Yesterday I cranked up the old sadness machine to play Overwatch 2 and see what season 2’s new hotness, Ramattra, was talkin’ about against my mains. What I quickly discovered was that the game’s latest tank hero not only kicks their asses in one-on-one bouts more often than not, but that he’s also the game’s most stimulating adversary.
Every Overwatch player knows that with every new patch the question returns, “But what of my mains?” Maybe your faves are blessedly unchanged (for now), or maybe an ability of theirs that absolutely rips has been nerfed, thus ending your reign as a golden god. My particular brand of Overwatch 2 brain rot is less about how patches change my mains and more about how my mains match up against the new heroes they introduce. My mains, for those who weren’t asking, are D.Va, Moira, and Soldier 76. Well, actually I don’t really have an attack main because their queue times take forever but Soldier 76’s “not Kamen Rider” skin rules.
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For those who want a confusing analogy for what playing against a skilled Ramattra player is like, here’s my contrived stab: Ramattra is an amalgamation of Doomfist’s aggro, Sigma’s zoning, Moira’s cheese, and Zenyatta’s poise for good measure. As Overwatch 2’s new tank, he can kinda do a bit of everything.
While I encountered many a green player who was still getting the hang of Ramattra’s abilities in my play session, whenever I had the misfortune of coming into contact with a player who exhibited signs of what I’ll dub “new hero ultra instinct,” my team was dealt a swift defeat. Instead of throwing up my hands and, consequently, throwing my controller across the room at Ramattra’s bullshit, I was actually excited by it. Like a complacent anime villain who’s been waiting for a worthy challenger, Ramattra’s toolkit, when put into capable hands, grants OW2 a new source of excitement. Long ago, I’d solved players’ fears of an ulting Genji with a well-placed helix rocket to the ground by Soldier 76 (free tip, btw), but Ramattra’s toolkit always found a way to elude me as an attacking or defending force. So here’s my recounting of how Ramattra reignited my OW2 fire thanks to how good of a matchup he was against my mains.
D. Va
When I first reported that Ramattra’s Doomfist-esque punch ability, Pummel, sends out an energy wave that can pierce shields, hit multiple enemies, and negate D.Va’s defense matrix, I scoffed while typing away at my laptop at the audacity of this bitch breaking through my girl’s AT-Field. In theory, it was annoying. In practice, it was invigorating. Typically, D.Va’s defense matrix works as the great equalizer against a multitude of projectile hero ults. Gonna shoot a Hanzo arrow at me? Negated. Gonna rain Pharah rockets from the heavens? Never happened. So on and so forth. But whenever I pounced on, say, a lonesome Mercy for an easy pick, good Ramattras would body-block me. Instinctively, I’d put up my defense matrix to counter any incoming attacks and continue my assault, but Ramattra’s pummel pierced its veil. Naturally, my follow-up would be a barrage of micro missiles to chip away at his 450 health points but he’d have an answer for that with his defensive ability. The eloquently named “Block” soaked up the would-be damage from my panicked response and temporarily increased his already sturdy health points.
At this juncture, the only option I had left was the tried-and-true Joestar technique of running away. This prompted the Ramattra to freeze my cowardly D.Va in her tracks with his projectile, Ravenous Vortex, extract her from her mech, and extract her soul from this mortal plane. RIP in pieces.
Soldier 76
Jack Morrison, my best friend, my sweet cheese, my good time boy, my rotten Soldier 76, Ramattra has your number. Usually when you unload a clip from Soldier 76’s rifle equipped with a helix rocket, enemy health points drastically go down. However, Ramattra is built like a shit brickhouse and must be treated as a high-priority target. Whenever I felt like I had the drop on Ramattra, his durable AF mechanical body would quickly humble me for having had the temerity to engage him in a firefight all by my lonesome. Much like D.Va getting her mech time-stopped by Ramattra, Soldier 76’s rickety leg joints cave under the spiritual pressure of Ramattra’s imposing aura and I die. Also, the dude can shrug off Soldier 76’s ultimate with a combination of his shield and block ability so yeah, he’s a hard counter to Jack’s bullshit.
Moira
I’m ignoring the “read more” link below because player sentiment on OW2’s piss girl being too OP is a smooth-brained complaint and they should learn to get better. I’m exclusively a “damage-focused Moira” who tops the team rankings and aids our war effort by recovering my own health, thus allowing me to bandage up you helpless lot. Jealousy looks ugly on you. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful and full of piss and vigor. Anyway…
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Squaring up against Ramattra as Moira was especially exciting because of their similar playstyles. We both drain the lives of our enemies in order to better ourselves, and we both have ults that double down on that admittedly annoying ability. We’re kindred spirits. Star-crossed heroes, even. This is why, when I ulted and wiped half of an enemy team on Nepal, I audibly yelled “nani?” at a blocking Ramattra who survived my Kamehameha piss beam and overwhelmed my team with his ult: Annihilation. Hmm, Ramattra got hands.
Whenever I’d tango with a Ramattra player as Moira, I felt like Sonic fighting Metal Sonic because of how similar our overall strategies were. I might know everything they’re going to do to sweep my team but that isn’t necessarily going to help me, since a skilled Ramattra would also know everything I’m going to do to try and prevent it. Luckily, I’ve yet to run into a Ramattra that can hard-read my warp destination like when Doomfist obliterated Tracer in his animated short. Also, PSA to any OW2 teams with a Moira healer: her ult only works if you walk into the scary beam. Stop running away from its loving embrace. Christ.
Ultimately, Ramattra plays best both with a dive comp team and against one. His barrier-piercing attacks, zoning, and health-siphoning area of effect abilities open up heroes like Genji, Tracer, and Winston for attacks and provide them with easy picks from the enemy team. While I could uncharitably complain about how he has every high-skilled hero’s best abilities, it’s also what makes him one of the most exciting heroes to play against.
Admittedly, playing OW2 had become more a muscle-memory exercise for me than an enthralling team-based shooter. Encounters had started to feel less like situations that get dynamically resolved based on one’s skill and gameplay instinct and more like scenarios with fixed outcomes, thanks to veterans unearthing hard counters to heroes. A shakeup was sorely needed. Firefights with Ramattra disrupted the rhythm I’d developed with my mains and forced me to work harder to strategize how to take him and his teammates down. And that’s thrilling. It won’t surprise me if a future patch update makes Ramattra less viable but, for the time being, I’m having fun engaging him in the free marketplace of payload firefights.