Season 18 dropped a wave of support changes and mL7 sat down to break down who’s thriving, who’s suffering, and who’s secretly broken. If you’re trying to climb this season, here’s the ultimate cheat sheet for the support role.

TL;DR Support Rankings (Season 18)

Top tier (must picks): Baptiste, Brigitte, Illari, Juno, Kiriko, Lifeweaver, Lucio, Wu Yang
Weaker/situational picks: Ana, Moira, Zenyatta, Mercy

Ana – High Effort, Low Reward This Season

Ana feels rough after losing double Nano. Speed boost from Nano still helps, but it’s less clutch. She’s only strong on maps with good defensive high ground (Ilios, Numbani, Gibraltar). In the current hyper mobility meta, hitting game-changing nades is inconsistent because of Kiriko cleanses, D.Va matrix, and tons of disengage. Nano is best used on hyper carry DPS (Sojourn, Echo, Pharah, Genji) rather than tanks. If you love Ana, expect to work harder than ever.

Baptiste – Secretly OP

Baptiste is thriving. Automated Healing perk gives ult charge every time you use abilities and lets you pump out damage while passively healing teammates. His Lamp, Regen Burst, and Window add stacked utility, and his dueling potential makes him scary in 1v1s. He shines with brawlier tanks and can even play aggressively with Window to melt tanks. mL7 calls him “secretly OP” this patch.

Brigitte – Meta Defining

Brig’s perk changes make her stronger than ever. Melee attacks now reduce Repair Pack cooldowns, and Inspiring Strike adds speed on Shield Bash, letting her peel, chase, and disengage effectively. She shuts down Tracer, Genji, Venture, and other dive threats. Works everywhere except poke-heavy comps (Zarya, Sojourn spam). Brig + Juno is a deadly Season 18 duo.

Illari – Aggro Carry Support

Illari is back in form. With buffed range and the Solar Flare perk, she plays more like a DPS than a healer. Her Pylon provides passive healing, freeing her to focus on 1v1ing enemy squishies. Strong ultimate follow-up, consistent poke, and high carry potential make her one of the scariest picks in GM. If you’re confident in your aim, Illari is a must-learn.

Juno – Slippery and Back in the Meta

Juno finally feels good. With perks like Martian Overboost (triple jump) and Faster Blaster (machine gun mode), she brings high mobility and actual kill pressure. Her value lies in speed boosts: enabling dives, disengages, and team rotations. Juno + Brig is making waves as a survival-heavy backline core.

Kiriko – Still S-Tier

Kiriko lost double TP, but she’s still a powerhouse. Her new focus is Suzu management with Foxtrot perk giving cooldown resets. Kunai poke is reliable, and TP still offers insane survivability. She works in every comp, on every map. Less off-angle cheese now, more team-oriented play.

Lifeweaver – Surprisingly Solid

Once controversial, Lifeweaver is finally respected. His Tree is strong, his Pull saves lives, and his survivability is excellent. Pedal platform attack speed perk adds hidden DPS utility. He lacks direct carry potential but wins through consistency and utility. Not meta-breaking, but in the right hands, he’s no longer a throw pick.

Lucio – The King of Season 18

Lucio is a must-pick on Push, Flashpoint, and control maps. Speed boost is the most valuable utility in the game and pairs perfectly with Season 18’s mobility meta. His new boop perk increases knockback and lets him dominate duels. Lucio’s kit has aged perfectly, and he remains the most reliable support to climb with.

Mercy – Only If You Have a Pocket

Mercy is playable but situational. She’s great if you have a hyper carry DPS partner, but otherwise feels weak. Her new movement perk makes her slipperier, but this isn’t a pocket-DPS meta. In ladder, she’s okay with Sojourn, Cassidy, Pharah, Echo, or Soldier. In OWCS, she’s barely seen. If you want to climb with her, duo with a cracked DPS.

Moira – Out of Place

Moira feels outdated. She still has high healing and damage uptime, but the short range punishes her in a meta dominated by disengage and long-range sustain. Fade makes her survivable, but once it’s down she’s vulnerable to Tracer, Venture, and Doomfist. Phantom Step helps, but she brings little utility compared to Kiriko or Lifeweaver. Okay in gold/plat to learn support pacing, but weak in higher lobbies.

Wu Yang – Top 3 Support Already

The new waterbender is cracked. Wu Yang’s orbs provide poke damage, his healing beam has range, and his shift gives insane mobility. Guardian Wave refunds healing resources, Tidal Blast grants overhealth and CC, and his survivability makes him one of the hardest supports to pin down. He’s already showing up in OWCS and GM lobbies. Expect nerfs to his shift soon.

Zenyatta – Struggling Hard

Zen is suffering. Transcendent Condemnation perk doesn’t stick Discord Orbs long enough to matter, and tanks easily break line of sight to reset them. At 150 HP, he’s too fragile against dive and poke. Works only on sniper maps like Junkertown or Havana, or if you’re a mechanical god. Otherwise, Illari outshines him in the “DPS support” slot.

Final Word: Supports To Climb With

According to mL7, if you want “fast, easy dubs” in Season 18, play:

  • Lucio – meta staple on fast maps
  • Wu Yang – slippery new carry support
  • Kiriko – versatile S-tier
  • Baptiste – secretly OP
  • Brigitte – anti-dive queen
  • Illari – hyper carry DPS support
  • Juno – speed + kill pressure
  • Lifeweaver – solid utility and survivability

Visit OverwatchCentral for more Overwatch 2 tier lists, patch breakdowns, and pro support insights: OverwatchCentral

Source: mL7 video