Why Rein is about to swing his way back into the Ow meta
Something has been missing from the Overwatch League so far. For the duration of stage one, Reinhardt—Overwatch's most iconic tank—saw very little play outside of Control Center on Lijiang Tower, where the low ceilings and tight hallways were ideal for his wide shield. As loved as he is by fans and pros alike, Reinhardt's immobility just did not mesh well with the map rotation or dive-centric Mercy meta from stage one. But things are changing. Let's take a look at what's new in stage two, and why pros and an expert analyst are saying that now it's time for Rein to drop the hammer.
1. The meta has shifted
...Alas, Mercy is now dead. OK, not quite—but she's much more healthily balanced, which has opened the door for other support heroes to share the spotlight. In turn, that has given Reinhardt an opportunity to dust off the ol' armor and get back into the fight.
"Mercy's nerfs lead to a higher pick rate of the 'Lúcio + Moira' combo," says Dongjian "MG" Wu, tank player for the Shanghai Dragons. He went on to add that with Reinhardt back in the mix, the Dragons will be able to use deathball compositions on certain maps that don't have a lot of high ground, such as King's Row.
2. A new map rotation for stage two
Another big reason we're seeing more Reinhardt now is because the map pool for stage two is a little friendlier to the hammer-wielding crusader. One of the new maps is King's Row, which MG and Forde both point out has been one of Rein's stronger maps since the game's inception. With its many chokes and narrow streets, the map is perfect for Reinhardt's shield and conal Earthshatter ultimate
Between King's Row, Hollywood, and Lijiang Tower, we're sure to see a lot of Reinhardt at least for the duration of stage two. Other maps like Route 66 and Nepal aren't bad for Rein either, so don't be surprised if he pops up there as well. Remember—if there isn't a lot of high ground, it's probably safe for Rein.
3. old ult combos make a return
You can't talk about Reinhardt without mentioning some of the sick setup potential he brings to the table. There's something so satisfying about hearing Rein's legendary "hammer down" voiceline followed by several helpless enemies hitting the floor. It might not do much direct damage, but Earthshatter has a ton of follow-up potential. An old favorite comes courtesy of Pharah
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