The Best Tank in Overwatch

Competitive Overwatch teams are comprised of three primary hero classes: support, damage dealer, and tanks. 

 

Each has their role to play, with their pros, cons, counters, and so on. 

 

One of the more staples of these classes, or roles, are the tanks. 

 

During the infamous 3-3 meta, these bad boys were the bane of every viewer's existence. They are often slow-moving, draining heroes to play. They do, however, possess the abilities to pull off some of the more spectacular plays of the Overwatch World League, as a result of always being on the front lines. 

 

There are many options to choose from, but as it stands, who is the best?

 

Reinhardt – Old Reliable. 

 

Ah yes, good old Reinhardt. It's hard to remember a time when this behemoth of competitive play wasn't chosen every game.

 

He is a bulky front-lines tank that is capable of dealing out massive damage, and serving as an enormous brute, slowing down enemy pushes considerably.

 

To this end, Reinhardt comes equipped with a kitted out competitive ability set.

 

• Rocket Hammer: Reinhardt's primary weapon is his giant, rocket-propelled hammer. What's not to love about this, honestly? The hammer swings up in a 180-degree motion, so it requires a lot of practice to utilize to its full potential.

 

• Shield: Fairly self-explanatory, but powerful none the less. Perhaps Reinhardt's most recognizable and arguably most powerful ability. On mouse click two, Reinhardt toggles a massive shield wall that has a total of 2000hp.

 

So that's already pretty strong, but when the shield is not fully broken, it can be toggled on and off with no cooldown in between. So what? Well, after being away for two seconds, the shield recharges at a rate of 195 points per second. 

 

If the enemy does manage to break it fully, it gets hit with a five-second cooldown and be at 585 health. It is worth realizing that Reinhardt's movement speed does slow considerably while the ability is in use. 

 

Needless to say, this ability is beyond powerful. Used correctly, it can dominate and demolish enemy positions; all it needs is a little coordination from Reinhardt's teammates.

 

• Charge: Charge is Reinhardt's primary damage ability. With this, Reinhardt goes full balls to the wall and just shoots himself at the enemy with his rockets. If he connects a with an enemy face first, he pins them and can push them into a wall for some massive damage. 

 

Other heroes that come into contact with the charge are damaged and knocked back. Although, your movement is severely hampered while in this charged state, so make sure you line yourself up right before hitting that key.

 

• Fires Strike: Reinhardt launches a projectile from his hammer. This projectile penetrates and deals 100 damage to any hero that it touches. 

 

It is one of Reinhardt's more low-key abilities but used it correctly to initiate team fights, and you can give your guys a distinctive edge.

 

• Earthshatter: As a crowd control ability, Reinhardt smashed his hammer to the ground, sending out a fan of shock waves that stun and damage any enemies caught up in it. This can be a critical ability in winning team fights, so use it wisely to set your team up for some ultimate usage.