[Update]: The experimental update has now arrived, and the nerfs are a lot gentler than I expected.

A few patches ago Overwatch introduced a relatively simple, yet incredibly useful new feature - the experimental game mode. Much like the name would suggest, the experimental mode allows Blizzard and the Overwatch community to test potentially game-breaking and overall wacky changes, all in an effort to see what could be used to improve the game.

For example, just recently Blizzard orchestrated a perfect meta for Ashe and Pharah to thrive. And then, when both heroes continued to underperform despite them having no real counters left in the game, Blizzard finally felt justified to give them some rather nice buffs. Because of that, both Ashe and Pharah are in a much, much better place right now.

As such, I am very happy to announce that the next batch of experimental changes will be focused on reducing Crowd Control abilities "across multiple heroes." While no specific examples have been given just yet, this can mean everything from Mei's freeze to Doomfist's uppercut and Ana's sleep dart is being changed. Each is unique in its own way, yet they all share the same problem - they're infuriating to be on the receiving end.

Personally, I am both excited and somewhat worried about this. On one hand, I absolutely despise being stunned and killed without being able to do much about it, but on the other hand, I'm also aware that stuns and Crowd Control abilities are pretty much the only thing keeping certain heroes in check. So as much as it sucks getting frozen or stunned, that's really the only way you can actually stop a good Wrecking Ball from just annihilating your backline over and over again.

So if Blizzard is seriously looking into toning down Crowd Control abilities, I fully expect to see minor reworks of a whole bunch of heroes. Wrecking Ball is the obvious one, but another hero that comes to mind is McCree. As it stands McCree is incredibly one-dimensional with his stun in the sense that he either one-shots his pursuers or they chew him up within seconds due to a lack of mobility. In other words, could this mean Blizzard might actually go through with the 250 health McCree buff they tested a while ago? It's certainly an interesting thought to consider, and not just for McCree's sake!

Once the update goes live I'll make sure to let you know, but until then, I hope you have fun messing around with the newly released Echo!