Overwatch 2 Players Should Keep an Eye on These Sleeper Picks For Season 13

Overwatch 2 Season 13 kicks off on October 15, featuring a spooky, magical-themed season titled “Spellbinder.” Players can look forward to Blizzard experimenting with 6v6 in Overwatch 2 and a new Mythic Widowmaker skin. In addition to quality-of-life changes for maps like Dorado, Circuit Royale, and Havana there are quite a few updates to look forward to.

Beyond cosmetics and map adjustments, the meta appears to be shifting with the midseason patch for Overwatch 2 and the anticipated balance changes at the start of Season 13. While the consistently hard meta picks haven’t evolved much over the past few months, the community may be sleeping on a handful of heroes with immense carry potential. For Season 13, this includes characters that are currently seen as A-tier or B-tier picks.

Junkrat May Be Undervalued By the Playerbase

Despite the major overhaul to global HP in Overwatch 2 Season 9, recent health nerfs have subtly boosted DPS heroes like Sombra and Junkrat. Junkrat’s one-shot combo is now once again lethal against squishy targets. Although close-quarters combat with him isn’t recommended, his spam damage remains highly effective on various maps.

Furthermore, skilled Junkrat players know how to take advantage of map layouts. This includes placing traps strategically, angling their projectiles off walls, and using Concussion Mines to boost their mobility. His ultimate RIP-Tire isn’t always optimal because it can be destroyed rather easily, but it is useful for team fights, securing a pick on a support or zoning an objective.

A Return to Orisa Meta May Be On the Horizon

Orisa has already been meta a few times during Overwatch 2‘s lifespan, with her most recent dominance seen in Season 8. The armor nerfs, alongside fixes to glitched armor interactions for heroes like Brigitte and Ramattra, have had a notable impact on several tank heroes. However, Orisa’s Fortify remains incredibly strong, lasting for four seconds with a twelve-second cooldown. Many of Fortify’s previous nerfs were later partially or fully reverted, which makes her a great choice for damage mitigation, particularly as the D.Va’s controversial meta comes to an end.

With the Overhealth, damage reduction, and immunity to movement-related crowd control provided by Fortify, Orisa has been likened to a “raid boss” in the past. Over time, various microbuffs and her ability to effectively cycle her cooldowns have steadily reestablished her presence in the meta, particularly as Dive and Brawl tanks struggle to contest her. Notably, Overwatch 2‘s new esports program, OWCS, may hint at her dominance, as she has consistently been a popular option in the latest tournaments.

Overwatch 2’s Upcoming Power Support Picks

Lucio and Baptiste are still strong options, as seen in Overwatch 2‘s Season 12 tier list, but they have been overshadowed by heroes like Brigitte and Juno due to the current emphasis on Dive compositions that D.Va can play with or against. However, with predictions suggesting a shift toward Poke and anti-brawl compositions, Baptiste may once again rise to S-tier. As a support hero who is hardly ever a throw pick, his Exo Boost, Immortality Field, and Regenerative Burst remain impactful, allowing him to deal considerable damage and healing while staying resilient.

Conversely, Lucio is a viable alternative to Juno, though the two don’t share many similarities besides their speed boost utility. Juno’s Hyper Ring has introduced a fast-paced meta, but it has limitations due to its placement and cooldown. Interestingly, Lucio’s health was reduced in August from 250 to 225, but his primary fire damage was increased from 18 to 22, which makes him incredibly lethal in the right hands. When paired with Orisa, the two can alternate knockback abilities while playing in close quarters with the enemy team.

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Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.

Franchise

Overwatch

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Released

October 4, 2022

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Proprietary Engine

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ESRB

T

How Long To Beat

35 hours

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Steam Deck Compatibility

n/a

X|S Optimized

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

59 GB (September 2024)

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OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Cross Save

yes

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Cross-Platform Play

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

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