Overwatch Hero Pool Week of April 27

McCree, Widowmaker, Wrecking Ball and Mercy are the heroes banned from Overwatch for the week of April 27.

It is a tradition now. Every week a selection of heroes; two DPS, one tank and one support, are banned from Overwatch. If the hero pools used to be different between the Overwatch League, Contenders and competitive play, Blizzard decided earlier this month to hold a single draft and ban the same heroes for all players.

🛑STOP!🛑 These heroes aren't allowed through next week. Echo, on the other hand… 👀 #OWL2020 pic.twitter.com/y4QTe4tdD1

— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) April 27, 2020

The hero pool for the week of April 27 removes McCree, Widowmaker, Wrecking Ball and Mercy from the list of available heroes.

McCree and Widowmaker are once again warming the bench

Hitscan heroes took another blow today, with both McCree and Widowmaker banned for a week. This is the third time these heroes are drafted in the hero pool, to the despair of hitscan players.

To counter Pharah and Echo, some heroes can still do the work. Soldier: 76 saw a rise in popularity the last time McCree and Widowmaker were banned. So did Ashe — whose utility as a hitscan hero is often debated in comparison to McCree’s stun or Widowmaker’s efficiency.

 Echo players can get back on the new hero

The joy of having Echo in competitive games was a short one – a week after her first steps in Overwatch, Echo was banned from the Overwatch League and competitive plays. With this new hero pool, the ban is lifted and Echo is back.

Her main counters, McCree and Widowmaker, will not be able to stop her this week as they didn’t make it past the hero pool. Unfortunately, so is her healing duo, Mercy. This shouldn’t prevent Echo players from performing well this week, as the return of Hero 32 is a highly anticipated one.

Mercy will not be here to babysit

If McCree and Widowmaker are no longer threats to flying heroes, this doesn’t mean Pharah will be back roaming the skies this week. Her support partner, Mercy, is out for the week of April 27. If Ana or Baptiste can reach Pharah to heal her, the projectile hero isn’t nearly as powerful or useful without Mercy.

Mercy's disappearing act this week will most likely be felt by Echo players. The duo Mercy/Echo proved to be a powerful one, as Mercy can babysit Echo to let the IA kill an entire team without worrying about its own survival.

Wrecking Ball, a dispensable hero?

Of all heroes banned this week, Wrecking Ball is the one with the less impact on the upcoming games. McCree and Widowmaker are the most powerful hitscan heroes in Overwatch, while Mercy is essential to some strategies and pair well with flying heroes. On the other hand, Wrecking Ball is useful, but not mandatory.

Double shields work well, and dive can still happen with Winston and D.Va. Wrecking Ball is more of an annoyance to the opponents than the central part of team composition.

This hero pool will impact Overwatch League, Contenders and competitive games from April 27 to May 4.