Mei has long been defined by her unique ability to apply crowd control (CC), yet her presence in the competitive Overwatch meta has been inconsistent. In recent seasons, the aggressive mobility of Tanks and the high burst damage of other DPS heroes often rendered her slowing effects too passive.
Blizzard has now intervened with targeted buffs to her primary weapon, firmly restoring her identity as a powerful, disruptive force capable of locking down key targets.
The Mechanics: Quicker Freeze, Higher Threat
The core of the Mei buff focuses on accelerating the time it takes for her to reach the maximum slow and freeze threshold:
- Accelerated Slow Application: The Endothermic Blaster now applies the initial slow effect and reaches its maximum slowing potential much faster than before. This significantly reduces the window an enemy has to escape her primary fire.
- Faster Freeze Threshold: Crucially, the cumulative damage needed to fully freeze an opponent has been lowered. This means that mobile heroes and Tanks, who previously could often escape before being immobilized, are now caught in the hard CC much more reliably.
- Emphasis on Counterplay: This change makes Mei a dedicated counter-pick against highly mobile Tanks (like Doomfist or Wrecking Ball) and aggressive DPS heroes. Her ability to instantly halt a dive is now one of the strongest defensive/offensive tools available.
The result is that enemies are forced to respect Mei’s primary fire at all times.
Tactical and Competitive Consequences
The restoration of Mei’s CC potential immediately affects team compositions and engagement strategies:
- Tank Disruption: Mei immediately becomes a dominant counter-pick against the current aggressive Tank meta. By freezing the Tank, she separates them from their Support line, making them an easy target for coordinated team fire.
- Increased Zoning: The faster application of the slow effect greatly enhances her zoning capability. She can now reliably lock down doorways and corridors, forcing enemies to find alternative routes or risk immobilization.
- High-Risk, High-Reward: While her primary fire is powerful, the need to maintain continuous stream on a target for the freeze effect introduces a high risk. If she is successfully flanked or stunned, her value is immediately nullified, rewarding coordinated enemy counterplay.
The buffs successfully bring Mei back into the competitive spotlight, solidifying her role as a formidable crowd control specialist who can single-handedly disrupt highly mobile enemy strategies.
