Overwatch 2 players expose “just shoot the Mercy” tactic as support main propaganda
Blizzard EntertainmentThe Overwatch 2 community heatedly debated how best to deal with one of the most controversial support heroes in the game – Mercy.
Mercy has been one of Overwatch‘s most popular heroes since the first game’s release in 2016, and with Overwatch 2 officially coming out of early access on August, 10, 2023 she has remained a staple in the support category.
Mercy has annoyed players so much over the franchise’s history that the community was torn on dealing with the support, engaging in a heated Reddit debate over the best strategy.
“Just shoot the Mercy” exposed as “misinformation”
Redditor u/NoxEnjoyer posted, “‘Just shoot the Mercy’ has got to be one of the most successful misinformation campaigns I’ve ever seen.“
The Overwatch 2 player mentioned being a Top 500 support and was fed up with the advice, “Just shoot the mercy.” “This [advice] orignally started as a meme,” they complained. “I guess at some point people started to miss that it was meant to be a joke, and started using it as genuine advice. […] Mercy, due to her incredible survivability and low-effort sustained value, excels at playing a game of cat and mouse. It’s exactly what she wants.”
This viral post drew some interesting responses from the community. Some found it an opportunity to poke more fun at mercy mains. “No Mercy main, you will not trick me into not killing you,” one player chided. “Propaganda is useless!” another added.
For some, the meme advice of “Just shoot the Mercy” wasn’t taking it far enough. “I don’t shoot the Mercy, I solo shatter the Mercy, thank you very much,” a Reinhardt main commented.
But, despite the jokes, newer players and even some veterans are legitimately torn on whether the advice is correct or not.
Some Overwatch players hope that with the introduction of the new hero Illari, and the buff to Lifeweaver, the pick rate for her in competitive games will go down.
