Overwatch is kicking off the new year with a new competitive season with fresh changes, and we’re kicking off the new year with special guest host Rob May of Omnic Lab.

Competitive Season 8

Starting with season 8, those in higher ranks will see some changes regarding matchmaking. Masters will only be placed in games with people within 500 SR, and for Grandmasters, that difference is 250 SR. This will lead to longer queue times for them but will result in better matches. Additionally, performance-based SR gains are disabled for ranks Diamond and above. This means players should focus more on teamwork than stats.

Community Update

Jeff Kaplan and team released a dev update recapping 2017, but also giving us an idea of what to expect in 2018. Hero 27 is deep in development, events will continue as we have expected it seems, and the Overwatch team is still looking to make changes to comp.

Playing Tanks

A recent interview suggests that Tanks carry a team rather than the DPS. Is that true? Jaa, Bob, and Rob discuss what the true role of a Tank is, and if they are really the carry.

Hosts

Jarret Redding

Jarret is Executive Director as well as one of the founding members of Mash Those Buttons. He plays all types of games, but tends to lean more toward FPS, Stealth, and Combat games.

Bob Schissler

IT System Engineer by day, avid gamer by night! Bob has been gaming his entire life and first started standing on a chair playing the arcade version of Super Mario Bros. Now he plays all kinds of games but focuses mainly on Overwatch.

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