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Overwatch 2 players are always on the lookout for various team compositions that fit specific characters. Zenyatta is one of the hardest to put in a team as he has a very unique gameplay. Although healing is the primary purpose of most supports, this character shines in a different way, as his Orb of Harmony for healing doesn’t really give out a lot of health, nor is it in a rapid manner.
Zenyatta’s unique gameplay categorizes him as an off-support, as he can sometimes dish out enough damage to assassinate damage-dealers with one fully charged Orb of Destruction attack. Compared to other supports, he also lacks an escape, evade, block or any ability for self-survivability. So, he is usually the first teammate to fall if he isn’t positioned or protected well.
As such, he usually needs at least one teammate to help keep him alive, and of course, at least one teammate to capitalize on his Orb of Discord, so his potential isn’t wasted.
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Here are five compositions where Zenyatta can shine through his potential as an off-support. These will balance his ability to help allies and damage enemies to give your team a little bit more freedom through styles of supporting other than healing.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.
Overwatch 2 guide: Best team compositions for Zenyatta
1) Offensive tank-shred team
Tank: D.Va
Damage: Symmetra + Bastion
Support: Zenyatta + Kiriko
This Overwatch 2 team composition highlights the use of Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord, which amplifies the amount of damage that one enemy receives for as long as the character maintains line of sight. With Symmetra and Bastion’s firepower, the enemy team’s tank can be melted within seconds.
When coupled with D.Va’s low but constant damage output from Fusion Cannons and Micro Missiles, either of the damage-dealers can potentially overpower any tank, even when pocketed by Mercy. Symmetra’s Photon Projector and Sentry Turrets can overpower a tank with Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord, while Bastion’s Configuration: Artillery will melt enemies like butter at any range.
On the other hand, Symmetra also solves Zenyatta and Bastion’s mobility and positioning issues by using her teleporter.
At the same time, Kiriko compensates for situations where Zenyatta will have trouble maintaining D.Va’s health. Her ultimate, Kitsune Rush, also makes it possible to be even more aggressive in pushing through and killing the enemy’s tank; it accelerates movement, attack speed, and cooldown of allies that are in its path.
2) Offensive dive team
Tank: Winston
Damage: Genji + Tracer
Support: Zenyatta + Lucio
Diving in Overwatch 2 is still a prominent strategy especially when enemies have annoying supports like Mercy and Moira that are hard to deal with because of their kit and maneuvers. This team focuses less on sustaining and more on targeting the enemies’ backline supports, followed by their damage-dealers, if possible.
Killing one or both Overwatch 2 supports largely cripples their team’s ability to push through or to hold checkpoints, especially if their tank does not have a self-sustain or heal ability.
Zenyatta, along with Lucio, makes this approach possible as heals are not a priority for this strategy. Lucio speeds up the team, making it possible to flank faster. Meanwhile, he also keeps assassins away from Zenyatta, who would then use Orb of Discord on squishy enemies in the backline. Through this, either Winston, Genji, or Tracer can capitalize on this debuff and kill the enemy supports, keeping the numbers advantage throughout the Overwatch 2 match.
All of these call for a certain level of coordination as the dives have to be mostly together. The downside of this strategy is that the whole team is mostly crowded together. However, it is good to note that both Zenyatta and Lucio have ultimates that can make your teammates live through certain damage-dealer ultimates, such as Genji’s Dragonblade or Soldier 76’s Tactical Visor.
3) Defensive stall team
Tank: Wrecking Ball
Damage: Soldier 76 + Mei
Support: Zenyatta + Mercy
This Overwatch 2 team composition compensates for Zenyatta’s lack of healing compared to other supports. Wrecking Ball is one of the hardest tanks to kill in the game, while Soldier 76 and Mei both have self-sustaining abilities.
With Mercy, this team barely needs another healer to support them. Hence, Zenyatta has more freedom as an off-support. He can focus more on timely use of Orb of Discord on enemies, while the Orb of Harmony mostly stays on Wrecking Ball the whole time.
As long as Zenyatta stays alive with the help of Mercy, the whole team would also have no trouble staying alive, and can successfully survive for a very long time. This team can be very strong for defending checkpoints, and simply for stalling time in certain circumstances.
4) Balanced anti-flank team
Tank: Zarya
Damage: Hanzo + Reaper
Support: Zenyatta + Ana
This Overwatch 2 team composition makes up for the weaknesses of each character; like how Ana complements Zenyatta in terms of the raw amount of healing that she can offer. Zarya also makes it possible for squishy teammates like Zenyatta to survive sudden assassinations with her Particle Barrier.
Her shields have short durations and high cooldowns, making her vulnerable at times, but this is already enough for the Orb of Harmony’s heal to keep up with her health. Zarya’s Particle Cannon beam, although hard to charge up, is capable of melting through most damage-dealers and even certain tanks when her energy is high. When paired with Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord, this makes her a threat damage-wise, while still being tanky enough to push through the frontlines.
This Overwatch 2 team also relies on gaining a huge advantage through ultimate combos, while still having Zenyatta’s Transcendence as a failsafe.
5) Balance sustain team
Tank: Orisa
Damage: Bastion + Junkrat
Support: Zenyatta + Baptiste
Orisa is one of the toughest tanks in Overwatch 2, and she is very hard to kill when her abilities are cycled correctly. There are instances when enemies can dish out a lot of damage. Given that she lacks barriers that can provide shelter for allies, it is undeniable that she needs a dedicated healing support like Zenyatta that can keep her on the battlefield for longer.
In turn, Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord is also valuable because Orisa also excels at dealing damage at close range. When paired with Bastion and Junkrat’s damage output, it could be catastrophic for the enemy tank or even their whole team, as the two DPS can create a lot of space with their aggressive playstyle.
Meanwhile, Baptiste can provide healing in areas Zenyatta is lacking. He also offers a failsafe for Orisa when she’s taking too much damage, or even Zenyatta when there is a flanker nearby.
Overall, Zenyatta shines in teams where a second healer is not needed in Overwatch 2, and the damage-dealers are having a hard time thinning out the enemy tank’s health bar. His gameplay is risky, but it is usually rewarded well when played cohesively with a team that communicates well.
Zenyatta can enable diving and flanking, as long as the diving teammate has enough map awareness to see where the hero's line of sight is, and also to follow cues as to which enemy the Orb of Discord is on. All of this calls for a lot of practice, including constant and precise communication with your teammates, especially since Zenyatta is a difficult character to master in Overwatch 2.
