Overwatch League’s third week of Stage Two is nearly complete, marking nearly a month with new support hero, Baptiste. However, with under a 10% overall pick-rate, the ex-talon medic still seems a very situational—and experimental—selection for teams. We sat down with several Overwatch League pros to talk Baptiste, how he’s helped shift the meta, how to best play him, and more.
The first challenge that teams found themselves facing when picking Baptiste is deciding what player would flex onto the new hero. A mix of damage and healing, teams found themselves torn between using support or DPS players for the role.
“You first have to find out who’s going to play him, and what’s the best for swaps,” said Indy “Space” Halpern of the Los Angeles Valiant when asked of the challenges of adding Baptiste. “And how to find his best potential.”
While only 35% of the top-ranked Baptiste players in the Overwatch League are listed as DPS specialists, they make up four of the top five. This number is fairly consistent, even when looking at Baptiste healing per minute and eliminations per minute. The quick reaction times and mechanical skills that DPS players specialize in make them a great choice for the multitasking that Baptiste’s intricate kit can require.
“The general mechanics of [Baptiste] are already pretty much figured out,” said Dusttin “Dogman” Bowerman of the Atlanta Reign, who has seen a decent amount of playtime on the hero at this point. “There are things you can do: like you can shoot straight up to make sure your healing lands in 10 seconds right below you and you’ll have a full clip of heals ready. So you can burst heal like that.”
Outside of his healing, Baptiste’s kit has helped to change the face of the Bunker Composition. Typically formed with an Orisa, Mercy, and Bastion, the Bunker Comp allows for a team to form a defensive hold. Now with the addition of the Immortality Field for survival and the Amplification Matrix for damage, Bunker is deadlier than ever.
“Baptiste is really good on the Bunker comps, but I don’t think he has had a massive impact yet,” continued Dogman. “There’s ways to counter him, still, so I don’t think he’s overpowered, like some people may have thought at the beginning. He’s helped in some variance of comps for sure.”
Exploring new compositions with Baptiste can be a risk for teams, but finding where he shines could pay off for those willing to experiment.
“When you play Orisa comp, that’s generally when Baptiste is played,” said Benjamin "BigGoose" Isohanni of the LA Gladiators. “Sometimes [you would play Baptiste] with a GOATs comp—let’s say defense—when you don’t know what they’re playing, so you play Baptiste instead of Brig so you’re better against DPS comps. That’s kind of the main thing we’re seeing with Baptiste right now.”
Other teams like Philadelphia, Los Angeles Valiant, and the San Francisco Shock have found success in swapping out Brigitte in favor of Baptiste in a variation of the GOATs (Three tank, three support) Meta. This option gives teams more ranged support and healing, thanks to his Biotic Launcher.
ggs, baptiste so much more fun than brig
— Brady Girardi (@agilities) April 20, 2019
Whether or not Baptiste will see a rise in popularity remains to be seen, but right now we're really enjoying how characters are finding more situational uses. With a hero pool as diverse as Overwatch's, finding the balance of playtime should be not on making sure that every character is viable in a situation, but making sure that there are certain situations that benefit certain heroes. By doing this, Blizzard will be able to truly show off the vast range of skill of players in the Overwatch League, and the strategies found within.
What do you think of Baptiste? Do you believe that more time is needed before he will see his time in the sun, or do you think that a buffing patch is necessary? Let us know in the comments below!
