Zen and Healers: Mercy

With the week closing, as well as League beginning on Valentine's Day, I think it's time to talk about how Zenyatta compares to other Support Heroes. I've already talked a little bit about how a lot of players up to high Gold in ranked don't realise how Zenyatta actually works. He's a secondary healer, which means he can't solo heal in the same way Mercy can. However, Zenyatta deals a lot of damage. His discord orbs increase the amount of damage an enemy takes by 50%. That's a lot of damage. For this reason, I want to talk about how Zenyatta, as a healer, is treated differently.

SaltyMcCree: why you play zen all your ultis fail play mercty

Zenyeeta: gg

SaltyMcCree: omg u suck a dick so hard

Actual dialogue that occurred between myself and a teammate. I don't like to name who I play with, so all you need to know is that he played McCree.

Thank you, Salty McCree, because I will start of this comparative series starting with Mercy!

Ease of Use

From someone who plays a lot of Mercy and Zenyatta, it's going to be quite rewarding to be able to compare the two side by side.

Mercy

Zenyatta

Mercy is pretty much the standard Support character. That's not a bad thing; it just means that she's where a lot of people who main Mercy or another Support character likely begin. She's easy to use, which makes her very flexible and can also be very handy for balancing a team's healing requirements. She works with pretty much every other Hero, which means that she's very versatile and can create good combinations with characters such as Pharah and Reaper.

Zenyatta is less easy to use. He's classified as a hard character, which is kinda true. You have to balance how you use your healing orbs, but also how you use the discord ones. Sometimes, it's easier to play Zenyatta in a team where you can verbally communicate with, just to tell them which player on the enemy team is orbed. Essentially, your team needs to be able to cooperate with you. The more they do, the easier it is to play him. You also have to be a bit more picky, depending on the other Support characters. It's hard to make a good combo with just Zen and Lucio, or Brigitte, whereas Mercy, Moira and someone who's good at playing Ana tends to be far more compatible.

Abilities

In this sense, Mercy has a little more abilities than Zenyatta does. Her increased motion over Zenyatta really makes a difference, since a lot of the time, Zen's slow speed lets him down and makes him extremely vulnerable. Mercy's ability to fly is just something that I find super helpful, particularly helpful.

Left-Click Heal VS Healing Orb

Mercy heals more than Zen. That's no brainer, even though she has received a lot of nerfs in the past. That's old news, though. We're here to talk about the present Mercy. In a Competitive match, I can get an overall of 23k healing on Mercy. I've done it before and, by God, I try to do it again from time to time. On the other hand, with Zen, 10k-12k tends to be a Comp average for me. In terms of range, Zen probably has the upper hand. Whilst Mercy can heal people at a safe distance, Zen can get the heights that she struggles to, which means he can be at the centre of the team and be able to reach everyone.

Right-Click Damage Boost VS Discord Orb

I've recently discovered a great love for Mercy's damage boost. It's proven really handy for when there's a Reaper on the team, especially given his recent buff. But nothing beats the Discord orb. 50% damage is just something I can't pass up on.

Resurrection VS Damage

One of the big perks of Mercy is her ability to bring players back to life. It can change the outcome of a match, even if it's no longer her ultimate. I know it's something that majorly appeals to a lot of people, even if she made no appearance in the first two rounds between Fusion and Spitfire on Thursday. You just have to be... so careful when you revive someone. Where did they die? Is there a safe spot to stand? Are the enemy all dead? Two people are dead in the same spot: do you prioritise Tank or DPS? It all really depends, and the strategic plays of a Mercy can really impact on how she's played and how effective she can be.

Zen deals more damage than he heals, and his attacks are generally just a bit more powerful compared to Mercy's pistol. She's the equivalent of baby D.Va, whereas Zen can have some really good timed shots with his 5 orb attack. It's more of a case on whether you want to kill more of the enemy team, or bring back more of your team.

Ultimates: Valkyrie VS Transcendance

I'm sure a lot of people missed being able to res you're entire team as Mercy, but I never played Overwatch whilst she still had that ability. The only Mercy I've known is the one who has Valkyrie, so I've learnt how to just adapt to her from there. I love the movement that Valkyrie gives Mercy, although it's still very easy to kill her, and her res time isn't any different whilst ulting. Zen, however, is invincible whilst using Transcendence, unless knocked off the cliff. His healing whilst ulting is so strong, too, which has helped me pull a point back or hold a payload on so many occasions. Having seen Boombox do the same play in the Hollywood round VS Spitfire just made me feel so great, because it's a reminder of how awesome Zenyatta truly can be.

Are those even his eyes?

Conclusion

I love playing both Mercy and Zen, but there's definitely a satisfaction I get from playing Zen that Mercy just can't fulfill. There's something cathartic about being able to fling orbs of death at people's heads despite being a monk.