After starting out with only 21 heroes in its arsenal, “Overwatch” has finally released hero 30, Baptiste. But how does he fit into the overall story and current META of the game?

According to Blizzard, Baptiste is from Haiti and was orphaned at a young age in the midst of the Omnic crisis. When he grew older, he became a combat medic in the Caribbean Coalition. During his time in the Coalition, he learned to be a good soldier and teammate, which eventually landed him a role in the special forces. However, when Overwatch ended the Omnic Crisis and the current era of peace began, he was left without work.

Soon, Baptiste became a member of Talon, a mercenary group aimed at profiting off of the Omnic Crisis and which brought about the end of Overwatch as an organization. After he realized the true nature of the group, Baptiste split from Talon and began traveling all around the world, aiding in humanitarian efforts.

While Baptiste’s backstory is definitely interesting, it does nothing to effect his playstyle. Baptiste is the first support hero to carry a hitscan weapon – his biotic launcher. His primary fire is a three-burst-hitscan weapon similar to that of Soldier: 76, while his secondary is a grenade launcher which has the ability to heal teammates.

Baptiste’s abilities are by far some of the most interesting in his kit. His Regenerative Burst releases a self-heal and heals any allies within range. Of particular interest is his Immortality Field, which does not allow the health of all allies within a six-meter radius drop beneath 20% of their total health. This allows Baptiste’s teammates to live through ultimate abilities like D.vA bombs, Junkrat tires or Soldier: 76’s attack visor. His ultimate ability, the Amplification Matrix, is a window which doubles the healing and damage shot through it.

As for how he fits into the META, it’s hard to say whether or not Baptiste will cause any significant change or ability to counter the G.O.A.T.S. team composition. G.O.A.T.S. consists of heroes Reinhardt, Zarya, D.Va, Moira, Lucio and Brigitte. G.O.A.T.S. has been ruling over the professional Overwatch League, with nearly every team running and winning with it. One idea would be to replace Brigette with Baptiste, as Baptiste’s abilities could be a good substitute for Brigette. However, Baptiste does not have the same power to stay alive that Brigette’s shield gives her.