For reference, I’m a diamond support/DPS and a plat tank. I started gaming a little over a year ago and have been playing Overwatch for most of that time. I’ve had VOD reviews, watched tons of YouTube videos, and worked hard to improve. These tips are advice that was given to me that helped me a lot.

Stats Are Deceiving Don’t get caught up in kills, damage, or damage mitigated when judging how well you’re playing. Those stats can be inflated and don’t necessarily reflect your actual impact. The stats that matter most are deaths and the ability usage stats on the right side of the scoreboard.

Deaths Matter More Than You Think Every time you die, you’re giving the enemy team ult charge, which can lead to big plays. Plus, your team is now fighting a 4v5 or worse. Respawning and regrouping takes around 20 seconds (give or take, depending on the map). If you die 6 times, that’s 2 full minutes your team has to fight without you. Add in teammates dying while waiting for you, and you waste even more time just trying to reset. Staying alive longer helps you and your team.

Understanding Ults Ults are momentum-shifters, so understanding what your ult does and when to use it is key. 1. Damage/Kill Ults: These are meant to frag out (e.g., Reaper’s Blossom, Soldier’s Visor). 2. Counter Ults: These shut down enemy ults or plays (e.g., Zen’s Trans, Sym’s Wall, Sombra’s EMP). 3. Boost Ults: These enhance your team’s output (e.g., Nano, Kitsune, Bap’s Window). 4. Setup Ults: These disrupt or group enemies for follow-up (e.g., Shatter, Grav, Blizzard).

Timing and Counters: 1. Know what can shut down your ult. If you’re Mei or Illari and there’s a D.Va, wait until her matrix is on cooldown. 2. If you’re Soldier and there’s a Rein, make sure his shield is down or flank for better angles. 3. Some ults work better together—Grav with Blossom or Blizzard, for example.

Staggering Ults: Using every ult at once can win a fight, but then you’re stuck without them for a while. Stagger your ults to keep up consistent pressure and make more plays.

Countering Isn’t Just About Picks Countering isn’t just about swapping to a hero that beats the enemy’s. It’s also about adapting your playstyle: 1. If they’re running dive, group up and stay close to deny their dives. 2. If they have a Widow, use natural cover and tight corners to make it harder for her to line up shots.

Know Your Role Each role does more than just its basic job. There is a lot to cover here so I suggest looking up some YouTube videos. For example: - Support: Your job isn’t just healing—it’s supporting your team however they need. Sometimes that means healing, but other times it’s countering (e.g., Ana anti-ing a Hog or Zen Discording a pocketed tank). Be flexible and adapt to the situation.

Don’t Shoot Aimlessly Focus fire on the right targets. If a Hog is getting pocketed by both supports, shooting him won’t do much. Instead, go after the supports first to cut off his healing.

Positioning Is Everything Positioning can win or lose games. There’s a lot to cover here, so I recommend watching some YouTube guides. Knowing where to stand based on your role, map, and team comp makes a huge difference.

Have Fun At the end of the day, Overwatch is a game. Unless you’re playing professionally, there’s no reason to get tilted or tell others how to play. Turn off chat if you need to and just enjoy the match.

That’s not to say the game isn’t flawed—matchmaking can feel broken, balance changes are constant, smurfs exist, and the community can be toxic—but you’re choosing to play, so try to make the most of it.

I love Overwatch because it’s more than just aim and shoot. It’s like chess, where you have to figure out the enemy’s strategy, strengths, and weaknesses. Sure, it can be frustrating, but it’s such a rewarding game with a ton to learn. There are a lot more things to cover but these are what helped me the most.