The chart above breaks down the changes to damage per 10 minutes for each hero.  An important point to remember is that effective damage changes can contribute to large swings in viability.  For example, a -5% primary damage nerf for Soldier arguably started his decline from being a near must pick in prior seasons.  The buffs have contributed to greater damage output for Doomfist (more successful Rocket Punches), Reaper (fast reload and chase), and Mei (multiple targets).  A +4%  increase in damage for those heroes is substantial in boosting their viability, as we will see in the rest of the data.  On the flip side, the nerf to D.Va's missiles and boost has caused her damage output to go down -6%.  That decline greatly affects her ability to burst down enemies, which was a former strength of pre-patch D.Va.  Zenyatta's nerfs don't appear to have affected his damage output - a welcome sign for a good number of support players.


As far as eliminations per 10 minutes, Doomfist (+6%), Reaper (+4%), and Mei (+6%) have surged.  Where are these eliminations stemming from?  After the buffs, Doomfist is hitting +6% more Rocket Punches, Reaper is getting +11% more final blows, and Mei is freezing 10% more enemies per match.  In looking at the damage and elimination changtes, it is clear that these buffs were not minor "quality of life" changes.  They are making these heroes much more effective in offensive capability.  Interestingly, D.Va and Zenyatta see less change in eliminations per 10 minutes, which likely points to a players adapting and playing the heroes in a slightly different way in order to keep their game impact up.

Impact of the Patch Changes on the Meta

How have players responded to the changes?  Perhaps how you might expect - those heroes that got buffed are finding even more success on ladder, while those heroes getting nerfs aren't fairing as well.  Considering that the two nerfed heroes (D.Va, Zen) are heavily played in the current meta, a negative impact


The chart above shows the hero usage change for the heroes affected by Patch 1.22. While Doomfist sees very little change in play rate (and still below 10% usage across the tiers), Reaper (+5%) and Mei (+3%) see a significant change in play.  Reaper's usage had been slowing declining over time - he is now being played above 20% usage in the lower tiers, and above 10% in the higher tiers.  Mei is still a niche pick at 13% usage at Bronze, declining to 5% usage at Grandmaster.  With greater success overall (winrates discussed below), we made see even more Reaper and Mei on ladder in the future.  D.Va on the other hand, appears to be falling quickly out of favor - from Platinum to Grandmaster she is down -6% usage on average. While D.Va is still the most picked tank at around 50% usage, Rein (40%) is not as far behind.  Zenyatta declines more at the higher tiers - like indicating more reliance on burst damage from his Orb volleys.


The changes to the heroes has also significantly affected their winrates.  The biggest change has been to D.Va, who now ranks at some of the lower winrates at the highest tiers.  Zenyatta winrates are also no longer as impressive as they were before, though his Orb volley change is arguably minor and can be played around.  Meanwhile, Reaper's winrates are looking solid across the board, while Doomfist is putting together some great winrates in Master and Grandmaster.  However, it's worth a reminder that both Doomfist and Mei are niche picks in the current meta.




The winrate changes for each hero mirror the usage changes.  D.Va and Zenyatta's winrates have plummeted, Reaper and Mei's winrates have generally gone up, and Doomfist's winrates have surged at the higher tiers with the increased Rocket punch hit box.  Even just a few days into the patch, it seems clear that the viability of each of these heroes has changed.