In Overwatch 2 Season 12, significant changes have impacted the Support role, making awareness of the current meta vital. Here’s our tier list of the best support heroes for the season.
With the launch of Season 12, Overwatch 2 introduces its latest Support hero, Juno, alongside numerous buffs and nerfs that have once again shifted the meta landscape.
This season brought various balance adjustments to squishy, mobile heroes, resulting in a decrease in health pools but an increase in damage output.
Based on data from Overbuff and player experiences, we’ve ranked the different support heroes to reflect their standing in the current meta.
Overwatch 2 Support Tier List
| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Lucio, Kiriko, Ana, Juno |
| A | Baptiste, Illari, Brig |
| B | Moira |
| C | Lifeweaver, Zenyatta |
| D | Mercy |
Our Tiers Explained
This section outlines the criteria used to determine each hero’s placement in the Overwatch 2 support tier list:
- S: The most potent Supports currently available, generally suitable for any composition.
- A: Strong Picks that are usually effective, although not ideal for every setup and can be countered.
- B: Good choices that face significant counters and work best within specific team compositions.
- C: Useful in particular situations but vulnerable to counters from other heroes.
- D: Potentially effective in niche scenarios but overshadowed by stronger Supports.
How We’ve Ranked Our Overwatch 2 Support Tier List
Our Support tier list is designed to serve the average ranked player’s climb rather than professional play. Although professional strategies influence our ratings, our focus is on accessibility for casual players.
Notably, our S and A tiers feature heroes frequently utilized in OWCS. Among those, we’ve identified Juno, Lucio, Kiriko, and Ana as the top support picks currently.
Lucio and Kiriko are consistently solid choices, harmonizing well with various team compositions. Lucio remains a premier main support option, excelling in dive, rush, and brawl setups. Similarly, Kiriko is a flexible pick, thriving in poke, dive, and rush compositions.
Ana is more situational and mechanically demanding than the other three but offers exceptional crowd control with her Biotic Nade and Sleep Dart. Her Nano Boost is also one of the most effective ultimates, complementing many heroes well.
Despite being the newest hero, Juno has quickly established herself as one of the best supports available. Her versatility as both a main and flex support, effective team utility with her Speed Ring and Hyperbeam, and impressive mobility contribute to her high pick rate.
In the A tier, Illari and Brigitte are effective but can be situational depending on team dynamics. Baptiste, being highly effective in the current rush/brawl meta, is far more mechanically challenging compared to his S tier counterparts.
S Tier
Lucio
The mid-Season 12 update significantly enhanced Lucio through a major reduction to Tank’s passive knockback, solidifying his place in the meta. Concerns about Juno replacing him have proven unfounded as he remains integral.
Lucio’s consistent speed boost and life-saving Sound Barrier during team fights make him invaluable across many compositions. Additionally, his wall riding mechanics add an engaging challenge to master.
Well
Ana stands out in the S tier as the most skill-intensive hero, requiring precision aiming for her abilities and an understanding of positioning to make up for her mobility limitations.
However, her crowd control options, such as Sleep Dart and Biotic Nade, coupled with the impactful Nano Boost, make her invaluable. Her healing and damage output can also be incredibly potent for skilled players.
Pairing Ana with a main Support who can protect her, like Brigitte or Juno, enhances her survivability in high-pressure situations.
It’s there
Since her introduction at the start of Overwatch 2, Kiriko has proven to be a highly reliable flex support. Her Suzu ability is pivotal, providing crucial debuff cleansing and brief invulnerability, making it a clutch option in tense moments.
With good mechanical skill, her kunai can deliver substantial damage through headshot multipliers, and her Kitsune Rush can turn the tide of a match when executed well.
Juno
Initial impressions of Juno were mixed, but as Season 12 has progressed, her rise to the top is evident, with the highest pick rate in the game.
Her mobility and surprising resilience against dives, along with team-boosting abilities like Speed Ring and Orbital Ray, make her a strong choice. The wide projectile of her weapon facilitates high damage and healing output simultaneously.
Juno may not have replaced Lucio as expected, but she certainly fills a significant gap as a versatile support option applicable across various team comps.
A Tier
Baptiste
Baptiste can operate nearly as a secondary hitscan DPS when played effectively, all while offering healing support to his team.
His Immortality Field can be a game-changer, protecting teammates from fatal ultimates, and his Amplification Matrix serves as an excellent tempo-setting ultimate, facilitating forward pressure for tanks.
However, he is more mechanically demanding compared to others and requires a careful balancing act between healing and damage due to his mixed projectile and hitscan abilities.
Years
Illari’s primary role shines as a main support, although she can function as a flex. Her Healing Pylon helps solidify team positions, while her Captive Sun ability can pressure opponents with its significant AOE damage potential.
That said, she lacks utility compared to other heroes, focusing primarily on healing and damaging rather than offering additional team support.
Brigitte
Brigitte excels as an anti-dive peel support, making her a solid selection in the current brawl-centric meta, especially in synergy with Juno. Her Inspire passive provides steady healing, and her ultimate, Rally, makes her a formidable presence while providing a stun with her Shield Bash.
However, she is more effective in dive compositions compared to poke teams, so it’s essential to pick her situationally.
B Tier
Moira
While not the meta favorite among top-tier players, Moira remains quite powerful in Season 12 for average players due to her strong healing output and damage capabilities, coupled with mobility for escape or peel.
However, her lack of valuable team utility limits her effectiveness. She mirrors Illari’s abilities but falls short in terms of long-range damage potential and space control.
C Tier
Zenyatta
Zenyatta primarily functions as a situational pick. While excellent for poke-focused maps and compositions, he struggles against dive-heavy teams.
High-mobility DPS heroes like Tracer or Sombra can easily disrupt him in battle. Nonetheless, he remains a potent choice on poke maps like Circuit Royale or Rialto, but struggles in the current brawl-oriented and dive meta.
Lifeweaver
Lifeweaver’s recent rework has made his Petal Platform reusable and improved the recharge rate of his healing while attacking, yet he remains outside the meta.
While capable of repositioning allies and executing unique strategies, his vulnerability to dives and limited utility compared to versatile heroes makes him less favorable in prevalent team compositions.
D Tier
Mercy
Despite receiving buffs in Season 11 and further improvements in Season 12, Mercy continues to rank as the weakest Support hero in the current meta.
With minimal damage output and limited healing capacity, she relies heavily on her team, especially against competent hitscan DPS, making her a less favorable pick.
For a deeper dive into Overwatch 2’s Season 12 meta, check out our Tank tier list and DPS tier list!
Leave a Reply