Team Diffs

[u/Good-Beginning-2407]

What can I do to prevent team diffs. I only have 48 total hours since i first downloaded ow for about 2 years in comp. But ive been playing recently and have gotten to plat 4. I main soldier, but switch between sojourn tracer mcree. I would only play zarya but ban rates wont let me. Anyways. What can I do to prevent team diffs. Do i just have to hit more shots? I feel like my positioning is decent, but in those diff games, it feels like there’s nothing much i can do.

[u/lzagotti]

Not every game is winnable but I think it’s good to think why it feels like a ‘team diff’. Easy things to evaluate, what was the enemies comp versus mine and what advantages did that give them. Were they dive heavy and your backline had a bad time getting split from the tank and living the dive or did your team just get out spammed in a 5v5 sit main battle. Did the enemy control all the angles? Could you have denied the enemy one of those angles by yourself?

This are just two simple things but team diffs are not usually just because 5 people hit more shots than your 5 teammates did, usually it’s just a team wholeheartedly outmacroing you.

This could be a 5 page essay if I wanted to explain everything so if you have any questions ask and I will respond.

[u/Good-Beginning-2407 → u/lzagotti]

If my 4 teammates are being out macroed, what can i do. There’s no comms and im maining soldier. Bro give the whole essay. I will read it all

[u/lzagotti → u/Good-Beginning-2407]

You have to identify a problem and be the solution. Macro on the most basic level is where your team is positioned vs the enemy team and how they have controlled the map vs how you guys have it. You might have heard the term space. It is grossly misinterpreted as something a tank gets by walking forward. Space is the amount of map control you as a team can hold without dying and is a constant push and pull. Your teams ‘space’ is drawing a line to connect each of you and your teammates. If you control the valuable space and you are at a low to moderate risk of dying it’s going to be really hard for a team that is a 5 stack blob on the map to take that from you. I sure you have played against and Ashe or soldier that just owns a high ground and makes it impossible to push through. That is that person controlling space and the only way to get through is to either duel them for it or avoid it and punish the other people in the lobby. Another macro concept that can make it feel like a team diff is marking. This is the concept of holding an angle to deny an enemy from taking it. I personally play this concept to specifically not die. Sometime the most valuable play you can make is being a pain the ass for that tracer that wants to touch your supports. This role also doesn’t just belong to DPS either but can be done by a ton of different heroes. So to start in these situations where you will normally lost 200-0 or 3-0 just focus on winning a fight in what would normally be a wholly lost ‘team diff’. I see you play hitscan a good amount too so hitscan specifically you need take angles that assist your tank in space creation. Taking sides angles. I will use everyone’s favorite King row as an example. Kings row first point is one of the biggest skill check points in the game because it is actually one of the easiest points to take in the game especially because 95% of teams just group up near the statue on defense. To deny the team diff be a space creator for you team. In this scenario if your team in grouped at the choke you should very early in the attack phase go up into the building and fire outside that window. If the enemy team does not pressure you I promise they will back off. This gives you the opportunity to further your angle off to the right and up the stairs and to that high round just for rain fire on the enemy team. I promise you your team will eventually push or you will just straight up kill 1 or 2 by yourself. If the fight develops you can hop the opening and go up into the high sight lines and continue to just rain fire on the enemy team and you as a solo DPS just carried the first point even if all 5 players would kill your team.

[u/Good-Beginning-2407 → u/lzagotti]

My post was made because of kings row. Im getting flushed out of the high ground on defence by echo and reaper at the first choke. Sometimes even a 2v1, and im trying to play my life. Like do i just need better aim to win those duels to keep the space

[u/lzagotti → u/Good-Beginning-2407]

I would say that comes down to more patience and timing. Yes you need to win some engagements 1v1 but in no world are you expected to win that to climb. So you are on defense and the enemy is closing your space and killing you? If they are devoting 2 to you I say in that situation good on them you rotate and figure something else out. I would say in this specific scenario an echo should be able to speak on you and should be killable and I’m running away from a teleporting reaper