Midseason patch nerfs D.Mon, Jetpack Cat, and Doctrine ahead of playoffs and the World Finals

On November 3, Blizzard released the Season 5 midseason balance update. It brings a long list of changes, some to heroes at the centre of the competitive meta and some to heroes that have been absent from it.

The patch also adds the OWCS World Finals Cheer Rally. From November 24 to December 7, players can complete challenges, follow the World Finals action on official channels, and earn rewards. Rewards include loot boxes, Battle Pass XP, and cosmetics.

The balance changes target several heroes that have featured in almost every composition since the Overwatch World Cup and throughout Stage 3.

D.Mon has been tuned down both offensively and defensively. Propulsors keep their knockback but no longer deal impact damage, down from 15. Power Barrier’s recovery time increases from 0.2 to 0.3 seconds, and the barrier now has a 0.25-second minimum deploy duration, which makes placing it more of a commitment. The Overstrike major perk’s lifesteal also drops from 150% to 125%.

Vendetta has been tuned down too. Palatine Fang’s initial swing delay rises from 0.15 to 0.2 seconds, and her overhead leap speed falls from 11 to 9.5. Whirlwind Dash’s knockback with the Raging Storm perk is halved, from 8 to 4.

Ana, who had just found her place as Kiriko's replacement among flex supports, now has her Biotic Grenade deal 60 explosion damage, down from 90. Blizzard say the change separates the grenade’s damage from its healing, so the extra self-healing it gained earlier in the season stays.

Doctrine, the most picked support hero this stage, takes a nerf to both his offensive and healing output. Eternal Scepter’s primary fire recovery increases from 0.6 to 0.65 seconds, its infused damage falls from 90 to 80, and its infused healing falls from 120 to 110. Infuse’s cooldown rises from 8 to 9 seconds. His personal defensive cooldown, Shrouded Momentum, takes the biggest hit, going from 8 to 10 seconds.

Jetpack Cat has also undergone changes. Her base health drops from 225 to 200, and Frenetic Flight’s fuel regeneration falls from 25% to 20% per second. In return, Frenetic Flight accelerates faster, rising from 25 to 28 metres per second. With D.Mon nerfed in the same patch, both halves of one of the season’s defining pairings have taken a hit, and that is likely to shake up compositions considerably.

Sombra receives nerfs to her sustained healing and to Cyberspace’s Weaken effect. Hotfix now lasts 10 seconds instead of 12, and Weaken reduces enemy damage and healing by 40% rather than 50%. However, Sombra had already fallen out of competitive compositions after the October 13 hotfix cut Cyberspace’s damage and lengthened its cooldown.

Wrecking Ball can no longer use his Grappling Claw’s retract controls to greatly increase his rolling speed. Blizzard list the change as a bug fix, but in practice it removes a source of speed from his kit, which makes it a significant nerf.

On the other side, Junker Queen receives a major buff. Her base health rises from 375 to 425, and Carnage’s cooldown drops from 9 to 7 seconds. Brigitte’s healing output also gets a good boost: Inspire’s instant healing increases from 12 to 15, and its internal cooldown falls from 1.25 to 1 second. Either could feature in compositions this weekend.

Mauga’s base armour returns to 150 from 125, and his burn damage over time rises from 15 to 20. Blizzard noted that his win rate had fallen below acceptable bounds. Reaper’s base health goes up to 300 from 275, which Blizzard frame as compensation for the season’s hitbox and projectile size changes. Taken together, these changes could bring the infamous duo back just in time for Korea’s playoffs.

The midseason update makes many significant changes across the board. We haven’t covered every one here, but you can find the rest in the full patch notes.

The changes took effect just as OWCS Pacific got underway, with OWCS China and OWCS Korea both playing their playoffs this weekend. With no further balance updates expected before Guangzhou, these numbers may well carry through to the World Finals.