Taking advantage of every tool in your Overwatch hero’s arsenal is a key component to being successful in Blizzard’s FPS, but being able to weaponize emotes takes this concept to a whole other level.
Emotes in Overwatch aren’t exactly what most people would call game-changing abilities. Sure, the option to wave at your teammates or dance is nice, but for the most part, they’re not practical in a match with a few exceptions.
Sit emotes in particular can provide an advantage because it switches a player’s camera to the third person, allowing them to see certain enemy positions without peeking their head out.
Now, Paris Eternal DPS star Stefan ‘Onigod’ Fiskerstrand has demonstrated another practical use of an emote as Tracer that can save the speedy damage hero from what should otherwise be certain death.
In a ranked match on Dorado, Onigod was being chased by an enemy D.Va and found himself out of Blinks with only 3 HP remaining.
With the mega health pack out of reach, the Norwegian zipped around a wall and timed his emote just as the D.Va made the turn to scout him out.
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Amazingly, Obigod managed to clip into the wall with the emote and was perfectly hidden on the D.Va player’s screen. Just as the emote finished, the tank decided they had enough hide and seek and went the other way.
The trick got a laugh from the Eternal player and his chat. After checking the replay viewer when the match had ended, Fiskerstrand saw just how close he was to being detected and how all the D.Va saw on their end was a wall.
Interestingly, when asked about the legality of this move in an Overwatch League match, Onigod said he was “99% sure” it was allowed, which means we could even see him attempt in an organized environment.
In any case, it’s definitely yet another surprise tactic to keep in the back of your mind and have in your playbook next time you’re in a tough position as Tracer.
