The Lunar New Year is just about here. That means Overwatch has started celebrating it, and that means competitive Capture the Flag is live. Here is a look at which heroes excel in this mode, and which ones to stay away from.
SS-Tier
GOATs
2-2-2 is not enforced in competitive Capture the Flag. That means GOATs is available, assuming everyone on the team is down to play it. This composition consists of Reinhardt, Zarya, D.Va, Lucio, Brigitte, and either Moira or Zenyatta. This is easily the best comp for CTF. It provides speed, area of effect healing, a lot of crowd control, and plenty of protection for the flag carrier.
Each of these heroes will have different ranks outside of GOATs.
S-Tier
Lucio
Lucio is the best individual hero in Capture the Flag. He provides area of effect speed and heals for the team, and he can help teammates carry the flag back to base or chase down an enemy flag carrier. He is pretty much a must-pick for this game mode.
A-Tier
Reinhardt
Reinhardt is a great flag carrier because of his ability to shield himself and swing at anyone who comes close to him. Earthshatter is also a game-changing ultimate when used correctly. It is difficult to stop him if he gets the flag, especially if he has a Lucio on his team.
Roadhog
The ability to heal himself while carrying the flag makes Roadhog one of the best picks outside of GOATs. He can also peel off or pick off enemies with his hook, including an enemy flag carrier making a run for it.
Moira
Moira is mobile and provides good healing and damage. She excels at carrying the flag due to her ability to throw a healing orb for herself and self-heal with her alt-fire.
Mei
Mei’s wall alone puts her in the Capture the Flag A-tier. She can use it to block off enemies and make an escape with the flag or stop an enemy trying to run away. She is always useful in team fights with her crowd control and ultimate.
Reaper
While he can’t use Wraith Form or Shadowstep when he has the flag, Reaper is still one of the best Damage heroes in Overwatch for winning fights. He can get around with his abilities, and he is great at busting down tanks – especially if the enemy team plays GOATs when his team doesn’t.
B-Tier
Zarya
Zarya’s lack of mobility hurts her outside of GOATs, but she is still a good pick under the right circumstances. Her barriers are extremely helpful for flag carriers, and her ultimate can singlehandedly win a team fight.
Doomfist
He’s an awful flag carrier because all of his abilities force him to drop the flag, but Doomfist does a great job at tracking enemies down and getting picks. He offers a lot of crowd control and disruption that can make life difficult for enemies.
Zenyatta
Like Zarya, Zenyatta’s lack of mobility hurts him in this game mode. Discord Orb is always a useful ability, however, and Orb of Harmony can keep teammates alive from a distance. He has the best defensive ultimate in Overwatch, and he can use it to turn fights and save a flag carrier.
D.Va
She’s mobile and has a good ultimate for the game mode, but D.Va struggles outside of GOATs unless she gets a lot of healing. She’s an awful flag carrier, and nerfs to her Defense Matrix have really hurt her survivability.
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball is in the same boat as D.Va. He’s mobile and has a great ultimate for Capture the Flag, but he generally gets killed pretty quickly with the flag. He is great at running down enemies with the flag, however.
Hanzo
Hanzo is fairly mobile, and his ultimate combos well with many other top-tier heroes. He’s not great at carrying the flag, but he deals a high amount of damage and can pick enemies off from a distance.
Ana
Ana has to be played very well to be effective, but she can be a great asset to flag carriers. She can heal from a distance, and she provides a great ultimate in Nano Boost.
Sigma
He’s not quite as dominant here as he is in standard competitive Overwatch, but Sigma still provides a high damage output along with solid defensive moves.
Genji
Genji has one of the best ultimates for Capture the Flag, especially when combined with Ana’s Nano Boost. His double jump makes him a decent flag carrier, and he can run down enemy flag carriers. He does drop the flag if he dashes, however.
C-Tier
Tracer
Tracer is great at getting to the flag, but she struggles at carrying it due to her low health pool. She can serve as a great distraction, however, and is capable of picking off weak healers.
Ashe
B.O.B. can be extremely useful for taking the flag, and Ashe can pick enemies off from a distance. She’s not the best pick, but she can be a huge asset if she can land her shots.
Widowmaker
The sniper isn’t the most useful pick in this mode, but if played well she can win a team the game. If the enemy team plays GOATs, however, she will probably struggle.
Brigitte
While she’s great in GOATs, Brigitte struggles to be useful outside of it. She relies heavily on Lucio’s speed and another form of healing. With the right team comp, though, she can still be a great pick.
Bastion
Bastion isn’t the best pick to start with, but switching to him can be a great idea after gaining the lead. He’s great at defending the flag from a stationary position.
McCree
McCree is about the same here as he is in other game modes. He can be effective if he can land shots and get key stuns, but he’ll struggle if he can’t.
Mercy
Mercy can get around decently enough, but she doesn’t provide as much healing or utility as other supports. It can be difficult for her to get off a decent Resurrect due to how fast the pace of play is. When paired with Pharah, however, Mercy gains a significant advantage.
Pharah
Pharah’s great with Mercy, but alone she struggles. She can’t jump into the sky without dropping the flag, and getting a good ult off is very difficult. If she’s pocketed, however, she can be very dangerous.
Junkrat
His trap can be helpful if he puts it directly on the flag, and his ultimate can turn fights, but otherwise, Junkrat doesn’t provide much. He relies heavily on chokes to spam, which aren’t common in Capture the Flag.
Orisa
Capture the Flag doesn’t suit Orisa nearly as well as other Overwatch game modes, but she can still be useful, especially with a lead. She’s great at defending the flag and can set up slower pushes.
Symmetra
Her turrets and teleporter can be useful, but she gets utterly destroyed by GOATs. Coordinated teams will punish Symmetra very hard.
Baptiste
Bap is a must-pick in standard competitive, but in Capture the Flag he gets very little value out of his Immortality Field. Still, if the team plays with him and makes use of his abilities, he can be useful.
D-Tier
Sombra
Sombra’s hack isn’t quite as powerful in Capture the Flag as it is in other Overwatch game modes. She doesn’t lack mobility, but she struggles to provide as much damage or utility as other heroes.
Winston
Unless he’s being played with GOATs as a substitute for D.Va, it’s pretty difficult to make Winston work. He gets shredded by top tier Damage and Tank heroes.
Torbjorn
Torbjorn can set a turret down for defense and push with the team, but he doesn’t really excel at anything in particular in Capture the Flag.
Soldier 76
Soldier 76’s Sprint is basically his only useful move. He’s heavily outclassed by other Damage heroes.
Remember that in Overwatch, any hero can work. That, of course, goes for Capture the Flag as well. Ultimately, it’s all a matter of finding the right pick for the given situation.
