enemies, using high mobility heroes such as Winston, D.Va, and Genji in order to dismantle a team piece-by-piece. Since the introduction of Brigitte, who can put an end to a push using her shield bash and stun abilities, dive comp made its way out of the Overwatch meta in favor of studier tank heroes such as Reinhardt and long-range damage dealers like Pharah.
Hammond’s low damage yet highly disruptive method of attack could see him being introduced into a triple tank meta, with him potentially running alongside heroes such as Winston and D.Va in order to take out a team’s support backline while being healed by Moira or Zenyatta. Moira’s effectiveness as a tank healer could see her jump back into the meta after the switch to slower team fights saw her drop down a bit, while Zenyatta’s effectiveness as a dive comp support hero will benefit him in this evolved dive comp.
Overwatch Triple Tank Meta: Why the Pros are Behind Wrecking Ball
Overwatch League player Seagull recently sat down with its game director Jeff Kaplan in order to discuss Hammond, pointing out how the new tank could potentially change the meta of the game.
“Honestly, I think he’s probably going to be really overpowered,” the Dallas Fuel pro explained. “And the reason for that is just because you have a lot of mobile tanks in this game. [Wrecking Ball] is probably the most mobile tank, who also does some of the most ridiculous damage.”
Seagull also discussed a potential switch to a triple tank meta: “I can see three tank compositions being run with Hammond, and Winston, and D.Va,” he added. “All three will try to jump the same targets together and just one shot them.”
The PTR is used by Blizzard to make adjustments to a hero before they’re introduced to the main Overwatch servers. Though Hammond isn’t exactly the most impactful hero in terms of damage, it could be that Blizzard still nerfs his output in order to make him less disruptive than he is currently. For a long time now Overwatch has prioritized a 2-2-2 meta, with two supports, two tanks, and two damage heroes being present in most compositions. Hammond has the potential to turn this on its head, and for those who aren’t a fan of the more slower-paced team battles, he’ll be a fresh new furry face in the FPS.
