Overwatch is introducing the new "2-2-2" role requirement system starting August 13 with a short "Beta Season." The controversial new role queue, which requires all teams to have two tank characters, two DPS, and two supports, is guaranteed to shake-up Overwatch's meta. Players have been able to watch the 2-2-2 system at work in the Overwatch League's Stage 4 Season and, needless to say, it's making some fans anxious about the change.
YouTuber Hundred Ten put their feelings to song, writing a tribute to Overwatch's infamous (and ongoing) GOATS meta. "GOATS - A Tribute" captures the journey that it's been playing ranked Overwatch in an era where a single team comp is broadly considered to be players' best chance at success. The song is a hilarious rollercoaster of emotion, impressively capturing the intricacies of teammates demanding GOATS game to game as well as the despair of being unable to play anything else.
GOATS refers to a specific team composition in Overwatch proven to be so simple and effective as to be consistently reliable even in the unreliable ranked queue. And even after multiple targeted nerfs from Blizzard. GOATS is a 3-3 composition, it's built from 3 tank characters and 3 supports. The most recent iteration using heroes including Reinhardt, D.Va, and Zarya as tanks, and then Brigitte, Lucio, and then a flex healer like Moira or Zenyatta as supports. As for the name GOATS, it's the name of the competitive team that first popularized the meta. There's no special acronym.
As Hundred Ten's video implies, the GOATS meta has unfortunately overstayed its welcome. It is why Blizzard was forced to implement the 2-2-2 ruleset, as there was simply no way to balance around GOATS without completely dismantling tanks and support characters. Sustained damage absorption and healing will always be strong at the highest levels of play. With 2-2-2, teams will now be forced to use DPS characters, to adapt their abilities into the meta.
So far Blizzard's new 2-2-2 rule change has done what it was intended to do. It killed the GOATS meta, only to replace it with a new meta. In #1 team Atlanta Reign's last match, they used a staggering range of DPS characters. Mei, Reaper, Sombra, Pharah, Widowmaker, Tracer, Hanzo, and McCree were all used, and the tank and support roles were equally diverse. Overwatch's meta is finally fresh, but GOATS will never be forgotten.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.