Zenyatta is a character who has fallen out of favor since the death of the GOATS meta. For those who are not as acquainted with metas (and don’t particularly care), Zenyatta is an engaging character who participates directly in the team fight while providing supplemental healing.

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A mysterious Omnic monk and the mentor of Genji Shimada, Zenyatta seeks to spread peace and harmony wherever he goes. But when he has to throw down, he will throw down. Zenyatta is a valuable teammate to have during battle. Here are some pros and cons of playing the Shambali monk.

10 CON: Squishy Status

Zenyatta is one of the most vulnerable heroes in the Overwatch cast. Before the beta ended, Blizzard had to buff his health from 150 to 200 because he would get picked off so easily. Even then, it’s rather easy for enemies, especially flankers, to put the Omnic monk down.

Two Reaper clicks can eliminate him, and don’t get started on if he gets hooked by a Roadhog. There is no way he can tank it. It takes less than two seconds to defeat him as Tracer or Genji. Should we even bring up Doomfist? The list goes on.

9 PRO: Tank-Busting Assist

Orb of Discord, or Discord Orb, is devastating against tanks, especially against non-defensive tanks like Wrecking Ball and Roadhog. It’s the difference between four Reaper clicks and two.

Considering how much high burst damage exists in the game, a tank can be deleted easily when a well-timed Discord Orb is placed on them. For heroes like Reinhardt and D.VA, it renders their armor useless. Farming tanks is a great way to charge Transcendence.

8 CON: Sombra Makes His Life Terrible

Sombra, Sombra, Sombra. Good ‘ole Sombra can make a Zenyatta’s life a nightmare. She can empty a clip into him and kill him if their tracking is good. Hacking him makes him unable to use Discord Orb nor Harmony Orb.

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If Sombra uses EMP and Zen is caught in the radius, he loses his 100 Shields, bringing his HP down to 100 HP instantly. The best buffer against this is to watch the backline and make sure the Zenyatta player is helped as soon as Sombra begins harassing him.

7 PRO: Harmony Orb For Flankers

Orb of Harmony, or just Harmony Orb, is Zen’s primary means of healing. Despite its low healing output, it can be very beneficial for his squishy teammates. It can help bail them out of a sticky situation. It can top off teammates and help tanks recover faster.

The best application is when ally flankers go into the enemy’s backline, giving them extra coverage in case the enemy team retaliates.

6 CON: Low Healing Output

It should be known that Harmony Orb has clear limits. It heals only 30 health per second. In the current state of the game, a whole team can burst a target for over 300 HP of damage. Zenyatta’s Harmony Orb is only good for topping off an ally’s health or for extra assurance for flanking allies.

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Zenyatta generates more ultimate charge from dealing damage (assisted with Discord Orb) than healing alone with Harmony Orb. This means Transcendence is the main source of his healing. Zenyatta can contribute a considerable amount of damage output, but his healing output isn’t nearly as potent as Ana, Moira, or Baptiste.

5 PRO: Dealing With Snipers

Zenyatta can be an easy target for snipers, but that does not mean he’s helpless. Zenyatta is one of the few supports that can go toe-to-toe in long-range combat against an enemy sniper. If the player charges his Orbs of Destruction into a volley with right-click, it can take out a sniper.

Just two orbs to the head can destroy a 200-HP target. Charging it into a fully-tracked volley can decimate a Widowmaker, Ashe or Hanzo before they know it. This isn’t an endorsement to go after snipers. Zen’s weird hitbox makes him more vulnerable to headshots. But, any contest is better than none.

4 CON: Vulnerable To Flankers

Ever since the beta, Zenyatta’s hard counters have been dive heroes and flankers. Winston, Genji, Doomfist, Tracer, D.Va, Wrecking Ball, and more. He is a squishy target, has zero mobility and has projectile-based shooting. Often, Zenyatta needs protection from tanks or the second support.

While Zen is capable of putting down squishies like Trace or Sombra, most flankers’ kits make it possible to avoid, outmaneuver or mitigate Zenyatta’s damage. Sometimes, it’s best to alert the team and keep yourself aware of an incoming flanker.

3 PRO: Backline Support

Zenyatta, of course, isn’t the only target for flankers and dive heroes. Characters like Mercy, Ana and Lucio are also vulnerable to sudden attacks. Harmony Orb can keep a support hero’s health up while they are getting attacked.

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Zenyatta can also just throw a Discord Orb on the flanker and toss a volley at them. The second support can also provide some incoming damage. While Zenyatta often needs back-up, he can be the back-up again.

2 CON: Biotic Grenade

Ana’s Biotic Grenade is a big counter to Zenyatta’s healing capabilities, especially Transcendence. In fact, it’s the most effective counter against Transcendence. Biotic Grenade, when used against the enemies, causes damage and disables healing for multiple targets.

Teams tend to cluster around the Zenyatta when Transcendence is active. If Ana has a clear line of sight and angle, she can chuck a Grenade into the heart of the team. Zenyatta is rendered irrelevant, and his team is open to a team wipe. The avoid this, make sure the Ana’s Biotic Grenade is baited out beforehand or just eliminate her outright.

1 PRO: Transcendence

One of the strongest support ultimate abilities in the game. Transcendence makes Zenyatta completely invulnerable to damage, travel faster and heal his teammates for 300 HP per second. His Discord and Harmony Orbs can also be active while he is in Transcendence.

Transcendence is a great way to tank team wiping abilities, ultimates or combos. It’s also a great way for players to contest the objective when it is getting closer and closer to overtime. Once Transcendence activates, Sombra’s hack or EMP cannot disrupt it, as well. Basically, a nicely-timed and well-positioned Transcendence can save a team fight or even a game.

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