With a few thousand hours sunk into Overwatch over the years, it’s safe to say that Blizzard’s hero shooter is one of my favorite games of all time. I’ve stuck by the game through all the highs and lows - whether it be GOATs or Overwatch 2’s controversial launch, my love for the gameplay and world Team 4 created always beat out my frustration or disappointment. And with so much time spent in the game, I've managed to cultivate a fairly diverse hero pool. In my early days with the game, when I was at my best, I played Reaper and Tracer and managed to climb to Master. As I got a bit older and my reflexes started to fade, I worked to get good with more aim-focused characters like Cassidy and Ashe. With Overwatch 2, I started to play more Tank, falling in love with Reinhardt’s aggressive kit in the sequel and playing Ramattra when I needed a change of pace. When it comes to Support, though, I’m almost always playing Mercy.
To be clear, I have given other Supports like Kiriko, Brigitte, and Illari a shot. However, none of them have clicked with me like Mercy has, as I can truly consider her my main for the role. I’m fully aware that there’s a stigma around the hero, with Mercy regularly targeted in hero bans and certain players viewing her as a wasted pick. But despite her being the gateway hero for casual gamers and newcomers, I adore her playstyle. I love her movement, as zipping away from enemies and making last-second escapes never gets old. Pulling off a risky rez or a surprising kill with her “Barbie Blaster” is similarly entertaining, while finding the right ally to boost and setup for big plays makes for a fun “game within the game.” Above all else, I love being able to watch the action unfold and make callouts based on what I’m seeing, as I can get a far better read of what is going on while I’m doing Mercy’s “simple” job of boosting and healing. And, of course, Mercy’s many skin options are a nice incentive to stick with her.
Overwatch Should be Watching Cyberpunk 2077, Not Marvel Rivals
Overwatch is in a heated competition with fellow hero shooter Marvel Rivals, but it'd be better off emulating some Cyberpunk 2077's moves instead.
While I adore playing Mercy, I’ve never been someone who can play one game and one game only, so I also get my hero shooter fix from Marvel Rivals. While I can get by as a Duelist, and I’ve found plenty of Vanguards in the game that suit my Tank play style - my Reinhardt and Ramattra skills have made me a menace with Magneto and Emma Frost, for example - the Strategist category is a different story. Sure, I like dishing out damage as Mantis just fine, and I find the concept of Cloak and Dagger fascinating… but I don’t love playing any Strategist. I don’t think it’s because of the disrespect Strategists receive, and I didn’t join in on the Support strike or anything like that. Really, I think it’s just because there’s no hero that captures the moment-to-moment gameplay of playing Mercy, who has been my go-to Support character for nine years. That doesn’t mean Marvel Rivals can’t have a Mercy equivalent, though, as the Runaways’ own Nico Minoru could mimic her perfectly.
While Adam Warlock’s ultimate is essentially a nerfed version of the OG Mercy Rez, everything else about his kit differs from Mercy’s (especially his movement), so playing him just doesn’t scratch the same itch.
Why Nico Minoru is the Perfect Mercy Stand-In For Marvel Rivals
Admittedly, I don’t have a deep personal connection to Nico in the same way as other characters like Spider-Man, Daredevil, Wolverine, or even Captain Marvel. I haven’t read any Runaways comics, nor did I watch the show, as it’s one of the only Marvel adaptations I haven’t seen. However, the little I have seen of Nico I absolutely love. Alongside Magik, she was the unexpected standout of Marvel’s Midnight Suns for me, and she was terrific in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, too. With these two experiences in mind, I’d love to see her join the Marvel Rivals roster - especially with her being able to share the following traits with Mercy.
- Nico’s Staff of One - Just like Mercy’s Caduceus Staff, Nico’s primary “weapon” in Marvel Rivals would be a staff. Like Mercy, it could damage boost or heal allies one at a time. Perhaps Nico could even add a chain effect like Mercy can get via Stadium or her Ultimate if she uses blood and self-damages.
- Flight - Just like Mercy, Nico is canonically able to fly. While she doesn’t need to be a fully flying support like Ultron, she could have brief glides or bursts of flight like Mercy. Additionally, her teleportation could be represented through Kiriko-like jumps to other characters, which would fit Rivals’ hero design philosophy of mixing and matching Overwatch abilities.
- Damage-dealing Spells - While Nico won’t be pulling out a blaster like a member of the “Mercy Mafia,” she can dish out damage through some of her many spells. Nico can freeze and burn her foes, project barriers to briefly trap attackers, or (like in Midnight Suns) risk using blood magic for a random effect. A risk-reward attack button could be an interesting approach to self-defense for Nico, with Rivals players damaging themselves to dish out a high-damage attack at an enemy.
Overwatch 2: Best Mercy Stadium Builds
Overwatch 2 players looking to enter the Stadium Support Role with Mercy can find some of her most effective builds in this guide.
Nico Minoru Can Be Both a Mercy Successor and Something More
While I’d love to see Marvel Rivals get a Support hero primarily forced on healing and boosting their allies, and I do think Nico fits the bill thanks to the Staff of One, NetEase can go a step further. Mercy has been criticized in the past for having an overly simple kit, so letting Nico do a bit more than boost or heal with her Staff would be worthwhile. Perhaps she could use her telekinesis to pull allies toward her like Lifeweaver, or her Technokinesis to jam enemy weapons and tech like Sombra. Essentially, Nico could be “Mercy with extra steps,” with those additional abilities helping Nico be a bit more meta so that she avoids the criticism Mercy players often have to deal with. As long as she ticks the same boxes of fun movement and being a true support hero at her core, I could see Nico instantly becoming my Strategist main. For now, I’ll just have to keep playing Vanguard and hoping that she shows up in a Marvel Rivals leak or announcement soon.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
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